PDA

View Full Version : Shipping drivers to Europe



jim henderson
01-05-2004, 02:56 PM
I'm selling some items on eBay and I'm getting some inquiries from Europe. I've never shipped anything to Europe. What are the potential pitfalls? Any suggestions?

thevott
01-06-2004, 07:46 AM
I ship via USPS as UPS is way too expensive. Also, I do not offer insurance when shipping out of the US. For services and rates refer to this link:

http://ircalc.usps.gov/

Some of my best Ebay sales have been to Europe and Asia. Good luck.

MP

locanti
01-06-2004, 08:11 AM
Hi Jim

As an european(French,sorry)I can say that the delay for parcels to come is longer than excpected.USPS said shipping is about 8 to 10 days airmail but it 's more than 15(18 to 20 currently).Surface shipping(For heavy weighting) is usualy done within 3 month regarding the 6 to 8 weeks announced(I'm still waiting for parcels send in October.

Insurance is recommanded as I had 2 parcels lost and they were refunds by USPS.

Don't forget to talk about customs fees(Depend to buyer's country) as some buyer forget them.This fees are claimed by the carrier(USPS,UPS,DHL and others)so you have to ask for your buyer phone number.

I prefer USPS to UPS or DHL as I had less parcels damage with it(None via USPS,2 Via UPS and 1 via DHL with no refund)

I think you're got to have a lot of european customers as US dollar is quite a bargain yet.

Hope it helps. :rolleyes:

Guido
01-08-2004, 01:24 PM
@locanti

I had two shippings with USPS economy (surface) mail. USPS says 4-6 weeks and I got them after 6 weeks plus/minus 1 or 2 days.
No delay, no problems.

You are right with the customs. I think the buyer should inform himself about special custom rates. Here in Germany you pay only 13,5% of the value in total if the value is lower than 300 Euro.

Beeing a little tricky this save money;)

locanti
01-08-2004, 01:47 PM
Hi Guido

You're lucky to get your parcels in 6 weeks.Here in France(And I know this is the same in Italy) we get them in 10 to 12 weeks now.Customs fees are about 19.6% of items value.But most of the time ,carrier did not claim for it(I don't know how it works in Germany, but I can say that it's a mess here in France:the only carrier that claim for customs fees every time is UPS).I got more than 30 parcels from US or Canada since 2 years,Different carrier,different ways,differents value(See my feedback on Ebay as LOCANTI).My opinion is that it's a lotery as for the fees.But i have to say that Iwas quite lucky to these days:I only paid these fees 3 times with UPS and 2 times with USPS airmail(All these 3 last months).:biting:

Steelyfan
05-10-2005, 02:26 PM
I'm selling some items on eBay and I'm getting some inquiries from Europe. I've never shipped anything to Europe. What are the potential pitfalls? Any suggestions?

In my experience It can be done to trade parts,cd's dvd's etc over the ocean but for whole cabinets the shipment price is just too high, not speaking of damage risk, kafkaian customs etc. It is maybe a bit easier for people (companies) who have an import account with one or another transport cy . There are other threads on the forum speaking about possible damage to cabinets under transport even local in the USA.

louped garouv
05-10-2005, 03:12 PM
it was two rack maount units -- each three spaces high...

shipping was a bit higher than the buyer had anticipated (as were the import tariffs he had to pay), but USPS was nearly 50% cheaper than anyone else; and with USPS you can't insure a single parcel for more than about US$900

aust-ted
05-11-2005, 04:27 AM
thevott wrote in part "I ship via USPS as UPS is way too expensive. Also, I do not offer insurance when shipping out of the US. For services and rates refer to this link:


http://ircalc.usps.gov/"

As a occasional buyer located in Australia of JBL drivers from the US, I have found the USPS/ Australia Post great. Insurance on modest purchases is no problem with in my case a $100 item costing an extra $2.60 for insurance which I normally insist on if just to obtain proof of shipment from an eBay seller. I gather UPS and Fedex are much more expensive and they are more likely to cause customs hassles for the buyer. Airmail parcel and Economy (surface) are the most economical means of shipping with USPS.

No good for bulky or very heavy items though which can be really expensive by other means. I once passed on a pair of 2360 horns because of the prohibitive shipping as USPS would not ship them because of the volume constraint.

Regards
Ted

PS I remember buying a 2344 horn from Jim which arrived in good condition by USPS without any hassles.