BoB starter rejected at german customs. Choking hazard warning label missing.
Got mail from the german customs in the in the mailbox on friday. I got really excited to get my BoB box and a few planes I preordered in the US.
So I went there today prepared to pay the taxes but got a little bit suprised.
My order is returned to the USA and I am not allowed to import the starter box into germany.
Reason for that is:
The box is missing a german warning for choking hazards! The usual english ones don't count.
A bit dissapointed and angry.
Last edited by Banana Joe; 04-10-2017 at 13:24.
Ah, bureaucracy at it's finest.
Hope you have another way of getting the starter set.
I had an RC helicopter take over a month to ship from Germany...
I think your experience may explains a lot about why it took so long...
I can't tell you how frustrated that experience would have made me...
Chris
Scheiße, was ist da schiefgelaufen?
Die haben das Starterset zurückgeschickt ohne Dich vorher anzuhören?
In all den Jahren mit vielen Bestellungen aus Übersee ist mir das noch nicht passiert.
What went wrong?
They didn't talk to you and sent it back?
Didn't happen to me through the years with many orders from the USA.
Voilà le soleil d'Austerlitz!
I have shipped to Germany many times through eBay sales. I have never had that kind of problem.
These planes are pretty big to be a choking hazard anyway.
I feel for you. I would be pissed.
Originally Posted by Marechallannes
Scheiße, was ist da schiefgelaufen?
Die haben das Starterset zurückgeschickt ohne Dich vorher anzuhören?
In all den Jahren mit vielen Bestellungen aus Übersee ist mir das noch nicht passiert.
What went wrong?
They didn't talk to you and sent it back?
Didn't happen to me through the years with many orders from the USA.
They did talk to me. I discussed a lot. But the starter box was declared as a toy for age 13 and up. Therefore it needs a CE-sign and a choking hazar warning. In german. The planesets I bought with them had them.
I walked into the custom office confident with just paying my taxes and walk out with my planes.
If I would have got them via the UK. It wouldn't have ended up in the customs and I would have no problems at all. But they came from the US and it was above the taxfree sum (everything below 22€ is free). That woman didn't even check the bill inside the package. She turned the box around and pointed at the field with the warnings right away.
I am quite angry now. I think I need a few days distance from small airplanes to cool off. Hopefully I get a refund. I ordered from Miniaturemarket.com
Scheiß Bürokraten.
Voilà le soleil d'Austerlitz!
I've had both an RC tank and miniature travel bags stopped by customs.
Richtig!Scheiß Bürokraten.
I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!
Made some sports, continued on building a modelship, ate a box of chocolate cookies but the anger and disapointement is still there.
Wrote an email to Ares as well as a post on the WoG facebook-page and asked for a refund. Lets see what I get as an answer.
Allready had the meeting for the first battle over Dover set up.
Ugh, this is such a bummer! How absolutely infuriating.
Are there any forum members with a trip to Germany planned in the near future? Can we smuggle one into the country somehow? Surely there must be some other way?
Du hast recht.Scheiß Bürokraten.
Has to be a pretty big child to choke on planes that size but these days there has to be a warning on everything.
Miniaturmarket.com will refund me, once the package is back at their office. Ares appologized in a short mail. I asked them why the german warning label is on the new extra planesets but not on the starter box. No answer on that so far.
I just checked the back of the Zeppelin Staaken Box in the cellar and it says "this is not a toy".
Does the Box of the BoB has the same? Can someone Post a picture of the warning labels on the back?
Last edited by Banana Joe; 04-14-2017 at 10:11.
You could get it consigned to a UK member who could then send it on with no problems. Expensive as it doubles up on postage and also Import Duty into the UK.
Just a thought!
It seems like I can get it a few weeks down the road. As a german Shop has it allready listed. But the price would be higher then my Initial us-order.
I just want to know if the customs-girl was wrong. If the starter Box is declared a "not a toy" sending back the order was not right.
Here is a scan of the starter I received and clearly states that it is not a toy. As you see says that twice.
Thanks.
That means the customs were wrong. Doesnt get me back my game but I will at least write them an evil Letter. (which probably wont get answered).
Terribly frustrating Situation.
Just out of curiosity do the GE planes in the set have swastikas on them? I know the Germans do not like to see that symbol on any products.
I suppose that they will insist on 'This is not a toy.' being printed in German.
No, they carry a black "X" same as the Nexus birds.
I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!
Not a single Nexus Games or Ares Games miniature had a Hakenkreuz on the side rudder.
Stupid rule for gaming miniatures and model builder.
For myself I have a Czech made cup for my coffee at work I won during a Summer Con. There's a historical picture with a FW190A on it.
Nobody noticed or is interested.
Seems I have to imprison myself now...
On the other side, if a youngster at the Spiel in Essen gets an Ares Games Bf.109K in his hands and his mother/father would spot a swastika on the side rudder I can't guarantee that they would get a complaint of an offence with the result that they would ban those planes from the German market.
Back to topic: The starter set has a CE sign on it, normaly a sign for an EU conform product.
This customs decision seems to me like an unusual single determination.
Analog to the single miniature packs, I think there was a tolerance in the decision process to let the starter set pass and enter Germany.
Voilà le soleil d'Austerlitz!
Swastikas are only allowed for educational or art purposes. So they might get printed in a history book and might appear in a movie. Unfortunatly things like model kits or computer games don't count.
Typical Beamter... just like the American Crat Class, Dey Got Da POWER and they intend to make the whole world feel just like they did when they got bullied as children.
Well here in the states the confederate flag has the same meaning. Forget that it is part of the history of the country. The "cross" is a American Indian and Chinese symbol. Look at some of the WWI markings on planes.
Sven,
They more than likely had no idea what it was. I have seen an early confederate battle flag flown that no one says a word about but the stars and bars causes a problem. Most people have no idea about history.
gee how do you know they got bullied as a child (sarcasm)?
Got the answer from the german customs office.
The english writen note "note a toy!" doesn't count. However (??) the english written "13 years +" does count and makes it a toy. This and having a "CE" label makes it need a german written small parts warning.
If it wouldn't be a toy and would have a CE-sign it would be illegal to import as well. CE labels are only allowed on toys in this case.
So no luck at this front. Blurgh......
I'll wait for the european release. Silly me wanting a board game before its europen release....
So, it's a toy because in English, it says, "13+ years", and "CE", but it's not not a toy, because in English, it says "Not a toy".
Let me introduce another English phrase: "Cherry-picking your facts".
So even though it says in two places that it is not a toy and should not be used if under 13 it a toy because its not in German. WOW Now I have to ask what does the CE mean ?
A CE sign says that the product meets certain european product safety standarts (like choking Parts). Which makes this even more absurd.
Do you have friends in a neighbouring countries who could take receipt of your orders?
Nah, I just wait until its in the shops in europe.
Could someone print a warning sticker in German and attach it to the box?
That would have worked probably.
Just a quick note: In general CE is not just Certificate Europe, but even a China Export
ChEaters.
Just got the refund from miniature-market. Seems that the return of the Box took very long.
No Intention to spend the money on the same set again.
Maybe more WW1 planes here and there but thats it.
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