Shipping a musket

[Ian Knight]

I wondered if anyone could offer me some advice. I have seen an antique British musket for sale in an antique shop in the South of France. I would like to purchase the musket and ship it to the U.K. but I can't find a carrier who is prepared to ship such an item. Would anyone have any idea how I could get the musket shipped to my home apart from driving down there and collecting it myself? I also suspect that EasyJet won't allow me to bring the item back in the hold.
Ian

[fernando]

Hi Ian,
Does it weigh over two kilos (4,4 pounds)? Not probably.
Within the Schengen space, you don't have to declare what's inside the parcel.
So what should be done is tell the other side not to plug in the complicometer and simply post the object by ordinary airmail.
Fernando

[Ian Knight]

Originally Posted by fernando

Hi Ian,
Does it weigh over two kilos (4,4 pounds)? Not probably.
Within the Schengen space, you don't have to declare what's inside the parcel.
So what should be done is tell the other side not to plug in the complicometer and simply post the object by ordinary airmail.
Fernando

Hello Fernando,
It will weigh about 5 kilos.
The guy who is selling the musket won't ship it because it is a prohibited item. For the sake of having it insured properly I would prefer to declare what is in the package in case I have to make a claim.
I have found one English antique shipping company who is prepared to carry the musket but they want to charge me over £300.
Ian

[Henk]

In that case one possibility is left. Take the ferry early in the morning, collect the musket, have a good lunch in France, take the ferry back to England and drive home with your new addition. That won't cost you £ 300.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Henk

In that case one possibility is left. Take the ferry early in the morning, collect the musket, have a good lunch in France, take the ferry back to England and drive home with your new addition. That won't cost you £ 300.

South of France is quite distant from Britain; unless the seller brings up to the north coast .
Fernando

[Henk]

In that case you have to make it a little bit more expensive. Take the Mrs. with you and make a little trip of it. Aahh, look what i found on our cosy trip an antique musket!! What a lucky coincidence .

You can beat two flies in one strike. You bring the musket legally in the house and the Mrs. has no reasons to inspect your walls finding out what on earth is new here

[Ian Knight]

Originally Posted by Henk

In that case one possibility is left. Take the ferry early in the morning, collect the musket, have a good lunch in France, take the ferry back to England and drive home with your new addition. That won't cost you £ 300.

Hello Henk,
Thanks for the suggestion but it would cost far more than £300 to take my car on a ferry and drive down to Nice and back. It is a round trip of nearly 2000 kilometers.
Ian

[fernando]

Can't you have the seller sending it in a package up to the coast, you having only to cross the channel and pick it up ?
Or are there also restrictions for internal transportation ... in France, i mean?
Fernando

[fernando]

Allright, two kilos could be a light weight, but i reckon five kilos is rather heavy.
OTOH, when you mention an antique musket, i take it that it is a flintlock or percussion musket of mid XIX century.
I notice they place these items under 8th category, for which buying and detention are free.
But i understand these things are complex, and will not, by any means, deny what the seller is telling you.
Fernando

[Ian Knight]

Originally Posted by fernando

Allright, two kilos could be a light weight, but i reckon five kilos is rather heavy.
OTOH, when you mention an antique musket, i take it that it is a flintlock or percussion musket of mid XIX century.
I notice they place these items under 8th category, for which buying and detention are free.
But i understand these things are complex, and will not, by any means, deny what the seller is telling you.
Fernando

Hello Fernando,
The musket in question is a British Brown Bess. The weight of the musket alone without any packaging is 11 lbs. I have contacted various French shipping companies and carriers and they just won't ship this item.
Ian