International Shipping Suggestion

[bornagainst]

USPS - Priority Mail International Prices

Would these be more cost efficient to send out to folks outside of the US?

These do come with online tracking (for what it's worth) and at least could help make things easier for those who don't place larger orders.

Worth a looksie?

 

[AJMoore]

I use that for mailing gifts to my kids in the UK. My friend here owns the UPS Store and tells me the USPS is the way to go for Europe. Don't know about other places.

 

[2Packsaday]

I will grant you that the prices are very good. But, you get what you pay for. If the package arrives, all is well. When the package gets lost, it is generally never found.

My company ships to 74 different countries and has tried international mail on small orders. You never know how long it will take for delivery and more than 10% of packages simply got lost in the system. As you already know, their tracking is a joke and is even worse overseas. The main problem with USPS Tracking is it cannot be used to track down a lost package. So why even have it at all?

Sending a letter overseas via USPS works. Since packages have to go through customs, they have a harder time getting delivered. There are two reasons why you pay so much extra for for DHL, UPS, and FedEx. One being quicker delivery, the other reason is that they are better at the customs brokerage.

 

[FisherPal]

Would be nice, though. I know that the $25 for shipping has prevented me from making a smaller order many times. Then, by the time I can justify a large enough order, I've forgotten what it was that I wanted before! Man ... it's hell to get old.

 

[2Packsaday]

Although, there was still a few lost packages, we did find sending Int'l Mail to Canada worked out statistically better than overseas shipments. If I was to guess, the lost package rate was less than half of the overall rate.

We still use USPS to Canada on small packages containing free items sent to customers (extra power supplies, extra cables, etc.). They seem to make it virtually every time.

If we shipped orders that we charged for, they would have to go through customs and who knows if they would ever arrive to the customer.

 

[AJMoore]

The shipping costs have gone down. I think you can order for as low as $7.00 shipping

from Health Cabin that is.

 

[Steamin' E.]

I'm currently waiting for my first-ever orders from a certain juice company and from Vapor4life. They were both shipped via USPS 1st class/Priority international. The delivery time for both services is supposedly 6-10 days.

Today is day ten for the juice package, and day nine for the V4L order. The juice company provided me with a tracking number, but USPS hasn't updated the tracking info since March 18th, when the package cleared customs. I'm worried. V4L did not provide me with a tracking number, so I feel very much in the dark.

I'm desperately excited to get my stuff, but this waiting period has, from time to time, seemed like some strangely inventive form of medieval torture. The uncertainty is killing me, and now, hearing talk about more than 10% of USPS shipments getting "lost" in the mail is not helping calm my nerves. 10% is an insanely high number.

There's got to be a more reliable way to ship ecig products that includes paying any customs charges that are due in order to move towards a 100% delivery success rate.

Ideas?

 

[Belletrist]

yeah--gifts to canada (i actually mail them quite a bit, lol, hi shifty!) do great with priority int'l. customs is a whole diff story.

 

[Topso]

I cant order from V4L anymore due to the high shipping, i would love to order more from them, but i cant if its going to be 24 dollars for shipping. Im sorry but thats to much for me.
Pls V4L think of changing it to something cheaper

 

[Topso]

This needs a bump

 

[Steamin' E.]

Update:

My order from that juice-only company arrived on business day number 10! Aah, priority international! How sweet it is!

But, as it turns out, I made a mistake in my previous post in this thread -- I had been under the impression that V4L, too, shipped with USPS Priority Int'l. Whoops. Valerie's email to me today cleared things right up for me. USPS First Class Int'l takes approximately 2 to 4 weeks! Aaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! I've already waited half a month, and now I find out that I might have to wait another two weeks? I repeat: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if I can maintain my sanity anymore ... at least I'm on vacation for the next 12 days (hey, maybe I'll go hang out with Steve while he's on his vacation).

 

[sonnetjie]

All my packages from V4L made it here safely within 5 to 8ish work days. Even had one opened by biosecurity that arrived safely with all items present. But $24 shipping has kept me from ordering more frequent smaller amounts. I now have to wait to have money and an order of about $100 to make it worthwhile. But if I had to choose between paying more and getting my stuff, I'd rather get my stuff. I would be willing to wait a while longer if I got it shipped cheaper though.