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Shipping To Spain


Northern Sharks

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I'm arranging a trade with another member from Spain, but I've heard numerous dealers say they won't ship to Spain (or Italy) because of postal/customs problems. Is there a "right" way to send a package so that it arrives safely? Also, is it incoming or outgoing packages, or both, that have the problems?

Edited by Northern Sharks

There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else

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I've heard that, but successfully shipped by declaring teeth as "mineral specimens for study" and giving a very low value. My impression is that they are simply a little lax on enforcing import laws on fossils.

Edited by THobern
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I'm arranging a trade with another member from Spain, but I've heard numerous dealers say they won't ship to Spain (or Italy) because of postal/customs problems. Is there a "right" way to send a package so that it arrives safely? Also, is it incoming or outgoing packages, or both, that have the problems?

Hello from Spain

I do several trades each year with people from different countries, included USA (some are members of this forum) and i haven't had problems with the Customs. All of them have arrived.

When the packages weigh more than 2 kg i declared something like this "Geological samples for studying".

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Hi Kevin

I shipped a package on the Monday after Christmas and it arrived there in about a week. I even went with the lowest shipping rate which in the US is First Class Air Mail. Delivery is suppose to be about 5-10 days and I am quite sure it arrived within those parameters. I did put a $30 value as was agreed with the receiver even though the value was much higher.

Now the other way around - I am still waiting. The other person shipped at the same time or maybe a couple of days earlier. I am not panicking just yet. A few months back I had a similar problem from Canada. US customs took forever to clear. It was about a month before I got that package. I am giving the Spaniard another week before I start to wonder. The incident over Detroit on Christmas day is probably not helping and the package has to come into the Detroit airport.

Also, my wife sells on ebay and has shipped many packages to Spain and has never had a problem. She only had one problem with a Spaniard not paying, changing his ebay name and pulling the same stunt. We do not hold that against the Spaniards. You will always run into someone unethical but you do not hold it against the whole country. We continue to ship to Spain.

crinus

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I have shipped books to Italy and had problems every time and that's just books. I send stuff to a friend in Spain several times a year and only had one problem with some pet wood and agate, she got it but it was 4 months later. I say in my eBay listings now U S only as I sale 95% books I don't loss much business I HOPE.

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Please don`t blame to all Spanish country if you have got problems with someone! A friend of mine have got problems with French, Americans and English, and at last, he will not change or sell nothing more by the web!

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Northern:

I have heard a lot of things from whoever...

I'm currently receiving one or two box per week from the US and Canada and from everywhere and I never had any problem ... the only box that never did arrive was a box from a Texan collector because the box never was sent.

Send and see what happens.

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I bought a couple of nice fossils in Spain (10 small parcels or so...). Never had any problems. But it took me about three weeks to get them (I am living in Germany, not so far away). Don't get too nervous waiting. Snail mail is faster!

Almost as fast as German customs - they will need four weeks. :wacko:

Thomas

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes (Confucius, 551 BC - 479 BC).

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Hello folk,

here is another spaniard,

Few months ago i bought a wholesale lot of fossils from a well known american dealer. The package did not arrive and we make some research about what was going on. He finally got the package back. He tried again and then the package arrived to Spain perfectly. He told me that the problem was in the US custom because they are not permitting the export of fossils from the US but nothing to do with Spanish customs. It makes sense to me because custom are awared about export of fossils from your own country (including Spain where export of fossil is illegal or barelly legal). So probably, it could help if you declare your parcel as items for studying better than fossils.

PS: I bought a fossil to Crinus wife and it arrived to me pretty fast and without any problem. By the way it was a nice ceraurus!!!!

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If the green card has high value on it, customs can raise a tax form and declaration. In some cases, you can be obliged to pay to take the parcel, but it is not usual. Sometimes, it happens. But putting "samples for study" you shouldn't have problems.

Crabs are out there...

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Hello folk,

here is another spaniard,

Few months ago i bought a wholesale lot of fossils from a well known american dealer. The package did not arrive and we make some research about what was going on. He finally got the package back. He tried again and then the package arrived to Spain perfectly. He told me that the problem was in the US custom because they are not permitting the export of fossils from the US but nothing to do with Spanish customs. It makes sense to me because custom are awared about export of fossils from your own country (including Spain where export of fossil is illegal or barelly legal). So probably, it could help if you declare your parcel as items for studying better than fossils.

PS: I bought a fossil to Crinus wife and it arrived to me pretty fast and without any problem. By the way it was a nice ceraurus!!!!

I totally agree with your opinion.

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I ship overseas all the time and have very few problems. I shipped a dozen packages to Spain last year with no problems. Italy is another story for some reason. I had three packages get lost last year shipping to Italy. My experience is to ship it USPS Express if you can afford it.

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Hello folk,

here is another spaniard,

He told me that the problem was in the US custom because they are not permitting the export of fossils from the US but nothing to do with Spanish customs. It makes sense to me because custom are awared about export of fossils from your own country (including Spain where export of fossil is illegal or barelly legal).

This is the first time I have heard about the U.S. Govt worried about exporting fossils.

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Now the other way around - I am still waiting. The other person shipped at the same time or maybe a couple of days earlier. I am not panicking just yet. A few months back I had a similar problem from Canada. US customs took forever to clear. It was about a month before I got that package. I am giving the Spaniard another week before I start to wonder. The incident over Detroit on Christmas day is probably not helping and the package has to come into the Detroit airport.

crinus

Just thought that I would mention that my package from Spain arrived today with NO problems. Took slightly under a month. This is the second international package I have had held up by customs but eventually it gets cleared. All is fine with shipping to and from Spain. And there is NO US customs duty on fossils coming into the US.

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  • 7 years later...

Recently I shipped to spain. The fossil was custom cleared. But delivery was delayed 5 days later..... 

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I regularly ship stuff related to my work from the UK to both Spain and Portugal. For some reason a 3-5 day service ALWAYS takes around 10 days. No problem with any other EU country. I've also never had problems receiving or sending to the USA but one was delayed from @FossilDudeCO but wasn't opened and inspected by customs. FYI certainly receiving in the EU from anywhere there is no customs duty to be paid on anything antique which by definition is something over 100 years old regardless of if you put €1000000+ on it. One of my sources of income is selling antique cameras. With antique and fossils I put a fair value and insure if need be. 

 

 

Of course Blake might have been a little lax on when he sent out my goodies. :P

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  • 3 years later...

I would have a question here i would want to gi from spain with my nit so modest sharktooth collection back to Malta bt plane in my underlaying luggage. You guys tbink that will be fine? 

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On 5/27/2021 at 11:34 PM, Shark fossile said:

I would have a question here i would want to gi from spain with my nit so modest sharktooth collection back to Malta bt plane in my underlaying luggage. You guys tbink that will be fine? 

 

I'd say it really depends... I've flown with fossils between France and the Netherlands without much of a problem, irrespective of whether with teeth or, at one point, even a heavy plesiosaur propodial (though I was asked about it at security and had asked my wife to stay behind in case they'd not accept me taking it). However, the airport I used to fly from in France is small, and the one in the Netherlands, while big, not overly strict on inter-European travel (or may be just the flight I used to take). However, when flying between major airports, or generally between countries that have heavy security checks, they may raise questions. I've been stopped once, because the security officer didn't recognize the shapes of model/plastic dinosaurs I was bringing across for my son... Things become even more complicated when dealing with materials that resemble dangerous objects or controlled substances (which I can imagine sharks' teeth to be), though to counter that I've found that there's frequently - though by no means always - more of a reluctance to open packages that have been carefully wrapped, for example as gifts. That having been said, it really depends on the security officer you run into (how leant, understanding and knowledgable they are, the mood they're in); the type of device they're using (some products/objects show up as suspicious on certain scans while they'll pass fine through others); whether you're trying to transport things in hand luggage or check-in (the latter would be easier if you've got a lot to carry across, but means you'll loose the fossils from sight, which may be something you feel unconformable with); and possibly the airline carrier you're travelling with. As such, I'd say it would be possible... but there's certainly a risk involved - especially if you're not accustomed with the route you're travelling (which includes the airports, security gates, airlines, etc.). So, this is by no means an endorsement of it being possible or safe to do so, just an anecdote showing that it may be possible...

'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett

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