Getting knives to out of state shows

Vance C.

Vance C.

Well-Known Member
My question is- I am doing a show out of state, which is a first for me, and i was wondering what the preferred way to get the knives to the show is? The other thing is that I have not flown much before, so I am not super familiar with how airlines operate. I wanted to ask what your preferred way to get knives for shows from point A to point B is? Putting them in your luggage is sketchy to me, because I have never done it before, and mailing them to the venue sounds expensive. Thoughts and suggestions would be very much appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to read this!
 
call the airline you want to use, tell them up front you are transporting knives, and ask for the most secure method.
 
Personally, I've tried shipping, but had a bad experience with that. One year I tried shipping my knives to the Blade Show (Montana to Atlanta). Shipped them UPS 1 day shipping. I shipped on a Wed morning, got to Atlanta on Thursday evening, and my knives were not there. They did not arrive until Friday night AFTER the show had closed. Never again.

The best success I have had is to pay for an additional piece of luggage.... a large, hard "case" (mine is a doskocil). I put my knives in, and on the top layer I put a small .22 revolver. This makes the whole case a "firearm". I declare it at the check-in, TSA comes right there and checks it, then they require TWO padlocks on the case, and I keep the key(s). The TSA agent who checks the "firearm" carries it straight to the plane (here at my local airport). When it arrives in Atlanta, it doesn't come to the common luggage belt.....but get taken to a "secure" area, and I have to show my ID to pick it up.
Personally, I would never put knives in my luggage. It happens EVERY year with the Blade Show, and every year I hear a report that some knifemaker got thousands of dollar worth of knives stolen from his/her luggage.
 
I think Ed has the right idea - it sure sounds good from a man with experience and knowledge.

Ken H>
 
IF you don't own a gun or the proper permits to be transporting them across state lines then you are out of luck.

I mail my knives on Tuesday before a show and let the hotel receiving them know so they accept the package. Mailing them early gives the carrier time to get them to me before the show starts.
 
Chuck Gedraitis Knives said:
IF you don't own a gun or the proper permits to be transporting them across state lines then you are out of luck.

I mail my knives on Tuesday before a show and let the hotel receiving them know so they accept the package. Mailing them early gives the carrier time to get them to me before the show starts.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean proper permits to transport them? knives? Do you need a permit to transport your own knives? I travel with knives all the time and never have a permit is there certain states that require special permits?
 
Permits for firearms possession are unheard of here in the midwest. We can't even imagine needing a permit for a firearm. The exception is Chicago and that is another issue altogether.

Like Ed says, someone loses something big in checked baggage every year. I've never heard of anyone losing anything packed with a gun.

Another option is certified mail. It is insured, kept in secure areas and tracked every minute. The Hope Diamond was shipped via certified mail.

Also, I have been told but never verified, insured UPS/FedEx items over $1,000 are kept secured with additional tracking scans. I'm not sure I believe that anymore after some experiences working on claims with them. When we ship high value and insure items via either UPS or FedEx, it just gets chunked into the truck with everything else.

To avoid package pilferage, avoid using any reference to knives, cutlery, etc on the package or address. We had to change our shipping labels because we were attracting some unwanted attention along the shipping channel.
 
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