Postage overcharging?

yolkin · 03-06-2003, 02:33 PM

Everyone,

I would like to a) vent a quick personal account, and b) ask a general question.

a) I have purchased a lot of several awards from someone located in Moscow. He inquired whether I wanted to have them shipped to me via a DHL-type company for an additional $50 - $70 or go with Registered "Par Avion" Air-Mail for no additional cost. Naturally, I said let's go with the Registered Air-Mail.

Well, it has been over a month since he said that he sent it out. I have pretty much lost all hope.

I understand that the new laws in Russia prohibit the export of Soviet Awards, hence I think my package with "Friendship of Peoples", "XX years of RKKA" and "Battlefield Merit Type 1" may have and most probably was detained by the customs... So that is my horror story...

b) General Question:
With the new aspects of the Russian export laws, what is the opinion of the members on this board as far as dealing with sellers in Russia and former republics of the USSR?

Thanks,

Eric

DougD · 03-06-2003, 07:11 PM

The Russian customs service x-rays all packages, so sending medals out is very difficult to do. I would be really supprised if they make it out.

I have alot of things brought over, mostly in a way that is less than fully upfront. I would never send money to russia and ask that stuff just be sent, unless it was postwar cloth. Even then its iffy.

DD

wheats101 · 03-06-2003, 08:48 PM

It's funny you should bring up this topic tonight. I have just returned from the Post Office after receiving 3 packages from a supplier in Lithuania. Apparently the packages cleared their customs okay but they were opened by US Customs Offiicials then re-sealed with some flourescent yellow tape....not too obvious to prying eyes! I receive regular packages from Ukraine, CZ, Russia & Lithuania & this is the first problem I have ever had.

scook17 · 03-07-2003, 11:07 AM

I've order stuff from the former USSR before, but knowing the export rules, never buy medals from Russia, Ukraine. The countries occupied by the former USSR, eg the Baltics, Poland etc don't seem to have any problems selling soviet awards, so many awards from Russia and the Ukraine are smuggled to these 'safe' countries for export to the west. I've bought several things from the Baltics and never had any problems.

In fact, thinking about it, of the hundred or so items I must have bought so far, I've only ever had problems with two of them. One was bad packaging and the other was a 'representative' picture of a medal, which turned out to be in much worse condition than the 'photo'. Both were problems were resolved to my satisfaction.

Kind Regards,
Shane Cook.

redstar_co · 03-12-2003, 04:28 PM

I've heard that it is easier to send very small volumes (2 maximum) in a small letters.
My supplyer sends them from Moskow to Ukraine to Germany to USA.
Takes a while but it gets here.
Another thing I heard that there is a chance to buy originals for a very good price in a former republic of Georgia. I am not sure about their laws there.
I am also wondering about Belorussia. Do they have the same law

wheats101 · 03-12-2003, 04:47 PM

I have heard that the laws (& intrepretation of the laws) can vary from region to region within a specific country. The laws are ambiguious and many guards/inspectors tend to free-lance, knowing that Western collectors can be easy pickings.

David (wheats101)

redstar_co · 03-12-2003, 04:58 PM

Yeah. I would thought they do that.

I am just wondering how many bags of awards they collect daily

And better yet
Where does it all go at the end of the shift

wheats101 · 03-12-2003, 10:51 PM

Just speculation on my part, but who better to sell the confiscated items to than the original sellers? I am sure the original sellers know how to go about it!

redstar_co · 03-13-2003, 01:35 AM

Then it means that prospective buyer will buy it over and over again

scook17 · 03-13-2003, 04:23 AM

My wife is from Belarus and yes, it's illegal to export medals from there. We once tried to take a painting out of Belarus and it took around a week to get an export permit. We still had trouble with customs, as they try to charge you for anything they can think of.

What I still find funny is the last time I was there, we got fined twenty pence each (around thirty cents) for crossing the road and not using the subway. I also remember the other time we were there and my wife's father picked us up from Minsk airport. On the way back to Gomel, we got stopped and fined $19 for speeding. Her father negotiated the fine down to $5 for paying in cash! I had to laugh.......

Kind Regards,
Shane Cook.

03-06-2003, 02:33 PM	#1
yolkin Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Chicago Age: 46 Posts: 206	Air-Mail Times Everyone, I would like to a) vent a quick personal account, and b) ask a general question. a) I have purchased a lot of several awards from someone located in Moscow. He inquired whether I wanted to have them shipped to me via a DHL-type company for an additional $50 - $70 or go with Registered "Par Avion" Air-Mail for no additional cost. Naturally, I said let's go with the Registered Air-Mail. Well, it has been over a month since he said that he sent it out. I have pretty much lost all hope. I understand that the new laws in Russia prohibit the export of Soviet Awards, hence I think my package with "Friendship of Peoples", "XX years of RKKA" and "Battlefield Merit Type 1" may have and most probably was detained by the customs... So that is my horror story... b) General Question: With the new aspects of the Russian export laws, what is the opinion of the members on this board as far as dealing with sellers in Russia and former republics of the USSR? Thanks, Eric __________________ Soviet Union is the only country with an unpredictable ... past! Last edited by yolkin; 03-06-2003 at 02:36 PM.

03-12-2003, 04:28 PM	#5
redstar_co Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles, USA Age: 53 Posts: 67	I've heard that it is easier to send very small volumes (2 maximum) in a small letters. My supplyer sends them from Moskow to Ukraine to Germany to USA. Takes a while but it gets here. Another thing I heard that there is a chance to buy originals for a very good price in a former republic of Georgia. I am not sure about their laws there. I am also wondering about Belorussia. Do they have the same law __________________ Vpered k Kommunizmu

03-12-2003, 04:58 PM	#7
redstar_co Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles, USA Age: 53 Posts: 67	Yeah. I would thought they do that. I am just wondering how many bags of awards they collect daily And better yet Where does it all go at the end of the shift __________________ Vpered k Kommunizmu Last edited by CtahhR; 01-22-2014 at 05:51 PM.

03-13-2003, 01:35 AM	#9
redstar_co Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles, USA Age: 53 Posts: 67	Then it means that prospective buyer will buy it over and over again __________________ Vpered k Kommunizmu

03-06-2003, 07:11 PM	#2
DougD Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: NJ Age: 50 Posts: 2,060	The Russian customs service x-rays all packages, so sending medals out is very difficult to do. I would be really supprised if they make it out. I have alot of things brought over, mostly in a way that is less than fully upfront. I would never send money to russia and ask that stuff just be sent, unless it was postwar cloth. Even then its iffy. DD

03-06-2003, 08:48 PM	#3
wheats101 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 25	It's funny you should bring up this topic tonight. I have just returned from the Post Office after receiving 3 packages from a supplier in Lithuania. Apparently the packages cleared their customs okay but they were opened by US Customs Offiicials then re-sealed with some flourescent yellow tape....not too obvious to prying eyes! I receive regular packages from Ukraine, CZ, Russia & Lithuania & this is the first problem I have ever had.

03-07-2003, 11:07 AM	#4
scook17 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 220	I've order stuff from the former USSR before, but knowing the export rules, never buy medals from Russia, Ukraine. The countries occupied by the former USSR, eg the Baltics, Poland etc don't seem to have any problems selling soviet awards, so many awards from Russia and the Ukraine are smuggled to these 'safe' countries for export to the west. I've bought several things from the Baltics and never had any problems. In fact, thinking about it, of the hundred or so items I must have bought so far, I've only ever had problems with two of them. One was bad packaging and the other was a 'representative' picture of a medal, which turned out to be in much worse condition than the 'photo'. Both were problems were resolved to my satisfaction. Kind Regards, Shane Cook.

03-12-2003, 04:47 PM	#6
wheats101 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 25	I have heard that the laws (& intrepretation of the laws) can vary from region to region within a specific country. The laws are ambiguious and many guards/inspectors tend to free-lance, knowing that Western collectors can be easy pickings. David (wheats101)

03-12-2003, 10:51 PM	#8
wheats101 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 25	Just speculation on my part, but who better to sell the confiscated items to than the original sellers? I am sure the original sellers know how to go about it!

03-13-2003, 04:23 AM	#10
scook17 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 220	My wife is from Belarus and yes, it's illegal to export medals from there. We once tried to take a painting out of Belarus and it took around a week to get an export permit. We still had trouble with customs, as they try to charge you for anything they can think of. What I still find funny is the last time I was there, we got fined twenty pence each (around thirty cents) for crossing the road and not using the subway. I also remember the other time we were there and my wife's father picked us up from Minsk airport. On the way back to Gomel, we got stopped and fined $19 for speeding. Her father negotiated the fine down to $5 for paying in cash! I had to laugh....... Kind Regards, Shane Cook.

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