Customs Problems

[dleufer]

Hey guys,
About 6 weeks ago I ordered a set of duns, a lenke shell and a couple of skins from Senegal and they still haven't arrived. They were only supposed to take 3-4 weeks so I'm starting to get a bit worried. A friend of mine just got some stuff sent from Burkina Faso and his djembe got through but a package containing 10 (shaved) cow skins and a bag actually got BURNED by Burkinabe customs! Apparently Burkina Faso have introduced a new law that skins cannot be exported. I haven't heard of anything similar happening in Senegal but I'm starting to think that maybe this could account for the delay with my package. Hopefully they don't burn the duns too!
Anyone got any info on contacting customs or any tips for who I should get in contact with? The package is being shipped to the Republic of Ireland via standard (but thankfully insured) post. I'm gonna make some calls to Irish customs and the guys in Senegal said they'd go to their post office and ask.
Thanks for any help!

[bubudi]

who was your supplier?
was it sent by ship? this can take up to a few months.
shouldn't be any problem with senegalese skins unless they're a bit crusty.

[Beerfola]

I had a shipment from Senegal take for freakin' ever to arrive in the US. It went into limbo for awhile because it transferred from one carrier to another and the tracking info did not carry over when it changed hands. An import freight company had the shipment in a bonded customs warehouse for a while. I had to drive a couple hundred miles to get to the customs distribution port of entry. I got a bunch of bad info about importing wild animal skins and exotic wood and needing an import broker and so on. The goat and cow skins were domestic and the wood not so exotic (Dimba). In the end all I had to do was wait for the process to run it's course and pay a couple of import taxes and bonded warehouse handling fees. Not to mention a hand full of paperwork, customs forms, fumigation affidavits and some hard looks from the customs officer.
In comparison, I had some djembes and skins shipped from Guinea and they arrived at the US post office in my own town about 2 months after they shipped. I just signed for the package and walked, no questions asked. No records of customs handling or apparent opening or tampering with the package. Just "Here you go. Oh! That's a heavy package!"

[bubudi]

shipping by sea often has those problems. they change carriers and the ships can stay at a port for weeks to months. in australia we have much tougher importation laws than in the states. if you have any problems with customs it usually boils down to bad luck with the customs officer that handles your goods. it pays to know your country's laws on importing skins and wooden musical instruments. then you can assert yourself with customs officers. last time i imported some skins they were held in quarantine to be fumigated or destroyed. i rang up and cited all the due process i had followed and the evidence for it over the phone and the skins were let in.

I got a bunch of bad info about importing wild animal skins and exotic wood and needing an import broker and so on. The goat and cow skins were domestic and the wood not so exotic (Dimba).

the word 'exotic' is synonymous with 'imported'. dimba trees don't grow in the states, therefore dimba is exotic.

[dleufer]

Thanks for the info guys. I´ll definitely brush up on my import laws before I get in contact with customs. I´ll let you know how it pans out, hopefully I´ll be whacking away on a lovely new set of duns pretty soon....

[James]

I know someone how waited 4 months for drums from Ghana, turns out they had accidentaly been sent to Senegal...or something...

They eventually made it to Ireland after ages..... don't give up, they may still be en route...

[Paul]

I never did it from Senegal, but I sent drums from Gambia and Burkina to Dublin..
In gambia you wrap each drum seperate buy a cert for your animal skins and say a prayer. Burkina is roughly the same you make a box of up to 30kg. Its hard to get the skins through, I put mine inside the dunduns and taped them up so they wouldnt rattle.. a bit of work but I got 40 goat skins in a set of dunduns. I didnt even want the dunduns. There are some local boys who will get it through for you, find a djembe maker who has family in the post office.
ALWAYS GIVE THEM A PRESENT AND TALK TO THEM LIKE THEY ARE THE KING OF SWEEDEN (if sweeden has a king)

What is the story for air freight, want to get some stuff from Guinea for a change.
Do you pay everything at the airport? Any idea what you would pay for ten drums to europe?

[dleufer]

Bit of an update on the situation, I managaed to get a tracking number for the package and found out that it hasn't arrived in Ireland yet. But it has left Senegal, or Dakar at least. I tried to get onto the Senegalese Post Offices website but it doesn't seem to work. I also tried emailing them at contact@laposte.sn but I got an automatic reply saying the email address doesn't exist. Weird.

Anyone got any contact details for the Senegalese P.O? I figure that the package is somewhere in between but I have no idea how to use the tracking number to actually track it if i don't know what country it's in.

Thanks again for all the help guys, it helps to hear of similar plights!

[bubudi]

pretty typical situation. if it has already left senegal there's probably nothing they could do anyway. be prepared to wait another couple of months for your dununs.

[bops]

I also tried emailing them at contact@laposte.sn but I got an automatic reply saying the email address doesn't exist. Weird.

In French, "contact" is spelled with an e (contacte). You could try contacte@laposte.sn.

[dleufer]

Hey guys,
I thought I might as well give an update on the situation. Still no dununs . I ordered them in February and they still haven't arrived! The Irish Customs haven't got 'em and neither do the postal service. The company I ordered them from have agreed to refund me but they are waiting until their insurance company refunds them so I have no idea how long it will be.
It's sickening to know that a beautiful set of duns are just rotting in a dirty crate somewhere between Ireland and Senegal instead of being beaten on the streets of Galway!

[rachelnguyen]

Oh, what a shame. I hate to hear that.

[bubudi]

yea, it's a shame, but this is not unknown to happen with goods shipped from west africa. it's a good thing your supplier is going to cover your expenses.

[dleufer]

Yeah, if they do cover my expenses it will be a good thing but I'm starting to have my doubts. Their website has disappeared from the internet and they haven't replied to my emails for the last few weeks either. I'll give 'em one more week and then I'm gonna name and shame I'm afraid. I want to actually see if anyone else has had problems with the company but I do want to give them the chance to just sort it out before I start badmouthing them.
Anyways, here's hoping I get my refund before I have to start defaming people...

[rachelnguyen]

You know, when we were in Mali, my teacher's friend put a set of dun duns on an air france flight and within a few days they were waiting at the airport in boston. Simple.

I think this might indicate that the best way to ship from West Africa is to have them put on a plane. I don't think Sidy has ever lost a shipment that way.

Just fyi for future reference.