My Hookah Has Been Seized By Customs

[Rhino]

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd let you all know what kind of crap New Zealanders have to deal with.

I ordered a new hookah online and it was seized by customs as it entered the country because it's deemed a norty utensil and is prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Prohibited items include "norty utensils, such as items favoured by Seth Rogan, hookahs (also known as arguileh, hubble bubble, shisha, sheesha, Turkish, or water pipes) and certain other items".

It's been held for a week already and I've now got to wait up to 2 weeks for written notice of the seizure before I know what I can do to try and have the decision to seize it reversed.

How mental is it that the reason I can't import a hookah is because it can be used to smoke alternative lifestyle smoking items... Light bulbs can be used to smoke stuff but I can still import them if I wish.

Bloody bullshit!

[ASUSEAN1]

where u buy it from?

[gaia.plateau]

Playing devil's advocate... light bulbs aren't designed to smoke norty stuff! Edited January 24, 2008 by gaia.plateau
as OP

[Rhino]

where u buy it from?

I ordered it from Smoking Hookah.

It's the Kremlin (31") Edited January 24, 2008 by Rhino

[Rhino]

Playing devil's advocae... light bulbs aren't designed to smoke norty stuff.

Hookahs aren't designed to smoke norty stuff. But I see your point, and I admit it was quite a stretch to say that.

I find it odd though that importing 'certain' papers (which are made for norty stuff) is allowed when a hookah isn't.

NB I'm not saying certain papers should be banned. Edited January 24, 2008 by Rhino
as OP

[gaia.plateau]

Playing devil's advocae... light bulbs aren't designed to smoke meth.

Hookahs aren't designed to smoke norty styff. But I see your point, and I admit it was quite a stretch to say that.

I find it odd though that importing 'certain' papers (which are made for norty stuff) is allowed when a hookah isn't.

NB I'm not saying certain papers should be banned.

They are designed to smoke a different substance, which is made from poppies (we aren't allowed to refer directly to drugs on this forum, under penalty of suspension... best to read the rules m8).

[Johnny_D]

I think it's a relevant discussion Gaia.

Everyone else :- I have edited the words we don't want to see. We are ranked high on google and should someone put in the word B--g then it's quite plausable it will point to discussion here.

More ammunition for the fire I'm afraid.

Please don't take offence at my editing. And we have banned people for less than mentioned here.

However it's a relevant topic. Please just substitute certain words.

JD

[ASUSEAN1]

try orderin form hookah-shisha or mnhookah and give the a call before hand.. they can get it past customs but you need to let them know to label it as something else

[Johnny_D]

try orderin form hookah-shisha or mnhookah and give the a call before hand.. they can get it past customs but you need to let them know to label it as something else

Sean's right. As a fellow international consumer I can vouch for mnhookah.

I think smoking-hookah have a policy of honesty on there customs forms - which is where you may have gotten shafted.

JD

[Rhino]

Thanks for the leniency Johnny D. I had read the thread that stated the rules on that sort of thing and didn't realise it meant total censorship (which is fine, I agree with it and am sorry I didn't pay more attention).

Oh, and Gaia, I realised the poppy thing but I was more meaning it's current intended purpose.

I thought Smoking Hookah would be sweet sending it in as they've got a reference from a NZer on their feedback page. Now I've got to wait for a letter so I can write a letter and wait for another letter.

I'll wait to see the outcome of this fracas before I look to buy elsewhere... What does everyone think of the Kremlin anyway? Brass and Crystal stem apparently. (Ordered it before finding this forum so hope I made a good choice).

[gaia.plateau]

H-S will almost certainly refused to label the package dishonestly... MNHookah is your best bet.

And Rhino, I'm with you... I think that all norty stuff should be legal. I just also respect the right of the state to determine its own policies, and even moreso the power of civil action to override that right.

[nicayotte]

H-S lables whatever you want, i sent a hookah as a gift to a friend in Ireland and they said it was a turkish flower pot "fragile" lol

[r1v3th3ad]

Label doesn't matter going through customs though, most customs generally as policy tend to x-ray stuff. I'd say the only way to get around it is ordering everything separate(which would be costly).
Order the base one week, stem another, bowl at another time, then the hoses.

Just a thought...if a question comes up, you could say it for a car or something(in reference to ordering everything separately).

[dude3516]

le Blow on your situation man, hope you can get this stuff sorted. Do they do the same with your tobacco as well?? Or is it just anything that might possibly used for norty stuff

[Rhino]

le Blow on your situation man, hope you can get this stuff sorted. Do they do the same with your tobacco as well?? Or is it just anything that might possibly used for norty stuff

I haven't received the letter from them yet. On the phone all they mentioned was the Hookah. I realised after ordering that the duty for tobacco is NZ$105 per 250g (~US$80!). Not sure how they determine weight with shisha as the tobacco would be the minority of the mass.

[r1v3th3ad]

update?

[SafeSearchOff]

Label doesn't matter going through customs though, most customs generally as policy tend to x-ray stuff. I'd say the only way to get around it is ordering everything separate(which would be costly).
Order the base one week, stem another, bowl at another time, then the hoses.

Just a thought...if a question comes up, you could say it for a car or something(in reference to ordering everything separately).

most customs also generally SUCK at X-Raying things

Coming back from Germany this summer, i was honest on my declaration form (kinda) and said that i;d been on a farm. so they have to xray my bag by default, mainly for fruits, veggies, other foods, etc.


on my declaration card i declared 120 euros of chocolate
in my bag i had 5 euros of chocolate, and more than 300 in cuban cigars, and cartons of cigs for my brother + girlfriend. customs arent the brightest chaps. oh yeah then they took me aside and were like "DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING OF HIGH VALUE ON YOU, OR MATERIALS PROHIBITED IN THE US?" I was like uhhhh no.... and they let me go after repeating "are you sure" like 12 times.



sorry thats beside the point... uhhh lets see relate this back to the topic...
oh yes Customs = Dumb Jerks
write your local papers or something. make it a huge cultural outrage or something like that

[Rhino]

update?

Still waiting for the slack pricks to send me my notice. Until I receive it I can't appeal.


SafeSearchOff, writing to a local paper could be a good idea, I'll give it a go but I don't see much success as nobodies going to be keen in this politically correct nanny state to back the right to smoke.

[ahwahoo2006]

Actually, the PC route might be the best way to go - hookah has been successfully defended as a cultural practice. Can't offend anyone now, can we?

[Poro-]

Best way to buy hookah to a place which says they are illegal is to buy them in parts. First vase (it is like a flower vase?=) Then stem... and hose... etc

[SafeSearchOff]

yeah the point i was getting at with the newspaper thing is to say its a cultural outrage. its like saying we as Americans arent allowed to eat hamburgers or fly the american flag.


the fact is is its wrong and disrespectful, since its used for cultural purposes.

[crisbeatz]

First I'd like to thank every last spoiled brat and scardy cat out there for not really knowing much about things and still forming an opinion on it based off of "research" and "studies". Second, I'd like to thank those who feel it's their duty to "look out" for everyone else and feel that the majority doesn't know any better. Lastly thanks to those who shove their opinions down other peoples throats.

Thanks for making life that much Harder!

[jfaltous]

First I'd like to thank every last spoiled brat and scardy cat out there for not really knowing much about things and still forming an opinion on it based off of "research" and "studies". Second, I'd like to thank those who feel it's their duty to "look out" for everyone else and feel that the majority doesn't know any better. Lastly thanks to those who shove their opinions down other peoples throats.

Thanks for making life that much Harder!

huh?

[jaded33]

[quote name='Rhino' timestamp='1201149828' post='197219']
Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd let you all know what kind of crap New Zealanders have to deal with.

I ordered a new hookah online and it was seized by customs as it entered the country because it's deemed a norty utensil and is prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Prohibited items include "norty utensils, such as items favoured by Seth Rogan, hookahs (also known as arguileh, hubble bubble, shisha, sheesha, Turkish, or water pipes) and certain other items".

It's been held for a week already and I've now got to wait up to 2 weeks for written notice of the seizure before I know what I can do to try and have the decision to seize it reversed.

How mental is it that the reason I can't import a hookah is because it [i]can[/i] be used to smoke alternative lifestyle smoking items... Light bulbs can be used to smoke stuff but I can still import them if I wish.

Bloody bullshit! [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/style_emoticons/default/angry.gif[/img]
[/quote]



Hi,

The same thing just happened to me, i ordered a hookah online and had it shipped to NZ. I bought a start up package so it came with the charcoal, 3 packages of tobacco, tongs, etc..., those things were all there, but the actual hookah and hose were missing. Were you able to resolve your problem and get the hookah??? I've sent an email to customs and they told me that it was a prohibited import and that they would send me information on what my options were...should i just give up and buy one at a store?

[ukhookah]

Pure bollocks. I thought we had bad here in uk.