customs-clearance of e-liquid

[Terrie]

I had a shipment of 18 kits and some cartridges held up in Customs 4 weeks ago. I finally got a letter from the FDA yesterday telling me that it's been detained. (reason they gave: because it's a "new drug" that has not been approved in the U.S.) The choices I've been given are: I can either have it shipped back to China, or I can just choose not to claim it. (Just wanted to tell sdbird that if they did seize your shipment, it could be a month before they contact you about it)

Meanwhile I've had several small packages arrive with no problems at all. So, for those of you just ordering small amounts of products for personal use, you probably don't need to worry much.

[Jayhawks]

Terri,
DHL, UPS or USPS?

I had a shipment of 18 kits and some cartridges held up in Customs 4 weeks ago. I finally got a letter from the FDA yesterday telling me that it's been detained. (reason they gave: because it's a "new drug" that has not been approved in the U.S.) The choices I've been given are: I can either have it shipped back to China, or I can just choose not to claim it. (Just wanted to tell sdbird that if they did seize your shipment, it could be a month before they contact you about it)

Meanwhile I've had several small packages arrive with no problems at all. So, for those of you just ordering small amounts of products for personal use, you probably don't need to worry much.

[Terrie]

I believe it was EMS. Here's the tracking number: EE037846862CN

[Jim Davis]

I had a shipment of 18 kits and some cartridges held up in Customs 4 weeks ago. I finally got a letter from the FDA yesterday telling me that it's been detained.

Meanwhile I've had several small packages arrive with no problems at all. So, for those of you just ordering small amounts of products for personal use, you probably don't need to worry much.

I'm not sure if it's the size of the order, or if it was a random check. I just had 8 kits, and 5 - 30ml bottles of juice clear Customs. This completes my "stock up". From now on, I'll just order small to keep my stock at it's current level.

[OutWest]

I believe it was EMS. Here's the tracking number: EEXXXXXXXXXCN

Yeah, that's EMS, which is sad to hear http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp

[V-V]

I had a shipment of 18 kits and some cartridges held up in Customs 4 weeks ago. I finally got a letter from the FDA yesterday telling me that it's been detained. (reason they gave: because it's a "new drug" that has not been approved in the U.S.) The choices I've been given are: I can either have it shipped back to China, or I can just choose not to claim it. (Just wanted to tell sdbird that if they did seize your shipment, it could be a month before they contact you about it)

Meanwhile I've had several small packages arrive with no problems at all. So, for those of you just ordering small amounts of products for personal use, you probably don't need to worry much.

If the kits are being shipped with no juice in the carts, then there is no "drug" involved, or if the juice is non-nic. Not that this helps you in any way, just an observation.

[Letzin Hale]

The e-liquid we produce has SGS report to show it meets the requirement of MSDS, is it safe to pass the customs of USA?

Dose anybody know of that?

Thanks.

What are SGS and MSDS? Can we see the report?
Alan.

[OutWest]

MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheet - tells the customer how much is toxic, side effects, and what to do in an emergency. Let me google that for you

SGS = The SGS Group, the world's largest control and inspection company and provides testing, import certification, and more. SGS in USA

[Letzin Hale]

And that's the problem I foresee, at least with the e-liquids. 60 mg of nicotine is poison and will kill an adult. 24-36 might not be enough to kill and adult, but could well kill a pet or a child. That would be the excuse used to justify a ban of the importation of e-liquids, I would think. Wont someone PLEASE think of the CHILDREN who could DIE from drinking these liquids!

There are thousands of products on open sale that could kill a child and they are not banned (that's not even mentioning guns!!). It's down to safety with regard to packaging and labeling. ALL liquids should be supplied in containers with child resistant closures and should be labeled accordingly, as they are by law in the UK - see CHIP regulations. 30ml of 36mg [1 mg per litre = 1 microgram per ml ] eliquid contains 1080mg of nicotine, 18 times the lethal dose if it was imbibed by mouth. Now does that figure make you stop and think?!
EDIT: If we accept 50mg as a potentially lethal dose, I did get the figures wrong as the LD is per Kg of body weight. So, the LD for a lightweight person of 70kg would be 3500mg (3.5 grammes). Therefore a 30ml bottle of 36mg would represent under a third of the LD. A 100ml bottle however could carry the LD. A 30ml bottle could be fatal to someone with a body weight of 20kg - 44 pounds - a child.
Customs or FDA or whoever would probably not look kindly on bottles of "aromatherapy oil" that turned out to carry a toxic substance and rightly so. It is up to the manufacturer or supplier to ensure that this toxic substance is sent to the end user in an appropriate container as, in the eyes of the law, it is their responsibility (end users often being judged using the lowest common denominator - ie dumb). These are the types of regulation that will be enforced and which will have to be accepted to avoid a total ban. In the UK certain pesticides were withdrawn from sale because of the high nicotine content.
Alan.

[okielady]

Has anyone made any suggestions to the China wholesalers conserning labeling?