FreeWilly
282 posts
Jul 20, 2012
10:52 AM
|
Perhaps it would be useful to share our experience with international shipping. What to expect? What packaging slips the cracks? What country charges less (I live in The Netherlands and Germany for example, and in these times, more people live like that probably)? How much to expect in terms of costs? And waiting-time? What type of shipping is better? I for one would like hear about your experience.
Here's mine.
Where? VS>NETHERLANDS
What? Harmonica with custom comb
from bluemoon (excellent service btw)
Packaging? Bubble Envelope with harp in box
(very professionaly packed)
How? Non-trackable mail (around 6$)
Wait? Only 14 days!
Damage? 40$ for the harp
6$ Shipping
12,50 Euro: clearance
7 euro Tax (I think it's the standard consumer
tax of 19%)
Judging from this experience, it's recommendable to buy a lot at once, since those 12,50 don't seem to depend on the number of items.
As said, I'd like to hear about your experiences, and hope this helpes someone to make sound decisions!
|
BronzeWailer
729 posts
Jul 20, 2012
5:01 PM
|
Calif --> Oz. Rockin' Ron's. US$14 for shipping (up to 5 harps). Arrives in 1-2 weeks. Professionally packed in bubble wrap and hard box. Trackable.
Prices are as on website.
I have bought from him several times. Reedplates as well as new harps. Usually wait until I "need" at least three things to spread the shipping costs.
No GST payable under $1000.
He communicates well too!
Now I don't think "I must get a new harp" I think "I must go to Rockin' Ron's website."
Recommend wihout reservations.
|
SuperBee
433 posts
Jul 20, 2012
5:14 PM
|
Ditto Bronze Wailer
----------
|
Greg Heumann
1710 posts
Jul 21, 2012
7:55 AM
|
Only semi-related, but this is a good opportunity to remind everyone: Please don't ask vendors to lower the amount on the customs form. It is one thing to send your buddy a sweater and mark it as a gift - you ship overseas once or twice a year. But for those of us whose business depends on overseas orders, and ship overseas nearly every day, asking us, IN WRITING, OVER EMAIL, to commit a federal offense is just a really, really bad idea. And yet it happens all the time.
We know you have to pay import duties and local taxes. We're sorry - we have no control over that. You can always have a friend of yours who lives here buy it on your behalf and then send it to you. We just don't want to know about it.
Thanks for listening
----------
/Greg
|
GMaj7
54 posts
Jul 21, 2012
8:18 AM
|
Hey Greg,
Great post and good point!
I couldn't agree more and it is really an integrity issue. Thanks for that..
On that topic, harmonicas and related gear are supposed to be counted as duty exempt by most international treatise based on their artistic and educational significance. Unfortunately, countries out there get around this by charging value added tax (VAT) which to me is the same thing as an import duty..
----------
Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
|
GMaj7
55 posts
Jul 21, 2012
8:23 AM
|
When Canada post went on strike, I shipped via UPS to Canada. The VAT on the harp was $8.00 which UPS Canada paid, but they charged the customer $56.00 to process the payment and file the paperwork. I complained to UPS and they referred me to UPS Canada..
Since in my real job I have some experience in this, I did some research and learned that envelopes shipped to Canada are generally less likely to be referred for intensive exam and VAT collection which makes no sense to me.. but ... since then, I have used USPS and shipped in an envelope and had no problems... You can put a honkin' lot of stuff in an envelope and put a very high value and it breezes right thru....
----------
Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
|
timeistight
710 posts
Jul 21, 2012
10:06 AM
|
Never, never, never ship to Canada via UPS. They go out of their way to make sure you pay all possible taxes and charge through the nose for the "service".
Even if USPS/Canada Post decide to collect taxes (often they don't) they never charge brokerage fees for doing it.
|
Greg Heumann
1711 posts
Jul 22, 2012
7:31 AM
|
Yep. I ship everything with the exception of amps via USPS - their rates are better than UPS unless what you're shipping is too big /heavy to put in a flat rate box, and their "click'n'ship" service is a big help with the export forms. I just wish they would let me do 1st class as well as Priority Mail.
----------
/Greg
|
arnenym
63 posts
Jul 22, 2012
7:54 AM
|
USPS works fine. I have ordered a lot of gear from Greg, Lonewolf and others. USPS always deliver the goods fast and works together with swedish postal service.
Fedex works great too.
Never use UPS to Sweden. UPS is the most strange ones. They use to send a message they could not deliver the goods, cause i was not at home or something else. The strange thing is i was home the time they said they had been here.. A week later they had faked three deliverys and leave the package to the swedish postal service and i get it the day after..
|
arzajac
817 posts
Jul 22, 2012
8:43 AM
|
USPS to Canada is excellent. I echo the feelings expressed about UPS to Canada. Please avoid UPS when sending anything to Canada from the US.
Delivery times for USPS can be variable. Sometimes I get the package almost the next day, other times it takes three weeks. Whatever - so long as I can get the item reliably without complicating things for the sender, I'm happy.
I have ordered a lot of stuff from the US in the past few years - nothing ever more than $200.00 but I have not had to pay duties on any package so far...
----------
Last Edited by on Jul 22, 2012 8:45 AM
|
gmacleod15
166 posts
Jul 22, 2012
9:30 AM
|
When ordering from US to Canada I always use my home address as opposed to my work address. Items sent to a business are more likely to be charged duty / brokerage fees.
----------
MBH member since 2009-03-24
Last Edited by on Jul 22, 2012 9:52 AM
|
timeistight
711 posts
Jul 22, 2012
9:36 AM
|
Once I had a mic I ordered disappear while in care of the US post. Fortunately, got my money refunded (I'd bought through eBay and paid via PayPal) but it took a couple of months. It was a drag for the seller: he had no insurance.
All my other USPS experiences have been positive.
|
GMaj7
56 posts
Jul 22, 2012
1:36 PM
|
I did have a strange experience recently w/USPS.. Where my priority mail package to Canada was returned twice... I was so mad I literally almost went "POSTAL" (Laugh if you are old enough to remember that term..)
The USPS stepped up and re-sent the package EXPRESS MAIL at their cost.. That's pretty cool.. I thought..
----------
Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
|
chromaticblues
1275 posts
Jul 22, 2012
3:17 PM
|
I have sent a number of harps to Canada USPS and had no problems. The Funny thing is I can send a harp to Europe from Rhode Island and it gets there the same time gets to Canada?
|
