The problem that Fraser has is not the shipping or delivery of the item, but being responsible for whoever ends up with the device at the end.
Also, I believe that Fraser is located in the UK.
Anyway, it is pretty interesting to read about real issues with reselling specialized test equipment.
Common people never think about the fact that there are products being produced, that may NOT be exported to given countries, etc.
I remember living in West-Germany and it was forbidden to sell/offer a Commodore Amiga 500 to East-Germans, because this computer contained a Motorola 68000 CPU, which was considered good enough for missile guiding systems!
I imagine that thermal cameras can be used for missile targeting systems, too, hence why these products are controlled. Sounds stupid but imagine Fraser sells one of his military grade cameras to a unknown person without all the propper paperwork. That person now sells the camera on, without ANY reflection, as his name is not on the line, and in the end of the chain, the camera ends up in some obscure pro-war, pro-nuke country! Imagine the device is intercepted by the CIA and traced back to Fraser. I know - this is phantasy or is it?
Same goes btw. for top range spectrum analyser and other test equipment.
Also, SEM microscopes are controlled, as they allow reverse engineering of crypto protection.
The list goes on. Fascinating stuff!
Cheers,
Vitor