International shipping dissapointment

[PenAffair]

This is a valuable discussion. Because I deal in mostly small, lightweight items, I generally use Global Priority Mail for international customers. My website calculates postage based on weight, so I generally do not have a profit from postage. When the calculator goes a little over board, I usually refund the excess (unless I'm asleep at the wheel!). Having shipped personal items using DHL, FedEx and UPS, I try to avoid them at all costs. UPS brokerage fees are the worst. If any of you from outside the US have suggestions on better ways to serve you, please let us know. Many of us are happy to have you as customers.

I don't have any better suggestions, but for me in Australia, my buying decisions from the US run along these lines :-

1. I always look at the post to value ratio. If postage costs less than say, 20% - 30% of the items value, it's a good deal. If it's 100%+ of the value, it's in the "forget it" category.

2. In between, the price + postage total comes into consideration, as some people have great prices, but lousy postage & vice versa as there are obviously hidden costs added to some to cover postage. I understanjd that model which is why I compare the total costs including postage, not just unit prices.

3. Now it seems that you have a flat-rate envelope service, which appears to be the best value for money postage to us in Aus. Not all people offer this for some reason, even when you ask them about it. If I think my items will fit a flat rate envelope (or even if it takes tw0 separate envelopes, which is cheaper than one large package) and you won't offer me that option, I'll go shop elsewhere. I realise it's only good for small items though.

If you do offer me a flat rate envelope, I wahnt to know how much stuff I can cram in, to minimise the % postage across all the items, and I'll generally by that quantity of items, whether I need them all or not.

4. Anything that needs a courier is generally ruled out, as they are mostly in the 100%+ category

Regarding the original posters questions, yes it does seem unfair that discounted US shipping doesn't also provide some alterhnative discount 9internationally, but I either shop elsewhere or don't let it bother me.

Russell,

 

[ed4copies]

Actually, the products we sell came from Taiwan to Europe (shipped) then to me (shipped) then to you (shipped). When you really analyze it, we often spend more on freight than the value of the material.

 

[ed4copies]

Russell,

The NEW postal rates also offer a flat-rate small box that is shipped for the cost of a flat rate envelope. We are using that whenever possible -- but it IS thin so some stuff does NOT fit.

The ENVELOPE could not be over an inch thick - but some post offices ignored this, the ENVELOPE could not have tape on it - but some post offices did not read that, so there was no uniformity. I'm glad to see the little box, it has resolved MANY of the disputes - along with the fact that I go to a different post office now - they still have the same regs, but they are courteous about it.

 

[bitshird]

Trying to track items shipped to Canada is disastrous

 

[Monty]

I have the shipping cost of the CA built into the price. When I ship International, I deduct the domestic shipping from the International rate and charge the closest $ difference. What amazes me is what is restricted in Canada may not be restricted in Japan.

 

[amosfella]

That is also disgusting. You can't get an airsoft gun that's not clear into Canada anymore.....

 

[TellicoTurning]

I have the shipping cost of the CA built into the price. When I ship International, I deduct the domestic shipping from the International rate and charge the closest $ difference. What amazes me is what is restricted in Canada may not be restricted in Japan.

Hazmat restrictions are varied all around the world... they have finally gotten relatively uniform ... Back when I first got into transportation, every airlines flying had their own haz-mat tarriff, rules and regulations... you could ship something from LAX on TWA that connected in Denver to Western to Chicago to connect with United to New York to connect with an international carrier and figuring out the rules and regulations of each carrier could take more time than the transit time. And if you messed up a carrier's rules, the freight could get stuck at an airport and never move again.

Today, most carriers all follow the IATA rules (International Air Transport Association), but in the USA, we still have CFR49 which suppercedes IATA for domestic transport. And even then, the rules are open to interpretation and what one carrier will accept, another says is unacceptable...

I once flew a flare gun cartridge to Singapore to meet a ship that was not supposed to sail without the cartridge.. safety at sea rule... the cartridge was cleared out of the USA over a couple of international connection points and into Singapore.... Singapore rules would not allow the cartridge into Singapore, but since it was cleared out of the last station into SIN, it was aboard the acft when it landed. Singapore customs merely destroyed the cartridge, it could not be re-exported, could not be delivered to the ship. The regulations said that the goods could be shipped to Singapore, but SIN customs refused it.
Next port of call for the ship was Alexandria, Egypt... I had to buy another and fly it to Cairo... the only way I could get the cartridge from Cairo to the seaport of Alexandria was to arrange a police escort from the Cairo airport to the ship in Alexandria. A $6 flare cartridge cost over $1000 to transport.

 

[MesquiteMan]

However, to ship to Canada via USPS, someone has to fill out a customs ticket, and then (if I recall correctly), it has to be presented at the post office. The customs ticket says that one copy must remain on file at the post office. That means that someone has to actually spend time on it.
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I ship international all the time on "Original Cactus Blanks". I only ship Global Priority Mail Flat Rate print the label from within Paypal. All that gets printed is the 1/2 page label with all the customs information on it. I then stick it to the box and hand it to my carrier. No duplicate forms or little envelopes to mess with. This is only applicable on Global Priority Mail Flat I believe. There is a little more stuff to fill out on the Paypal shipping page but not that much. Pretty darn easy if you ask me.

I also only charge actual shipping and to Canada, that is $10.40. All other countries are $12.30 I believe.