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Sophie Z'OursIt looks like Aussie customs are very strict about what can be sent to Australia.
I cannot fill my bears with sand (forbiden)... 
The question is: would steel beads pass successfully the Aussie customs without having the bear thrown appart? (remember what happened to Melanie Jane) 
I'd love so much my bear to have a nice weight!
Customs forbid all items with animal or vegetal origin 
. Would the kapok we use as a filling material be forbiden too??? I don't take it directly from the trees and bought it from a retailer, so it should be fine, no?
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
Posts: 280I've sent a number of bears to Australia, and have not had any problems with customs. I make sure that I list on the tag that the bear has steel beads inside, and also attach a tiny plastic bag with a sample of the steel beads. I think it mostly depends on the customs agent that happens to get the package more than anything else.
Luann
Rufnut Teddy'sHi Sophie, can you please take a look at a post topic in the Tips and Techniques section, about New Stuffing Materials, there was some discussions on stuffing material and customs requirements around the world.
I have not experienced any problems with Australian Customs myself, I would avoid, Sand, Soil, Plant and Wood products. I don't know enough about Kapok to comment on it either, sorry...
But here is the Australian customs website if you wish to do some research http://www.daff.gov.au/content/output.c … 2F91BED3E5
You should mark all customs declarations carefully with the fillings to avoid problems. You will be safe with stainless steel, glass and plastic pellets for weighting your bears. 
The problem is with western australia.They are very strict and one of my poor bears was gamma radiated!!!Luckily he survived intact.They don't like Kapok or woodwool ,definatley not sand but inorganic materials like steel shotand plastic beads are fine.The fact they are an island makes them stricter about bugs coming in.Also no pot pourris in the package.
Good luck
