Contact Me / Customs / Sales Enquiries

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The best way to contact me (and the method I prefer) to enquire about buying a sword or other edged weapon shown on this site, or if you want to contact me regarding valuing or buying a sword, is to do so by email. If you have JavaScript enabled, you will see and be able to click the link below;

If you have JavaScript disabled, you will have to type out my email address manually. Here is a photograph of my email address (you can not click it, you have to type it out yourself);

I go to such lengths to prevent automated email harvesters from getting my email address to add to pharmacy, etc. sales spam lists.

Your Security / Conditions

I have sold hundreds of swords around the world both from my own sales site and eBay (see: Snr Sword - I no longer am registered with eBay because of their tightening ban on swords, amongst other things, but you can see I had 100% positive feedback from my customers).

You can pay me by bank transfer to my UK bank account or by PayPal or by Western Union. UK bank and PayPal accounts are not easily come by and do they do not tolerate unethical and / or poorly described transactions; I have held my bank and PayPal accounts in good accord for years. PayPal does protect your payment in most cases while banks also have a payment refund system. Some of my customers are famous reference book authors such as Michel Petard plus specialist investment collectors in the USA and Russia (they order via their Czech Republic office as the Russian postal / delivery service is notorious). Western Union is a simple method of payment where I have to provide identification (show my passport) in order to receive the money / for your security. I have never yet had a request for a refund; please be assured by these facts.

I guarantee all of the items for sale here are authentic and as described, except where I include doubt ("I think", "I believe", etc.). If you buy an item which is not as described from me, I will refund the cost including return shipping as long as the item is in the same condition as it left me; the burden of proof regarding incorrectly described items is with the customer of course. This guarantee is unconditionally valid for a period of 4 weeks from the time your receive the item(s); thereafter I may still be able to accept a return on this basis depending on where I bought the item(s) and whether I can in turn return the item(s) myself, however after said 4 weeks if I do accept a return I would not be able to refund the shipping cost element.

I do not suggest writing to or calling me (as I like to have electronic / documented records of what is said), but for the record my registered business contact details are;

Mark Austin
Sword Sales EU
Apartado Postal 43
36450 Salvaterra de Miño
Spain

Tel: 672 143 809

Please see my shipping page - I actually ship via the Post Office in Portugal because the Spanish Postal Authority has ruled weapons of any kind can not be sent via the post in Spain; although such weapons are legal in Spain, the socialist postal authority have banned carriage as a matter of policy, not law.

Customs

The buyer is responsible for ensuring they are legally able to import whatever they buy from me. A good reference for this is the Universal Postal Union Restrictions By Country page; simply look for the country you are resident in and check Chapter 93 which covers arms under that country. I do not take any responsibility for this; I only take responsibility that exporting the items out of Spain and Portugal is legal. Some countries allow antique / collector's edged weapons but only with a import permit; it is the buyer's responsibility to check.

European Union: Shipments within the EU do not matter UNLESS the member state you are in classifies antiques weapons as literal weapons, not collector's items / antiques. The only EU state I am aware of with any issues in this respect is the Netherlands, but I will happily send items there as it is the buyer's responsibility to check. Sending goods within the EU is legally "Movement of Goods", not export / import. Many people in the UK think swords are banned there; antique and collector's swords (such as WW2 Japanese and German edged weapons) are not banned at all; only so called "Samurai" swords (cheap copies of Japanese Katanas) are banned. Of course, all countries prohibit people from carrying swords in public, but to keep at home the swords you see here are not a problem.

Outside the EU: Buyers have the responsibility of checking with their domestic Customs authority to determine if the item they are interested in is permitted / requires an import permit or not. None of my items require an export license because they fall under the financial thresholds set by EC Regulation 3911/92 which governs antiques and in particular which items can be considered restricted "cultural goods". As my items come from the UK and France (this is where I buy them and where the governments have waived the need for specific licenses for items exempt in the Annex of 3911/92), they have no legal primary historical connection with either Spain or Portugal and therefore can never be claimed as Portuguese or Spanish Cultural Goods as long as they do not exceed 50,000 Euros each in value.