Anyone outside of the U.S. have relatives/friends ship you DVDs......
02-19-01, 05:22 PM
#1
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The reason I ask, is because I sent a bunch of stuff down to another member here at the forum, our aussie buddy FHRX. I was wondering what method(s) of shipping are the cheapest yet most reliable. I used Fed Ex recently for his shipment and it cost a pretty penny. What is the best route to go that's cost effective and that won't take a year to get to him?
02-19-01, 06:09 PM
#3
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Originally posted by Fhrx
Thanks for asking and looking out for me Def!
Anyone?
Thanks for asking and looking out for me Def!
Anyone?
02-19-01, 08:08 PM
#4
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I do not think that there are many Aussies using U.S addreses. Fhrx is a lucky one to have someone he can trust!
Maybe you could check out.
DHL
TNT
UPS
Good luck.
Beejay
02-19-01, 09:41 PM
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http://www.post2post.com/ -- this was suggested in the past by Anali ; sort of your own US mailbox. I don't know about their shipping rates though --- maybe someone can tell us.
02-19-01, 10:03 PM
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Until they got tired of going to the post office I used to have my parents ship it to my via USPS. It was about $10 for 4-5 DVDs and they came in 3 days.
Geno
Geno
02-19-01, 10:08 PM
#9
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Originally posted by geno
Until they got tired of going to the post office I used to have my parents ship it to my via USPS. It was about $10 for 4-5 DVDs and they came in 3 days.
Geno
Until they got tired of going to the post office I used to have my parents ship it to my via USPS. It was about $10 for 4-5 DVDs and they came in 3 days.
Geno
I went to the post office and it was almost the same price as fed ex. in fact they didn't offer insurance and tracking information.
Originally posted by Fhrx
Hey Def, you know only ten people visit this forum a day!
Hey Def, you know only ten people visit this forum a day!
02-20-01, 12:44 AM
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I recently asked Mikerena one of the dvdtalk member to help me out in ordering a Microsoft Intelli Explorer mouse cause they dont import to Japan and even if they do its very very expensive,so he got it posted for $7.00 using USPS but it took like 3 weeks.And they never get lost....allmost never!So far none to me!
Fed Ex and other couriers are expensive so USPS is the best and cheapest for Intl orders out of US
Fed Ex and other couriers are expensive so USPS is the best and cheapest for Intl orders out of US
02-20-01, 03:25 AM
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Air Mail
Air Mail via your Post Office is your best choice for security and cost. Be sure to mark all your packages to other people as gifts with a low value so they avoid possible customs fees. Couriers are faster but generally they charge you outrageous prices, are more likely to damage your packages, and can hit you with ridiculous brokerage charges (their version of customs fees....the fillout a few lines on a piece of paper to clear your package through customs and they charge you a riduculous amount of money, superb! Not sure what governs this, as each courier is different with regards to their brokerage fees).
02-20-01, 10:22 AM
#13
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Hmmmm...... I may have to go to a different post office. The lady I talked to, said I only had one option to send it out. Live above, it was going to cost about the same. Hmmmm.....I may have to file a complaint with the Post Office if there's a cheaper alternative that I wasn't made known about. 
02-21-01, 08:26 PM
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padded envelopes
My mom used either padded envelopes or regular envelopes that would fit 4-5 DVDs inside (2X2 width wise), so the envelopes were probably 8X10 or 11X14. The cost of shipping varied between $10 - $12 depending of course on the weight. From Hawaii it was in my arms within 3 days.
Geno
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02-22-01, 10:57 AM
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I recently traded some discs with some members on the xchange board (I can recommed that method for acquiring some HTF stuff, btw) and found that shipping via regular post office in a padded envelope works fine. Shipped from California to Canada in 4 business days.
But an important factor to remember is the dreaded 'loose disc syndrome'! One way I have seen to remedy this is to open the package and pad the inside with a folded up paper towel. Works perfectly and the disc remains happy and snug.
At least I think it looked happy. It was certainly snug.
But an important factor to remember is the dreaded 'loose disc syndrome'! One way I have seen to remedy this is to open the package and pad the inside with a folded up paper towel. Works perfectly and the disc remains happy and snug.
At least I think it looked happy. It was certainly snug.
02-22-01, 01:13 PM
#21
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Re: padded envelopes
Originally posted by geno
My mom used either padded envelopes or regular envelopes that would fit 4-5 DVDs inside (2X2 width wise), so the envelopes were probably 8X10 or 11X14. The cost of shipping varied between $10 - $12 depending of course on the weight. From Hawaii it was in my arms within 3 days.
Geno
My mom used either padded envelopes or regular envelopes that would fit 4-5 DVDs inside (2X2 width wise), so the envelopes were probably 8X10 or 11X14. The cost of shipping varied between $10 - $12 depending of course on the weight. From Hawaii it was in my arms within 3 days.
Geno
02-22-01, 06:26 PM
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What's really ironic Def is that because I used to work for QANTAS, I get 90% off airfairs, so for AU$50 more, I could have come over and picked them up in person!
03-09-01, 01:45 PM
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I used to have a forummember, Evanm (thanks!), send me packets via registered Small Packet Airmail; it was $27.60 for about 15 DVDs ($21.60 postage + $6 registration). Registration is a sort of tracking, but far from realtime - you can only make inquiries after 30 days of shipping I believe. Still, it does work - my mother was able to recover a package that was addressed to her (in Estonia) but had gotten lost somewhere in Norway. It also includes a $40 insurance.
USPS has now ended Small Packet service and is offering Global Airmail Letter Post instead. Starting from ~3 pounds, Global Airmail Parcel Post is cheaper. Parcel post can't be registered but can be insured and insurance is much cheaper than registration. Don't know if it includes tracking though.
There's a USPS intl. rate calculator at:
http://ircalc.usps.gov/
Of and BTW the friend who shipped me stuff has changed jobs and wants to end the DVD export business so I am looking for someone reliable who'd reship me stuff. There is a huge issue - sending money to US is either tough or expensive. Paypal won't accept my home country, so I used to cover the friend's expenses by buying him GCs to a store of his choice, but GCs aren't real money. Thus such service would be a in a "huge favor" category.
USPS has now ended Small Packet service and is offering Global Airmail Letter Post instead. Starting from ~3 pounds, Global Airmail Parcel Post is cheaper. Parcel post can't be registered but can be insured and insurance is much cheaper than registration. Don't know if it includes tracking though.
There's a USPS intl. rate calculator at:
http://ircalc.usps.gov/
Of and BTW the friend who shipped me stuff has changed jobs and wants to end the DVD export business so I am looking for someone reliable who'd reship me stuff. There is a huge issue - sending money to US is either tough or expensive. Paypal won't accept my home country, so I used to cover the friend's expenses by buying him GCs to a store of his choice, but GCs aren't real money. Thus such service would be a in a "huge favor" category.
