Guide to importing AEGs from the Far East to Ireland

fleet

Howdy folks,

what I'd like this to be is THE definitive guide to importing AEGs in to Ireland from the Far East.
I'll post up my advice, you guys can correct me and add in your own. Hopefully one of the mods will add it to this post, if not I'll create and off boards webpage.

I've had a number of weird experiences that could have been avoided if I'd had access to clear information regarding carriers and customs. Here's what you need to know.

Before I start: I've had very good experience with Irish airsoft shops. I've spent the last 3 months trying to get a G36 inported just to save 50 euro, I could have had that AEG in my hands in a matter of minutes if I'd walked in to an Irish shop. So this guide is not recommending importing as the best means of acquiring AEGs, it's just here to help you out in case you do decide it's what you want to do.

This guide only applies to AEGs (and AEPs, GBBs and the like) - other equipment you can import much easier.

1. The legal limit for Ireland is 1 Joule, many online retailers will downgrade the AEG before shipping. Many retailers will ship the AEG and it's gear mechanism separately, this means customs can't test it - but this is not recommended as skirmish sites will not allow >1J AEGs to be used.

2. Don't use EMS as the carrier for importing AEGs. EMS is Hong Kong posts fast parcel service but it seems that UK customs in Heathrow stop AEGs that do not conform to UK law, despite the fact that they are bound for Ireland. Use a regular courier, but sucess has been reported with the VERY slow surface mail services.

3. Shipping varies wildly from supplier to supplier, most of the free shipping sites (TGD, EB etc) ship with EMS, a big no no.

4. VAT, duty and fees are applied to all goods inported from outside the EU with a value over about 22 euro. Typically you can tack on 30% to the price of an item plus it's shipping. Historically non-couriered items that are handled by An Post tend to escape these charges irrespective of the value, but this is no guarantee, and you are still obliged to pay the tax yourself. Don't ask about marking the value of the goods lower, this kind of talk will get boards.ie in trouble. [rant] We don't have the kind of free speach in Ireland that you might expect from a Western country [/rant].

more to follow...

Shiva

Good idea Fleet, well done....just one thing you should probably clarify.

fleet wrote: »

1. The legal limit for Ireland is 1 Joule, many online retailers will downgrade the AEG before shipping. Many retailers will ship the AEG and it's gear mechanism separately, this means customs can't test it - but this is not recommended as skirmish sites will not allow >1J AEGs to be used.

If you receive a gearbox and body separately, and the gearbox contains a spring with a power greater than 100 m/s, as soon as you put the gearbox into the gun, you've broken the law.

If you're in any doubt about the power, bring the gun body and gearbox to a retailer to get the spring changed before you assemble it, or do it yourself.

fleet

That's what I was trying to say, I should have made it clearer!

Yeah, basically if it's >1J then you're illegal.

Gatling

be handy if we had a list of online retailers who definitly do downgrades before shipping