Looking for Zipflex

[Kamusur]

Hi everyone

My Googling searches have located a possible European supplier of Zipflex (think it was Madrone?). For 2 of the smaller width lengths and for about 8strips they even out at about $54 a length, plus postage.
Can anyone do better than this or point me in the direction of same? Thanks in advance.

Steve

[Mark McLean]

It does seem cheaper than that at Stewart-McDonald - or have you ruled out that source because of the restriction on shipping out of the US? I have found that sometimes if you just order stuff that they are not supposed to export, they send it anyway. But I have not tried this for shell products since CITES. Do you know anyone in the US who could post it on to you? Alternatively you can use a freight-forwarding service like Shipito, or UStoOz, or ShopMate.

[kiwigeo]

Discussed briefly here......sourcing from a Canadian supplier one way around Lacey Act. viewtopic.php?t=5013

[peter.coombe]

CITES has nothing to do with the trouble getting shell from the USA. No shell species that is listed on CITES is used for inlay work. The problem is with the rules associated with the USA Lacey Act so it is specific to the USA only. The paperwork and fees involved make it uneconomic to import or export small amounts shell from the USA so all legal trade to and from the USA has effectively ceased. No logic in it, they shot small USA businesses in the foot with this.

[Kamusur]

Thanks very much gentleman.

Yes Mark that's the reason i side stepped them.
Thanks Martin, i forgot about that discussion here a few years back but it was good to have a look again at some of Bobs excellent inlay work which was his first!
Peter I always thought rightly or wrongly that we ( Australia ) along with our Kiwi friends sent raw shell/s material to the US. So it confused me why we can't now buy the stuff back.

Steve

[kiwigeo]

Peter I always thought rightly or wrongly that we ( Australia ) along with our Kiwi friends sent raw shell/s material to the US. So it confused me why we can't now buy the stuff back.

Steve

The Kiwis are definitely sending paua to the US. If you then want to buy it and bring it back to NZ you have to deal with the Lacey Act. About as dumb as it gets.