Buying Folding Knives from Overseas

[Jet Fuel]

Hello enz.org users,

I am a folding knife collector (Or I hope to be, since I'm just starting out), but a great deal of the items I purchase at walk-in stores are a little on the expensive side for my expendable income, and the range can be a little slim.
Instead of buying at these sorts of stores, I was looking at purchasing online off of eBay, but I was a little worried about customs seizing my purchase. I searched around for any information I could find on the internet, but all I found was this .pdf file: http://www.customs.govt.nz/news/reso...Sheet%2005.pdf

The section for knives has a good amount of information, and includes this restriction list:

With the exception of any folding pocket
knives with a blade less than 10cm in
length, any knife that:
• is designed for ease of concealment on
the person; or
• has a double-edged blade that is
designed or suitable for stabbing or
throwing (as opposed to cutting); or
• is a knife of the kinds known as ‘urban
skinner’, ‘terminator’, ‘black eagle’,
‘black dagger’, or ‘throwing knife’.

As my knives are all beneath 10cm blade length, should I be worried?

[JandM]

It rather depends on exactly what are the other attributes of the knives you're talking about. What doesn't concern customs are knives like the traditional penknife or fruit knife or working knife - anything else and they're going to be asking questions. Also, if you start to show up as a regular importer, you're going to be under scrutiny.