Hi all,
I need a little help in clarifying the cost of shipping 2 sets of decals from the US to the OK? From time to time I have had sheets from various sellers and generally pay around $3 to $5.
However a retailer based in Florida I was intending to buy from recently (I shan't name names as I want excact details to remain confidential) is charging a massive flat rate $39 for overseas delivery, no matter what is bought. They claim they will refund by paypal any excess. Out of interest I emailed to get an more realistic figure and work out roughly how much I would be refunded, as I was looking at close to $50 in total that would go straight out my bank account. After a few days they emailed back with a figure of between $16 - $18 shipping, for two decal sheets costing $12! What are these decals made from, lead?
Obviously I was baffled by this excessively high rate, but I wanted to keep everything cool and friendly so replied that it seemed a little high and mentioned the average cost I have paid from other sellers. The response I got was that it was by recorded mail and they could send it me cheaper, but it would take ages and probably get lost if I did not pay the higher fee.
I have not yet responded to this, as I am I not sure how to procede. Every item I have ever bought from the States has generally gone by the cheapest way possible, and arrived in better condition and faster than most mail I have from within the UK.
So what is this seller trying to do? Is this a real cost or are they trying to scam overseas buyers?
I'd be interested to know the thoughts of any online retailers.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know what it costs for recorded delivery from the US to here but if you are willing to take the risk that your order may not arrive and are willing to accept that the retailer will take no responsibility should fail to arrive I would go for the cheaper option or order from elsewhere. Depending on the size of the decal sheets though I would have thought that the delivery charge would be the same as a letter.

Well thats my point with them. I've had decals and etch arrive in envelopes taped to card from abroad. Never had anything go missing or damaged. What I forgot to mention was that I had asked them twice for the absolute bottom price they could send them me, and each time quoted the $16-18 range. They obviously refused to give me even a rough idea of the cheapest price. That is bad customer service in my books. Its not so much the risk of losing the decals as that is VERY small, but the financial risk as I have no idea how much they will refund after paying out a whopping $39! I'm at their mercy if I buy. I just cannot see how decals can cost as much as that to send through the post and I wonder how much custom they lose over their shipping prices.
The decals in question are made by PNT Decals, a small manufacturer that makes a lot of Sci-Fi decals. I've used many of them before and they are fantastic! Unfortunatley they have ceased production and trading to the public, just trading whats left in stock with a handful of retailers in the States. My prefered seller is flat out of stock and unable to get what I need. These other guys are the only ones who seem to have them.

Then it is a case of is the cost worth it.

You can play around with various shipping options from the US to the UK on the US Post Office's website.
shipping rates to the UK
There are some International Priority Mail flat rate shipping options that would put the cost at $16.95.
They've added some additional flat rate options, large are medium boxes are about $60 and $50. I believe the $39 was an older option.

Calculating domestic shipping can be a pain as there are lots of "hidden" rules which usually result in additional fees. For example, a thin sheet of cardboard behind some decals results in a nonmachinable envelope with higher costs despite being within the size and weight that normally would be covered by a first class stamp.

I cannot speak for the vendor but from my own experience, it can be hard to come up with an exact quote, even when using the above linked postal calculator. See what you can come up with and try and work out something with the vendor.

I am an Ebay seller and retailer and shipped way more than 10000 items in the last years worldwide.
Ebay forces sellers to proof receipt of goods, not just shipping and tracking.
Background is:
A buyer can get a set of decals for just 3 USD regular mail as a letter.
A buyer can also claim not receiving goods with Ebay and Paypal just refunds, no matter what.
The seller lost his money AND the merchandise.
A seller might not be willing to take that risk.
Some buyer take advantage of this unfair business that Ebay and its daughter, Paypal conducts.

I consider it organized crime and as such we sellers have to either take the risk and ship cheap and get scammed OR we go by the rules and the buyers might go elsewhere.

Shipping is not just the stamps on the package !

Hans pretty well nailed it as a problem created by Ebay and Paypal. Registered (recorded) mail costs $11.75 (plus postage). This gives the package a tracking number to satisfy Ebay/Paypal's requirements, but it does make shipping expensive. Also, if the shipper uses some kind of stiffener to protect the decals, the item can't be sent as a letter and falls into the package category. This would explain the projected costs.

As an Ebay seller, I've found it better to use a 3rd party insurance company, like Insurepost. You can't track a package, but it is covered for loss or damage for only $1.50 to most countries. You might ask the company you're dealing with if they would consider doing the same.

If they're unwilling to do so, I think I'd opt for the cheaper shipping and take a chance. The package could be sent as 1st class for about $6.00 and would normally take 7 to 10 days.

Hope this helps.

Dare I ask if Tracking actually works across international boundaries? I was led to believe that once it left the home Postal Service they washed their hands of it. (Royal Mail certainly disavows any respponsiblity for "recorded delivery" etc if it goes out of the UK...) Makes sense, really, since the originating Postal Service cannot control the receiving one!

Tom

Tom, I had a few bad experiences with Royal Mail when I used to work for Getslotted.co.uk. They really didn't care about post in the UK let alone those going abroad! All they were interested in was us paying the right amount for parcels. Hell, they even returned items that were a penny out on a regular basis! I kind of get the feeling that its the same for most postal services world wide, screw the business customer who in turn has to pass it on to break even.
I do remember earlier this year I bought a rather expensive resin kit that I had sent by fast and tracked post, just to be on the safe side. If its something like that I don't mind paying that bit extra. The seller kindly sent me the tracking code and link to the USPS site. But once it left the States, it dissapeared from their system! Royal Mail of course could not track it either. The parcel arrived almost 2 weeks later. Yet every set of decals I have had sent by the cheapest way possible has arrived within days of ordering. Hence why I was baffled by what I have been quoted.
Anyway, I've taken everyones comments on board and think I have a better understanding of the US Postal system.
Bob, I'm going to email later tonight and I'll mention Insurepost to them. Hopefully everything will have a happy end.

Hi Stephen
It might be worth asking if some of the guys in the States would buy the product for you and send it on to you ... you could pay them in advance by paypal ... there are many good guys who might help you with this. A few have offered to do this for me over the years. Unfortunately post prices and the risk that it caught in customs have pretty much ended this channel for me.

Tom, I've found a normal tracking number to be pretty useless in international deals. A lot depends on the receiving country. Registered mail is different in that the various PO's are required to scan the package at every stop and they must get a real signature for delivery.

Remember that if the total cost including p&p is above £18 (about $28) then you could get hit by import duty.

That would be 20% (VAT) on the total cost, plus the courier would charge his own admin charge (could be anything between £5 and £15 in my experience).

Cheers,

Nigel

I don't think it will come anywhere near as close as that. I've been very lucky so far as I've never gotten done with import duty. I only order from abroad if its something I definately cannot get from close to home anyway.
Well I went ahead and ordered the decals on Friday night along with a message with the order reminding them of our agreement we made by email. Hopefully they should send me them the cheapest possible way and I'll get a big fat refund.
I'll keep everyone updated.
Thanks again.
Ste

Crossing my fingers for you Stephen. Hope everything works out. Either way it goes, you need to name the vender and the result so everyone will know either that they're a customer friendly company or to be aware.

Thanks.
I didn't want to name names initially in case I dragged a reputable traders name through the mud. But I'm happy to say that things are proceeding well so far as I recieved a substantial paypal refund this morning against the cost of shipping and the decals are on their way to me as I write.
The trader in question is Federation Models and I can vouch for them will my dealings so far.