Ever had your overseas parcels opened & inspected?

[Nevol]

My last shipment of coins from Ellekitty was opened by Australian Quarantine as they got some sort of indication the package might contain a prohibited import. 

Nothing 'bad' was found & nothing was removed.  First time it's happened & I've received dozens of parcels from the US.

[Humpybong]

All parcels coming into Australia are x-rayed and if it looks OK and the value is declared under A$1000, then will be released.

If a doubt exists with the xray then package is opened by Australian Customs or Australian Quarantine Services (depending on the query) to verify all OK.

There are also some packages that are opended for a random inspection from time to time.

Yes I have had one or two of mine opended.

[ElleKitty]

Eek!  They've found me out!  Now I'm going to have to change my address and name, yet again. *sigh*

[Paint Your Wagon]

Belgian customs have opened all packages from outside the Eurozone
Too many of them at the central Brussels clearing office and they have to tax some imports to justify their existence
On the other hand no letters have been opened

[Triggersmob]

I have had one parcel opened for inspection and they sealed it back up with tape all over the stamps.
As a stamp collector I was p***ed off.

I have had two others that have split open on the way here.
As Ellekitty mentioned elsewhere, the secret Santa coin she sent me
last Christmas went missing along with a 1972 5c piece.
Also, Gary sent me 4 rolls of Lincolns a while back, one
roll went missing when the package split.

So that's Austpost 2, Customs 1

[tiddyathome]

I have had a parcel from the US opened last month. no worries there. But had three parcels go missing on there way to me last month as well. Maybe opened and they liked what they where and kept them 

[scottishmoney]

I have received literally hundreds of lettres, parcels etc. from all over the world and have had three opened:

One from the USSR, the postal carrier apparently stole the stamps on it, they were missing.

Another from the Order of Malta in Rome, customs inspection - nothing missing.

And more recently a box from Netherlands that had a 17th century Delft tile in it, opened by customs, but nothing amiss.

[JoseMartins]

...oh, yeah...

Until 3/4 years ago just some very few packages, usually from eastern Europe (got a lot of stuff from Belarus and Czech Rep. back then), but never lost anything.
Nowadays, almost no package is inspected EXCEPT the ones from the USA, half of the registered mail is inspected and i have to fax them the invoice or a content declaration and half of the unregistered mail just goes *#Pufff#* to never be heard from again.

Jose  

[NoHope587]

I have had packages from all over the world and never a problem except for stuff from the UK. I have had four packages from the UK opened in as many years. Whilst nothing was ever taken  twice coins were removed from their holders and handled this kind of ruins high grade proofs.......

[TwoShadows]

I have been told that EVERY package going into Germany is opened and inspected UNLESS they are going to motels or hotels. I even send some coins to a collector who works in Germany but stays in the same motel so that is the address he uses for most of his mail now. As for me, well I have received a package or two that have been damaged in transit and the U.S. postal service has placed it in a plastic bag with an apology taped to the side. I don't think customs has ever opened a coin shipment that I have noticed.

[AdamL]

Haven't had one opened yet. As I mentioned in a thread a while back, I had a package heading to Canada disappear. I wrote "Numismatic Supplies" on the customs form. The second time the package got through, and I wrote "Hobby Supplies". I wonder if some crooked customs worker knew what Numismatic means and thought he was nabbing something valuable.

[KurtS]

"Belgian customs have opened all packages from outside the Eurozone...
"I have been told that EVERY package going into Germany is opened and inspected"

So much for my grand scheme of selling camera/cell/laptop batteries to Europeans. Boy, do you guys get gouged on electronics! 

I have sent many a package to Australia and Canada, without a single one lost or opened. Ironically, I've had more delays/losses sending mail within the US--particularly back East.

[Paint Your Wagon]

We get taken on everything even on French Fries which are now 2.4 Euro with mayo like 3.80 dollars and I paid 9.72 dollars a gallon for 98 octane yesterday

[scottishmoney]

We get taken on everything even on French Fries which are now 2.4 Euro with mayo like 3.80 dollars and I paid 9.72 dollars a gallon for 98 octane yesterday

Gotta pay for your socialised medicine somehow, and that is how it is done.  Taxes up the bunghole and out the ears.  I scoffed at the 18% sales tax in France, but then got to Denmark and it was 25%.  Americans gripe about taxes, and their post office etcetera, but they have no idea how high postage is even in Canada, but also in Europe.  If we had taxes like that here, all the people with no jobs, no money, but making babies like rabbits could have even more babies and snowball the effect.

[Paint Your Wagon]

We get taken on everything even on French Fries which are now 2.4 Euro with mayo like 3.80 dollars and I paid 9.72 dollars a gallon for 98 octane yesterday

Gotta pay for your socialised medicine somehow, and that is how it is done.  Taxes up the bunghole and out the ears.  I scoffed at the 18% sales tax in France, but then got to Denmark and it was 25%.  Americans gripe about taxes, and their post office etcetera, but they have no idea how high postage is even in Canada, but also in Europe.  If we had taxes like that here, all the people with no jobs, no money, but making babies like rabbits could have even more babies and snowball the effect.

It is not the medical care that budget is balanced
It is the fact that for every working belgian there is a non working belgian who may never have worked a day in its live.
Also childsupport by state on any child even rich is like 250 euro a months for the first child and escalates for 2 nd 3 rd and so on
And you get like 5% taxreduction per child
Also schools are as good as free and you can get thru university for free ( I did ) and a Russian immigrant I know tries right now but he
wanted to do the first year for engineer and he is finding out that belgium may give away a lot but not Univ degrees that is you have to study and be capable