BST is getting as bad as eBay - 'Ship to USA only'...

[cernobila]

I see that Australia has been mentioned a few times here.

Well, I also get 95% of my needs from the US of A using straight credit card or PayPal. In most cases I have been given a choice of Global Priority or Global Express and it always worked. (knock on wood)

If I want something bad enough than I make the transaction as painless as possible for the seller, I do not hassle the seller as far as the postage costs are concerned. If I think that the postage costs are way out of hand in comparrison to my past experiences, then I simply dont buy.

When it comes to sending things out of Australia, I also had no problem so far, I simply send things air mail registered or insured, depending on the situation.

So, I'd like to thank all those that are willing to send overseas and hope that you wont get put off by the occasional bad experience.......

[Haz]

I really appreciate the sellers who are willing to ship internationally, although i can understand why some don't.
As a international buyer, for every purchase i'm willing to take on the risk of lost packages, and also the added cost of postage and reasonable handling cost. At the end of the day, if it saves me more than buying locally, i still think it's a good deal, secondly, and more significantly i don't have much choice. Some of the lights i like, are only available from overseas, so i need to buy online to satisfy my thristy hunger.

[cy]

With the exception of 1 or 2 out of 100 I have always got my parcels/packages/mail in about 5 days from the USA. Every now and then one will go astray for a week or two.. )

just lost one to canada ruined my perfect record out of hundreds of shipped packages.

I've had packages get to canada in 5days and I've had them take 6 weeks. most folks I've shipped to canada averaged two weeks. everyone has been blaming customs, right or wrongly.

[Somy Nex]

with all the feedback coming in on both sides...

it seems shipping with tracking is much easier to US, then from US to overseas.

I've been noticing this for sometime. say if someone wants to ship a light item from HK to US. cost with tracking is pretty cheap. someone correct me, usually less than $5.

however if I should want to ship from US to HK with tracking. cheapest option is EMS for aprox. $22. than to add insult to injury, one must manually fill shipping and custom forms.

so please don't assume, just because it's cheap and easy to ship to US. that it's the same from US to overseas to you. please note the customs reg's are controlled by incoming country, meaning your country's custom.

Canada seems to have the worst delay of anywhere. the one package I lost was to someone in canada. I've had packages take 6+ weeks to show up.

I definitely agree with CY. I've always realized the price differences and have always asked for/offered to pay for global express/EMS shipping, even if it costs 2x as much as global priority for any shipments. i've already lost one light and might be losing two more custom lights which are long overdue.

that said, even though i've offered to pay all costs, i was not fully aware of all the hassle involved with the paperwork and such, this wasn't a big issue while I was in the US, but that was quite some time ago and things have changed since.

and yes, shipping out from Asia at least with some sort of tracking (registered mail) is much easier/cheaper. proabably differs by country but it'll not be more than $5.00 where i'm at--probably less. i think the trouble with N. America is that they only allow registered mail for letter post. in asia, we can register almost any sort of mail item (letters, packages, etc). i've checked rates to add 'registration' and it's really about the same as here in Asia. the difference i guess is that you can't add registration to packages in N. America =P

[chevrofreak]

To be honest I really hate it when a package comes registered mail because I have to sign for it, they cant just leave it in my box

[Brighteyez]

There are limitations as to what may be sent by registered mail in international mail, but within the US, registered mail is not restricted to letter post. Jewelers regularly ship high value jewelry as small parcels, banks regularly send large parcels of currency, brokerage houses send bearer bonds valued into the millions, and various government agencies might use registered mail for some of their "classified" materials.

i think the trouble with N. America is that they only allow registered mail for letter post. in asia, we can register almost any sort of mail item (letters, packages, etc). i've checked rates to add 'registration' and it's really about the same as here in Asia. the difference i guess is that you can't add registration to packages in N. America =P

[TrueBlue]

I just came back from the hideous procedure to mail two packages overseas. It was a 2 ½ battle to package in correct and accepted boxes, print a form from the Internet, to the bank to get a bunch of money then live in post office lines to send two overseas packages.

First I had to box with official boxes. With a little help from the Internet post office I was prepared with most of the proper customs forms ahead of time. If you don’t have them filled out then add another 20 minutes minimum assuming you don’t screw up the forms the first time.

One package went Global Express and requires two different forms, PS Form 2976-A & Global Express Mailing Label.

The other package went through Global Priority. That requires a completely different customs forms, PS Form 2976 and Global Priority Mailing Label.

I’ve got writers cramp now. Most of the forms have duplicates and the big form has 5 pages to push writing through.

Don’t forget that you still have to write the normal information on the box absolutely clearly. One of my packages almost got rejected because a drop of rain touched my return address and the color ran a little.

If you don’t have the postal code and a phone number to mail for tracking overseas then you lose and go home again. I’ve done that too many times. For overseas mailing a sender MUST stand in the cattle line at the post office. For domestic mailing I print the label and drop the box next to my mail box or in the mail box at work. The postman simply picks the box up during his mailing rounds.

I lose 2 ½ hours again tomorrow. A couple of minutes ago I finally got an overseas phone number so I can ship another package overseas. I almost feel like crying.

It is not easy or cheap to mail from the US to another country. The US mailing system will wear you out. You can guess how much of a hassle it is to mail from the US to overseas.

[gigainternational]

We ship by Global priority mail for most of the overseas flashlight orders unless the destinations do not have this GPM service. Just to set-up a account with www.usps.com then we can fill-out the shipping label/customs form/pay the postage all online.( Or paste the required postages). Buyer will get the email notice of label# and we got to keep the address on file( good for re-order). The service is getting close to our UPS daily pickup and we hope the handling cost can be reduced if the volume reach another level.

[Taylorf]

Of about 5 things that I have ordered over seas I didnt recieve 2 of them so as a result I am not selling to overseas either just because I dont want to have to deal with everything if its lost.

[Pydpiper]

I would think that the US postal system would be more reliable, it sure sounds like they make you guys jump through hoops to mail something. After all the paper work and waiting in line one would naturally think the rest would be all downhill.
As someone who receives more than he sends I am very aware of the risks, and of course accept any responsability for loss should it ever happen.

[amlim]

I think it is understandable and acceptable if a seller does not want to take allthe hassle and ship internationally.

I thank all of you who do, and of course I am more than willing to pay for the extra time and money invested.

There are a few things that make it easier for a seller to ship to a foreign destination:
- offer pay the extra fees
- take full responsibility if the item gets lost
- just ask ... it never hurts and is often crowned by success!

OR ... have it be shipped to a buddy in the US who then forwards it to you ...

bernie

thats exactly what i do.... man, do i miss ksbman's help....

[lasercrazy]

After getting screwed a few times on ebay I will never ship out of the USA again.

[amlim]

with all the feedback coming in on both sides...

it seems shipping with tracking is much easier to US, then from US to overseas.

I've been noticing this for sometime. say if someone wants to ship a light item from HK to US. cost with tracking is pretty cheap. someone correct me, usually less than $5.

however if I should want to ship from US to HK with tracking. cheapest option is EMS for aprox. $22. than to add insult to injury, one must manually fill shipping and custom forms.

so please don't assume, just because it's cheap and easy to ship to US. that it's the same from US to overseas to you. please note the customs reg's are controlled by incoming country, meaning your country's custom.

Canada seems to have the worst delay of anywhere. the one package I lost was to someone in canada. I've had packages take 6+ weeks to show up.

i think you can use registered air mail. there is no online tracking but you can check the status to see if the item was delivered..

[AFAustin]

I have mixed feelings on this. I have bought from and sold to some great CPFers in other countries, and have been glad when it all turned out OK. I truly believe CPF is an international community, and I'd like to enhance that whenever possible.

OTOH, it is definitely a good deal more hassle to ship internationally, and I've experienced a few problems and delays that wouldn't have happened domestically. I haven't yet figured out a satisfactory way to do all the forms, postage, etc., online for an international transaction, without enduring the dreaded Post Office waiting line.

So, I've done it both ways. It's a case by case decision.

Kiessling, et al, have made an important suggestion---it never hurts to ask. On more than one occasion, I've advertised "U.S. only", but have received a very friendly PM from a CPFer abroad, pointing out their great track record, offering to pay the addl. fees, etc., and I've gone ahead and sold to them.

In closing, pls. allow 2 questions:

1) What's the point of "CONUSA" as opposed to U.S.A.? Are there any addl. fees, hassles, etc., in shipping to Alaska and Hawaii that I'm not aware of?

2) On the Customs Declaration CN22 (PS Form 2976), I know often a seller will check "gift" when it's really a sale, presumably to avoid customs problems and/or duties. With the most recent international sale I made, I made clear in advance that I would fill out this form accurately as a sale, list the light as a commercial item, etc. The buyer had no problem with this and the light arrived fine (don't know if he paid duty or not).

I would be very interested to know how other sellers who ship abroad handle this.

Thanks very much,

Andrew

[London Lad]

When I lived in the UK I had over 400 eBay transactions both in the UK and overseas, buying and selling, with no goods lost at all. I didnt find shipping internationally via the British post office any worse than shipping locally, both are bad!

My first international sale was with an American living in the USA who refused to use check-out properly, took ages to pay and insisted that US$ were the same as GB£ !!!!!

This was a right pain and very nearly put me off dealing with with the USA again. However I am very glad it didnt because every deal with the USA since that has been perfect.

One thing you American guys are very good at is sending stuff out really quickly after having received payment, quite often on the same day. I find sellers in Europe and the UK are generally slower to get the stuff in the post and cant seem to understand the hurry!!!!.

I think we all need to be careful about not generalizing when we refer to 'overseas' There are overseas and overseas! I would nearly always send out to the USA, Europe, UK, Aus and NZ but there are a lot of other countries that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole!

[SJACKAL]

Having read all these post my views are still the same. I respect the seller's decision and position if he does not ship out of CONUS.

But I pay special attention to people who do and when I am selling things, I try to give priority to them in appreciation.

At watch forums, I also specifically note the guys who does not ship out of CONUS and when I got something to sell, they are not considered. Its a personal feeling because I think of how much Seikos and Citizens being shipped out from Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan into the CONUS at good prices... and when some people in CONUS don't ship international... oh well. No offense to anyone. And thats for watch forums only.

[BentHeadTX]

I am at an APO so that causes some serious confusion!
APO is CONUS when it comes to shipping costs as the APO box is in Deleware. The problem is it gets picked up at the APO and flys around the world so it needs a customs form. To add to the confusion, it goes through customs again but it is American customs when it arrives in another country.
Normally, I tell the seller that I need to send them more money because of the hassle of the customs form. That normally surprises people that I want to send them MORE money but it makes it fair.
I only lost one APO/FPO package... it was making it's way to my final destination and got... err.... well, blown up. My wife was not happy since she sent the package but understood better the package than me.
In case you CPF'ers are wondering... my APO packages won't get blown up since I am in Turkey. I plan on staying away from countries that start with vowels for awhile.
to those that ship internationally!

[JonSidneyB]

hmmmm,

The last package I had that came in from HK had a 1400,00 shipping and customs charge on it. For batteries. It then took me 900.00 to ship those items to customers.

[RA40]

For me, the PITA is filing a loss or damage claim internationally. It takes a good spell to often resolve. Right now I have an issue with some items sent to and from Japan. 3 of 5 boxes were crushed with resulting damage to the contents inside.

Post Office wants to inspect the box but there is no way I was going to lug the boxes back home nor try and handle it at their Post Office branch. (language barrier) So essentially, I'll have eat the loss.

A flashlight isn't a big deal and although my ads are for US, if a potential overseas buyer is interested, I would do what I can. Glad this came up...I'll change my future FS's to include international buyers.

[Brighteyez]

Don't eat the loss yet. The Postal Service has a pretty diverse work force. If you have a problem with English, they probably have an employee that may be fluent in your language of preference. In addition to your neighborhood branch office, you could also contact the USPS Claims and Inquiry section in your area.

Post Office wants to inspect the box but there is no way I was going to lug the boxes back home nor try and handle it at their Post Office branch. (language barrier) So essentially, I'll have eat the loss.

[Brighteyez]

And I'll bet there were probably a few that were whining about shipping charges?

hmmmm,

The last package I had that came in from HK had a 1400,00 shipping and customs charge on it. For batteries. It then took me 900.00 to ship those items to customers.

[KevinL]

For me, the PITA is filing a loss or damage claim internationally. It takes a good spell to often resolve. Right now I have an issue with some items sent to and from Japan. 3 of 5 boxes were crushed with resulting damage to the contents inside.

Better than mine. One of my packages inbound from the US was lost.. and they never paid the claim. It went back and forth for ten months and eventually all went silent. By this time I was already psychologically prepared to write off everything, but I vowed never to pay a cent in insurance ever again. The issue was never resolved and no package ever showed up. It's been more than 20 months, and it'll probably be newsworthy if it ever does turn up "Man receives package after 2 years of waiting"

My strategy is to sink it into trackable, accountable shipping like that from FedEx/UPS/DHL (pay for them instead of paying for insurance). Where mission critical deliveries have to get through - they do a great job and tremendously fast too.

Yes, the loss hurts, but it would not put me off from buying stuff from the US forever. Nor did I start pointing fingers - none need to be.

[glockboy]

"Man receives package after 2 years of waiting"

.

must be FEDEX from the Film Cast Away.

[KevinL]

must be FEDEX from the Film Cast Away.

Actually, the carrier which my lost package was entrusted to is one that routinely does not provide tracking either... (so can't be FedEx/UPS/other famous couriers)

[amlim]

Better than mine. One of my packages inbound from the US was lost.. and they never paid the claim. It went back and forth for ten months and eventually all went silent. By this time I was already psychologically prepared to write off everything, but I vowed never to pay a cent in insurance ever again. The issue was never resolved and no package ever showed up. It's been more than 20 months, and it'll probably be newsworthy if it ever does turn up "Man receives package after 2 years of waiting"

My strategy is to sink it into trackable, accountable shipping like that from FedEx/UPS/DHL (pay for them instead of paying for insurance). Where mission critical deliveries have to get through - they do a great job and tremendously fast too.

Yes, the loss hurts, but it would not put me off from buying stuff from the US forever. Nor did I start pointing fingers - none need to be.

you can't give up... keep bugging them every now and then.. even if you have written off the loss, you can feel "shiok" that you still bug them...

[Pleconin]

I've been a bit homesick for lights, sitting out here off the coast of Africa. So I managed to order stuff from about four differnt people. So far only one thing is a tad late out of Asia. Not too bad, six months back a shipment of books from Amazon took four months to get here. Ended up on vacation in Luxumburgh for some reason.

I do appreciate what the folks had to do to get me these lights though. Well, at least now I do. Thanks!

[AFAustin]

I am hoping that some of you who are more experienced than I am with international shipping might take a minute and answer the 2 questions that I asked earlier in Post #44:

1) What's the point of "CONUSA" as opposed to U.S.A.? Are there any addl. fees, hassles, etc., in shipping to Alaska and Hawaii that I'm not aware of?

2) On the Customs Declaration CN22 (PS Form 2976), I know often a seller will check "gift" when it's really a sale, presumably to avoid customs problems and/or duties. With the most recent international sale I made, I made clear in advance that I would fill out this form accurately as a sale, list the light as a commercial item, etc. The buyer had no problem with this and the light arrived fine (don't know if he paid duty or not). I would be very interested to know how other sellers who ship abroad handle this.



Thanks very much.

[Sigman]

---> NOTE: Data has been updated to reflect changes implemented by the US Postal Service as of: May 14, 2007. <---

(New rates are in green. If you see anything that needs corrected or updated - PLEASE let me know, THANKS!!)

Question: Are there any additional fees, hassles, etc., when shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or any of the US territories that I'm not aware of?

Answer: In one word, "NO" - not anymore than shipping to another one of the 48 States.

Note: There seems to be some confusion when shipping within the United States - specifically Alaska, Hawaii, & US territories. ALL are under the same rates as posted at USPS.COM.

First Class can be used only up to 13 ounces, then you must use Priority Mail or another method.

Up to 1 lb Priority Mail is the same rate [$4.05] (New rate: $4.60) to any of the 50 US States or territories. Over 1 lb will then use weight and destination rates.

I've updated the examples from an old thread with the new US Postal rates using 2 pounds as the example package weight mailed via US Postal Priority: (Updated 5/17/07)

Washington State to Maine - $6.05 - New rate: $7.50

Washington State to Alaska - $5.70- New rate: $7.00

Texas to Maine - $5.70- New rate: $7.50

Texas to Alaska - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

Maine to Alaska - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

Maine to Hawaii - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

Maine to California - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

New Mexico to Maine - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

New Mexico to Alaska - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

California to Hawaii - $6.05- New rate: $7.50

"Priority Mail Flat Rate" can be your "friend" at times:

Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope
$4.05 (New rate: $4.60), regardless of weight or destination, for matter sent in a Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope provided by the Postal Service.

Priority Mail Flat Rate Box
$8.10 (New rate: $8.95), regardless of weight (up to a 70 lb. maximum) or destination, for matter sent in a Priority Mail Flat Rate box provided by the Postal Service.

Please feel free to verify any of this information at WWW.USPS.COM using their Domestic Postage Calculator. If you find differences - please let me know so I can update this post! THANK YOU!!

NOTE: The International Postage Calculator at WWW.USPS.COM can also be your friend. There are a couple of fairly reasonable pricing options if you use the chart - communicate it to your buyers and work it out!

SAVE EVEN MORE with additional information provided by cy!

[frisco]

I know it's the sellers perogative, but it is a bit frustrating to those of us in other countries to see 'USA only'. This seems to be an increasing trend in the BST forum too, is it just me or is it more frequesnt now than it was a few months ago?

If the buyer is paying the postage, is it any harder to sell it overseas? I don't really know how the US postal service works, maybe it is harder?

As this thread develops...... looks like more reasons not to ship abroad. Probably not the reaction you were looking for.....

frisco

[DonShock]

In one word, "NO" - not anymore than shipping to another one of the 50 US States or Territories!

Note: Many folks use "CONUS" thinking they're "saying" United States Only - when of course in fact it means the Continental 48 States only. I've dealt with folks who say that - but when they start adding "additional postage fees to Hawaii/Alaska" (like we live in another country & BTW, US Territories are under the same rates as the 50 US States) - all I'll say is check USPS.COM for facts first!............. communicate it to your buyers and work it out!

I just completed my first sale on some extra low price parts. In my initial post I put "CONUS only". Prior to this I have only ever shipped Xmas presents to my sister's family. I knew rates were different based on zip code so assummed shipping to AK/HI/International would be prohibitive on free/$5-25 items. I found the USPS site confusing, as is typical of most government sites, and never could find the info I was looking for. In the ended, the added cost was less than a dollar.

During the course of the sale, I had people PM me from HI and Singapore. I put forth some extra effort and ended up selling to them (actually, HI was only free stuff, sent for free also). The costs were not as huge as I remembered seeing when I recieved care packages overseas while I was in the Navy. As a matter of fact, it was so cheap that I ended up refunding $3 of the extra $6 the Singapore buyer sent to cover the international costs. I also ended up finding out about the free priority boxes you can get from the USPS store and ordered a minimum order of both global and US priority boxes for any future sales since these will likely be pricier items. For future sales, I plan on offering international sales which I'll handle like I did this one, an added charge initially with a refund of any overpayment after actual shipping.