Hi,
I am currently in Hawaii and would like to purchase a few souvenirs such as wooden bowls and wooden tiki men etc. but am worried they will be confiscated once I arrive back in Aus.
Would these be allowed into Australia?
Please share your experiences.
thanks :)
just remember you MUST declare it , or face a fine for not declaring it even if its safe to bring in
Exactly. Declaring it means they inspect it, if its dangerous etc they will take it away, but you wont have any fines etc.
If you dont declare it you can be fined even if it's ok, as you failed to declare, plus you can end up on their watch list.
We brought some stuff back from Bali, we declared it, and they looked at it and let us bring them in. No drama. Likewise you will be fairly likely to be able to bring them in. Just look at them and make sure there are no pin holes in the wood that increases your chances of bring them in, which BTW is already high. These guys are trained to know what to look for.
If they do take then, be happy that they are protecting our environment
BTW in all our trips (around 10), to the US/Canada, with the wood products we brought in, I think only 1 item was suspect. They said we could keep it after they fumigated it (at our cost) but it wasnt worth the cost.
what was the cost of fumigation?
Its a while ago, so cant recall
There is more on their website, but it just says at "your cost"
http://www.agriculture.gov.au/travelling/to-australia/arrivi…
See under heading "on arrival"
EDIt
Some more here - says $100
http://www.customs.gov.au/canibringitback/item/WoodenAndWove…
I brought back some wooden chopping boards from Hawaii in Feb, declared wooden items on the form, they asked what I had and I told them and they didn't even look at it.
AU customs is as hit-or-miss as you can get, imho. I had 5 crates of stuff shipped over a few years ago. I had to go to the docks & pry them open for the guy to check the contents. I had wooden furniture, untreated (un-sealed) hand-made woven wood baskets, some of the furniture was antique & had insect bore holes in them…what do you suppose the guy picked up to "confiscate"? The lid of an old, cardboard, orange-shipping box. Not the entire box, just the lid! Lol.
The next encounter was a tiny, miniature set of snowshoes from upstate NY. They were fully sealed. Confiscated!!! A $75 ransom to fumigate them? When they cost $20 to begin with?? No thanks.
I have to wonder how many items go home with the customs staff- or is it just people justifying their jobs? I can appreciate the theory of checking what comes in, but it's pointless when there's no continuity…
+1. Not sure why u were negged for telling your story (actually i got a good idea ( u upset a bootlicker))
Luckily- I don't watch or care the "negs", but thanks for alerting me!
What I related, happened. Shoot me down, if you wish…but, it happened. Thinking the "protect your country" meme must have taken place.
Cheers
PS- Your gov't "servants" now control "you", btw.
If this upsets you, then go to your local gov't offices & complain.
Actually you might have found that the shipping company had fumigated everything before it left the US. I had a container of stuff we brought back with furniture etc and they fumigated it when it left San Fran, Standard practice by the shippers and we never got charged because the shipper said they built that into the quote.
Not saying that this was the same for you, but it might be the answer.
Yes, supposedly the containers are "fumigated" as part of the shipping fee?
Except…the confiscated lid of the orange crate— it was in with the rest, more porous (more open to the fumigant), at least as porous as the bottom half made of the same material which was left untouched?? I got the feeling at the time of someone justifying their time/position because it was so ludicrous.
I got to thinking— that neg here? A customs person took offense maybe? Hey, I only report what happened— talk about shooting the messenger?
Glad your experience was better!
Have a great weekend- :)
@Geekomatic: Having been around Ozbargain for a while, I would have no idea why some people will negatively vote down some comments.
Trying to second guess is just futile.
Just like either of us trying to guess why the top of the crate was confiscated. :)
I personally think the mods ought to filter this stuff.
I was explaining my experience & an anonomous person degrades me & it simply sticks? WTF???
Oz B loses face, imho
Last comment on this:
There are many migrants to AU. There are many anti-migrants. OzB ought to filter those. Otherwise, OzB (unless otherwise expressed) actively supports bigots & racists by posting & supporting their votes, negs, & rants.
Imho.
Wooden items are allowed into Australia if they are free from bark, insects, signs of insect damage (such as borer holes) or any other contamination. To check for insect damage look closely at wooden items for holes and sawdust. Wooden items that do not meet these import conditions must be treated, exported from Australia or destroyed. Treatment or export is at the importer’s expense.
Please note that wooden articles imported for personal use only (non commercial consignments) must be declared on arrival and will require mandatory on arrival inspection and may require treatment if biosecurity concerns are found during inspection. Articles that cannot be treated will be seized and destroyed.
http://www.agriculture.gov.au/travelling/cant-bring-form/sou…
just remeber you MUST declare it , or face a fine for not declaring it even if its safe to bring in