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

[gypsydog]

If Americans weren't addicted to cheap gas, they'd also have better roads

Not so, we would have even wealthier politicians and crappy roads!

[SteveInNZ]

The catch with insurance is that it's a contract with the sender. If it gets lost or damaged, the sender has to make the claim. Since they've been paid and sent the goods, there's no inclination for them to pursue it in a situation like eBay where there is no further interaction. That's one reason I prefer to buy from a forum like this. It's still a transaction but both parties are looking for a good outcome.

One thing that might change the cost of the OP's package is if it will go into a smaller package. It might weigh 6lb but the volumetric weight (based on the dimensions) is 9lb. You're charged on the greater of the two so you have added 50% to the cost.

I also agree on the use of a reshipping service. New Zealand, Australia and I think UK, have such a service run by the government postal service. I'm sure other countries do too. You'd ship to a US address with local rates and then the customer is responsible for it from there so the address will be correct and any taxes, etc are calculated correctly. Since USPS dropped it's standard postage to many countries, this tends to be the cheapest option in my experience. The downside is that it can add a couple of weeks to the total time.

Steve.

[DonJ]

The catch with insurance is that it's a contract with the sender. If it gets lost or damaged, the sender has to make the claim. Since they've been paid and sent the goods, there's no inclination for them to pursue it in a situation like eBay where there is no further interaction. That's one reason I prefer to buy from a forum like this. It's still a transaction but both parties are looking for a good outcome.

One thing that might change the cost of the OP's package is if it will go into a smaller package. It might weigh 6lb but the volumetric weight (based on the dimensions) is 9lb. You're charged on the greater of the two so you have added 50% to the cost.

I also agree on the use of a reshipping service. New Zealand, Australia and I think UK, have such a service run by the government postal service. I'm sure other countries do too. You'd ship to a US address with local rates and then the customer is responsible for it from there so the address will be correct and any taxes, etc are calculated correctly. Since USPS dropped it's standard postage to many countries, this tends to be the cheapest option in my experience. The downside is that it can add a couple of weeks to the total time.

Steve.

An eBay buyer can file a “not received” or “not as described” case and receive a full refund. Why do you think there’s “no further interaction”?

[Neal Chaves]

Thank you so much guys for the referral to Pirate Ship. The box went out to UK last night UPS express delivery, fully tracked and insured with adult delivery signature required. The cost was $98 as opposed to the $250 - $335 I was being quoted by the major carriers.

[steve_p]

I ordered a Toyo 45G plus a lot of accessories in a metal box from outside the UK, but opted for sea shipping from Japan to the UK. Price was fantastic (12GBP), but the time it has taken left a bit to be desired. It was handed in to the carrier on 25/5/2022 and arrived in the UK a few days ago. Still, I'm happy, it's not the first time that I've had to wait months for LF gear

[Tin Can]

I have a camera shipping from Minsk

It is moving

I will report shipping time when it arrives at my door

[r.e.]

I've had consistently good service from national mail carriers at reasonable cost. Not cheap, but certainly not "outrageous". With respect to service, in the last year three deliveries via the Royal Mail/USPS from England to New York were delivered in 3 to 4 days.

As I write this, a shipment that @Ari, who is FLM's distributor in North America, sent from Canada to New York four days ago is "Out for Delivery": https://www.largeformatphotography.i...=1#post1653160

In my experience, packages from Canada often take take 3 days, occasionally 4. In this case, the package cleared US Customs two days ago, and for some reason, presumably mail volume, spent the whole of yesterday sitting in USPS's Brooklyn sorting facility. Regardless, I don't have a problem with 4 days for international delivery.