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All Forums > International Shopping > International Shopping Forum Page 24 > "Regulatory Agency Clearance Delay"???
AuthorPost
Takeo
Member

104 Posts
5/00
Posted - Dec 9 2001 : 1:25PM
Hey All,

This is mostly a question to the Canadians here. I have been ordering from DVD Empire to Canada for two years without any problems. I always ship via FedEx for the security (have to sign for it), speed of delivery and package tracking benefits. Anyway, I ordered 4 DVD's a few days ago, and my tracking report for the package, which has already cleared Canadian customs I think, says...

"Regulatory Agency Clearance Delay"

WTF?! I've never had that happen before! What does that mean? Are the porn police going to come and take me away? Are people looking at my shipment? Are they actually watching the DVD's? Are they going to confiscate stuff potentially? It's not like any of it is super crazy... there's one title in there from JM Productions (thought I would try something different for a change... just out of curiosity) but everything else is very mainstream... Hustler and Kick Ass Pictures. Anyway, if anyone has any insights... especially any Canadians, that would be cool :)

p.s. This is my first order since 9-11 and the anthrax mailings... maybe they are checking more packages these days?

Edited by - takeo on Dec 9 2001

scouse
New Member

5 Posts
11/99
Posted - Dec 10 2001 : 4:20PM
Takeo: ALL movies, mainstream and Porn are now being opened by customs, this increase in work is not showing any increase in staffing in that I asked customs about regular orders from USA and swaps at DVDtalk or switchhouse that hadn't arrived. The woman advised me there is about a 30 day backlog. I just got a card to go to the post office and pay my tax and handling fees on a package shipped on October 14 from Deep Discount DVD, which has already got a replacement pack on way as I reported it missing. So this effort by customs to ruin free trade is going to stop movies making it to Canada for Xmas. I've emailed my MP about this and he has asked customs to respond, just about the delay. The law on opening anything including mail is clear. You can expect customs to hold just about any porn under their catch all phrase of degrading. You can appeal but it costs you lots of money, so they win by default. Titles readily available in Canada but expensive, ie Private for up to $46 versus under $13 in the US can be seized because they have different standards. Licensed retailers can bring them in but not individuals (think jobs). If you do get any stuff seized you just get a letter telling you what and why and say you can appeal. If you don't appeal in the time they allow you have to make arrangements to remove them from Canada, don't expect Canada Post to touch them you have to make other arrangements to return to sender isn't an option or they will destroy them (or distribute them among customs staff as free xmas cheer0. Another little touch our masters add to the procees is the regular government envelope has a large blue ink rubber hand stamp on it to let your postie and neighors know you have had contraband seized by customs.
Takeo
Member

104 Posts
5/00
Posted - Dec 10 2001 : 5:20PM
Thanks for the info scouse... wow... I had no idea?!?!?!? That's insane!!!!! So, if they seize something, *I* have to make arrangements to get rid of it?!?!?! Good lord!!!!! And will the person at FedEx *KNOW* that my package is/was full of porn??? Wow. Looks like AdultDVDEmpire has just lost of long time and very devoted customer. I have no problem with customs doing their job of course... they are there for our protection right (???)... but if I *KNOW*, 100%, that every single thing I order... EVERYTHING... will be opened, inspected and delayed... forget it!!! Anyone know of any half-way decent online DVD stores based in Canada? Or I could just go back to my local brick-and-mortar store. But they are very expensive and, last time I checked, had an absolutely PATHETIC selection of DVDs. I have to say, I'm a little nervous about picking up my FedEx package tomorrow... I'm having visions of a nice lady behind the counter pulling out a copy of "Stop, My Ass is on Fire" or "Please Cum Inside Me" or what-have-you, waving it in front of everyone there and saying... sorry sir, this item has been confiscated. AHHH!!!!!! I have no problem buying porn in a place that sells porn... no problem at all... I wouldn't even care if I bumped into someone I know at such a store because hey... they are there too right :)... but a situation like the above could be a little embarrassing... to say the least :)


Edited by - Takeo on Dec 10 2001

scouse
New Member

5 Posts
11/99
Posted - Dec 10 2001 : 5:56PM
Takeo: No siezed stuff just gets held at customs doesn't even get into the mail system. It's the normal envelope that comes later, if they grabbed anything, that tells you what to do to appeal. My point is they have got you any way you turn. your guilty unless you go to court with a lawyer and have experts in literature and the arts to testify the item is artistic. Little sisters book store (lesbian stuff) was on their hit list for years. They sat on on books for months and they had enough support within their community to take on customs. They appealed and 70% of items were allowed but it took years and $100,000"s Other book stores, to prove the hit list, brought in the same material listed clearly on invoices and it was all allowed in. Two weeks ago they seized cartoons from Harry Crumb done in the sixties, which were going to an art show somewhere. Customs don't even listen to their own officials. When sodomy was taken off the criminal list, government lawyers memoed customs that some homosexuals engaged in anal intercourse (unbelievable) and that with the change in criminal law, movies books depicting this activity were no longer banned. Customs view was who gives a shit and continued to seize all material for 2 more years before the boom got lowered on them. As far as good Canadian store,there is none that's why we buy in the US.
M.B.
Senior Member

1679 Posts
2/01
Posted - Dec 11 2001 : 4:20PM
Okay guys, here's the latest scoop as I live in Canada (Toronto) too:

Customs: I had a package confiscated once because there was a hint of forced sex in one of the scenes. If this happens to you, you'll get a notice in the mail telling you your package has been held for further "review", then they'll send you another notice telling you that it has been confiscated (only the disc which contains the "obscene" subject matter, the rest of your discs you will receive). They then give you the option of appealing the so called customs "ruling" (which I do not suggest you do, very time consuming and costly, not to mention embarrasing) or you can choose to forfeight the disc, which you will do if you just ignore the letter and don't respond, which I suggest you do).

Online stores in Canada:
The best for adult dvd's is: www.dv-depot.com
They are very good, they always list whether a title is instock or not, if they do not have a title you would like, they have a title request page where you can request they add any title you want to their site. Very honest and pleasant people to deal with. They also do not carry any of the censored canadian versions as far as I know, all of the titles I have ever ordered from them come directly from the U.S. Their Private titles may be an exception, but I don't watch Private so you may want to ask them. I watch Anabolic/Diabolic/Evil Angel.

There is currently a legal case that a gay bookstore here in T.O. has brought against the Ontario government because the store sold an "agent" a vhs tape that had bondage in it. They fined the store, but the store has sued claiming that the Ontario government has no legal right to censor anybodys freedom of speech, that it may be a Federal matter or something along those lines. The decision comes down the end of January. This could drastically change the amount of porn available here in Ontario and the rest of Canada. If the bookstore wins, there could be a flood of new product into Canada without those pricks censoring our porn. If they lose, I think that the amount of dvds available here in Ontarion will drastically reduce to maybe only a handfull of titles. A lot of stickered vhs/dvd titles that I have viewed here have been missing a good 30 minutes of footage due to government censorship.
Here's hoping the bookstore wins and we can enjoy freedom in Ontario to watch what we want without a bunch of stuck up old farts telling us what's good for us and what is not.




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