Cheapest International shipping rates
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:06 am 
 

Who never been disappointed by the international price of shipping? And who neven changed his mind about bidding on an item because of extra price to add for postage?



I was recently very disappointed because I was unable to bid properly on a nice lot including a lot a nice items because I have to add around $60 for postage). I would have bid around $160 otherwise. Perhaps more.

US collectors are very lucky to be able to grab copies of a lot of things for cheap when European collectors have to pay frequently more for postage than for the item...



So, here is my concern:

What are the cheapest ways of shipping from each location? Is there any way to avoid expensive priority mail for heavy package? It would be very interesting to know for each country to be able to ask sellers if they accept to ship this way.



In US, not all states allow International Airmail M-Bag if I understand correctly, since some sellers said it is ok, and some others said that it does not exist in their location... USPS mentions nothing about some restriction in some States.



In France, we can send anything under 3kg as letter mail. It is definitely less expensive than package mail (colissimo) but there is no tracking number (for me it is not a problem, on hundreds of items shipped overseas, I had no lost package, so why to pay more?). Over 3kg, we have to ship as package (which is very expensive, even economic package). There is no other cheapest method.



In UK, it exists Parcel2go, but certainly some others?



In Germany, I do not remember, but one seller shipped a very heavy package to me for cheap (5kg for something like 15€)



From Australia, I don't know. Brette?


Adventures in Austerion : a fantasy RPG, with boardgame mechanisms and modular battlemap. By Guillaume Tavernier and Géraud G.


Last edited by lokiwookie on Sun Aug 08, 2010 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:07 am 
 

lokiwookie wrote:In US, not all states allow International Airmail M-Bag if I understand correctly, since some sellers said it is ok, and some others said that it does not exist in their location... USPS mentions nothing about some restriction in some States.


There is no way that USPS has different rules in different states.  M-Bag is a pretty obscure way to ship, so most people don't know about it, though.

Ultimately, the problem you have is a pretty obvious one - most of the games were created and published in the US, so that's where most of the books still are.  If you want to ship it out of the US, it costs a lot.  Those of us here have the same problem when we want to buy UK or Australian materials.

The best thing you can probably do is to work with someone here to help you stockpile items and then combine shipping later.  So win a US auction today, have it sent within the US to someone.  Win another in a week, have it sent to the same person.  Eventually you build up enough of a pile to have that person send on to you.

There isn't really any other way around international shipping costs.


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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:28 am 
 

I'd agree with that, its probably the best way.

It's logical really when you consider the print locations, but it always surprises me that there is so much more in the US than anywhere else..  :lol:

However, even boxed, you can get 5-6 mega modules into a box and shipped for $15. I did recently. However, on large scale, it's going to kill you on costs.

I've found that sometimes it's cheaper to buy (or sell and ship for that matter) from the US or Europe than the UK! What I recently got from the US for $15, I don't doubt for one minute that I would have been charged £10+ in the UK.

I've never looked at couriers for large items, but the Royal Mail site is pretty accurate if you can weigh items correctly.


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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:42 am 
 

TheHistorian wrote:The best thing you can probably do is to work with someone here to help you stockpile items and then combine shipping later.  So win a US auction today, have it sent within the US to someone.  Win another in a week, have it sent to the same person.  Eventually you build up enough of a pile to have that person send on to you.


Yes, I did this several times (a big thanks to smarmy1 who is a perfect US proxy, reliable, easy, sympathic, and so on, a great guy; and to all other that offered their helps too when I asked, like faro or chromaticknight, great guys too)

But it is always embarrassing to ask someone to collect and have to keep things during a long time, then to repack everything, etc. I know that Acaeum members are all nice and convenient people who always like to help, but most of time I prefer not to bother them with this :)

And I guess that a lot of other buyers here do not  dare ask members that they don't really know. So it is why I am trying to highlight the cheapest international shipping way from each country and everyone would be able to use them :)

If anyone needs a proxy in France, of course, do not hesitate ;) even I know that most of you does not collecting French RPG (those are pretty good though)


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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:47 am 
 

ashmire13 wrote:It's logical really when you consider the print locations, but it always surprises me that there is so much more in the US than anywhere else..  :lol:


For fanzines, we have an impressive list of products in France :) For example, I had an incomplete list of fanzines released in the 80's, and I had more than 100 different fanzines.
For RPG, hundreds of products (not translations from US/UK products but original RPGs/Supplements) were made during this era too. I guess that after US, France is the country that released the greater number of original RPG books (not translations), even before UK.


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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:54 am 
 

lokiwookie wrote:
For fanzines, we have an impressive list of products in France :) For example, I had an incomplete list of fanzines released in the 80's, and I had more than 100 different fanzines.
For RPG, hundreds of products (not translations from US/UK products but original RPGs/Supplements) were made during this era too. I guess that after US, France is the country that released the greater number of original RPG books (not translations), even before UK.


I'd be interested in that, if its written in the correct language...    :twisted:  :wink:  :lol:


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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:12 am 
 

ashmire13 wrote:
I'd be interested in that, if its written in the correct language...    :twisted:  :wink:  :lol:


:lol: of course, in the correct one, in French!
You should try to learn French, there is great items (like several non-TSR modules which are very interesting to play). As in German, some nice items too.


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Post Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 12:03 pm 
 

lokiwookie wrote:
:lol: of course, in the correct one, in French!
You should try to learn French, there is great items (like several non-TSR modules which are very interesting to play). As in German, some nice items too.


:wink:  I know French, but having learnt it many years ago at school and used only on holiday, my reading of it is not strong.  :lol:


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Post Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 9:52 pm 
 

lokiwookie wrote:I was recently very disappointed because I was unable to bid properly on a nice lot including a lot a nice items because I have to add around $60 for postage). I would have bid around $160 otherwise. Perhaps more.


Rather more than admittedly good-looking CDM2, anyhow. ;)



Aside from the obvious use of a US-based proxy (duel classing to reseller preferred in the above case?), the best avenues of approach here might've been to ask whether the lot could be split prior to any bids being received or, failing that and any negotiations to use the cheapest international shipping available, to simply ditch the items that aren't required.



> In US, not all states allow International Airmail M-Bag if I understand correctly, since some sellers said it is ok, and some others said that it does not exist in their location... USPS mentions nothing about some restriction in some States.



It depends on the post office, Géraud, but tends to work better if the precise URL link is sent to the seller before the auction and that's then printed/presented to the post office for confirmation of availability and/or again when sending, depending on the seller's schedule.



02c, anyhow...


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Post Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 9:24 am 
 

faro wrote:Rather more than admittedly good-looking CDM2, anyhow. ;)


For the CDM2, I don't know what happen to my mind... i became crazy :?

In the lot, I was interested in the Ysgarth boxed set. It is still missing in my collection :( I didn't notice that Weres the Accursed was included.
The London by Night boxed set is VHTF too (but already own one).

I don't know if it is a member here who won this lot.


faro wrote:It depends on the post office, Géraud, but tends to work better if the precise URL link is sent to the seller before the auction and that's then printed/presented to the post office for confirmation of availability and/or again when sending, depending on the seller's schedule.


It is true that M-Bag is not a well-known way of shipping and several sellers told me that the post-officer didn't even know what is it  8O


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Post Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:36 pm 
 

> For the CDM2, I don't know what happen to my mind... i became crazy :?

Better to be $40 over there than $400+ over on a Tamo or two? (oops...)

> In the lot, I was interested in the Ysgarth boxed set. It is still missing in my collection :( I didn't notice that Weres the Accursed was included.
The London by Night boxed set is VHTF too (but already own one).

If you'd dropped a note as before re. proxy bidding mentioning that you only needed that one it would probably have worked out at or below ~$40 + postage to France for the Ysgarth box, presuming no-one else was bidding. (Albeit I've been hunting those Weres for a long time, too, which might've been a bit awkward...).


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Post Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:50 pm 
 

faro wrote:Better to be $40 over there than $400+ over on a Tamo or two? (oops...)


:lol:  :lol:

faro wrote: (Albeit I've been hunting those Weres for a long time, too, which might've been a bit awkward...).


I bought mine from tfm, last year, with several other Ysgarth books. I didn't think that it is a so HTF Ysgarth supplement.


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Post Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:31 pm 
 

Weres is a tough one to find.  The TFM copy, now Lokiwookie copy, is one of 3 that I am aware of.  If I realized that lot included the Weres I would have bid on it (I needed a copy back then - I still need that print though :) )

I need to get my searches back up too or I might have (probably would have) put in a few bids on recent items as well.  I could use a Ysgarth box and do need a London By Night.  Those Fantasy Factory cards and Larry Leeds Combat matrix would have been nice too.  My ever watching eyes are currently asleep.  I'll be on vacation for 3 weeks in Europe pretty soon too - will miss some more good stuff.

From Canada, the cheapest rates seem to be small packet which is up to 2Kg (about $52 Airmail or $25 Surface).  For larger packages such as to Australia, the max is a 20Kg package which cost about $158 but may take 8-10 weeks.

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Post Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:28 pm 
 

Mars wrote:Weres is a tough one to find.  The TFM copy, now Lokiwookie copy, is one of 3 that I am aware of.  If I realized that lot included the Weres I would have bid on it (I needed a copy back then - I still need that print though :) )


I remember you said the same for the TFM lot :) that you would had bid if you realized that Weres was included in his lot.
Do you know who own the 2 other copies?

Some very interesting items ended these last weeks, mostly at decent prices. Ian sold several ones, that went for cheap too (insanely cheap!)


Mars wrote:I'll be on vacation for 3 weeks in Europe pretty soon too - will miss some more good stuff.


You will see real good stuff in Europe :smurfin:


Mars wrote:From Canada, the cheapest rates seem to be small packet which is up to 2Kg (about $52 Airmail or $25 Surface).  For larger packages such as to Australia, the max is a 20Kg package which cost about $158 but may take 8-10 weeks.


So the regular Post service is the cheapest in Canada? As in France.
It seems that only it's only in UK and in Germany it exists cheaper ways of shipping than regular ones.
In France other services (like UPS or Chronopost) are very expensive.


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Post Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:51 pm 
 

I have one of the other copies of Weres (a different print from what you have) and the other copy is owned by another member here as well.

Any of the other methods of shipping from Canada end up being couriers which are generally much more expensive.

I should be able to get to the gaming store in Edinburgh and maybe one in Glasgow.  If anyone knows of any good stores in Barcelona, Valencia, Prague or Brno (or near these places) I'd be interested in the details.

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Post Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:27 am 
 

Mars wrote:I have one of the other copies of Weres (a different print from what you have)


What are the differences? On cover?

Mars wrote:I should be able to get to the gaming store in Edinburgh and maybe one in Glasgow.  If anyone knows of any good stores in Barcelona, Valencia, Prague or Brno (or near these places) I'd be interested in the details.


Very nice trip!

It is always very hard to find a good store in foreign countries. I tried to find one in Moscow but never had the chance. I discovered that Cthulhu was something like an Icon in Russia for teenagers but had not understand why (it is complicate to understand Russian girls when they are speaking an admixture of Russian, French and English). If anyone knows one, for the next time...

Looking for Brno Gaming store, I found this
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx ... ameday-eur
Perhaps it could help


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Post Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 3:11 pm 
 

lokiwookie wrote:Looking for Brno Gaming store, I found this
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx ... ameday-eur
Perhaps it could help

=> http://www.magic-guru.cz/dnn/Kdehr%C3%A ... fault.aspx

Not sure about reading material, but I'd be tempted to ask them if they had any Czech gaming posters they might be willing to part with. :)


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Post Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 3:49 pm 
 

They will say yes, but "you have to paint our storefront" :)

http://www.hrajumagic.cz/files/club/201/pict7924.JPG


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