Shipping question...

[PipesByDesign]

Wondering if anyone has any ways to safely ship to an international customer while avoiding getting thoroughly wallet raped by customs...

I just shipped to Canada and got slammed. It was actually by whatever brokerage firm UPS uses. I've shipped to this customer twice before using the USPS, and didn't have this problem, but on the second shipment the pipe nearly got lost (took almost two months to deliver...long story). In the interest of my pipes actually getting to where I intend them to go I will only ship via private shipping companies like UPS, Fedex, etc., even within the states. From what I can tell this is a common complaint.

I have to believe there's a way to avoid this, and I'm wanting to find out before fulfilling a batch of orders I've got coming up from several European countries... which is a pretty cool problem to have, I guess. I've even got an order from a guy in Israel!

Thanks!

[dgerwin11]

If you use UPS or FedEx, there is no way to avoid those fees. I have shipped my corn cob mods all over the world using USPS with only one lost package, and that was in the USA. USPS is the only way I know to not get hammered with those brokerage fees.

[PipesByDesign]

Hmmmn... that's too bad. USPS has very restrictive limits on their insurance limits... I guess I could just tell my customers their options and let them decide. If they choose a cheaper option and it gets lost then it's on them and not me...

[dgerwin11]

I have never insured a packagd, but I understand that there are 3rd party insurers who are better for what you want.

[PipesByDesign]

Third party insurer... that's a good idea. I insure my pipes because I can't afford the time or money to replace one if they get lost or damaged.

[dgerwin11]

Shipsaver and shipinsurance are 2 names I''ve seen mentioned on Etsy.

[Sasquatch]

I insure all the pipes I send anywhere, and I do lots of cross-border stuff. Basically, in the "regular mail" you are in the hands of customs guys, who have something like a week to decide what to do with ANY package, and you may or my not get tagged for whatever fees or taxes are applicable. Private shippers like Fed Ex will tack on a customs brokerage fee on any shipment, and you pay any inward-bound taxes as well.

So I got two orders of briar from Greece recently. One was airmail, one came Fed-ex. Airmail one came in "free" but it took a full month to show up. Fed Ex I wound up with about 25 dollars in fees or taxes, and had the wood inside of 3 days.

In the end, it's up to the customer what he wants to pay, but really, it's also up to the vendor to ... enforce/suggest a good option. I sent a bunch of pipes to the phillipines, and the only way I could insure them was to make them a priority post sort of thing, and it cost over 50 bucks. But... going to the phillipines, I wanted them not to just .. disappear.

[PipesByDesign]

Yeah, disappearing pipes are only cool when they are magically pulled from behind your ear...

It is a conundrum, and one that gets me ranting along the lines of my anarcho-capitalist tendencies. Free trade my ass. I was just floored at how much they charged. What it looks like I will do as a solution is for my international shipments is ship using the postal service, insuring up to the limit if need be, and if I need coverage beyond what they provide use shipsurance.com. I spoke with a rep from that company the other day and he said you could combine coverage like that. My experience with international shipments using the USPS so far is that what I pay up front is what gets it door to door. I haven't had anyone complain of fees being tacked on. Maybe I got lucky there...who knows. I'll just tell my customers what the deal is, and leave it up to them. If something happens to the pipe then it is insured, or they are welcome to be prepared to shell out customs fees if they want it faster and via private shipping firms.

I'm about to order again from Mimmo, but I don't remember getting with anything last time. Just received my briar a couple of days later via Fedex. Hope it goes like that again.

[Tyler]

I ordered twice this year from Mimmo. Both times a Fed Ex customs bill showed up a week later.

[oklahoma red]

Like Tyler said, Mimmo + FEDEX = customs bill shortly thereafter.
Now, I've placed two orders with Zavvos in Greece, shipment via Hellenic Post, rec'd briar in not more than 10 days and no customs bill.
Chas.