Dispelling some myths about international shipping

gus

***MOD EDIT (DoctorIt): These posts have been merged from this thread, good discussion here, educational :thumb***

Seymore wrote:

Sorry... US and Canada only.

Out of curiosity...why ?

Seymore

Well Gus... It's quite easy to mail here. Just drop in an envelope, place postage and it's out the door. Don't need to head down to the Post Office for anything special. Hope this clarifies...

gus

Seymore wrote:

Well Gus... It's quite easy to mail here. Just drop in an envelope, place postage and it's out the door. Don't need to head down to the Post Office for anything special. Hope this clarifies...

Thats what we do also.

DoctorIt

Seymore wrote:

Well Gus... It's quite easy to mail here. Just drop in an envelope, place postage and it's out the door. Don't need to head down to the Post Office for anything special. Hope this clarifies...

As mod of an international flea market, I get to stir this pot, and you, Seymore, get to be the example

Now that I live outside the US, I find this attitude pretty annoying myself. All you need to do is put a few extra stamps on it, and then you can just drop the envelope in the mailbox, just like anything else. We're always happy to pay the extra shipping cost, but so many of you are so "afraid". Why?

gluwater

DoctorIt wrote:

As mod of an international flea market, I get to stir this pot, and you, Seymore, get to be the example

Now that I live outside the US, I find this attitude pretty annoying myself. All you need to do is put a few extra stamps on it, and then you can just drop the envelope in the mailbox, just like anything else. We're always happy to pay the extra shipping cost, but so many of you are so "afraid". Why?

I think most people are unsure of what they need to do to mail internationally. Things such as customs declarations scare people and make them think it's a lot of work.

At work we mail millions of pieces a month and i process a lot of that data. The way people treat international addresses is attrocious.

Here's a link to figure out international postage for those interested. USPS postage calculator

Hey Doc, maybe someone should make a guide to international shipping so people wouldn't be so weary of it.

gus

gluwater wrote:

I think most people are unsure of what they need to do to mail internationally. Things such as customs declarations scare people and make them think it's a lot of work.

I buy sometimes several items a week from all over the world & also post the same from ebay ...its as simple as doc says...the buyer adds a few dollars more.

Customs nothing, you drop it in the mail box with the extra stamp.

The amount of times i have tried to buy stuff from this forum or other US forums & been met with silence is astounding.

People have in the past asked me to send stuff over seas yet they refuse to do so themselves. There is an entire world outside the USA guys & it usually just requires about 15 seconds extra thought power thats all.

gus

Seymore wrote:

BTW, you get my PM?

Yes..thankyou.

i_worship_the_King

$11 + 2 weeks to Australia. Shiesh.

gus

i_worship_the_King wrote:

$11 + 2 weeks to Australia. Shiesh.

Last week i bought a large leather coat from the UK...$20 USD in postage & 5 days delivery via Royal mail. I sent a 2 foot square box to SmugMug a while back...about 10 lb in weight & it got there in 10 days & cost $30 USD to send. I dont know where you are getting your postage costs for an envelope from.

Anyway my point isnt about the stickers...its curiosity about this apparent primal fear i have encountered maybe 15-20 times over of people refusing to post outside the US. There may be good reason & i was wondering what it could be if the buyer pays the extra postage

i_worship_the_King

That was straight from the USPS website. I think I put in a 3oz envelope, first class mail.

Seymore

EphTwoEight wrote:

Its posted for ya!

Thanks man...

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:soapbox

OK people, and this also includes you Erik... I make decisions that I want, after all it's my sale and my decision is to ship wherever I want. This one is within the US and Canada only. Clear enough?

And I'm not "afraid" of shipping overseas, but I don't appreciate the pressure you feel is needed to force a seller to do something he/she don't want to deal with. And I've been away from the USA on a number of occasions, so I'm not an idiot when it comes to dealing with people/companies away from the Continent of North America. With this sale I choose not to, period.

[/soapbox]

gus

Seymore wrote:

Thanks man...

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:soapbox

OK people, and this also includes you Erik... I make decisions that I want, after all it's my sale and my decision is to ship wherever I want. This one is within the US and Canada only. Clear enough?

And I'm not "afraid" of shipping overseas, but I don't appreciate the pressure you feel is needed to force a seller to do something he/she don't want to deal with. And I've been away from the USA on a number of occasions, so I'm not an idiot when it comes to dealing with people/companies away from the Continent of North America. With this sale I choose not to, period.

[/soapbox]

Mate im not having a personal chop at you. Im am simply curious as to why so many people refuse to post outside the US. You will remember a short while ago you wanted to buy that old camera from me...well i can assume from that that you would have wanted me to post it to the US Of which i would have no issues doing so had i wanted to sell it.

I am trying to understand what its all about thats all.

Seymore

gus wrote:

Mate im not having a personal chop at you. Im am simply curious as to why so many people refuse to post outside the US. You will remember a short while ago you wanted to buy that old camera from me...well i can assume from that that you would have wanted me to post it to the US Of which i would have no issues doing so had i wanted to sell it.

I am trying to understand what its all about thats all.

I understand Gus... and not redirecting anything, chop or otherwise, at you.

In certain cases I just don't want to spend 30+ min at the PO having to deal with explaining where it going and filling out customs forms. Yes, anything departing the USA requires one of these. And honestly, it can be a royal PITA sometimes. OK?

gus

Seymore wrote:

I understand Gus... and not redirecting anything, chop or otherwise, at you.

In certain cases I just don't want to spend 30+ min at the PO having to deal with explaining where it going and filling out customs forms. Yes, anything departing the USA requires one of these. And honestly, it can be a royal PITA sometimes. OK?

Ok..im starting to understand. The US requires a customs form just to send even a letter ? That sucks. We simply address something & post it as normal...anything for that matter.

Seymore

gus wrote:

Ok..im starting to understand. The US requires a customs form just to send even a letter ? That sucks. We simply address something & post it as normal...anything for that matter.

Yep, since 9-11 many thing have changed here. And for that matter, prices on most everything have really sky-rocketed in the US. BTW, I checked postage to Australia via the link in Nicks post above, and it would cost $2.70 for 1st class international... for a $6 item? And my time is also money, so that was another guiding aspect of my decision. Just wanted to keep things simple from this end...



Thanks for the dialog mate...

gus

Seymore wrote:

Yep, since 9-11 many thing have changed here. And for that matter, I prices on most everything have really sky-rocketed in the US. BTW, I checked postage to Australia via the link in Nicks post above, and it would cost $2.70 for 1st class international... for a $6 item? And my time is also money, so that was another guiding aspect of my decision. Just wanted to keep things simple from this end...



Thanks for the dialog mate...

Interesting...this sort of stuff is the true result of a successful terrorist act regardless of whom actually did what.

gluwater

Seymore wrote:

I understand Gus... and not redirecting anything, chop or otherwise, at you.

In certain cases I just don't want to spend 30+ min at the PO having to deal with explaining where it going and filling out customs forms. Yes, anything departing the USA requires one of these. And honestly, it can be a royal PITA sometimes. OK?

Actually that is incorrect. First class International Mail that is not potentially Dutiable does not need a Customs Declaration Form. See Exhibit 123.61.
Just for reference, for you to mail the same letter to me in Chicago it would cost $.75 so $1.95 more to ship something half way around the world doesn't seem too outrageous to me. And for the reecord I am not trying to pressure you into doing anything. I was simply trying to help anyone reading this to understand that international mail isn't as difficult as people assume it is.

DoctorIt

Seymore wrote:

Yes, anything departing the USA requires one of these.

Eeehhhhh WRONG.



USPS letters, 90cents, NO customs form. We get about 1 a week.

Sorry, not "chopping" either, just can't stand by while blatently incorrect information is being shared.

DoctorIt

gluwater wrote:

Actually that is incorrect. First class International Mail that is not potentially Dutiable does not need a Customs Declaration Form. See Exhibit 123.61.
Just for reference, for you to mail the same letter to me in Chicago it would cost $.75 so $1.95 more to ship something half way around the world doesn't seem too outrageous to me.

Especially since its actually not 2.70, its only 90c, see above

And for the reecord I am not trying to pressure you into doing anything. I was simply trying to help anyone reading this to understand that international mail isn't as difficult as people assume it is.

Yup, nobody is pressuring anything now. It's a seperate thread.

gluwater

DoctorIt wrote:

Especially since its actually not 2.70, its only 90c, see above

Yup, nobody is pressuring anything now. It's a seperate thread.

Since he stated $2.70 I was assuming it was a 3oz envelope. But you are correct, if it was a 1oz envelope it would be $.90.

USPS postage rates will also be adjusted on May 12th so after that a 1oz 1st class International letter will cost $.94.

DoctorIt

gluwater wrote:

Since he stated $2.70 I was assuming it was a 3oz envelope. But you are correct, if it was a 1oz envelope it would be $.90.

USPS postage rates will also be adjusted on May 12th so after that a 1oz 1st class International letter will cost $.94.

another postage hike, no big surprise.

But just to be clear, even once its over 1oz, as long as its a letter envelope, still no customs form, yeah?


We'll move into packages next, I have examples of those as well.

gluwater

DoctorIt wrote:

another postage hike, no big surprise.

But just to be clear, even once its over 1oz, as long as its a letter envelope, still no customs form, yeah?

We'll move into packages next, I have examples of those as well.

It's a little more complicated than it just being in an envelope. It has to meet the requirements of 243.21 to be considered First Class International Mail. Also see 243.24 lower on that page for what they will charge you a surcharge on.

But if it qualifies as First Class International than you do not need a Customs Declaration unless you go over 16oz.

Please note that all this information is current at the time I write this but can change at any time. I am also not a Postal Employee.

BradfordBenn

Shipping stuff anywhere in the world is relatively easy
One of the things to also think about is not using the USPS to ship. I have shipped stuff to various places for both work and personal. For me using FedEx Freight or UPS was worth the extra dollars. They helped walked me through the entire process of filling out the forms. Some of them even let you do it online. I do not recommend going to a store front, go to a owned facility as they are more helpful.

GadgetGav

gluwater wrote:

It's a little more complicated than it just being in an envelope. It has to meet the requirements of 243.21 to be considered First Class International Mail. Also see 243.24 lower on that page for what they will charge you a surcharge on.

But if it qualifies as First Class International than you do not need a Customs Declaration unless you go over 16oz.

Please note that all this information is current at the time I write this but can change at any time. I am also not a Postal Employee.

And people wonder why sellers don't want to deal with shipping internationally..??
As a Brit living in America, I deal with international shipping all the time and it can be a hassle. I can see why for some cheap items it's just not worth offering international shipping even if buyers are prepared to pay the extra.

The Mack

If someone doesn't want to ship out of the US or Canada, big deal. That's their right. Find someone who won't mind.

The Mack

They will go up every year, in May.

DoctorIt wrote:

another postage hike, no big surprise.

But just to be clear, even once its over 1oz, as long as its a letter envelope, still no customs form, yeah?


We'll move into packages next, I have examples of those as well.

rebelxtnewbie

I've done international shipping before and it is quite the hassel. I don't mind b/c usually I can net more $ when selling to overseas where gear is generally more expensive. But I can see where some people are coming from.

For me to ship in the US I can just buy and print a lable online. To ship internationally, even if I print online, I have to drive to the post office to get the envelope to put the custom forms in. Some people dont have the time to go after work before the PO closes.

Also I have a personal Paypal account which charges 6% for international transactions.

gus

The Mack wrote:

If someone doesn't want to ship out of the US or Canada, big deal. That's their right. Find someone who won't mind.

You have missed the whole point of my question. I am interested to know why so many people in the US wont do so...not why an individual wont. As i said i have been asked to send stuff to the US by people that wont reciprocate.

gus

DoctorIt wrote:

another postage hike, no big surprise.

But just to be clear, even once its over 1oz, as long as its a letter envelope, still no customs form, yeah?


We'll move into packages next, I have examples of those as well.

So NO customs paper work for an overseas envelope then ?

Art Scott

Maybe I am just to dense that I am missing something here but....I have shipped to the Czech Republic (Tabor and Jincie) and found that little green form I use to be realatively easy to fill out.....small list of waht is inside of box.....oe Frank Sinatra CD's....no commerical value.....gift.....not once have I had any probs not has the reciepient at least she has never said she every had to pay any taxes on the little gifts I have sent.....not has my friend in Jincie.....now I did get a call from Homeland Security asking why I was sending cash to the girls over there......I explained it was easier than sending x-mas or name day or B-day gifts.......oh the Cr isn't my only ship to destination I have shipped to the UK and various parts of Europe and central Europe (besides the CR)...all from Ebay sales...........

Heck I'll ship any where as long as it is paid for in US dollarsrofl

I got started with int'l dealings off ebay buyingKiev cameras from private sellers in the Ukraine....and that was easy peasy.....I do not understand the qualms of those that prefer not to ship Int'l...........

gluwater

GadgetGav wrote:

And people wonder why sellers don't want to deal with shipping internationally..??
As a Brit living in America, I deal with international shipping all the time and it can be a hassle. I can see why for some cheap items it's just not worth offering international shipping even if buyers are prepared to pay the extra.

Those restrictions apply to Domestic First Class mail also, not just International.