According to Australia Post's website a long list of items are prohibited from importation into the USA, including "Optical, photographic, cinematographic products".
Does anyone know if this includes the sale of used eyepieces, etc?
I bought an eyepiece from Australia and had no difficulties.
Good to know. Also, there's an eyepiece ad on CN right now from an IIS member so I'm guessing it's not an issue but maybe it depends how you complete the customs declaration.
Yowza! Maybe they've put it in as a result of the irradiation testing possibly affecting coatings? Good luck trying to track down the faceless ones responsible for the list, to try to get an explanation. I've had some items from the US with no issues. However, I do find a lot of CN sellers reluctant to send outside the US. Import/export duty complications? You could always confuse and bamboozle - just nominate it as a Plossl or an Erfle on the declaration form.
Morton,
Over the years I've sold in the US lots of astronomical bits and pieces as well as many (!!) Spectra - L200 spectrograph kits.
Never had any issues with customs as long as you've filled the declarations correctly.
I would use " used astronomical items" as a general term.
Ken
I just did a thorough Google search and read many articles on this.
It looks like you need to go through a courier such as: FedEx, DHL or UPS
to handle the complicated taxes and import duties and then pay their fees.
Telescopes etc are imported into the USA by the 100s every day
so what is on the Australia Post site is misleading.
Since when have these faceless bureaucrats ever been known to apply logic (or commonsense) to their decisions?
