[Jussei]

Hey everyone,

I have a question about international shipping rates when shipping large/heavy items.
I have a Head-Fier interested in purchasing a large chunk of LPs from me. He is in Australia, I am in the US.
I did some research and I'm at a loss finding the most economic way of shipping a heavy package to the outback.
I've shipped plenty of items internationally, but nothing nearly this large. I figure some of you probably have experience with this so I'm looking for suggestions.
As far as what I've found:
If the package has a weight of around 50lbs, USPS can get it there for around $175-200 and UPS wants about $450 (

). There has to be a better way...

Thanks,
Jussei

 

[catachresis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jussei /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey everyone, I have a question about international shipping rates when shipping large/heavy items. I have a Head-Fier interested in purchasing a large chunk of LPs from me. He is in Australia, I am in the US. I did some research and I'm at a loss finding the most economic way of shipping a heavy package to the outback. I've shipped plenty of items internationally, but nothing nearly this large. I figure some of you probably have experience with this so I'm looking for suggestions. As far as what I've found: If the package has a weight of around 50lbs, USPS can get it there for around $175-200 and UPS wants about $450 ( ). There has to be a better way... Thanks, Jussei

International shipping makes everything more complicated and expensive.

The cheapest option ought to be ground US Parcel service. The last time I used a private company to try to get a better rate for shipping something smaller than a pallette, they charged their standard charge and shipped by UPS ground.

Moral: the cheapest and best option might be US Post ground with receipt confirmation and insurance. 'Remember it's a 'gift'"

 

[rbui]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catachresis /img/forum/go_quote.gif The cheapest option ought to be ground US Parcel service. The last time I used a private company to try to get a better rate for shipping something smaller than a pallette, they charged their standard charge and shipped by UPS ground. Moral: the cheapest and best option might be US Post ground with receipt confirmation and insurance. 'Remember it's a 'gift'"

remember it's mail fraud as well

(i've done it as well, so...)

as limited as my experience with international shipping has been, i have also found that USPS is the most economical way to ship internationally. I recently had to ship a medium-sized box to Finland, and although I paid $25 for shipping via USPS, UPS/Fedex/DHL were asking upwards of $45.
50 lbs is definitely heavy, but you're fortunate it isn't any more than that. Once packages start hitting 100lbs, your options become really limited and extremely expensive (even domestic shipments)

 

[Jussei]

Thanks for your responses. The problem that I seem to be running into is the fact that companies must be doing away with ground/economy shipping services. I couldnt find any 'economy' method to ship 50lbs with UPS, FedEx or USPS.

Thanks

 

[xenithon]

BAX Global? They are usually very good for moving large items/packages.

 

[anastassios]

Don't forget to make sure he understands that he will pay customs (unless a miracle happens) for something this heavy.