Borderview is a company specializing in the international logistics of firearms.  For the most part, this means obtaining the necessary export license(s) to facilitate the legal shipment of a firearm from the United States to Canada, or wherever you live!

Borderview was founded by the export staff from Dave’s Sports Shop in Lynden, WA, as a spin-off of the export division there.  Dave’s is now able to focus on their core competency as a retail store (like they’ve done excellently for more than 50 years!), while Borderview can serve export clients better than ever!

Simply click on “Start an Export” at the top of this website.  From there you can fill out a form that’ll either generate a specific quote for you, or we’ll get back to you with more information.

Generally speaking, an export takes from 1 – 2 months from start to finish.  This can vary depending on the specifics of your export, and the response times of the government agencies in both countries.  For example, for many countries shotguns tend to take longer than pistols or rifles (2-3 months instead), while shotguns to Australia or New Zealand can generally be turned around within about a week.  A rifle or pistol to Canada usually takes about 6 weeks total, but can be delayed if Registration Certificates do not arrive from the Canadian Firearms Program before everything else is ready for shipment.

Once we’ve determined that the item(s) in question are likely to be approved for export, you can buy the gun(s) or other items from almost any seller in the United States!  They’d simply ship it to our office in Seattle, Washington for secure storage until all paperwork is approved.  In the case of firearms, we need to send the seller a copy of our “FFL” (Federal Firearms License) so that they can ship to our office.  You can buy from an auction site like GunBroker.com or GunsInternational.com, or from nearly any other dealer or private party in the U.S. (*the exception is any U.S. seller that has been denied export privileges because of past violations).

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a new-in-box, current production model of a firearm, we would be glad to provide you with a quote on price and availability of that model if we were to source it directly for you.  In many cases this will save you time and money on in-country shipping.  Just let us know what specific model numbers you’re looking for when you fill out the “Start an Export” form.

Whenever possible, we prefer to ship by U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”).  This is by far the most cost-effective method allowed in most cases.  USPS international shipments of firearms must follow very specific protocol for labeling, etc.  We can ship license firearms to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom by USPS.  For other countries, click here to find the “Individual Country Listings” in the USPS International Mail Manual.  Click the link for the country in question, and check for any Prohibitions or Restrictions for firearms-related items.  Insurance is currently available for package values up to $10,000 USD.  Excess valuation will require more time to get insurance coverage in place prior to shipment.

In the case of Canada, USPS will ship the item to a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) mail processing centre, where they will review the documents, check serial numbers, etc., and then forward the shipment for onward delivery via CanadaPost.  CanadaPost will deliver a notice to you that your parcel is available for pickup at your local postal outlet.  Upon payment of any applicable taxes (and in some cases, duty), your parcel will be released to you.  Note that for residents of the lower mainland of British Columbia, we also offer a “Border Delivery Service” as a means to obtain your firearm.  For details on our Border Delivery Service, click here.

No, except in rare cases.  Because as the exporter we are required to verify that the item actually being exported is exactly as we described it on the license, we must have the gun(s) or other items in our possession, and initiate export from here.  In rare cases, we may be able to make satisfactory arrangements otherwise, however as a standard procedure, the export must begin in our office.