Canada's knife laws just cost me almost $400.

[TheGiant80]

If I owned bladeHQ I wouldn't offer a refund or send you another knife because because you decided to test Canadian Border services flex. You assume the risk when purchasing so its all on the buyer. If everyone asked them for money back or a new knife to be sent then they may as well only sell locally and not ship into Canada. Avoid any bad reviews and online backlash.

I wasn’t asking for anything like that. As I said in the OP, this has never happened to me before, so I was inquiring with BladeHQ what happens next (if anything). I asked about three scenarios, and they didn’t acknowledge any of what I asked. They simply said they won’t send me another knife or provide a refund, neither of which I asked about.

[TheGiant80]

Agreed, bhq is technically free and clear. But their response, assuming OP is being fully forthcoming, leaves a lot to be desired - just like typical bhq service, a lot left to be desired.

I asked about what happens next. Whether they’ll receive the knife back. Whether there’s a chance customs will eventually let me have it. Or whether they’ll keep or destroy it.

BHQ wrote back one sentence saying they can’t send me a new one or refund the money. Fantastic. That’s not what I was asking at all. It’s like a robot responded to my email.

[TheGiant80]

Sorry for your loss. Why would they destroy it or send it back when they can own it?

How do you spell; "Corruptician"?

sal

Thanks for the chuckle Sal. It was needed.

[Foehammer]

As a Canadian, yeah I feel ya. Our knife laws are pretty ambiguous. Hope you get your Shaman, and hopefully some jerk at customs didn’t pocket it.

[Foehammer]

Is the knife illegal to own or purchase where you live?

The laws are odd.

Could be considered illegal when crossing the border.

Legal once passed the border haha

That is what I was wondering too. Not to derail the thread, but the family and I are planning on going up into Canada soon for vacation. I usually bring a small case of knives wherever I go, but I don’t want the Mounties coming after me either, lol. Any blade length or locking mechanism restrictions I should worry about? (I.e. Are OTF and other autos legal?)

Condolences to the OP. I’d be fairly bummed if this happened to me.

Pretty sure otf’s and autos are illegal. It’s really a blurred line for other folding knives, and can depend on the officer in question. Most cops I’ve talked to have no issue with Spydercos and other manual/assisted knives.

[huyfishin]

Is the knife illegal to own or purchase where you live?

The laws are odd.

Could be considered illegal when crossing the border.

Legal once passed the border haha

That is what I was wondering too. Not to derail the thread, but the family and I are planning on going up into Canada soon for vacation. I usually bring a small case of knives wherever I go, but I don’t want the Mounties coming after me either, lol. Any blade length or locking mechanism restrictions I should worry about? (I.e. Are OTF and other autos legal?)

Condolences to the OP. I’d be fairly bummed if this happened to me.

Pretty sure otf’s and autos are illegal. It’s really a blurred line for other folding knives, and can depend on the officer in question. Most cops I’ve talked to have no issue with Spydercos and other manual/assisted knives.

Im sure there is alot of royal canadian mounted police and city officers carrying spydercos for there primary on duty EDC. the types that get confiscated from canadian border officers.

[z1r]

I'm sorry that Blade HQ's reply hit a nerve.

I've only bought a handful of knives from them, ones that were either exclusives or not available elsewhere when I wanted them. Recently, they listed the Mint DLC N5 on sale, hours after I placed an order for one. I emailed them and asked if they'd honor the sale price, and to my delight, they did.

[MFlovejp]

Is the knife illegal to own or purchase where you live?

The laws are odd.

Could be considered illegal when crossing the border.

Legal once passed the border haha

That is what I was wondering too. Not to derail the thread, but the family and I are planning on going up into Canada soon for vacation. I usually bring a small case of knives wherever I go, but I don’t want the Mounties coming after me either, lol. Any blade length or locking mechanism restrictions I should worry about? (I.e. Are OTF and other autos legal?)

Condolences to the OP. I’d be fairly bummed if this happened to me.

My advice is don’t bring any modern locking folders at all that you don’t want to lose. I’ve crossed in to Canada a few times and been thoroughly searched and questioned each time. Mounties asked to look through my phone on more than one occasion. I don’t look like a suspicious person either, or have any criminal background. Just my two cents.

[VipeX]

I ordered a DLC M4 micarta Shaman from BladeHQ when they first came out, and I just got an email from USPS stating Canadian Customs has seized it. I've never had this happen before, and I've ordered plenty of knives from the US (including a few Shamans).

I emailed BladeHQ asking about what happens next. If the knife gets shipped back to the dealer. If there's a chance they could forward it to me at a later date. If the knife will be destroyed. In true BladeHQ fashion they didn't answer the questions I sent, they just told me they couldn't send me another one or refund my money.

I just needed a place to vent. I'm not made of money and losing almost $400 CAD has ruined my week and it's only Tuesday. Lame.

I know it won't replace your knife but I just got a Sage 5 TiCN mint green from BladeHQ and a Native 5 DLC mint green from BladeHQ also that got seized by the CBSA in the last month.

The Sage got seized in Mississauga, Ontario and the Native 5 got seized in B.C.

It's the first two knives that got seized in the last 5 years...

BladeHQ isn't subtle with their blue tape with knives pictures all over them....

The problem with all that is that the agent from the CBSA misinterpreted the law and classified both of them as "Centrifugal knives"

Go figure...

[zuludelta]

To the OP: I'm sorry to hear about your experience.

99% of the time, I buy Spydercos (and folding knives in general) from Canadian retailers like the previously mentioned Blades Canada (a.k.a. Warriors & Wonders), S&R Knives, House of Knives, and some smaller brick & mortar shops. That means I miss out on dealer exclusives, but it's the only way to have absolute peace of mind when buying a folding knife online here in Canada.

Shipping in stuff from overseas can be a real crapshoot given that it is basically up to a CBSA agent's discretion whether or not a folder violates our somewhat arbitrary & vague laws on the personal importation & ownership of certain knives.

I don't know if it actually helps, but the few times I have had a folder shipped across the border, I've asked the sender to really tighten the pivot so that it increases the odds of the knife passing a "centrifugal knife" or "gravity knife" test. I haven't had a folder seized by the CBSA, but it's possible that I have just been extremely lucky in this regard.

[wrdwrght]

Is the knife illegal to own or purchase where you live?

The laws are odd.

Could be considered illegal when crossing the border.

Legal once passed the border haha

That is what I was wondering too. Not to derail the thread, but the family and I are planning on going up into Canada soon for vacation. I usually bring a small case of knives wherever I go, but I don’t want the Mounties coming after me either, lol. Any blade length or locking mechanism restrictions I should worry about? (I.e. Are OTF and other autos legal?)

Condolences to the OP. I’d be fairly bummed if this happened to me.

My advice is don’t bring any modern locking folders at all that you don’t want to lose. I’ve crossed in to Canada a few times and been thoroughly searched and questioned each time. Mounties asked to look through my phone on more than one occasion. I don’t look like a suspicious person either, or have any criminal background. Just my two cents.

Where are you crossing, and how did you run up against the RCMP on a simple crossing. I’ll want to avoid that place.

I have, however, crossed the Canada-US border regularly since 1975 and been asked to pull over just once, at 1AM, because my wife and I declared an antique rocking-chair. I think the crossing guard was bored.

Never have I been asked what was in my pockets, or to empty them. But, given Canada’s rather recent (and intentional, I judge) ambiguities regarding the legality of knives from outside the country, I do refrain from pocketing irreplaceable Spydies when crossing

All this said, I wonder if the right thing for American sellers to do before taking payment is at least to warn Canadian buyers of the risks they run. BHQ’s SOL message to The Giant is pretty cheap.

[KingRat]

Welcome to the club. This is why I only buy from Canadian dealers now.

I'm convinced the CBSA officer who plucked mine took it home. He fondles it when he isn't posing with his Px4 in front of the mirror.

[sal]

Perhaps I'm just a cynic, but I don't think that the knife has to be legal or illegal, I think it depends n whether or not the officer in question likes it.

sal

[MFlovejp]

Where are you crossing, and how did you run up against the RCMP on a simple crossing. I’ll want to avoid that place.

I have, however, crossed the Canada-US border regularly since 1975 and been asked to pull over just once, at 1AM, because my wife and I declared an antique rocking-chair. I think the crossing guard was bored.

Never have I been asked what was in my pockets, or to empty them. But, given Canada’s rather recent (and intentional, I judge) ambiguities regarding the legality of knives from outside the country, I do refrain from pocketing irreplaceable Spydies when crossing

All this said, I wonder if the right thing for American sellers to do before taking payment is at least to warn Canadian buyers of the risks they run. BHQ’s SOL message to The Giant is pretty cheap.

I generally cross in at Blaine, WA on my way back to AK. And then at Chicken, AK on my way in to Canada. Blaine always has RCMP there- I believe they’re primarily responsible for border security. They might pay special attention to me as I’m always driving all the way through BC and Yukon rather than a simple day tripper. I’ve learned that I can drive with a long gun, fixed blade and axe without too much hassle but I don’t risk my nice folders.

[wrdwrght]

Where are you crossing, and how did you run up against the RCMP on a simple crossing. I’ll want to avoid that place.

I have, however, crossed the Canada-US border regularly since 1975 and been asked to pull over just once, at 1AM, because my wife and I declared an antique rocking-chair. I think the crossing guard was bored.

Never have I been asked what was in my pockets, or to empty them. But, given Canada’s rather recent (and intentional, I judge) ambiguities regarding the legality of knives from outside the country, I do refrain from pocketing irreplaceable Spydies when crossing

All this said, I wonder if the right thing for American sellers to do before taking payment is at least to warn Canadian buyers of the risks they run. BHQ’s SOL message to The Giant is pretty cheap.

I generally cross in at Blaine, WA on my way back to AK. And then at Chicken, AK on my way in to Canada. Blaine always has RCMP there- I believe they’re primarily responsible for border security. They might pay special attention to me as I’m always driving all the way through BC and Yukon rather than a simple day tripper. I’ve learned that I can drive with a long gun, fixed blade and axe without too much hassle but I don’t risk my nice folders.

Thanks for the clarification. Now I understand the RCMP presence.

[jwbnyc]

They are just doing their job. Are they making the right call? No idea. I’ve found knife laws to be vague and open to the interpretation of the LEO on scene pretty much everywhere.

But, I draw the line at accusing some random officer at the Canadian border of corruption just because a knife was seized.

Odd behavior on a forum that routinely thanks people for their service.

[kennethsime]

Perhaps I'm just a cynic, but I don't think that the knife has to be legal or illegal, I think it depends n whether or not the officer in question likes it.

sal

I was detained once as a young, dumb teenager. The officer in question confiscated a knife, and made all kinds of claims about it being illegal. He then let me off with a warning, but kept the knife.

I know that’s not every officer, of course, but that never seems to make it feel better.

[mmadison]

Enough already. Canada is lost.

[Mystery Flavor]

Hey Giant,
I highly suggest you actually call them and talk to a real person, instead of over email. For all you know they might surprise you and have some willingness to offer some store credit or a partial refund or maybe nothing except the chance for a real human to hear you and not feel like you were just blown off with the email. Have you ordered many times with them? The more past orders the more likely they might be willing to do something for you. If you told them you wanted to order a different knife they might be more likely to offer some credit etc... I have no idea honestly.

It seems like online shops should have an extra checkbox that canadian delivery addresses would need to confirm about this risk. Imagine someone who is brand new to buying knives online and they ordered the same exclusive and never once heard of the risk of pirates on the imaginary line that could steal their property. It would sure be friendly if the online shops at the very least warned you guys before taking your money.

What does your tracking info show? Was there delivery insurance added when you ordered? Some shops add it without even telling the customer. Really it is worth following up with this and not just accepting the loss so easily. I'm not trying to get your hopes up, but trying to point out it's maybe not as hopeless as you think. Good luck...

[apollo]

Perhaps I'm just a cynic, but I don't think that the knife has to be legal or illegal, I think it depends n whether or not the officer in question likes it.

sal

I think you ones again nailed it Sal.
I never personally bought from the US just because of all the horror story’s i read from members of my local forum. There is a member there that is a customs agent. And he does not hide the fact that many many many objects get seized and then magically “disappear” just because the agents like what they see.