Importing to the US

Kodi

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Alright I'm gonna be real direct to start off with. If you have no experience in importing tarantulas your reply won't be of much help. This thread will not become an argument or a debate or a moral discussion. We need facts, not opinions. With this information this thread may serve to help others in the future.

For those of you with experience, how do you go about legally importing T's? I'm only concerned with the US side of the shipping and the laws and licenses involved in the origin country can be another thread.

I've read a few outdated webpages, but they weren't exactly specific. What licenses and declarations do you need and where do you get them? If we could come up with a step by step list I think that would be super helpful to future hobbyists.
 

viper69

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On the U.S. side, all you need is a license. This part is easy, you fill out an online form with USFW and pay $100 and that’s it, you have an import/export license.

There are fees involved when importing of course.

As example, if you are importing $15K worth of Ts, in total it will cost about $1500-2000 from Europe (mind you exchange rates are always in flux).

The rest of the work that a U.S. citizen needs to do involves the exporting nation.
 
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Kodi

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Do you know anything about ports? I read that you have to ship to a designated port for customs.
 

viper69

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Do you know anything about ports? I read that you have to ship to a designated port for customs.
I don't recall that info, however that wouldn't surprise me, sending freight to designated airports or sea ports. As customs has to be able to inspect any imported cargo they choose BECAUSE the importer has to notify USFW and Customs that a shipment is coming.
 

Kodi

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Thanks! It's mostly swearing and threats, but understandable considering the thousands of dollars he spends to be legal.

The one question that remains is air freight required? I mean obviously if you're ordering from Europe it's going to come in on a plane, but surely shipping from the UK etc. isn't $400 when ordering a hundred or so spiders.
 

viper69

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Thanks! It's mostly swearing and threats, but understandable considering the thousands of dollars he spends to be legal.

The one question that remains is air freight required? I mean obviously if you're ordering from Europe it's going to come in on a plane, but surely shipping from the UK etc. isn't $400 when ordering a hundred or so spiders.
I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me.
 

G. pulchra

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If it was me, I would probably work with a dealer that already imports and split the cost with them.
 

AphonopelmaTX

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Everything one needs to know about importing wildlife into the USA can be found on the USFW site here. I suggest contacting the USFW service for information or clarification if the information on the official site is confusing. That way, you get the right information instead of relying on second hand information that maybe wrong or outdated.
 

sschind

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On the U.S. side, all you need is a license. This part is easy, you fill out an online form with USFW and pay $100 and that’s it, you have an import/export license.

There are fees involved when importing of course.

As example, if you are importing $15K worth of Ts, in total it will cost about $1500-2000 from Europe (mind you exchange rates are always in flux).

The rest of the work that a U.S. citizen needs to do involves the exporting nation.

On the U.S. side, all you need is a license. This part is easy, you fill out an online form with USFW and pay $100 and that’s it, you have an import/export license.

This is quite misleading. If I were to read this I could be very easily led to believe that once I obtained my $100.00 import/export license I could hop on any classifieds forum and order anything I wanted from anywhere in the world and have it shipped to my door and everything would be fine. This is far from the case.

Obtaining the license may be all that is needed to become a licensed importer but it is far from all that is needed to legally import animals into the U.S. You do mention other fees but that could mean shipping fees, there are fees involved in shipping animals anywhere even legally. In addition to fees there are some very specific permits and forms and steps that need to be followed.
 

viper69

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On the U.S. side, all you need is a license. This part is easy, you fill out an online form with USFW and pay $100 and that’s it, you have an import/export license.

This is quite misleading. If I were to read this I could be very easily led to believe that once I obtained my $100.00 import/export license I could hop on any classifieds forum and order anything I wanted from anywhere in the world and have it shipped to my door and everything would be fine. This is far from the case.

Obtaining the license may be all that is needed to become a licensed importer but it is far from all that is needed to legally import animals into the U.S. You do mention other fees but that could mean shipping fees, there are fees involved in shipping animals anywhere even legally. In addition to fees there are some very specific permits and forms and steps that need to be followed.
It's not misleading at all.

There's a couple reasons.

1. Any person looking to import/export should be reading/contacting the proper Federal and State authorities, and not rely on some info a user posted. A person would have to be stupid to rely on only the latter, and not the former.
2. In my post that you quote, I briefly mentioned "The rest of the work that a U.S. citizen needs to do involves the exporting nation."

It's clear by the very sentence you bolded I provided info on getting an import/export licence only. It's also clear from other posts in here by myself and others that there is more to this than just a license.

If someone can't read beyond the few words typed by a user, they have issues.

I was not providing the complete info required for the entire process on purpose.
 
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sschind

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It's not misleading at all.

There's a couple reasons.

1. Any person looking to import/export should be reading/contacting the proper Federal and State authorities, and not rely on some info a user posted. A person would have to be stupid to rely on only the latter, and not the former.
2. In my post that you quote, I briefly mentioned "The rest of the work that a U.S. citizen needs to do involves the exporting nation."

It's clear by the very sentence you bolded I provided info on getting an import/export licence only. It's also clear from other posts in here by myself and others that there is more to this than just a license.

If someone can't read beyond the few words typed by a user, they have issues.

I was not providing the complete info required for the entire process on purpose.

No you were not providing the complete info and that is why I think it can be misleading.

So we agree to disagree.
 

viper69

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No you were not providing the complete info and that is why I think it can be misleading.

So we agree to disagree.
It's not my responsibility to provide all info. It is the person's responsibility to do the proper research, PERSONAL RESPSONSIBILITY haha. I do not work for a Federal or State agency.

Surely you don't think if said person were to buy a license, import w/out doing proper research into the law, and gets sent to prison that their defense should be "well this guy on the internet didn't mention that" hahahah
 

sschind

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It's not my responsibility to provide all info. It is the person's responsibility to do the proper research, PERSONAL RESPSONSIBILITY haha. I do not work for a Federal or State agency.

Surely you don't think if said person were to buy a license, import w/out doing proper research into the law, and gets sent to prison that their defense should be "well this guy on the internet didn't mention that" hahahah
I think it is rarely a good idea to do anything based solely on what you read on the internet. Its just that for many people the internet is the first step in looking for help. When the very first thing they read is is only a small part of the facts they need and those fact are incomplete or open to interpretation in the first place I question whether it is really helpful at all.

In regards to your The rest of the work that a U.S. citizen needs to do involves the exporting nation." comment, I think this could very easily be misinterpreted as meaning it is up to the exporter. That is why I said I think your post was misleading. You obviously think it is quite clear otherwise I don't think you would have posted it or you would have elaborated. Again, we disagree. I believe that communication is very important and miscommunication is a major factor in many problems. Misinterpretation is just one form of miscommunication and that is why I think it is necessary for anyone stating facts to be sure they are clear and not open to misinterpretation. It doesn't matter if you are posting the be all and end all of definitive steps to a process or simply the first step in the process it needs to be clear or it may not be helpful.
 

viper69

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I think it is rarely a good idea to do anything based solely on what you read on the internet. Its just that for many people the internet is the first step in looking for help. When the very first thing they read is is only a small part of the facts they need and those fact are incomplete or open to interpretation in the first place I question whether it is really helpful at all.

In regards to your The rest of the work that a U.S. citizen needs to do involves the exporting nation." comment, I think this could very easily be misinterpreted as meaning it is up to the exporter. That is why I said I think your post was misleading. You obviously think it is quite clear otherwise I don't think you would have posted it or you would have elaborated. Again, we disagree. I believe that communication is very important and miscommunication is a major factor in many problems. Misinterpretation is just one form of miscommunication and that is why I think it is necessary for anyone stating facts to be sure they are clear and not open to misinterpretation. It doesn't matter if you are posting the be all and end all of definitive steps to a process or simply the first step in the process it needs to be clear or it may not be helpful.
Ah I see what you mean now. I'll elaborate a bit.

True, most people come to the net for first point of info. It's their own fault for not consulting the authorities. I don't accept what I read on the net as "true" without supporting data in many cases.

I think if a person is really serious about importing, then just reading what I specifically wrote, I would think that person would ask themselves "Is that all there is???" Seriously if someone doesn't do that they don't have any common sense. But I see your point.

I see what you mean on the second part. You are right I thought it was obvious that the US citizen needed to do some work on the other side of pond, hence how I phrased it. If I knew that wasn't necessary, I would have written "The rest of the work is done by the exporter".

It seemed QUITE obvious how it's written. However, I see your point too. ;)
 

sschind

Arachnobaron
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Ah I see what you mean now. I'll elaborate a bit.

True, most people come to the net for first point of info. It's their own fault for not consulting the authorities. I don't accept what I read on the net as "true" without supporting data in many cases.

I think if a person is really serious about importing, then just reading what I specifically wrote, I would think that person would ask themselves "Is that all there is???" Seriously if someone doesn't do that they don't have any common sense. But I see your point.

I see what you mean on the second part. You are right I thought it was obvious that the US citizen needed to do some work on the other side of pond, hence how I phrased it. If I knew that wasn't necessary, I would have written "The rest of the work is done by the exporter".

It seemed QUITE obvious how it's written. However, I see your point too. ;)
I'm sorry if I seemed overly confrontational on this. It wasn't my intention at all. I agree 100% anyone thinking about something as serious as importing had better check more than 1 or 2 sources especially if they are not going directly to the source (USFWS or whatever agency is in charge) Heck, as it's been shown we can check a half a dozen sources and we still are not sure. Like I said, IMO the majority of inquiries are from individuals wanting to purchase a few animals for their own collections and not for resale. Those people reading the out of the US classifieds and wanting to save a bit of money. Those are the ones I wish we could help with more concrete information. Unfortunately, when it involves the government, it seems its never cut and dried.
 

viper69

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I'm sorry if I seemed overly confrontational on this. It wasn't my intention at all. I agree 100% anyone thinking about something as serious as importing had better check more than 1 or 2 sources especially if they are not going directly to the source (USFWS or whatever agency is in charge) Heck, as it's been shown we can check a half a dozen sources and we still are not sure. Like I said, IMO the majority of inquiries are from individuals wanting to purchase a few animals for their own collections and not for resale. Those people reading the out of the US classifieds and wanting to save a bit of money. Those are the ones I wish we could help with more concrete information. Unfortunately, when it involves the government, it seems its never cut and dried.
I don't take things personally. Plus, we are only reading words, there is no tone, so much is lost unfortunately in "translation".

I completely agree with you on both the number sources (seems like people rely more on the board than the actual authorities hah). I also agree most are looking to buy a few to save money (that's usually what grabs people's attention).

I don't think we disagree at all, just saw things from a different perspective ;)
 
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