International Shipping?

[DanBailey]

Anyone else had headaches with International Shipping? I've got a customer in Singapore waiting on his frame and fork, and UPS and the USPS are both quoting me prices between $350 and $600 to get it there (due, no doubt, in part to the size of the box). He's telling me that a buddy had a Indy Fab shipped to him over there for $95.

Thus, as you can imagine, I'm trying to find a better solution. However, my Google-Fu is failing me. Anyone have any ideas on how to get a frame from Minneapolis to Singapore without costing an arm and a leg?

[hampco]

i've never found a cheap way to do it and $350 sounds like a good way to go.

$95 would only make sense if IF sent a box of tubes with instructions on how to weld - but maybe i'm missing a deal i need to learn about.

[zetroc]

Dan - do you have a UPS account and Worldship or is that a quote from a UPS Store?

[DanBailey]

Dan - do you have a UPS account and Worldship or is that a quote from a UPS Store?

UPS Store quote. Given the nature of your response, I'm guessing that I should talk to UPS about a business account?

[Eric Estlund]

It's not really a headache, so much as the cost of international shipping. I just sent a bike to Germany for roughly the same cost- it's just what it is.

Business accounts and higher volume shipping will help. There are some private contractors that bulk ship via normal carriers- might be worth looking at a consolidation service. Some countries are more challenging then others with size restrictions, etc.

In some cases it ends up being less expensive to send the frame set in one box and the parts in another.

[zetroc]

It's often cheaper to set up a business account with major shippers instead of going to their retail outlets. FedEx and UPS Stores are often staffed by people who don't care about charging you correctly, but care more about charging you the maximum possible shipping cost.

You might also want to take a close look at your packaging. UPS and FedEx use something called Dimensional Weight to calculate certain shipping charges - this isn't plain box dimensions and box weight, but a formula:

UPS: How to Determine Billable Weight
FedEx - Dimensional weight calculator

Both FedEx and UPS will let you set up a basic account with a credit card and print shipping labels from your computer. Their shipping calculators will give you some more flexibility in choosing your packaging methods, too - sometimes you can see an inch or two make a big difference, and that's not something the guy at the UPS Store is going to tell you about. Good luck.

[sam]

The UPS stores are a franchise they are not owned or run by ups, they have to charge you what UPS charges, plus charge you on top of that so they can run their business. It is way cheaper to deal with UPS direct.

[Clockwork]

I've shipped frames to Japan, Spain, Europe via USPS with insurance always for under $100. If you go to the post office they have options that are not available on their website.

-Joel

[Jamie Medeiros]

Try the US Postal Service if it is just a frame. That is what we use for all our overseas frame shipments. We use TNT if it is a complete bicycle.

[Dave Anderson]

Hi Dan,

I can echo much of what everyone else has said here. Unfortunately, though, sending stuff to Singapore limits your options. For most of Europe, Japan and many other countries, as long as you can keep the box under 108 combined inches, the USPS is by far the cheapest way to go. I use boxes that are 36 x 27 x 8, which is a good frame and fork size. The cost is always under $100 for Priority mail international. However, the Priority size limit for Singapore is only 79 combined inches and so the only other option for that country is Global express, which is generally on par, price wise, with UPS or FedEx or etc. (UPS actually moves a lot of the USPS Express packages).

Dave

[crumpton]

listen to hampco, he knows. ~ $95 will get your frame box most places on USPS but with a max of $600 coverage if anything goes wrong. UPS and Fedex are gonna get from $350 up depending on value but you can get whatever value you claim and pay for.

if the customer wants to cheap out on USPS get it in writing and it is on them if it goes pear shape. i only ship fedex intl and make that known before i get a deposit.

[Dave Anderson]

<cut>......but with a max of $600 coverage if anything goes wrong.

It depends on the destination. I just sent a frameset to Japan via USPS Priority, insured for $3,500....and could have gotten up to $5,000 in coverage.

[crumpton]

It depends on the destination. I just sent a frameset to Japan via USPS Priority, insured for $3,500....and could have gotten up to $5,000 in coverage.

for $95?

[Dave Anderson]

for $95?

No, point taken, is was about $112 with that much insurance in this case(I should have said "almost always under $100" in my post above :-) ). Still a lot less than $350. My point was that you can get sufficient insurance coverage with the USPS in some cases. But, then, I didn't mean to argue....sorry if it came off that way...I don't care who ships what, where, or with whom. Dan was asking about options an I simply pointed out some options...or lack thereof in the case of Singapore, actually. To each his own.....For me, I leave it up to the customer. I give them the various options and the potential pluses and minuses and let them make the decision. Its their money and their choice. A lot of these countries have large VAT and Duty charges and $250 makes a difference to some folks.

I will say, though, that I've never had so much as a scratch on the box when shipping USPS Priority (knock wood). I can not say the same for FedEx or UPS and if you've ever had to try and make a claim with those guys you know how fun and easy that is.

Dave

[crumpton]

No, point taken, is was about $112 with that much insurance in this case(I should have said "almost always under $100" in my post above :-) ). Still a lot less than $350. My point was that you can get sufficient insurance coverage with the USPS in some cases. But, then, I didn't mean to argue....sorry if it came off that way...I don't care who ships what, where, or with whom. Dan was asking about options an I simply pointed out some options...or lack thereof in the case of Singapore, actually. To each his own.....For me, I leave it up to the customer. I give them the various options and the potential pluses and minuses and let them make the decision. Its their money and their choice. A lot of these countries have large VAT and Duty charges and $250 makes a difference to some folks.

I will say, though, that I've never had so much as a scratch on the box when shipping USPS Priority (knock wood). I can not say the same for FedEx or UPS and if you've ever had to try and make a claim with those guys you know how fun and easy that is.

Dave

that is a great price. i am willing to bet the list of countries you can do this with is very very short.

[Dave Anderson]

that is a great price. i am willing to bet the list of countries you can do this with is very very short.

I don't know. It varies and USPS has played with the Max Insurance rates from time to time, and so that can be a deciding factor for sure. It's just one possible option that I generally consider. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

Dave

[Thylacine Cycles]

It all completely depends on the person you hand the box over to. The rules are confusing, and change from country to country and the ability to apply the rules changes from post office to post office.

If you have a USPS mom and pop post office, they often dont care enough to follow the rules - many countries now have a size restriction that funnily just happens to be smaller than a regular frame box - but like my home post office here in Australia, if it's a bit out they turn a blind eye. You should be able to sneak a frame out via USPS for 90-120 bucks depending on how many hail mary's you say.

UPS and FedEx are impossible, their walk-in rates are 350-475 just for a frame. Not much better if you have an account. I'd say if you were quoted 350 for just the frame, that's as good as you'll get.

I can't describe how much of a pain in the arse freight is. Essentially, 80% of world freight is taken up by 20% of the accounts, and everyone else gets screwed. A local wholesaler I know here in Australia can send a bike anywhere in Australia for 30 bucks. For me to do the same is 250. It's beyond wrong.