r/mildlyinfuriating • u/thetoastmonster • 2d ago

Customs cut the head off this expensive hand-carved elephant artwork shipped from Africa, and did a terrible job gluing it back on.

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u/BrainSqueezins 2d ago

If customs did it intentionally, they’d just crate it back up and send it on. They’re not gluing it.

984

u/Solid_Snark 2d ago

That also doesn’t look like a cut. A saw blade would have removed the width of itself, meaning more material is lost in the form of saw dust.

The carvings still line up. That’s a crack. Looks like Seller glued it and OP is assuming customs because the crack wasn’t displayed in the seller’s photo.

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u/J0k3r77 2d ago

Also if take wood that flourishes in a specific climate and slam it through several different climates rapidly it can split.

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u/the_Q_spice 2d ago

Or just on an airplane in general.

If that thing was shipped in the foreword belly or upper deck on a cargo plane: those aren’t pressurized.

It would have gone from like 70-80F (or higher depending on location) to something like -30 to -50F while cruising, then back to 60-70F all in a matter of a few hours.

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u/TheLink106 2d ago

As someone who works in shipping, I can tell you that it 100% was shipped without pressure. In all the Boeings and Airbusses that I work on, the only area that is pressurized is the cabin.

Fun fact: every cargo plane belly and upper deck has a button you can press to let the pilots know a person is stuck in the cargo.

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u/natfutsock 2d ago

I like your fun fact, I hope never to need it

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u/Hera_the_otter 2d ago

That fact is not fun, that fact will save someone's life.

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u/poronpaska 2d ago

Saving a life is fun you psyko

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u/the_Q_spice 1d ago

As a loadmaster at FedEx, I can assure you that specific compartments are pressurized.

We carry significant amounts of live freight and pressure-sensitive cargo.

It is also literally my job to inspect pressure locks and seals as well as to be the first person on and last person off.

Honestly, most of what you are saying (at least about our and UPS aircraft) is just not true.

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u/KnowledgeSafe3160 1d ago

lol well you’re just totally wrong. The cargo hold is pressurized evenly with the cabin. On all airbus and Boeing planes. Damn how can you be so confidently incorrect?

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u/me_at_myhouse 1d ago

Pressurized is not the same as 'climate controlled'.

The cargo areas are pressurized.

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u/I_Springroll 2d ago

and if it was expensive now I can't imagine how much the seller was charging for it while it wasn't broken

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u/davidicon168 2d ago

Yup. Had this happen to me when I shipped a computer case back. 4 legs or rubber feet at the bottom. One was cut in half by US customs during my flight back. These were large rubber feet, custom built into the case. So not the standard stubs.

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u/Fettnaepfchen 2d ago

Can confirm. Got brass musical spheres in Asia and the customs guys in the Netherlands sawed a few open and dropped them along wirh the undamaged ones in the box. We had to pay for delivery from them , too.