elric
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Post by elric on May 29, 2019 21:24:05 GMT -5
G'day everyone.
Things are starting to look really grim here in Oz. Interstate pipe smokers are saying that ALL of their recent orders have been intercepted by Customs. (Duty is over $544aud for 1lb of baccy)
Laws are changing on July 1st which will basically shut the door to tobacco from O/S.
Before plain packaging choice was already slim here. Since then, most blenders stopped importing to Australia as the market is so small it's not worth their effort.
In the 9 years since I've been smoking a pipe, I've not seen a single English/American blend for sale.
Unfortunately other responsibilities has slowed my ordering to a trickle & will only be able to afford 1 or 2 more orders before the deadline (As it takes around 2 weeks to arrive, my last order would have to be 2 weeks before July 1st)
I've figured that I'll have to grow my own (Highly illegal here in nanny state Australia) so I've ordered a pound of C&D Izmir Turkish to mix with homegrown Virginia & Burley & will be ordering blending Latakia & hope that that gets through.
Latakia will be the only English ingredient that I wont be able to make myself. The thought of never smoking a blend with Latakia again really pisses me off.
I've got 8oz of Latakia cellared but that wouldn't last long.
The 1lb bag of C&D Izmir Turkish just arrived. It's not what I was expecting as I thought that it would have had a more distinctive taste & aroma. It's nice & all but it appears that it's something that I could have grown myself.
My last orders will be for some straight Latakia & fingers crossed that they make it to my door.
There's so many blends that I'll never get to try. At least I got to try quite a few that can't be bought here, including SPC Plum Pudding & Mississippi River & have unopened 2oz tins of each in the cellar.
I will be writing to the Tax Commissioner asking for an exemption but I don't like my chances.
When we first heard of the changing laws I freaked out a bit & have spent every spare $ ordering tobacco since. Other Aussies on FB groups bagged me out saying that I was 'paranoid'. Looks like those blokes have missed the opportunity to order before the door slammed shut.
Although I've got a decent stash (over 35lb) I've figured that at around 7 bowls a day, that would be a 3 year supply.
Not sure what I will do when that runs out.
It's really grim. Although I don't think that tobacco laws & tax will ever get as bad in the U.S. as it is here in Oz, the proposed changes in U.S. law should be sufficient warning for you all to start building your cellars. Once the door has shut there's no going back.
No such thing as 'too much' tobacco. Most gets better with age & it would be a valuable trading item should shite ever hit the fan.
Stock up while you can people.
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Jagfandaddy
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First Name: Hank
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Post by Jagfandaddy on May 30, 2019 0:03:05 GMT -5
Wow, that really sucks. I'll be there on Holiday in September(I believe that's what you call it,lol). Too bad I couldn't bring you some.
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elric
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Post by elric on May 30, 2019 0:38:50 GMT -5
Wow, that really sucks. I'll be there on Holiday in September(I believe that's what you call it,lol). Too bad I couldn't bring you some. Thanks Hank but visitors need to take care of themselves first. I think the limit that you can bring in for personal use is 50 grams. Cram a 3.5oz tin with your favourite blend & hope that Customs don't notice the tins larger size; or better still, compress a blend into a kake the size of your tin. I've found Aussie Customs to be fairly good. It's best to have something to declare such as food or a wood item for example & like when dealing with cops, don't lie to them. When I came back from Bali I had a heap of declarable items in my carry on luggage. My large bag was bulging with tourist crap & clothes. I'd forgotten that I had several 50 cig tins of kretek cigarettes. When I was asked what was in the big bag I mentioned that I'd forgotten the kretek cigs. The Customs bloke just waved it off & said 'don't worry about it', lol. Hope that you really enjoy your vacation (lol) Just keep away from Melbourne - my mouth may get me into trouble for spelling out why as some find it a sensitive issue but a little research will reveal why (Duckduckgo search 'Melbourne Home invasions' & it will lead you to what you need to know) If you're going to be here for a while, you could post your holiday supplies to my address, with an ounce or two for my efforts, & I could then post it to where you're staying in a 'Same-day' parcel. (But it would have to be within the next two weeks to beat the deadline) Basic USPS with tracking to Oz is just $13.50 I think so it would save you heaps from buying your tobacco here. |
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Post by trailboss on May 30, 2019 0:47:51 GMT -5
So many lines in your post that I could copy, paste and comment on that I would be here all night.
Great warnings going forward....especially in regards to those that thought you were paranoid.
The ant and the grasshopper.
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elric
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Post by elric on May 30, 2019 1:22:49 GMT -5
Wow, that really sucks. I'll be there on Holiday in September(I believe that's what you call it,lol). Too bad I couldn't bring you some. Just to add; I say in the next two weeks because we simply don't know how the new laws will affect those of us who import for personal use. The law changes pertain to those who 'import commercial quantity of tobacco without a licence'. It may well hinge on what is considered a 'commercial quantity'. Several people in Melbourne & Brisbane have told me that their last few orders have all been intercepted in the last month. We aren't sure if Customs has new equipment, increased staff &/or detection dogs but it seems that they're tightening things up. My orders come through Sydney & are arriving as usual (touch wood) Some other Aussies are saying that I'm worrying for nought but as our politicians have nothing but contempt for we the people, I've got a bad feeling about it all. |
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Post by Legend Lover on May 30, 2019 3:04:22 GMT -5
That really sucks, elric. You did well to heed the warning signs when you first noticed them. Do you think they'll go so far as to make it illegal to possess tobacco for personal use? I would hate to think they'd go to that extreme. This is the writing on the wall for USA and UK. We're not too far behind you, to be fair. Unfortunately, like yourself, the prices for tobacco are very high making my cellaring endeavours extremely slow. I hope your latakia order arrives before the deadline and doesn't get intercepted. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2019 4:09:41 GMT -5
Customs in Australia is one of the toughest Countries to attempt to sneak any item in without declaring it. Your tobacco laws have been strictly enforced in the past, now getting even worse. My heart goes out to you!! Growing your own leaf and getting caught your treated as if it were marijuana. Wish you good luck with your recent purchase getting to your door.
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chasingembers
Senior Member
Posts: 1,884 
First Name: Duane
Favorite Pipe: My Growing J. Everett Collection, Fifteen Day Bruce Weaver Set, Meerschaums, Oguz Simsek Skulls
Favorite Tobacco: Black Frigate,Solani Silver Flake, Yenidje Highlander, Angler's Dream, Watch City Slices, Salty Dogs, Mephisto, Ennerdale Flake, Rich Dark Honeydew, 1792 Flake
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Post by chasingembers on May 30, 2019 6:15:13 GMT -5
My door to tobacco closes all the time. Then I open the closet up again and 300+ pounds of tobacco is still looking at me.😁
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Post by mwps70 on May 30, 2019 7:34:32 GMT -5
All of this about a leaf that us used for relaxation and enjoying life. It just doesn't make much sense. I feel bad for your situation. We are pretty lucky here in the US but the times they are a changing.
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Post by Legend Lover on May 30, 2019 7:41:59 GMT -5
My door to tobacco closes all the time. Then I open the closet up again and 300+ pounds of tobacco is still looking at me.😁 I'm green with envy. |
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chasingembers
Senior Member
Posts: 1,884
First Name: Duane
Favorite Pipe: My Growing J. Everett Collection, Fifteen Day Bruce Weaver Set, Meerschaums, Oguz Simsek Skulls
Favorite Tobacco: Black Frigate,Solani Silver Flake, Yenidje Highlander, Angler's Dream, Watch City Slices, Salty Dogs, Mephisto, Ennerdale Flake, Rich Dark Honeydew, 1792 Flake
Location:
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Post by chasingembers on May 30, 2019 8:12:22 GMT -5
My door to tobacco closes all the time. Then I open the closet up again and 300+ pounds of tobacco is still looking at me.😁 I'm green with envy. I've been saying that the sky was falling for years now and have been regularly stocking up. |
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Post by Legend Lover on May 30, 2019 8:32:02 GMT -5
I've been saying that the sky was falling for years now and have been regularly stocking up. you are the personification of chicken Little. |
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Post by Low and Slow on May 30, 2019 8:39:34 GMT -5
Wow, what a drag! Sorry to hear that this is going down.
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Spartacus
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Post by Spartacus on May 30, 2019 9:01:13 GMT -5
My door to tobacco closes all the time. Then I open the closet up again and 300+ pounds of tobacco is still looking at me.😁 That's what I'm talking about! I'm getting there. That will give me enough to smoke and some to share with those late to the game. |
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elric
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Post by elric on May 30, 2019 10:16:39 GMT -5
That really sucks, elric . You did well to heed the warning signs when you first noticed them. Do you think they'll go so far as to make it illegal to possess tobacco for personal use? I would hate to think they'd go to that extreme. This is the writing on the wall for USA and UK. We're not too far behind you, to be fair. Unfortunately, like yourself, the prices for tobacco are very high making my cellaring endeavours extremely slow. I hope your latakia order arrives before the deadline and doesn't get intercepted. Who knows how extreme the Looneys will go. Councillors from the Loony lot on the North Sydney council proposed to make North Sydney a smoke free zone. That means that people could only smoke on private property. Not sure if it has passed but it shows just how .... well, how looney the anti-smokers are. Thanks, so do I. If the door shuts completely, a pound of latakia will come in very handy. With home grown Virginia, Burley & Perique, (There's 8oz of Perique in the cellar & am learning how to make my own) & a pound of Izmir Turkish, I could make myself quite a few pounds of an English/American blend. |
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stone
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Post by stone on May 30, 2019 11:16:58 GMT -5
My door to tobacco closes all the time. Then I open the closet up again and 300+ pounds of tobacco is still looking at me.😁 There are just so many things I could say in response to this! I will just go with "Can I come look at it? I promise I won't touch"  |
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Post by sperrytops on May 30, 2019 11:48:09 GMT -5
My door to tobacco closes all the time. Then I open the closet up again and 300+ pounds of tobacco is still looking at me.😁 I'm green with envy. I picture one of those closets where when you open it it is stacked to the ceiling and everything comes tumbling out. I wish I had 300 pounds. Nice. |
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Post by sperrytops on May 30, 2019 11:50:04 GMT -5
Sounds like a horror story down there in Australia. How can a country that's supposed to be 'free' be so oppressive with tobacco? I hope it doesn't get that bad here in the States, but who knows.
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Post by bonanzadriver on May 30, 2019 12:31:00 GMT -5
"If you want a vision of the future, Winston, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever."
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Post by Baboo on May 30, 2019 12:54:49 GMT -5
It would be interesting to know if so-called tobacco related illnesses have been on a decline since Australia began enforcement.
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Post by pepesdad1 on May 30, 2019 14:39:28 GMT -5
Read the articles posted through Google re: the home invasions taking place there...this is why folks here in the States are so adamant about enforcing the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution....I left Miami because of the violence and home invasions taking place there daily...each day approx. 50 home invasions were taking place...I had to carry just going out to my car in the morning to go to work...it was that bad at the time...so I moved and it seems as though it has moved along with me and is now happening here in Tallahassee...why I keep my gate and home locked even though I am inside.
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Post by bambooshank on May 30, 2019 18:08:39 GMT -5
Good Lord, I can’t remember the last time either of my doors were locked here in Maine! banjo Read the articles posted through Google re: the home invasions taking place there...this is why folks here in the States are so adamant about enforcing the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution....I left Miami because of the violence and home invasions taking place there daily...each day approx. 50 home invasions were taking place...I had to carry just going out to my car in the morning to go to work...it was that bad at the time...so I moved and it seems as though it has moved along with me and is now happening here in Tallahassee...why I keep my gate and home locked even though I am inside. |
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Post by Baboo on May 30, 2019 18:34:54 GMT -5
Here in Miami, Florida US Hell, one dares not to lock one's doors. Locked and always loaded.
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Post by Ronv69 on May 30, 2019 18:42:45 GMT -5
I just find it interesting that postage to Australia is half the price of postage to Canada. 🤔🤠
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elric
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Post by elric on May 30, 2019 19:16:38 GMT -5
Read the articles posted through Google re: the home invasions taking place there...this is why folks here in the States are so adamant about enforcing the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution....I left Miami because of the violence and home invasions taking place there daily...each day approx. 50 home invasions were taking place...I had to carry just going out to my car in the morning to go to work...it was that bad at the time...so I moved and it seems as though it has moved along with me and is now happening here in Tallahassee...why I keep my gate and home locked even though I am inside. The home invasions are mainly in Melbourne thanks to 'cultural diversity'. Do a Duckduckgo search (Unlike google it doesn't record search histories) so I wont get in trouble for spelling it out. There's huge problems in Melbourne thanks to feral gangs of immigrants but the Loony state govt. pretends that there is no problem. Then do a search on Port Arthur massacre. Fellow Aussies have blocked me on FB for daring to suggest that it was a Black Op that was used as an excuse to disarm honest law abiding citizens. People can be so willfully ignorant. -The shooters identity could have been proven by his DNA & fingerprints that was on a food tray. (What sort of creature could eat immediately before slaughtering a bunch of innocents?) The food tray & contents disappeared without mention. -An eyewitness who sat next to the shooter, positively stated that the guy who was blamed was NOT the shooter, was totally ignored. - The shooter shot from the hip with a shot to kill ratio at an elite level. The fall guy is a border line retard who would not have the hand-to-eye coordination for this much less the intelligence to plan & carry out such a ruthless slaughter. The poor bloke didn't stand a chance, convicted in a sham trial & has since been living a life of hell in prison. - ASIO & CIA personnel were seen around the vicinity of the crime for two weeks before the atrocity. Just a few anomalies from a mountain of ignored evidence. Within 24 hours our then PM released a manifesto on gun laws. The thing that anti-gun advocates fail to realise is that criminals don't obey the law. Gun crime has risen since honest citizens were disarmed. It still stuns me to this day that such evil could prevail here. That they could get away with such a thing. People do not even want to consider the possibility that such evil exists here in Oz. Those who demand the right to protect their own home are referred to as 'right-wing extremists' by politicians & MSM. It's ludicrous. Those who seek a NWO/OWG were behind this. Disarm honest citizens. They are behind the Black Flag attacks worldwide, including the U.S. The Las Vegas attack was one. Self defense in ones own home should be a basic human right. But no. We are told that when a marauding pack of .... well let's just say immigrants from particular countries ..... start kicking down ones front door, to call the police. Wonderful. We do not have a Constitution to protect us from tyranny. Were I younger I'd move to the U.S. At least for the time being, it remains the land of the free. Sorry for the rant but I'm afraid that we live in dark times, yet most are blind to the evil that's surrounding us. |
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elric
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Post by elric on May 30, 2019 19:24:13 GMT -5
Good Lord, I can’t remember the last time either of my doors were locked here in Maine! banjo Read the articles posted through Google re: the home invasions taking place there...this is why folks here in the States are so adamant about enforcing the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution....I left Miami because of the violence and home invasions taking place there daily...each day approx. 50 home invasions were taking place...I had to carry just going out to my car in the morning to go to work...it was that bad at the time...so I moved and it seems as though it has moved along with me and is now happening here in Tallahassee...why I keep my gate and home locked even though I am inside. As a kid growing up in a suburb not far from the city (Balmain area) our front door was never locked when we were home except for when we slept. Now my doors are always locked including a security screen door. The year before last I bought a Rottweiler pup that was 60kg by 16mo. Sadly he had to be put to sleep due to severe behavioural issues. |
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elric
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Post by elric on May 30, 2019 19:27:30 GMT -5
I just find it interesting that postage to Australia is half the price of postage to Canada. 🤔🤠 Just out of interest; what is the price of basic USPS with tracking to Oz? Tobaccopipes.com charges $20usd for P&H but occasionally has a $13.50usd P&H special. |
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stone
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Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
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Post by stone on May 30, 2019 20:10:09 GMT -5
I would be curious to know what is the motivation behind such control of tobacco in Australia?
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Post by Stearmandriver on May 30, 2019 20:37:42 GMT -5
Read the articles posted through Google re: the home invasions taking place there...this is why folks here in the States are so adamant about enforcing the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution....I left Miami because of the violence and home invasions taking place there daily...each day approx. 50 home invasions were taking place...I had to carry just going out to my car in the morning to go to work...it was that bad at the time...so I moved and it seems as though it has moved along with me and is now happening here in Tallahassee...why I keep my gate and home locked even though I am inside. The home invasions are mainly in Melbourne thanks to 'cultural diversity'. Do a Duckduckgo search (Unlike google it doesn't record search histories) so I wont get in trouble for spelling it out. There's huge problems in Melbourne thanks to feral gangs of immigrants but the Loony state govt. pretends that there is no problem. Then do a search on Port Arthur massacre. Fellow Aussies have blocked me on FB for daring to suggest that it was a Black Op that was used as an excuse to disarm honest law abiding citizens. People can be so willfully ignorant. -The shooters identity could have been proven by his DNA & fingerprints that was on a food tray. (What sort of creature could eat immediately before slaughtering a bunch of innocents?) The food tray & contents disappeared without mention. -An eyewitness who sat next to the shooter, positively stated that the guy who was blamed was NOT the shooter, was totally ignored. - The shooter shot from the hip with a shot to kill ratio at an elite level. The fall guy is a border line retard who would not have the hand-to-eye coordination for this much less the intelligence to plan & carry out such a ruthless slaughter. The poor bloke didn't stand a chance, convicted in a sham trial & has since been living a life of hell in prison. - ASIO & CIA personnel were seen around the vicinity of the crime for two weeks before the atrocity. Just a few anomalies from a mountain of ignored evidence. Within 24 hours our then PM released a manifesto on gun laws. The thing that anti-gun advocates fail to realise is that criminals don't obey the law. Gun crime has risen since honest citizens were disarmed. It still stuns me to this day that such evil could prevail here. That they could get away with such a thing. People do not even want to consider the possibility that such evil exists here in Oz. Those who demand the right to protect their own home are referred to as 'right-wing extremists' by politicians & MSM. It's ludicrous. Those who seek a NWO/OWG were behind this. Disarm honest citizens. They are behind the Black Flag attacks worldwide, including the U.S. The Las Vegas attack was one. Self defense in ones own home should be a basic human right. But no. We are told that when a marauding pack of .... well let's just say immigrants from particular countries ..... start kicking down ones front door, to call the police. Wonderful. We do not have a Constitution to protect us from tyranny. Were I younger I'd move to the U.S. At least for the time being, it remains the land of the free. Sorry for the rant but I'm afraid that we live in dark times, yet most are blind to the evil that's surrounding us. I'm going to google the hell out of every conspiracy theory you've mentioned, and make sure I include your screen name. |
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puritana
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First Name: Adam
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Post by puritana on May 30, 2019 20:42:48 GMT -5
Wow. I couldn't live like that.
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