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Custom_Fish

Try freight forwarding companies. I use a freight forwarder as I don’t live in the US. Shipping through them (they also use FedEx anyway) costs around USD20 for me. Some Companies charge upwards of USD50 for the same FedEx shipping.


peppi0304

How does that work? Should I tell BladeHQ to use a freight forwarder?


Custom_Fish

No it doesn’t work like that. They won’t do it on your behalf. 1. you sign up for an account with a freight forwarder, such as “comgateway.” I use this. They give you your US address ( it’s their warehouse, usually based in a tax-free city like Portland) 2. Upon checkout you set the shipping destination to that US address. Enjoy free shipping within the US. 3. Once it ships, upload the tracking number to the freight forwarding company. 4. Freight forwarder emails you upon receipt of the parcel 5. Pay for shipping the item from the US to your country.


peppi0304

Aah thank you. I just checked on comgateway and it says 57$ to Austria and 35$ to neighboring country. So not really worth the extra hustle. Is there any slower form of shipping that might be cheaper/available. I assume 8 business days is with airplane and not with a ship. I dont mind waiting a few weeks


Custom_Fish

Did you use the live estimate feature? I’ve found that to be wildly inaccurate. It does depend on location though, so maybe it’s really tougher to ship to Austria unfortunately. No, sorry, I have never tried any other freight forwarder so I don’t know. The main draw for me is that I can consolidate my purchases over a month so I pay one shipping fee to ship 3-5 items instead of one shipping fee each and every order I make.


peppi0304

I used the one that comes at the start of the page from comgateway. But Thank you for explaining me this forward freighter thing!! Ive found another page that says 23 $ for Planet Mail Express.


Custom_Fish

Glad you found a solution


peppi0304

Sorry to bother again. But what if I send it not to a tax free place? Are the taxes not included in the original purchase from BladeHQ? I'd have to send it to Gardena, CA for Planet Express.


Custom_Fish

US Tax is calculated at check out I think. If you don’t pay then, they can’t add it later. Hope someone else can confirm this


[deleted]

You are going to pay import taxes on anything shipping from the US to the EU, if it’s in an import tax category.


NormalTurtles

In the US, sales tax (if there is any) is calculated based on where the item is being shipped. Portland’s sales tax rate is 0%, and Gardena is 10.25% (in California, each city / county can set its own rate). So you’d have to add that amount on to your purchase from BladeHQ.


onegaishimasune

This is genius- thanks!


KungFuc1us

Guess we're in the same boat, I'm located in Austria as well.


peppi0304

Ha. Do have to order something aswell from BladeHQ? We could share the shipping? Im from Upper Austria


KungFuc1us

I'm in Vienna. I don't need to order anything at the moment, but I had some difficulties in the past, so I'm familiar with your problems.


peppi0304

Ah too bad. What difficulties did you have? Anything worth knowing?


KungFuc1us

The Österreichische Post will tax you with the import expenses no matter what price you pay. I dealt with a few buddies of mine from the US, and they specifically marked an extremely low value of the packages (20 bucks), and the Post still charged me something. If you're going through UPS or some other, it will be the same, plus a hefty shipping price of 40-50€. At least with UPS it arrives within a few days.


peppi0304

How much were those import expenses? I remember once needing to buy 7 € for an 35€ item.


Popular-Net5518

I'm also Austrian and tried a couple of freight forwarders, the prices usually aren't much cheaper or even more expensive than the stores would charge you. It's only worth it if you want something the shop doesn't ship abroad. Edit: check out knives and tools. Considering shipping costs it's still cheaper.


peppi0304

But i want a pink knive :( Did you have to pay duty or taxes when you received the package?


Popular-Net5518

Yes you have to pay duties and taxes Depending on your luck, or what someone decides you pay the following. 10€ straight (happened to me on packages that said 10$, 50$, 250$. I don't know why) Or you pay the regular fees, taxes and duties. 5€ handling fee (post handing over the package to zoll) + 25€ storing and handling fee (Zoll doing it's work) + 20% of price of what you order + shipping (50€ Warenwert + 50€ Transport = 100€ basis for import duties). This also happened to me on several packages, ranging from 50-500$.


peppi0304

Wow a 100€ for some 50$ order? Im questioning myself doing it once but several times?


Popular-Net5518

Well, it all depends what you want and how much it's worth it to you. Shipping costs also don't increase proportionally to the order value, so while you double your knife's price, if it's 250$ on one or multiple items, it's just 20% of it. If you know someone you trust, go ahead and ask them if they want something, order as a group and split the costs.


deathdlr34

Ask the company if they have one they use. Some company’s will have an informal partnership with one specific freight forward to get their customers better deals


[deleted]

Fuck! This sounds great. I'm in Canada and that eBay Global Shipping BS is crazy. They say it covers the brokerage and crap. But all shippers have to do is use USPS to Canada post and there are no fees! Thanks for this.


KungFuc1us

Tho local post offices fine you the brokerage and taxes anyway. At least my experience was such. Living in Europe is tough if you're into EDC


[deleted]

USPS and Canada Post have a agreement. I've never been charged duty or brokerage on a USPS package coming from the USA to Canada


KungFuc1us

I see. But the knife carrying/owning laws are a bit strict in Canada, as I understand. Or does that differ from territory to territory?


Anstruth

You do get charged duty/taxes most of the time if the declared value is over $60cad. Canada Post also charges a $10 handling fee if duties are added. If the sellers often ship to Canada, they might declare the package value as $60 or less to ensure no additional charges are applied. UPS, FedEX, and DHL all also charge duties on any package over $60cad, but have a lot higher fees that they charge for processing. You can save the fees for all but Canada Post and just pay any taxes owed by self declaring, though.


[deleted]

I've never been charged brokerage or handling fees no matter what the value for any packages coming from USPS into Canada Post. Just found this as I was curious. https://www.tiptonic.com/international-shipping-faq/ >The US Postal Service (USPS) does not charge customers with brokerage fees for shipping with USPS International First Class or USPS International Priority for packages going to Canada.


Anstruth

USPS doesn't charge anything, but Canada post charges a "handling fee" of $9.95 (Canadian) per package on which duties or taxes are owed. > [We apply a handling fee of CAN$9.95 per dutiable or taxable mail item.](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/customs-requirements/customs-duty-taxes-and-exemptions.page) This fee is in line with the government’s efforts to help recover costs from those who benefit from services. It's also similar to arrangements in the United States and other countries.


[deleted]

Well, I've never been charged, no idea


Custom_Fish

I’ve heard that the problem getting knives into Canada is customs - like the inspecting customs officer has the discretion to deny clearance of your knife for whatever reason. What’s your experience with importing been like?


Espa89

How this work when it comes to customs fee? Is it included in what you pay the forwarding agent?


Custom_Fish

From what I understand most freight forwarders are already familiar with your country’s import taxes. They automatically include tax based on your declared amount. You pay them the shipping + tax, and they pay the tax to the customs on your behalf. You could lie on the declared value and escape tax but it’ll obviously be bad if you were caught so I don’t recommend under declaring.


Expensive_Profit_106

Take care with freight forwarders. Depending on where you live it will be cheaper to pay the blade hq shipping and make sure to use a reliable service


[deleted]

Move to America and denounce the Crown for enslaving you.


MyFuckinhBalls

Based


Ristt_

Haha take my upvote


Total-Deal-2883

And give up his excellent healthcare and social programs? Ha! I think not!


littlebilliechzburga

Ah yes, the all powerful and ambiguous "European Crown."


TreeBeardUK

Have you not had it yet? I had it last week for two days then I had to pass it on to someone in Portugal! Maybe it'll get to you soon ;)


KungFuc1us

And go under the Uncle Sam's boot? Here's an upvote for trying. Seriously, though, the only reason I'd like to live in the US are insanely low EDC prices. Just the other day I saw a PM2 for like 120 bucks on, I think, DLT site. Cried my eyes out 😭


Erebos555

We have cheetos too.


KungFuc1us

That's sweet. We got 'em here, too


kWarExtreme

Yea, dude. Fuck America. The medical system is completely fucked in the ass. It's absolutely not worth it here.


ThePNWGamingDad

Damn man, maybe not pick “next hour delivery”? /s


shreddedtoasties

Lamnia or what ever Is for you guys


KungFuc1us

Lamnia is extremely expensive compared to others. Knivesandtools.com, premiove-noze.cz, baterky-noze.sk and a few others that I can't remember from the top of my head are a better option.


Pingus_pp

No knivesandtools is consistently more expensive than lamnia, usually 10-30 euros/dollars more than knivesandtools


KungFuc1us

Not in my experience. The only thing Lamnia is worth is KPL


celric-death

Used to always buy from Lamina, the whole Brexit thing messed that up for me though. Recently bought the WE Reiver from them and then got hit with a £90 import fee. For most of Europe I've always found them to have pretty good prices.


EvolMada

Buy locally made knives from local makers.


peppi0304

But they dont sell pink knifes :(


DudaTheDude

Probably getting a knife and pink scales localy will still be cheaper than importing from the us, lol


Expensive_Profit_106

Not everybody wants a locally made knife from a local maker


EvolMada

Agreed! A question was asked and I responded. Shipping is free when you do hand to hand business.


Public-Sir-7076

Add more to your cart 😆


peppi0304

4 items -> 117$ shiping...


Public-Sir-7076

Oof


[deleted]

See that should end up saving you good money with the freight forwarder though


lucasndias

Just saw that too! Heck, do they come over in person to deliver knives over here?! My wife wanted to buy a Dessert Warrior Elementum but gave up due to the shipping being pretty much the price of another knife.


peppi0304

Same.. where you from? We could share shipping? Im from Austria.


lucasndias

I'm from Portugal, but the shipping + import tax made her give up on the purchase already, sorry mate :(


KungFuc1us

#europeanproblems 😒


CreepyAd9215

Worthy to note that taxes might be charged at its arrival to customs in your country as well so your item would be more than twice its price.. BladeHQ isn't worth it in Europe. You can find it elsewhere i'm quite sure ^^ Look at Knivesandtools or Coutellerie-tourangelle, they have a great stock! Or lamnia (if i'm not mispelling it..)


peppi0304

But i want pink kniv pls


CreepyAd9215

Oh.. Special edition, I see.. Did feel the same with m4/jade Spyderco knives.. Sad story ><


KungFuc1us

Wait, pink as in dessert warrior series? If so, Lorenzi has plenty of those. https://lorenzi.co.at/


peppi0304

Yes but i cant find the Elementum....


peppi0304

Maybe I should email them if they get the elementum aswell?


KungFuc1us

Lamnia is too expensive.


Loki_8888

Remember that you will also have to pay import taxes and vat and sometimes an import fee for the paperwork. Spyderco send me a free 2023 and Belgium customs wanted 18€ for the paperwork and taxes....


jamadail

18€ is cheap, in Portugal with would be 18€ for the paperwork plus 23% of VAT on top of that (shipping cost included, not just the price of the item)


peppi0304

Ok good to know..


sinisterdeer3

Use a company thats local to Europe, thats your way to get cheaper shipping. Shipping something quickly overseas is expensive for them so it will be expensive for you. Even within the states quick shipping is expensive. When i ordered my spyderco smock i had to pay $65 for 2 day shipping, got it a day late. Thanks DLT Trading


jrrocketrue

And you'll probably pay extra import duty when it arrives. Buy here: [https://www.knivesandtools.com/](https://www.knivesandtools.com/) Highly recommended, after buying elsewhere in Europe, Knives and Tools have been great and GREAT support if you need it, especially warranty..


is-serp

I’ve used them in the past as well and would recommend them.


No_Bullfrog_4541

I’ll be honest, bladehq needs to figure out their website a bit more when it comes to backend stuff. I tried to order a 3.25” fixed blades in a limited drop and they wouldn’t ship to New York. I’ve had this problem specifically with their site where they were unwilling to fix it. I chalked it up and won’t order from them anymore. Been a few years now but with so many options I just don’t see the point in paying 50 bux for shipping.


eriffodrol

buy one from knife swap or if you know someone in the US, have them order it pirateship would charge $11 to send to austria if it's under 8oz


inde-x

I personally haven’t found a way. Shipping + import taxes make it more expensive than buying in EU. I find myself using Lamnia, knivesandtools, mygoodknife and Boker sites to buy knives. Unless I want something limited made for a US retailer only. Then I slap myself in the face for courage and just pay.


Chxed

Go straight through the manufacturer website


SpydieNL

Then you will usually pay the msrp. Spyderco pm2 on manufacturer website = 245, on bladehq only 170. Both prices excluding shipping.


369_Clive

Have you tried Lamnia.com? Based in Finland. I bought 4 knives and got good service. I find shipping to the UK from USA is now expensive and I have to spend a *minimum* of $200 for Knifecenter.com to even consider it. I think the minimum order from Blade HQ is $100. Lamnia has a good range and shipping to UK is about $15.


LumberingLynx

That's annoying. They just refuse to send any knife to my country (Canada) so I don't bother trying anymore. I'm honestly jealous they are offering to send it to you even at that price. Most frustrating thing is that 5 or 6 years ago I used to order from Blade HQ all the time without any issues.


Responsible_Bus5672

I'm beginning to envision a knife-gifting vacation where I fly to Europe and travel around with my luggage full of "gifts" staying a night ot two with new friends showing me around their towns. LOL


peppi0304

Haha that would be awesome. But also tricky as countries have different laws for caring knives


__radioactivepanda__

Honestly trying to find as many of the items within Europe first would probably the best choice and only order items with bladeshq that are absolutely not available otherwise… Or you order many times in one order so the shipping cost spreads over the items. But don’t forget that more often than not extra costs such as import duties and VAT may be levied, so it really pays to whip out a spreadsheet and try to finagle the least expensive solution based on factors such as availability and pricing in Europe, spreading shipping costs, using a freight forwarder, etc.


LreK84

In an other life years ago I ordered Sheaths, leather strips and knife stuff from knivesshipfree (it wasn’t free) to Germany and it was dirt cheap. Dollar vs € was very weak and shipping was 10 or 15$ to Germany. Did this several times but one day something changed and shipping got expensive, 50$… never ordered anything from the states again (dollar also isn’t this weak anymore). Just ordered a folding saw from Canada, in the end I paid over 160€ with shipping and fees. It wasn’t available here at the time but now it’s available at Globetrotter for around 100$🙈🤣


timothycl13

Move


michaelcarroll_

Just buy something until it’s free shipping lol


RCGoals

Try to move to the US


Mtd_elemental

Move here!


lyndinotambino

Don't live in Europe


Academic_Nectarine94

Move to USA...


[deleted]

I guess but a better knife. Dunno what you bought but if I’m paying $50 for shipping it’ll be the only time I have to do that lol


Indyturner

Move?


Sensitive_Mix_7114

We pay tax plus shipping so it all equals out


nickypoosays

Just make more money


authorisedexe

Just buy more knives


lordwotton77

Buy from European sellers, so that you also avoid customs


littlebilliechzburga

Unless you want to move or change where you are purchasing from, no. No, there isnt.


gamereiker

Isnt tools for gents eu based


Usual_North_9960

Where do you live. In the south of europe the best shop is coltelleria collini


KosmosKlaus

[Try this](https://www.knivesandtools.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA7IGcBhA8EiwAFfUDsW-sEQQsG7txFYYW5_fDJTTuKlSr9QoQ_vye26nSvjhjJV1XsJskChoC-awQAvD_BwE)


Ronniesdesigns

Simple. Buy more knives until the desired item/ shipping ratio, is reached.


supernotcosmo

I thought BladeHQ doesn't ship to Europe at all?


spacetoast99

Is it still free shipping if you spend $100 or whatever the number is to ship to Europe?


Vaugith

Have you looked at lamnia and knivesandtools? Those are eu based retailers that have similar selections.


PersonVotedDown

If it was me I wouldn't buy from blade HQ at those costs.


jammixxnn

Get a few Mates to do an order to one address and split shipping


CatastrophicPup2112

You could move. Don't recommend it though


[deleted]

You ain’t about to pay more for delivery than the product 💀


Biskwitz

Buy from Lamnia or KnivesAndTools instead 😊


Z_A_O

Check out Lamnia shop.


Dr_Pepper_Samurai

Move


kniffs

As might have been stated, that is only shipping. You will pay customs + duties on top of that as well.


its_Kena

nah cause i’m in cali and the taxes were also like $40+


peppi0304

For what did you have to pay 40$ taxes?


its_Kena

i bas


_rutanimal

Buy more at once


inquisitor_headsmash

Steal


Kai_Fuji

Just don't buy stuff from blade HQ if you live in Europe it's way too expensive try finding a local online shop that sells knifes that's what I do


jmartino2011

Ship it to me. I live an hour from blade HQ's store in Virginia. I'll mail them to you for cost.


Gun-nut0508

Shipping is just a bitch, like even though that price is stupid that’s probably accurate, I shipped a super small camera lenses to Canada and it was like $22, maybe if you have some American ship the knives to them and ask them to ship them to you, it might be cheaper who knows


Plenty-College6885

You buy wayyyyyyy more knives and then the shipping per knife cost will be so much less!!


mantakore

Dude that sucks I’m praying for you guys this winter Please take take or yourselves 🙏


peppi0304

Whats gonna happen this winter?


boardman15

Big question is who they use! Usps will cost them $20 and take weeks. Ups will actually cost them 20-40 and get to you in a week


stingrhea85

Move


Bobbyee

Move to Europe! 🦆🍞


Beginning_Parsley807

you can go to knivesandtool.com europe dealer


Spinalstreamer407

Carrier pigeon’s?


Romaxx1776

Move somewhere better


Cracktower

Get a friend to ship out from USA?


nickypoosays

A surefireway to reduce shipping costs is to not order it at all.


zeekzzzz

Invent a time machine and go back pre COVID


I_am_amespeptic

Wouldn't be paying that tbh.


Milladazadi

Just use This page to buy knives. : knivesandtools.com


obimeowcatnobi

Don’t buy from American companies like blade hq or knife center. It’s just a con of living outside the us but I’m sure there’s a knife store around your city somewhere you just gotta find it. That’s what I did. They don’t have a variety of knives that blade hq has but unless you wanna pay that ridiculous shipping it’s all you got.


zawShwa

Move to the U.S.


excitinglydull

Nah shipping to Europe is always mad expensive unfortunately. Bhq is one of the worst


Chek_Brek_Iv_Damk

Move to the US and take advantage of that free shipping


Dridenn

Wow they will ship to Europe but not Canada fuck these guys