Banning knife imports from Japan -> UK?

[welcomebrand]

I just had a message from a supplier in Japan that FedEx returned one of our shipments (Japanese chef knives) and that FedEx told them that effective July they are stopping the import and export of all knives through Europe.

It's not something I was aware of and best I can tell there's no legislation reason for it but wondered if anyone in logistics/shipping is aware of this and potentially how we can continue to reliably import from Japan? DHL already stopped import of blades over 200mm back in March and it seems like one of those things where it's a matter of time before others also stop it but given kitchen knives in general are a fairly significant and useful household item stocked by thousands of retailers I'm trying to figure where to go from here?

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

This law does not cover knives for industrial use
They don't know what they are doing it is only relevant for offensive weapons

 

[welcomebrand]

This law does not cover knives for industrial use
They don't know what they are doing it is only relevant for offensive weapons

As far as I can establish, this is another one like DHL where it's not a legislation change or requirement but an internal decision - just wondering if anyone who deals direct with FedEx can confirm?

 

[Newchodge]

You think you have problems? https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ardening-tools-arrest-armed-police-manchester The world has gone mad.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

As far as I can establish, this is another one like DHL where it's not a legislation change or requirement but an internal decision - just wondering if anyone who deals direct with FedEx can confirm?

Quite a few use Fedex on here but only have knowledge of their own products and sector when dealing with the parcels carriers .

Knives are obviously considered as dangerous freight by the carrier now and an alternative supplier will need be sought

 

[fisicx]

given kitchen knives in general are a fairly significant and useful household item stocked by thousands of retailers I'm trying to figure where to go from here?

You pay for your own container. Or work with an agent in Japan to ship as part of another container load. This is how the big retailers will do it.

 

[welcomebrand]

You pay for your own container. Or work with an agent in Japan to ship as part of another container load. This is how the big retailers will do it.

makes sense on a major retailer level, sadly we're very small scale talking about probably 10 boxes / 100kg of stuff a month by air so will investigate as an option and hope for the best

 

[fisicx]

makes sense on a major retailer level, sadly we're very small scale talking about probably 10 boxes / 100kg of stuff a month by air so will investigate as an option and hope for the best

Have you spoken to any of the UK wholesalers to ask if they will import on your behalf?

 

[James]

I haven't seen any recent changes from FedEx regarding their restricted items. Has the description of the goods changed, or have you ordered a different item than usual?

I have a couple of customers that we import chef knives and we do use FedEx on occasions.

 

[welcomebrand]

I haven't seen any recent changes from FedEx regarding their restricted items. Has the description of the goods changed, or have you ordered a different item than usual?

I have a couple of customers that we import chef knives and we do use FedEx on occasions.

nothing out of the ordinary, we even had a shipment from another supplier with FedEx last week - same items/HS codes etc.

I can't tell if it's something they're just starting to flag in shipments or what and some will still get through or if they're banning certain HS codes now.

One guy I spoke to at FedEx who was trying recently to sign us for a new rates account said knives have alway technically been a prohibited item but allowed but now it seems not.

 

[James]

I have reached out to our account manager to see if there are any changes regarding this.

Currently FedEx Terms and Conditions online state no flick or gravity knives are allowed.

If you get stuck, feel free to reach out to me.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

For 100kg use air freight - I would have thought it would have been cheaper than a courier.

Speak to one of the freight forwarders on UKBF.

 

[WaveJumper]

Can you imagine not more imports of knives, a run on sales in shops and god forbid we might actually have to start manufacturing in the UK to keep up with demand - crazy world eh

 

[welcomebrand]

Can you imagine not more imports of knives, a run on sales in shops and god forbid we might actually have to start manufacturing in the UK to keep up with demand - crazy world eh

what are you talking about? You literally can't make Japanese knives in the UK.

This isn't helping my enquiry in any way.

 

[welcomebrand]

For 100kg use air freight - I would have thought it would have been cheaper than a courier.

Speak to one of the freight forwarders on UKBF.

Sorry, for clarity our total shipments are around 100kg a month not a single shipment so it's very small scale but I'm going to have to try and find an agent and see what's possible

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Why not consolidate shipments to one monthly, then?

 

[welcomebrand]

Why not consolidate shipments to one monthly, then?

From different suppliers across Japan so I guess this would mean having them all sent to a single place to store until ready.

 

[fisicx]

From different suppliers across Japan so I guess this would mean having them all sent to a single place to store until ready.

Hence the use of an agent to manage everything for you.

 

[welcomebrand]

Hence the use of an agent to manage everything for you.

That's what we're trying to now find but as you can probably imagine it's quite a different step for a small business like us where we're now having to figure out what was once just a "here's a box of stuff, get fedex to deliver it to us" to potentially needing to find and pay for an agent to manage several supplier shipments etc.

Just feels like another huge hurdle we've got to figure out to keep our heads above water

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

1 Find agent
2 Tell them what you want
3 let them do it

If this is what you need to do to keep your business going, JFDI!

Yes, it is a hurdle, but, rather than bimbling around, wasting time and costing money, you have come here for some great free advice that cuts a lot of pain out of your life!

 

[BioPartner UK]

Sharing my experience of using Zen Market, Fedex, and UPS to bring a set of kitchen knives into the UK for personal use.
1. Ordering via Zen Market was straightforward and cheaper than purchasing through European sellers, where the range is limited.
2. Fedex delivered the package to their UK warehouse but did not deliver to my address. They did not inform me there was a problem and I only found out after raising a non-delivery complaint with Zen Market, that the package had been returned as containing prohibited items (although labelled 'kitchenware').
3. Zen needed to find out what return charges Fedex would need to levy (there were none), before releasing the package to UPS.
4. Paid for shipping again, UPS delivered, no problem at all.
Conclusion: the knives were 30% more expensive due to the shipping fees. The delay was around 3 months. The stress unbearable.
Observations: In business we have seen Fedex and DHL lose many more exhibition stands in transit than any other courier. We recommend UPS now, and for our own consignments we hire a (family member) man and van!

 

[Tornado220]

I just had a message from a supplier in Japan that FedEx returned one of our shipments (Japanese chef knives) and that FedEx told them that effective July they are stopping the import and export of all knives through Europe.

It's not something I was aware of and best I can tell there's no legislation reason for it but wondered if anyone in logistics/shipping is aware of this and potentially how we can continue to reliably import from Japan? DHL already stopped import of blades over 200mm back in March and it seems like one of those things where it's a matter of time before others also stop it but given kitchen knives in general are a fairly significant and useful household item stocked by thousands of retailers I'm trying to figure where to go from here?

Doesn't surprise me at all, since fedex joined with that useless bunch of clowns at TNT its only gone down hill