Ryan
AH elite
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2011
- Messages
- 1,670
- Reaction score
- 3,170
- Location
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Media
- 152
- Articles
- 2
- Member of
- Black Sheep Bowmen Archery Club.
- Hunted
- Namibia and South Africa
My trophies (1 buffalo and six antelope) have been in a box at the shipper since the 1st of December. My shipper, AHG, was having difficulties getting it to me since Delta Air Cargo won't touch the box with a buffalo in it after the whole Cecil debacle. My first suggestion was do what had to be done in 2020 when I had a shipment but Delta shut down it's Joburg flights. That box went via Turkish Air to Seattle and the Coppersmith cleared it and put it on a barge up to Anchorage. That wasn't cheap. $3K to Seattle and over a grand for the rest as I recall. That wasn't going anywhere this time either and my box was waiting some more while they looked around. Then I got an idea. Anchorage has a major Fedex hub here, so I asked what FedEx would cost. No harm to ask. AHG did some asking and a few days later I got a reply. $3136.64 all the way here for a 101 kg, 124x102x97cm box. Recall, that was around what it cost me last time to Seattle for a box approximately the same size. I said YES.
So on 11 February things began with shipment info getting loaded. It got accepted by FedEx on the 17th in JoBurg waiting around until the 23rd when it went ot Dubai. Honestly I thought it would go to HongKong from there and hen straight here. Nope, it took a left turn to Paris, then hit Memphis on the 24th. It waited there until early this Tuesday 1 March when it took off from Memphis and arrived here. I got a call that morning. Now lately we've heard of long waits for inspections and warehouse fees. That is not the case for FedEx here. Things move through here pretty snappy and there isn't a lot coming in to get picked up here so unlike other places a trophy shipment is almost a novelty. So at this moment, Thursday the 3rd of March, I have my trophies.
Here's how:
The great thing is if it I can get it here in bond I can do all the clearances and save all that time an money it took last time getting cleared elsewhere like my last in Seattle. Yep, you read that right. It is actually done a lot up here in Anchorage when Delta Air Cargo was the norm. We have USFWS and Customs right here. I did it for my 2016 shipment, it was easy.
Here's the gist. When the shipper calls and confirms the shipment is in I fill out and submit a USFWS EDec. It's easier than that gun permit for South Africa, though you do have to track down some instructions to know the codes in some boxes. Or call their office. Download your paperwork (licenses, etc.) into it, which my shipper had supplied me. When they get it they review it and if everything is good they line up an inspection, usually with CBP Ag doing there's at the same time to make both their lives easier. I missed some paperwork so they sent it back and I added it, easy. Review and pass. Now typically inspection is a couple days out. In this case I got lucky and it was a day. Things were slow around the office I guess. At Delta Air Cargo I was there at their counter while inspections took place but at Fedex you can't come into the warehouse so USFWS let me know when it was done. I called and confirmed where I get the paperwork from FedEx after that. This morning (Thursday the 3rd of March) I got that stamped paperwork and took it over to the CBP entry office in the North Terminal of the airport just down the road. They did an informal entry since it's not a commercial shipment for something like $10 plus another $3 for parking. Back to FedEx, gave them the completed stamped paperwork and had the box loaded in the truck for the 20 minute drive across town. Done.
So, for those still waiting, you may want to have your shipper look into the express carriers. Fedex, UPS, DHL. If you're near a major hub of one of them you may be able to do exactly what I did.
So on 11 February things began with shipment info getting loaded. It got accepted by FedEx on the 17th in JoBurg waiting around until the 23rd when it went ot Dubai. Honestly I thought it would go to HongKong from there and hen straight here. Nope, it took a left turn to Paris, then hit Memphis on the 24th. It waited there until early this Tuesday 1 March when it took off from Memphis and arrived here. I got a call that morning. Now lately we've heard of long waits for inspections and warehouse fees. That is not the case for FedEx here. Things move through here pretty snappy and there isn't a lot coming in to get picked up here so unlike other places a trophy shipment is almost a novelty. So at this moment, Thursday the 3rd of March, I have my trophies.
Here's how:
The great thing is if it I can get it here in bond I can do all the clearances and save all that time an money it took last time getting cleared elsewhere like my last in Seattle. Yep, you read that right. It is actually done a lot up here in Anchorage when Delta Air Cargo was the norm. We have USFWS and Customs right here. I did it for my 2016 shipment, it was easy.
Here's the gist. When the shipper calls and confirms the shipment is in I fill out and submit a USFWS EDec. It's easier than that gun permit for South Africa, though you do have to track down some instructions to know the codes in some boxes. Or call their office. Download your paperwork (licenses, etc.) into it, which my shipper had supplied me. When they get it they review it and if everything is good they line up an inspection, usually with CBP Ag doing there's at the same time to make both their lives easier. I missed some paperwork so they sent it back and I added it, easy. Review and pass. Now typically inspection is a couple days out. In this case I got lucky and it was a day. Things were slow around the office I guess. At Delta Air Cargo I was there at their counter while inspections took place but at Fedex you can't come into the warehouse so USFWS let me know when it was done. I called and confirmed where I get the paperwork from FedEx after that. This morning (Thursday the 3rd of March) I got that stamped paperwork and took it over to the CBP entry office in the North Terminal of the airport just down the road. They did an informal entry since it's not a commercial shipment for something like $10 plus another $3 for parking. Back to FedEx, gave them the completed stamped paperwork and had the box loaded in the truck for the 20 minute drive across town. Done.
So, for those still waiting, you may want to have your shipper look into the express carriers. Fedex, UPS, DHL. If you're near a major hub of one of them you may be able to do exactly what I did.
