Best Way to Ship Intl

[Phrazemaster]

Hi all, any ideas as to cheapest/safest way to ship internationally? I tried going through USPS.com and it ended up showing it would cost a fortune just for a tiny package; same thing with DHL.

What do ppl do that works?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[scott2000]

How tiny? I think the Priority Flat rate packages from USPS used to be pretty reasonable .....

.....and whatever you can fit in the packages is the same rate..... Been a while though....

Not 100% sure and am not sure how large an item you're talking about.....

I have a neighbor that has a Fedex account for his CCTV camera business....Sometimes you can ask someone you may know that has a business and use their account if they'll mail it for you.....????

His account isn't the biggest so his rates aren't the cheapest but they are definitely better than going it alone.....

 

[CJ]

Priority Medium Flat Rate is about 65 bucks intl.

but you can ship USPS  First Class if it is under 2.5 lbs and save a bundle.

 

[ruffrecords]

Don't know if you have it where you are but in the UK I use parcel2go which gets quotes from a large range of carriers:

https://www.parcel2go.com/

Cheers

Ian

 

[emrr]

USPS from the US is the most inexpensive option, and has always been reliable for me over 2 decades. 

 

[Phrazemaster]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the responses.

I asked the postal clerk at my local US Post Office. He claimed I could ship a small package for $13.50 - but I simply don't believe him. I've sent things to Germany and it's cost me a fortune. Bit of a quandary really, since how do you go about selling something internationally when you don't know how much it will cost?

Thanks again for the ideas.

 

[madswitcher]

It is also advisable to look at the total end to end cost of international shipping. 

USPS usually hand off the destination country delivery to another party who add their own 'processing charges', particularly if it includes customer clearance.  The customer then gets stung for' customs processing' even if they have paid import duty already. 

Your $13.50 is just a part of the chain.

Cheers, Mike

 

[JohnRoberts]

I have used USPS for several years, it seems prices have gone up, and delivery is faster these days.  The USPS website is much better than dealing with local post office personnel.

Cheap slow boat intl delivery can take a lot longer and I've had cheap slow boat orders (from china) never arrive, but that may be a questionable vendor. Some orders from china are reliable, just slow.


JR 

 

[Phrazemaster]

It is also advisable to look at the total end to end cost of international shipping. 

USPS usually hand off the destination country delivery to another party who add their own 'processing charges', particularly if it includes customer clearance.  The customer then gets stung for' customs processing' even if they have paid import duty already. 

Your $13.50 is just a part of the chain.

Cheers, Mike

I hear you on that! Another guy here on the boards bought a couple of large items from someone in Europe. They were declared over $800 USD, so he had to pay an additional import duty of of $123, on top of the almost $200 he spent shipping. So it cost him almost $1200 to get the $872 items!

 

[iampoor1]

I like using usps priority mail flat rate boxes if the buyers are paying with paypal. I honestly dont ship internationally, unless I can get some sort of tracking or delivery confirmation (which is NOT available on every usps international shipment depending on country).  I have been stung before by buyers who file paypal claims against me after not receiving itemns, and I cannot confirm if they ever arrived due to not trackable shipping.

Ebay also has an excellent international shipping program for sellers. You ship it to their shipping center. They then repackage it and assume all liability for the package arriving.

Maybe Im just paranoid tho. Now that paypal buyers have 6 months to file claims.....I dont think exposing myself to that kind of liability, especially with countries that have terrible postal services.

 

[john12ax7]

I've wondered about international shipping too. USPS seems the cheapest but still seems pricey relative to the cost of goods sold. But I've ordered inexpensive items from China and they arrived quick via China post. I've bought items for under  $10 shipping included. Haven't been able to find the equivalent when shipping from the US.

 

[iampoor1]

I've wondered about international shipping too. USPS seems the cheapest but still seems pricey relative to the cost of goods sold. But I've ordered inexpensive items from China and they arrived quick via China post. I've bought items for under  $10 shipping included. Haven't been able to find the equivalent when shipping from the US.

I recently bought a bag of 50 mini pcb mount spdt switches from china for 99cents....with free shipping. 
I dont know how they do it!

 

[Phrazemaster]

Yeah...someone ain't talkin'. 

 

[JohnRoberts]

It is also advisable to look at the total end to end cost of international shipping. 

USPS usually hand off the destination country delivery to another party who add their own 'processing charges', particularly if it includes customer clearance.  The customer then gets stung for' customs processing' even if they have paid import duty already. 

Your $13.50 is just a part of the chain.

Cheers, Mike

I sell products into many countries so it is impossible for me to keep track of every countries individual customs/duty charges. I added statements on my website reminding customers that customs duty is their responsibility. but some still get surprised. I reverse out shipping charges from my declared value, so they will not be charged duty for the shipping cost.

In addition to the extra fees, clearing customs can become a black hole for delays where products can sit in country waiting to be released.

These fees, are supposed to support your local  manufacturers and merchants (government helping? Mostly just raising revenue).

JR

 

[emrr]

I recently bought a bag of 50 mini pcb mount spdt switches from china for 99cents....with free shipping. 
I dont know how they do it!

that's called 'fell off the back of the truck', in more ways than one.  Fiscally impossible. 

 

[emrr]

I've wondered about international shipping too. USPS seems the cheapest but still seems pricey relative to the cost of goods sold. But I've ordered inexpensive items from China and they arrived quick via China post. I've bought items for under  $10 shipping included. Haven't been able to find the equivalent when shipping from the US.

There is no equivalent cheap service from the US, it's all gone up in recent years.  Foreign buyers here frequently back out of purchases once they learn the shipping costs. 

 

[emrr]

I like using usps priority mail flat rate boxes if the buyers are paying with paypal. I honestly dont ship internationally, unless I can get some sort of tracking or delivery confirmation (which is NOT available on every usps international shipment depending on country).  I have been stung before by buyers who file paypal claims against me after not receiving itemns, and I cannot confirm if they ever arrived due to not trackable shipping.

Ebay also has an excellent international shipping program for sellers. You ship it to their shipping center. They then repackage it and assume all liability for the package arriving.

Maybe Im just paranoid tho. Now that paypal buyers have 6 months to file claims.....I dont think exposing myself to that kind of liability, especially with countries that have terrible postal services.

You are 100% correct in your estimation, all liability is on you if it's a Paypal transaction.  The customer is always right, even when they're wrong, so you have to factor what's right for you, including not participating. 

 

[emrr]

Priority Medium Flat Rate is about 65 bucks intl.

but you can ship USPS  First Class if it is under 2.5 lbs and save a bundle.

Without insurance, of course. 

 

[AusTex64]

Hi all, any ideas as to cheapest/safest way to ship internationally? I tried going through USPS.com and it ended up showing it would cost a fortune just for a tiny package; same thing with DHL.

What do ppl do that works?

Thanks,

Mike

What's the value of the item(s)? If they are expensive, I use FedEx Int'l Economy.

 

[Phrazemaster]

What's the value of the item(s)? If they are expensive, I use FedEx Int'l Economy.

Item was only about $50. Tiny little thing, an ouncer transformer.