International Shipping Costs Seeem Outrageous, USPS, UPS, FEDEX, DHL?

**pjd** · 23-Apr-2023, 05:33

Originally Posted by linhofbiker

I flew to the UK from Florida to pick up some parts for my off-road racer. I used air miles so it only cost about $200 to fly. While there I visited family. Coming back I paid the airlines an excess baggage fee of about $80 for a bunch of heavy parts. I declare the value of about $1200 to the US customs and was told it was not worth their time to charge me duty, so waived my thru. For less than the cost of shipping heavy items I got a round trip to the UK. This was in 2019, so things may have changed.

Roughly how heavy / bulky were the parts? I want to bring a Durst Laborator 1000 from Wales to Seoul, but...each time I'm in the attic looking at the enlarger I feel like I need about a week to fit it in a crate, and then I've no idea how much I'd get charged, and there are always about 10 other things to sort out. You'd think I should be able to find a large format enlarger in Korea, but...no.

2 months from Minsk to the US sounds reasonable to me.

**Vaidotas** · 23-Apr-2023, 08:17

Originally Posted by pjd

Roughly how heavy / bulky were the parts?
2 months from Minsk to the US sounds reasonable to me.

It sounds as from Pyongyang to Seoul - horrible and unacceptable.

**Tin Can** · 23-Apr-2023, 09:45

I shipped a really nice Calumet C1 from Illinois to Seoul USPS in extreme packing

No damage, shipping was about $150, 1 month

At that time it was the only 8X10 in Korea, a member here used it for teaching

Originally Posted by pjd

Roughly how heavy / bulky were the parts? I want to bring a Durst Laborator 1000 from Wales to Seoul, but...each time I'm in the attic looking at the enlarger I feel like I need about a week to fit it in a crate, and then I've no idea how much I'd get charged, and there are always about 10 other things to sort out. You'd think I should be able to find a large format enlarger in Korea, but...no.

2 months from Minsk to the US sounds reasonable to me.

**linhofbiker** · 23-Apr-2023, 15:02

Originally Posted by pjd

Roughly how heavy / bulky were the parts? I want to bring a Durst Laborator 1000 from Wales to Seoul, but...each time I'm in the attic looking at the enlarger I feel like I need about a week to fit it in a crate, and then I've no idea how much I'd get charged, and there are always about 10 other things to sort out. You'd think I should be able to find a large format enlarger in Korea, but...no.

2 months from Minsk to the US sounds reasonable to me.

The parts were heavy and had to be split up so as to not exceed the 20 kilo limit per bag. I am not sure about the weight limit but it was spread equally across 2 checked bags one of which was charge excess baggage. I put my clothes etc in a carry-on bag.

**Willie** · 23-Apr-2023, 18:12

Why add VAT to shipping costs - as was quoted when trying to buy two small screws from a maker in Germany. Screws were less than 1/2 inch long, small and light. Original for a musical instrument - coated to match the sax. Cost was less than $1.25 US - when converted from Euros.

Shipping was quoted a hair shy of $60 and then VAT of almost $10. For two screws that cost $1.25?

I'll make do with two screws that don't match the color of the sax.

**steve_p** · 4-Aug-2023, 02:56

When I bought my TOYO 4X5G plus accessories all in a metal case last year, I opted for shipping by sea from Japan to UK. The package took 2.5 months to get here, but the shipping cost was 12GBP (roughly 10$). I was quite happy to wait.

**jnantz** · 5-Aug-2023, 05:25

I prefer USPS and have shipped worldwide, except Australia

Insurance is a joke with all

I pack real well

Nope no joke ..

the record company got paid in full for what I got for insurance. I paid for $2,000 insurance. After a certain amount of time (3 weeks? I can't remember) the box was lost the RC had to initiate a "trace" to search for the package, the PO couldn't find it and the RC was paid in full. no clue how that is a joke, and all the carriers are like that. certain amount of time passes, trace, ( to make sure it's not fraud) pay the insurance claim. there are things that can not be insured, original 1 of a kind prints and negatives. no one will insure those, so one has to send them certified registered mail, and they are under lock and key and go through a different system to be delivered where everyone who touches the item has to sign a register so there is a chain of custody. I've had no problems with that service ..

**MichaelGJ47** · 28-Aug-2023, 21:28

I have almost stopped completely buying from the US because of UPS .they seem to be the most expensive anywhere.The costs are often far more than the product with UPS.I find it faster and a fraction of the cost to buy from the UK or Japan.Some products like Stearman developing tanks you don’t have a choice but if it is available anywhere else then that is where I go.

**Lachlan 717** · 29-Aug-2023, 03:02

Originally Posted by MichaelGJ47

I have almost stopped completely buying from the US because of UPS .they seem to be the most expensive anywhere.The costs are often far more than the product with UPS.I find it faster and a fraction of the cost to buy from the UK or Japan.Some products like Stearman developing tanks you don’t have a choice but if it is available anywhere else then that is where I go.

Look at virtual post boxes.

**jnantz** · 29-Aug-2023, 04:02

another thing to keep in mind, aside from the cost of shipping, certain countries in the EU are charging people $$ to receive packages sent from the states. im not sure what that is about but we were going to be charged 50$ to ship ( which im accustomed to ) but the receiver ( en France ) was going to have to pay 50$ to receive it, we opted to not ship.