[jaclaz]

Maybe not exactly a thriving industry, i.e. more like a niche.

Anecdotally I once had to fly to another EU city (some 1,200 km distance), get a rented car, drive to the house of the vendor at night (he took the pieces home after we phoned him at like 5 PM on a friday, a good reason to be friends with people) then drive to another city to be able to take an early flight back next morning.

The items were (at the x-ray machine in the airport) a bit suspect (they were drilling bits for a tunneling machine, in practice looking a lot like hand grenades) but I managed to convince the police they were spare parts/consumables.

But that was years before checks at boarding gates were tightened (yes, we could bring a water bottle) I wonder if they would pass today.