Shipping service for overseas?

[Dennis Toth]

I am going to be shipping some older engines and parts overseas. What shipping service is reliable?

Best,   DennisT

[Dan McEntee]

   I sent two packages out of Cox odds and ends recently. One was to Canada,  and shipped on June 1st. It got to an International Center in Chicago and it languished there for for a month and a half. It finally shook loose and was just delivered last week. Almost two months in transit.
   The second package was shipped in June 15th heading to Australia. It went through Chicago also, then bounced around another International Center in Miami, It finally headed west to Los Angeles and allegedly left the country this past week but I have not gotten any further updates  since July 28th.
   These were by USPS using the Pirateship.com site that Dennis Leonahrdi recommended. It saved a lot of money on shipping costs and you can track through their site. The EXTREME delivery times are not their fault. Anything going overseas has to go through customs and such at one of those International Centers. At one point I called a number I was given by the local post office to check on things, and the lady at that number told me that things at the Chicago center were FUBAR and has been the center of untold number of complaints. Between the way things are in the world, and the utter incompetence of the USPS, I would say if you ship something overseas, you do so at your own risk, no matter what service you use.
    All of you members of Stunthanger that can't understand why we in  the USA will not ship overseas, this is two prime examples. There is no way to determine how long something will take. If you take some one's money and they are not willing to ride out the situation and start demanding their money back within the first week, the seller is really caught between a rock and a hard place. What is funny is that I have gotten deliveries from Brian Gardner and another member here from Australia and they arrived within a week or so going the other way!!  You pays your money and takes your chances!! Once the package leaves our hands, we have NO CONTROL over anything!!
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Steve Helmick]

It has been some years, but IIRC it was only a week or less for the USPS to get a Saito .72 from me to Hoffo, someplace in OZ, including the usual cavity search and customs storage.

It's possible that if one undervalues the item, it may take extra time for customs to do some online searching to see if you're trying to pull some BS on them. Sadly, if they take the normally inflated sale prices found on eBay as realistic, somebody gonna get hosed.  Steve

[Craig Beswick]

I live in Australia and have had a lot of deliveries from the US and the rest of the world.

The quickest delivery took 8 days. That was from Brodaks via USPS. That was in November or December last year after the first initial Covid outbreak lockdowns.

The slowest delivery, again from Brodaks and USPS, about 3 - 4 years ago. They sent it to Austria! Not anyones fault, it was addressed correctly just some fubar at the post office. After 3 months it was declared, "Lost" and I got a replacement. The original goods turned up about 6 months later!!!

If I can make this suggestion to anyone sending a parcel overseas. Write on the customs declaration exactly what you are sending. If it is an engine, then model engine. A kit, then model plane kit.

If the goods are sold for $200 then write down $200. In Australia it is only when the price goes over $1,000 that excess duty, "MAY", apply!!!!  They do not always charge you excess duty if around the legal amount. I cannot comment on other countries.

I would also strongly recommend purchasers to pay for insurance. I have never had to make a claim but there will be the one day!

All my US stuff has come via USPS. I would say I am satisfied with their service based on my experiences. My only complaint is a recipient cannot ask questions about tracking status. It must come from the sender.

Craig

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

Much appreciate Dan's sharing of his experiences.  The Canada customs house has been one of the most difficult for me, too.

Regarding Australia, one service to consider is ShopMate, offered by Australia Post.  That service accepts delivery of US items in the US, then forwards it to Australia.

Peter

[john e. holliday]

The last shipment I made was some magazines to Brazil.  Both every shipper I tried said use DHL for out of country shipping.

[PerttiMe]

Everything entering a European Union country is now supposed to go through Customs, with duties and taxes to pay - whatever the value.

It is not long since I subsribed to a New Zealand magazine. The first one arrived just before the rules changed. I'll be interested to see what happens when the next €8 magazine arrives.

[GallopingGhostler]

Several years ago I shipped a Fox .15X thrust washer to New Zealand using the smallest USPS International Mailer envelope. It stated air mail, anticipated 10 days but it took nearly 3 months. Don't know what things are like since Covid.

I wish they would bring back sea mail. The current shipping prices by air are ridiculously high, often more than the cost of the package contents. 40 years ago, sea mail was acceptable as long as you didn't mind waiting a month to 6 weeks.

[Perry Rose]

USPS and mark the customs declaration "Gift" box.

[GERALD WIMMER]

Hello Living on the bottom of the planet here in New Zealand I have found that using a freight forwarding agent saves time and money.
Stackry in New Hampshire (https://www.stackry.com/en/home) has worked out very well as they consolidate your packages and give you multiple shipping options and even take the tax for the NZ government making the process quick, without customs worries. If you opt fore the quickest federal express service travel time is often less then 2 weeks but the slowest DHL service is much cheaper but up to 6 weeks. Shipping from Germany to NZ seems the most expensive while Australia and USA to NZ are a similar cost and sometimes quicker then shipping within NZ!

Regards Gerald

[Dan McEntee]

   I sent two packages out of Cox odds and ends recently. One was to Canada,  and shipped on June 1st. It got to an International Center in Chicago and it languished there for for a month and a half. It finally shook loose and was just delivered last week. Almost two months in transit.
   The second package was shipped in June 15th heading to Australia. It went through Chicago also, then bounced around another International Center in Miami, It finally headed west to Los Angeles and allegedly left the country this past week but I have not gotten any further updates  since July 28th.
   These were by USPS using the Pirateship.com site that Dennis Leonahrdi recommended. It saved a lot of money on shipping costs and you can track through their site. The EXTREME delivery times are not their fault. Anything going overseas has to go through customs and such at one of those International Centers. At one point I called a number I was given by the local post office to check on things, and the lady at that number told me that things at the Chicago center were FUBAR and has been the center of untold number of complaints. Between the way things are in the world, and the utter incompetence of the USPS, I would say if you ship something overseas, you do so at your own risk, no matter what service you use.
    All of you members of Stunthanger that can't understand why we in  the USA will not ship overseas, this is two prime examples. There is no way to determine how long something will take. If you take some one's money and they are not willing to ride out the situation and start demanding their money back within the first week, the seller is really caught between a rock and a hard place. What is funny is that I have gotten deliveries from Brian Gardner and another member here from Australia and they arrived within a week or so going the other way!!  You pays your money and takes your chances!! Once the package leaves our hands, we have NO CONTROL over anything!!
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

    An update on the package to Australia. It finally made landfall in Kingsford Smith, Sidney, Australia on August 2nd, then through a transfer station at the airport in Melbourne on Aug 4th, and then another station in another location on Aug 6th. Australia is a huge country and the gentleman I sent the package to said that it could take 5 days or more to go across the country but hopefully he gets his package in the next day or two. Some flying buddies and I were discussing this just yesterday. The worst I have heard is a friend who ordered one of those elliptical wing stunt model kits from Brazil. It took 6 months for it to make it's way to his front door! It was initially sent and was actually in town here in a relatively short amount of time but for some unknown reason, our USPS sent it back to Brazil! Then it had to get turned around and headed back this way and finally arrived at his door 6 months later! The other friend is into large steam locomotive models. He ordered some parts from some where in Europe. It took an interminable amount of time for the parts to arrive and he finally went to the local post office tp do a check from there. He found that the parts were there waiting for him to pick up, but he never got any notice of that. They had evidently been there for weeks, and if he had waited another day or two to  check on it, they would have been sent back!! The overall common thread  about all of this is that most of the problems lie with our USPS!!
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Craig Beswick]

USPS and mark the customs declaration "Gift" box.

Perry,
I cannot comment on the rest of the world but Australian customs makes no difference between a gift or a purchase. Once the goods are over the import duty limit they are subject to tax. If customs decide to impose a bill.

As previously stated, I would think twice about falsifying a customs document, particularly in the United States.

If you are selling and your purchaser is asking you to put a lower amount on the customs declaration, personally, I would back out of the deal. It simply isn't worth it for the dollars, it may, save the purchaser.

Falsifying a customs declaration is a documented breech of international law. To me, it isn't worth it to save a purchaser a few dollars. By the way, you are the one breaking the law not the buyer.

Craig

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

Dan,

For sure, it is a good idea to visit your local post office at the destination.  I sent a valuable Ross 4 to New York, an easy run from Northern VA.  The recipient was from another country and had arranged delivery.  However, he was staying at an AirBnB, and did not know the apartment number.  The carrier reasonably noted the item as undeliverable.  Tracking was useless, and we expected the item returned to sender.  It was eventually, about six weeks later, returned.  All along, it was at the PO, and could have been picked up right away.

A fact which did not come out, as the buyer did eventually get the goods:  If the carrier makes a delivery attempt, eBay rules that as seller gets paid.  Same if USPS notes "delivered."  In that respect, "porch pirates" are stealing from the recipient, not the shipper.


Peter