International Shipping

[SimeonTurner]

Hey all-

Anyone have any tips/suggestions for shipping orders internationally? I'm shipping a pipe to Finland, and I don't want the customer to have to deal with any unnecessary customs issues etc because of a mistake on my end.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Sasquatch]

I've done international shipping a few ways. From Canada, I can send what's called an expidited parcel, which has a priority level in terms of getting handled, and is insured against loss, which I think is critical. Customs does whatever they want, whenever they want. If they wanna open something, they will. There are "expiditing agents" who I suspect have a relationship with customs which may get things through a little faster, but then you are paying a premium for shipping as well. I sent some small cabinets to switzerland, and the expiditer literally picked them up at my house. And it had been arranged from the Swiss end.

I think the best you can do is make sure it's insured, declare what you have to declare, and hope for the best. It's not like you are sending opium seeds.

[Frank]

It varies from country to country. There's usually a certain value over which the recipient will have to pay import fees. For example, when shipping to Switzerland, if the total value including shipping costs is over $55, then the recipient has to pay import fees.

I guess it all depends on how much your customer is prepared to pay over-and-above the cost of the pipe. Either your customer can make enquiries his end, or you can contact the Finnish Consulate and see if they have any info.

[Alan L]

I sent a couple of rather large knife blades to the Czech Republic this summer with no difficulty beyond parting with the cash for USPS Global Priority mail. The customer got 'em in about ten days each time, unmessed-with by customs. But yeah, customs are a law unto themselves, literally. It seems to take about four weeks to get stuff to or from Canada, and I was just quoted a delivery date of January 6, 2010 for a book I just bought that's in England.

The blades cost $55 to ship, but the price is based on weight. For a pipe I'd think you could get away with under $20. The blades were taped to a board to prevent movement then packed in 3-inch PVC pipe with turned 2" thick wood endcaps. Each package weighed about six pounds when done, but the blades did not escape captivity so I know it worked.

I usually undervalue things on the customs forms as well. I feel that a high declared value not only causes the customer grief via tariffs, etc., but also incites the curiosity of customs agents.

[Sasquatch]

The issue with underdeclaring is that you can't claim 300 dollars of insurance on something you declared as having a 50 dollar value. I declare and insure a value that would replace the customer's payment, replace the material costs, and cover shipping. But I usually mark it as a "gift" hoping that might alleviate some taxation.

You gotta think of the position you are in if that thing goes missing for real. The customer got nothing, and you got less than nothing if you give him his money back.

[geigerpipes]

You gotta think of the position you are in if that thing goes missing for real. The customer got nothing, and you got less than nothing if you give him his money back.

The problem with stating the real value for insurance is that many countries customs, as soon as the value is above a curtain amount, will tax the customer with import tax.. Especially when shipping overseas..for example here in Sweden import tax for US stuff is something like 30% on the stated value and most customers are unaware of this and unwilling to pay say a 100$ extra for a 300 $ pipe...Gifts also have a a limit that once it is passed is no longer considered such and taxed thereafter this varies but here one a package exeeds 80$ it is no longer considered a gift..

Furter more I sometimes wonder how strickt the insurance polocies are and how one can prove the the true value of that being shipped.

We have sent out more pipes over the years than I care to remember to the most strage places and not one package has gone missing... knock on wood...but at least 5-10 have been caught in customs because of high insurance

Some food for thought

[Sasquatch]

Catch 22.

I had one disappear for about a month, and then it just arrived one day, after I had it "tracked". Weirdest thing.

Luckily, my pipes are only worth about 100 bucks, so it's no great problem yet. Once I'm selling for 3000 a pipe, I'll have to rethink.

[Alan L]

The issue with underdeclaring is that you can't claim 300 dollars of insurance on something you declared as having a 50 dollar value.

Have you ever tried to actually get your insurance value cash back? In my limited experience, insurance on shipping is just throwing money away. They aren't gonna pay you even if the trained gorillas on the shipping line eat the package as a snack while carefully saving the insurance label as proof.

[Sasquatch]

Haven't tried, no.

When I had a package go missing, and reported it, they set a pack of dogs on it and actually found the thing, rather than have to cough up the hundred bucks.

[tritrek]

I'm ordering quite a lot of stuff from the US (and I'm in the EU) through eBay and Amazon so I quite have an overview.

Now I can tell you there's a dilemma.

Because you cannot (IMO) send an insured package without stating the price on the packet.

So you either send it as gift (without insurance) with the risk of losing it and having to blame yourselves for it BUT surely not paying tax and customs,
OR you send it as priority mail with insurrance but this way the target person shall pay the customs for sure. By us it's cca up to 35% of the whole order, so quite a lot.

Sending with international carrier services (UPS, etc...) costs cca the same as post+customs, but I don't know these prices precisely so you should ask...