shipping to Europe from the US question • Collecting General • The Acaeum

The Acaeum Forums • Collecting General

shipping to Europe from the US question
	Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2

Author

beermotor
Active Collector

Posts: 92
Joined: Feb 15, 2005
Last Visit: Sep 07, 2012
Location: Atlanta, GA

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 1:07 pm

Hi guys - I had a bunch of euros win most of my old MERP stuff (holy crap some of those books went for nice amounts, considering how awful the game system is to play) so I am in the process of figuring out how to ship the stuff to them. What I want to know is, what is the bare minimum I have to get on the item to protect myself as much as possible from a negative feedback due to lost/stolen item? Delivery confirmation / tracking number? any help is greatly appreciated!

draco76
Prolific Collector

Posts: 628
Joined: Oct 11, 2004
Last Visit: Mar 15, 2007
Location: Illinois

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 1:24 pm

that stuff is hard to get overseas, parsel airmail is only way I know and it costs ALOT.

Global Priority mail flat rate envelopes $9 per is about the best/cheapest way can stuff 2-3 of those merp books probably, its fast but still no tracking once it leaves the USA but you can prove you shipped it because they track it till it leaves the usa at least.

bombadil
Long-Winded Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 3807
Joined: Feb 23, 2005
Last Visit: Oct 10, 2023

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 1:30 pm

beer, congrats on the sales. You definitely want confirmed air parcel, even though it costs an ass and a leg. I had a package of early printing supplements go missing via air letter to Italy without tracking or confirmation (you can't get confirmation on international air letter post for some reason). They finally showed up 43 days later, but only after I had refunded the buyer's paypal purchase. I did get my refund back, though, so it ended well. Just a lot of unnecessary stress.

fluffmaister
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 134
Joined: Jan 23, 2005
Last Visit: Feb 01, 2014
Location: The Netherlands

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:48 pm

My 2 cents, as a European having shipped surface and air, for M-bag, letter and parcel

Tracking in practically impossible. USPS mostly tracks till the USA-border and that's about it. Not speaking about the cost involved and the fact it can still go wrong (the discovery of having a package delivered in The Netherlands which had an Italian address on it was....surprising)

If you want things to be over a.s.a.p. tell them you want to ship air (not the slow surface) and mandatory insurance (which rules out M-Bag).

So I'd recommend you GPM for single books and airmail parcel for packages. And if a package doesn't arrive, tell them to wait AT LEAST 45 days after shipment due to delays, customs, stupidity, etc. I've waited between 28 and 48 days for surface and between 3 and 23 days for air. Being a European and buying from an American involves patience, willpower and persistence, lots of it. Our postal surfaces require it :lol:

Hope this helps

Beyondthebreach
Verbose Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1709
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Last Visit: Aug 23, 2016
Location: Chandler, AZ

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:59 pm

Must admit - I have shipped at least 300+ international packages. Never even had a slight delay, much less a lost or damaged package.

Global Priority everything that fits. Airmail (letter or parcel) everything else.

Make sure you use the correct customs forms. Declare everything "Books" or "Used Books".

Unless you are adding insurance with Airmail parcel post, give a low estimate to the value so it doesn't get held up in customs (make sure you DON'T include a copy of the invoice if you do this!)

Write or type clearly and legibly. Package everything between cardboard to prevent damage and tape everything up to discourage customs from opening it (my theory, I doubt they even care about low value books).

I still maintain that most (if not all) of these so-called "terrible experiences shipping internationally" are due to seller error in packaging (or, perhaps, being TOO honest on the value declared on the customs form).

Of course, "fudging" the truth is up to you . . .

"Gleemonex makes it feel like it's seventy-two degrees in your head... all... the... time! "

beermotor
Active Collector

Posts: 92
Joined: Feb 15, 2005
Last Visit: Sep 07, 2012
Location: Atlanta, GA

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:53 pm

thanks guys. I have found that air parcel post w/ insurance is generally the cheapest, unless a package is heavy (> 4lbs). I sold a couple things to a couple italians, and I am thinking I might get screwed (as in non-paid) by them and have to relist those items... the germans and swedes seem to be pretty OK with paying outrageous shipping. One Aussie owes me quite a bit of money for a few MERP books - probably going to global priority mail his stuff since it's not much more expensive and won't take 4 years to get to him.

Again - thanks for the help. I'm a novice seller.

rosenkav
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 343
Joined: Feb 28, 2005
Last Visit: Dec 28, 2017
Location: Turin, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:45 am

beermotor wrote:thanks guys. I have found that air parcel post w/ insurance is generally the cheapest, unless a package is heavy (> 4lbs). I sold a couple things to a couple italians, and I am thinking I might get screwed (as in non-paid) by them and have to relist those items... the germans and swedes seem to be pretty OK with paying outrageous shipping. One Aussie owes me quite a bit of money for a few MERP books - probably going to global priority mail his stuff since it's not much more expensive and won't take 4 years to get to him.

Again - thanks for the help. I'm a novice seller.

Beer, why you feel that?

I am Italian, and though I understand some of my compatriots are sneaky, I've never found here scammers like some very well known to members of the Acaeum - d***heads who are consistently based in USA and UK.

I generally pay with PayPal upfront - and my first choice is to pay outrageous shipping fees to get the material to me quickly and efficiently.

IMHO, ship with a trackable method - so you have a receipt of the shipping. That would make your customer happy.

"It's mint, it's a first print, and it's mine!"

KA-POW

"Not anymore".

deimos3428
Long-Winded Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 3066
Joined: Jul 09, 2004
Last Visit: Apr 30, 2015

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:19 am

rosenkav wrote:I am Italian, and though I understand some of my compatriots are sneaky, I've never found here scammers like some very well known to members of the Acaeum - d***heads who are consistently based in USA and UK.

Ah, English is fun sometimes. I was all prepared to write back a scathing "how dare you call us scammers (and d***heads, too!)" post, when I reparsed the sentence and it made sense. :lol:

rosenkav
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 343
Joined: Feb 28, 2005
Last Visit: Dec 28, 2017
Location: Turin, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:24 am

deimos3428 wrote:
rosenkav wrote:I am Italian, and though I understand some of my compatriots are sneaky, I've never found here scammers like some very well known to members of the Acaeum - d***heads who are consistently based in USA and UK.

Ah, English is fun sometimes. I was all prepared to write back a scathing "how dare you call us scammers (and d***heads, too!)" post, when I reparsed the sentence and it made sense.

Well, of course I wasn't referring myself to the Most Honorable Members of The Acaeum :) but to some blokes whose practices have been described all-too-well in other threads - and who truly deserve Ye Scathing Posts

"It's mint, it's a first print, and it's mine!"

KA-POW

"Not anymore".

draco76
Prolific Collector

Posts: 628
Joined: Oct 11, 2004
Last Visit: Mar 15, 2007
Location: Illinois

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:24 am

I just had a Global Priority envelope show up to a guy who I sent it to on the 8th of march lol. Took a freaken month I know the guy was thinking I had screwed him ........

rosenkav
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 343
Joined: Feb 28, 2005
Last Visit: Dec 28, 2017
Location: Turin, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:34 am

By the way, I received today a package from Tonya (yes, I helped pay her tuition too...) with some items I bought - it has been sent the 27th of March via airmail.

So, you can't draw a fine line in that - packs sent to me via air mail have arrived in 5 days minimum, and more than 40 maximum.

So, just tell your customer that he should practice faith.

And a good dose of luck.

"It's mint, it's a first print, and it's mine!"

KA-POW

"Not anymore".

Beyondthebreach
Verbose Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1709
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Last Visit: Aug 23, 2016
Location: Chandler, AZ

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:51 am

Incidentally, there is another reason shipping may be slow to Italy. As it happens, Italy uses a 5 digit all-numeric system for their postal codes - just as the USA does.

Since I see the postal workers at my local station so often, we are always chatting about something or other. . . . there is a known "problem" when shipping to Italy in that:

1) Italy uses the same postal code system as the US (which means they can be mistaken easily - at least by postal workers :roll:

)

2) Italy does not participate in the Global Priority Mail system. This further compounds the post code issue as it is immediately obvious that a package is international if it is in a GPM envelope. Since Italy is all Airmail, their packages look like anything sent in the US.

This results in packages getting sent to the US zip that corresponds with the Italian post code. Then the packages have to be "figured" out by the postal employees and redelivered (causing obvious delays).

The "recommended" solution to this problem is to write ITALY in VERY LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS directly below the post code.

"Gleemonex makes it feel like it's seventy-two degrees in your head... all... the... time! "

nn
Prolific Collector

Posts: 160
Joined: Dec 07, 2002
Last Visit: Feb 04, 2021

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 12:02 pm

Also, the italian domestic postal service is the worst in western europe.

rosenkav
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 343
Joined: Feb 28, 2005
Last Visit: Dec 28, 2017
Location: Turin, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 1:03 pm

The italian postal service has been privatized quite recently - in the past it was really one of the worst of Europe. It's improving, but too slowly... too much for the needs of collectors like me.

"It's mint, it's a first print, and it's mine!"

KA-POW

"Not anymore".

jkason
Prolific Collector

Posts: 502
Joined: Jan 11, 2005
Last Visit: Apr 19, 2024
Location: Derby, CT

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:31 pm

rosenkav wrote:The italian postal service has been privatized quite recently - in the past it was really one of the worst of Europe. It's improving, but too slowly... too much for the needs of collectors like me.

Just wondering...

If there has ever been an incident of an Italian Postal employee "going postal", and if it had anything to do with being frustrated about the work environment.

Not that it's a good thing, but something I wonder about.

Dave, get the barbarian in the corner a drink, quick!

rosenkav
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 343
Joined: Feb 28, 2005
Last Visit: Dec 28, 2017
Location: Turin, Italy

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 5:20 am

I remember one interesting case. One italian postman didn't like this much his job... and so he kept amassing the unconsigned letters in his house. When the postal authorities investigated, they found a total of - if I remember well - two tons of letters lying around in his house.

He defended telling them he wanted to give the stamps to his girlfriend (not really, that's a joke :lol: ) - but the news are absolutely right.

The fact is that this kind of offense is treated very lightly in italian law - something much less than stealing - and it's a federal crime in the Usa instead, so the postal service is much more respected (on one side) and taken seriously (on the other).

"It's mint, it's a first print, and it's mine!"

KA-POW

"Not anymore".

Alexander
Verbose Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1290
Joined: Nov 24, 2002
Last Visit: Feb 11, 2024
Location: Brescia, Italy

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 4:58 pm

rosenkav wrote:The italian postal service has been privatized quite recently

The Italian Post Office hasn't been privatized. It has been transformed in a wholly government owned corporation, as a 'prelude'

to privatization. I suppose that when and if the IPO is privatized, the very first thing we will see is a raise of rates :cry:

About shipping here, I must say that parcels arrive here regularly and the waiting time is not too scandalous (i am still waiting for a book I bought over a month ago and the seller didn't answer to my emails, so perhaps a Good Old Negative feedback is on its way for him...). But if you want to be on extra safe side, perhaps you could send the goods via registered mail (I always use this system when shipping outside Italy any packages under 2 kilos of weight) or some kind of insurance. State clearly to your customer that if he wants a cheap shipping rate, he will have to wait between 2 and 3 months.

Alexander
Verbose Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1290
Joined: Nov 24, 2002
Last Visit: Feb 11, 2024
Location: Brescia, Italy

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 5:02 pm

jkason wrote:
rosenkav wrote:The italian postal service has been privatized quite recently - in the past it was really one of the worst of Europe. It's improving, but too slowly... too much for the needs of collectors like me.

Just wondering...

If there has ever been an incident of an Italian Postal employee "going postal", and if it had anything to do with being frustrated about the work environment.

Not that it's a good thing, but something I wonder about.

I remember many years ago, when working on Rune magazine, I talked with a subscriber telling me that a postman had found an innovative way to deliver mail - he threw it in the sewers! After subsequent floods of complains, he was discovered (very idiotic way to behave...

)

The Acaeum Forums • Collecting General

Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2