John Tilton on wed 27 oct 99
Has anyone had experience shipping pottery internationally?
I need to ship some pots to Singapore and the UPS charge is about 600.00
for 3 boxes. That seems a bit high to me.
Any ideas?
Thanks
John
--
John Tilton
16211 NW 88th Terrace
Alachua, Fl. 32615
904-462-3762
Web site: http://www.tiltonpottery.com
mailto:tilton@atlantic.net
Mary Ella Yamashita on thu 28 oct 99
Hi, John. If you are not on a tight deadline, you might check with the
post office about using seamail instead of airmail; seamail is much
cheaper, although it does take longer. (We have sent several packages of
assorted items, including some breakables, to a relative in Japan using
both air and sea mail through the post office without any problems.) Hope
this info helps--Mary Ella
>I need to ship some pots to Singapore and the UPS charge is about 600.00
>for 3 boxes. That seems a bit high to me.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>Thanks
>
>John
>mailto:tilton@atlantic.net
Cheryl Tall on sat 30 oct 99
Hi John: I have used Fed Ex to ship from Japan to Pennsylvania It was
$800 for 2 large wooden crates. I have used DHL to ship from Greece to
Florida - it was $800 for 4 large cardboard boxes. I think you can also
ship by boat. My friend Ceil shipped from Italy to Pennsylvania and
shared 1/2 a container with a friend and it was $400 but it takes 2
months.
I'd be interested if you find anything better as I may have to do more
shipping. Keep me posted.
Cheryl Tall in Stuart, Florida
chryltal@bellsouth.net
Lee on sat 5 nov 11
On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 6:50 PM, Philip Poburka wrote:
> ...but do stipulate 'Air' ( or else it will go
> surface Mail and take five, nine or fifteen weeks to get there ).
There is no international "surface mail" now. It all goes by air.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D97tha=
t is, "T=3D
he land
of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent within
itself." -- John O'Donohue
Joan Klotz on sat 5 nov 11
Perhaps one of you more sophisticated types can help me. Today I
attempted to ship a small bowl to a Canadian buyer on my ETSY site -
a total price of $35.00. The buyer indicated a willingness to pay a
shipping charge of $20.00 (astonished me). But at FedEx I was
charged $20.18 for the shipping (no problem there) and an additional
$19.29 CEF fee. I changed my mind about shipping until I found out
what this is all about and to try to find a way to avoid this
fee. $40.00 shipping + CEF fees on a $35.00 item is madness. Any suggesti=
ons?
Joan Klotz, Venice, CA
D. Michael Coffee on sat 5 nov 11
Joan,
I ship a lot of international packages. The best way to ship to Canada is v=
=3D
is USPS First Class international Package. Try to keep your package to 12" =
=3D
x 12" x 12" and under 4 pounds in weight. Your shipping fees will be a frac=
=3D
tion of the FedEx price. Your package will take 6-10 business days and ther=
=3D
e is not Delivery Confirmation. Here's a link to the usps website: http://=
=3D
www.usps.com
Hope this helps,
Michael
http://www.dmcarts.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Joan Klotz
To: Clayart
Sent: Sat, Nov 5, 2011 10:46 am
Subject: International Shipping
Perhaps one of you more sophisticated types can help me. Today I
attempted to ship a small bowl to a Canadian buyer on my ETSY site -
a total price of $35.00. The buyer indicated a willingness to pay a
shipping charge of $20.00 (astonished me). But at FedEx I was
charged $20.18 for the shipping (no problem there) and an additional
$19.29 CEF fee. I changed my mind about shipping until I found out
what this is all about and to try to find a way to avoid this
fee. $40.00 shipping + CEF fees on a $35.00 item is madness. Any suggesti=
=3D
ons?
Joan Klotz, Venice, CA
=3D20
Joan Klotz on sat 5 nov 11
Thanks to all of you who so kindly responded to my plea for help re
shipping a pottery sale to Canada. You were all right, the way to go
is with USPS. I hope that this information will be useful to others
on Clayart, I wasted quite a bit of time today on this matter but I
ended the day with a bit of useful education and will certainly
handle similar situations much more efficiently in the future. You
are a great bunch of people!
Joan Klotz,
Venice, CA.
Philip Poburka on sat 5 nov 11
Use the plain old regular Post Office ( not 'UPS' ) for Canada or for any
foreign Country destination...but do stipulate 'Air' ( or else it will go
surface Mail and take five, nine or fifteen weeks to get there ).
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joan Klotz"
> Perhaps one of you more sophisticated types can help me. Today I
> attempted to ship a small bowl to a Canadian buyer on my ETSY site -
> a total price of $35.00. The buyer indicated a willingness to pay a
> shipping charge of $20.00 (astonished me). But at FedEx I was
> charged $20.18 for the shipping (no problem there) and an additional
> $19.29 CEF fee. I changed my mind about shipping until I found out
> what this is all about and to try to find a way to avoid this
> fee. $40.00 shipping + CEF fees on a $35.00 item is madness. Any
> suggestions?
> Joan Klotz, Venice, CA
Brandon Phillips on sat 5 nov 11
Go with USPS, it's just a bit more than domestic shipping and sometimes
takes awhile. I never ship anything UPS or Fedex unless the customer asks
for it. I've never had anything break or even reports of damaged boxes
from USPS...while UPS seems to go out of their way to destroy your box,
not to mention sticking it to you for international.
Brandon Phillips
supportyourlocalpotter.blogspot.com
Stephani Stephenson on sat 5 nov 11
I agree, it is pretty tough to figure out for the occasional internationa=
=3D
l
shipper. UPS has a rather confusing array of services, and it isn't very
clear ahead of time which, if any makes, sense. I shipped a fairly
substantial tile order to Canada one time and used Fedex Ground. it seeme=
=3D
d
like a reasonable amount and a reasonable amount of time for delivery as
well. I thought i had pegged all of the charges. because the shipping wa=
=3D
s a
smaller % of the overall value , so it seemed reasonable.=3D20
however i still ran into a glitch. the glitch was that the customer (who
prepaid the shipping charges to me) wanted me to undervalue the shipment =
=3D
by
a significant amount so he could avid paying the duties on import. he wan=
=3D
ted
me to essentially value ,say ,a $2,500 order at $70. I refused to dothat =
=3D
,
at least to that extent, because this would not even allow me to insure t=
=3D
he
shipment for the standard $100 per box, and this seemed foolhardy to me, =
=3D
in
case of loss or damage.
i think eventually it meant he was responsible for paying approximately=
=3D
a
$200 duty. As i understood it, from Fedex, he had to pay this directly t=
=3D
o
customs ..i couldn't collect it from him and pay it ahead of time.=3D20
Somehow, he managed to get the shipment released to him without paying =
=3D
the
duty . Sure enough, the unpaid bill came back via Fedex Ground to me, th=
=3D
e
shipper. so he burned me for the $200 anyway.
I have to disagree with one of the previous posts on USPS reliability. i=
=3D
think maybe it has to do with regional differences. in earlier years, I s=
=3D
aw
USPS mangle packages in ways that were truly phenomenal. i would say the
same for UPS. i had success with Fedex Ground for many years out of South=
=3D
ern
CA. the only time they failed me was one time they lost a package that wa=
=3D
s
shipped less than 100 miles. it just vanished. i found their claim
procedures to be stacked against payment of a claim unless you jumped
through all the hoops at exactly the right time. however i shipped hundre=
=3D
ds
of shipments with them , and that was the only boo boo.
I am giving the post office another try though. for one, i think they hav=
=3D
e
improved some services. and second they are a lot more convenient and
affordable from my new location . Plus, i really don't want my local pos=
=3D
t
office to close, so i am giving them my business on a trial basis once
again. i still get the jitters shipping anything before christmas though.=
=3D
on
tile orders, if it was close, i use to schedule the shipment for soon aft=
=3D
er
the holidays, instead of just prior. just a lot less tonnage flying throu=
=3D
gh
the air and a lot less tonnage coming in for landings on top of each oth=
=3D
er.
Lee on sat 5 nov 11
On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 7:13 PM, Brandon Phillips <
brandon2@supportyourlocalpotter.com> wrote:
> ...while UPS seems to go out of their way to destroy your box,
> not to mention sticking it to you for international.
>
>
I worked at UPS when shipping was deregulated in the '70s. Customer care
and packaging was all down hill after that. Speed and volume became King.
I always ship via the Post Office. I did from Japan to the USA
and around the world. Only thing that ever broke was a yunomi to Edouard.
--=3D20
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D97tha=
t is, "T=3D
he land
of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent within
itself." -- John O'Donohue
ronnie beezer on sun 6 nov 11
I ship all my international packages via TNT. They charge about a third of =
what UPS or FED EX charge and it takes usually 3 days to get there. You can=
track your package. I've never had a problem with breakage. Ronnie
Vinod Chettur on sun 6 nov 11
Yes. Avoid FedEx and UPS if you can. The buyer also has to pay hefty=3D20
brokerage charges that sometimes exceed the value of the item being sold.=
=3D
=3D20
USPS works very well (with other options upto 70lbs can be sent if requir=
=3D
ed)=3D20
and I try to deal with vendors who can ship through USPS to Canada unless=
=3D
=3D20
it's a very heavy item.
Vinod
Vinod Chettur on sun 6 nov 11
Also, there should be no duty to the Canadian buyer if it a product of US=
=3D
=3D20
origin. With USPS, Canadian buyers pay only a five dollar handling fee pl=
=3D
us=3D20
sales taxes.
V
Richard Aerni on sun 6 nov 11
I ship all of my work via the United States Postal Service now. When =3D
UPS bumped up their accepted shipping sizes and weights some years ago, =3D
I noticed a large increase in my breakage rate, and a similar =3D
disinclination of their insurance arm (outsourced by them to another =3D
company, which then makes more money by denying claims) to pay for =3D
broken pieces. =3D20
I had avoided using the Post Office for years, since I had worked in =3D
Parcel Post for them while saving money to open my studio in the early =3D
and mid 1970s, and knew what the packages went through. But, when UPS =3D
went south, I decided to give them another try. I find that their rates =
=3D
are cheaper, and the survival rate much higher. Not only that, but =3D
their insurance has paid without question whenever there is breakage. =3D
To give you a sense of scale of my operation, I probably ship a couple =3D
of hundred boxes of pots every year, from small parcels 8 inches cubed =3D
up to 24 inch cubed sizes. In two years I've had three pieces break via =
=3D
the Post Office. =3D20
To avoid standing in line at the counter, sometimes with a van load of a =
=3D
couple of dozen large boxes, I have an online account with the Postal =3D
Service via a licensee of the USPS called Stamps.com . For 15.99 per =3D
month, I can get my info about which service to use (parcel =3D
post/priority/next day air, etc) as well as the various costs. I can =3D
get insurance there as well, and print out my labels. I'm told by the =3D
postal clerks at my branch that by doing this I get a discount on =3D
shipping rates, which generally offsets the 15.99 monthly fee. Now I =3D
can do all my labelling and paperwork at home, and drop off parcels at =3D
my branch post office's loading dock on my way to the studio in the =3D
morning. I'm told I can have them pick them up at my studio, but by =3D
doing the drop off, I can have the clerk palletize large orders there on =
=3D
the spot, which minimizes handling and therefore breakage. Also, for =3D
smaller orders, it takes two loading/unloadings off of the menu, making =3D
for less handling. =3D20
I just shipped two orders off to Australia, and found that the =3D
internatiional section of the online Postal Service was easy to use. =3D
Gave you all the options for size and weight, with costs and delivery =3D
time, and even allowed you to print out the customs forms online. Piece =
=3D
of cake. Others might have better ideas and services, but this works =3D
for me.
Best,
Richard Aerni
Rochester, NY...who has been using Darvon for years to make his unwashed =
=3D
ash glazes behave over the long-term...
Philip Poburka on sun 6 nov 11
Except when it gors by Truck or other Surface means, which from the US to
Canada, can and will likely mean several weeks for some reason, even if one
could drive it personally in merely a handfull of Days.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee"
To:
Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2011 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: International Shipping
On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 6:50 PM, Philip Poburka wrote:
> ...but do stipulate 'Air' ( or else it will go
> surface Mail and take five, nine or fifteen weeks to get there ).
There is no international "surface mail" now. It all goes by air.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=F3g ar chul an tI-tIr dlainn trina ch=E9ile"-that is, "The l=
and
of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent within
itself." -- John O'Donohue
Steve Mills on mon 7 nov 11
On the occasions I've needed to do this, I always shop around on the Intern=
e=3D
t and often choose a site like for example Interparcel or Transglobal.net w=
h=3D
o have cut-price deals with people like Fed-ex, UPS, DHL et al.=3D20
Ok these are often Courier services, and what I'm sending are small package=
s=3D
, but the process is quick, breakages rare, the customer willing to pay, a=
n=3D
d the saving significant over going direct to the company.=3D20
However last year I sent a wooden Captain's Chair (NOT a small item) to a f=
r=3D
iend, from the UK to Louisiana via Transglobal for less than half the quote=
d=3D
price from any other company including the one that TG used for the job. =
=3D20=3D
It is worth shopping around the discount shipping sites.=3D20
Steve M
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my Ipod touch
>=3D20
Wendy Peck on mon 7 nov 11
Hi,
I am in Canada, and get plenty of US goods sent here. I won't buy unless th=
e
vendor will send USPS. I sometimes do pay taxes on high-value goods, but
never any duty. UPS is especially bad for adding huge brokerage fees, like
$25+ extra to collect $10 in taxes. I've been very happy with the speed and
condition of goods that come through the postal system. I generally expect =
a
week to 10 days for something to arrive and am rarely disappointed.
Wendy
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