Int'l. Shppg. Too Much Hassle?

redsquid2

redsquid2

Rockabilly Interim Pardon Viscount
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
Messages
3,125
I notice a lot of the sales threads here specify shipping within USA only.

Why is that? Is it just not worth the hassle? Is there a lot of paper work involved? I never shipped anything across borders, so I don't know.
 
I've shipped to Canada, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands. It was no problem for the most part BUT insurance can be very hard to get. A normal USPS flat rate priority box costs about $20 to ship overseas but insurance isn't offered. To be able to insure it you have to go Intl. Express and pay $60-ish (that was to Australia). FedEx and UPS wanted around $100.

I don't mind shipping overseas as long as the buyer pays for shipping, fees, duties, etc.
 
There is paperwork, much higher cost, customs forms, and in many countries there is a huge amount of theft by the postal people. There is insurance and some recourse when a shipment goes astray in the US....but you are generally SOL when one disappears overseas. Some sellers will ship to only the reliable countries, and some to none at all.
The other problem is time. Shipping even a small parcel to some parts of Europe can take a couple of months.
 
Cost is prohibitive at times. Shipping a small flat rate box in the US costs roughly $6, the same box up to 4lbs costs $25. Add that to difficulty in tracking and murky customs laws and it gets tough sometimes.
 
I ship all over the world and have never had a problem. As long as the buyer understands that my liability ends when it leaves my shop I'm happy to do it. If it gets lost, stolen or confiscated, there is nothing I can do about it. If they're willing to pay the extra for shipping and assume the risk I'm willing to do it. So far so good.
 
It isn't a hassle if done right.

I refuse to buy from anybody that ships UPS Ground.

USPS is the way to go, or if UPS must be used, you have to upgrade to something like worldwide saver - costs twice as much but you don't pay anything but tax on delivery.

I've been buying off of the great auction site since 2001 and maybe less than 1% from my home country, and even bought 40 - 50 pound packages of steel from Admiral, Aldo and Don Hanson without ever having an issue.
 
I can understand why people are reluctant to ship outside of the US. However customs law aside, if you use USPS Express Mail International Insured and declare the knife correctly you should have no problems. The package is fully tracked and insured and proof of delivery is assured.

Most of the problems with International shipping stem from a breaching of a countries knife laws, incorrect (cheaper) shipping service used, incorrect declaration or undervaluation, no insurance.

It goes without saying that if the buyer wants you to use a cheaper service or lie, you should refuse the transaction.

Just follow the rules and use the right service and you should have no problems.
 
I'm from Australia and have bought 15 knives from 9 individual transactions from knifemakers here - including some from jawilder (thanks for going the extra mile with service Jason!! :) ).
Shipping is more expensive but I'm cool with that. Sometimes there has been a bit of uncertainty about whether the knife/knives will fit in a standard $25 box or if it will cost more; when that has been the case I have made it known that I am fine with a second fee to make up the difference. One knifemaker has also charged me more up front and refunded the difference. I am cool with either.

Communication really is key. Because Customs can be a minefield in some places it is worth asking the customer if they have checked the legality of the knife being sent. It may also be worthwhile making sure the customer knows about features which regularly cause issues (eg if there is a sharpened clip or a folder which can be flicked open).

As a responsible customer I expect the package to take longer. I expect delays (there has only ever been one) and I feel I should be good natured about anything that could go wrong.

FYI there is a recent thread in GBU about what happens in the case of a Customs seizure, including Paypal rules. It's a bit "worst case if your customer is a child about it".

For what it's worth I have only had one shipping issue; after a couple of months the knives ended up back at the maker's place and are now en route to me again. No big deal.

Also just putting it out there, if anyone has questions about shipping to Australia Im very happy to help if I can. I might not know the answer but I will gladly point you in the right direction.
 
International shipping is not difficult but there can be some risks involved.
I ship packages outside of the US a couple times each week.
If you accept payment by Paypal and then use Paypal to print your shipping labels/postage much of the information is already there so all you enter is the customs info about what you are shipping, weight and value.
If you ship Priority mail flat rate the only tracking info that gets posted are when the package is scanned at the post office, then when it is processed through the distribution center to leave the US and finally delivery confirmation.
Priority Mail International Express provides much more detailed tracking information but will cost considerably more.
Using Express will get the package to the destination country much faster but depending on the country can take a long time to be processed through customs.
Some countries are slower than others processing a package through customs.
I had a situation where I sent a package to Argentina Priority mail. 4 weeks later the customer still had not received the package.
I sent a replacement package by Express and was able to confirm it had arrived in Argentina in 2 days. But it was 5 weeks from that when the customer received the package.

The point I am trying to make is that there can be some delays and risk involved.
If you are shipping to a country that has big delays, the customers already know that.
I suggest communicating with the customer first and discussing what can possibly go wrong that is out of your control.
Then if the customer is willing to accept the risk after you can prove that the package was shipped and processed out of the US go for it.

I recently had a package shipped to Argentina to one of the well known makers here.
6 weeks later the package still has not arrived.
When I offered a refund/replacement pieces he said it wasn't anything I had done wrong but customs in his country and refused the refund.
Most people are fair and honest. Just keep the lines of communication open.
 
As you can see from these comments, it can be quite a hassle.

I sent a knife express mail to Turkey ( or was it Estonia?) for $75 and it arrived there in four days. It took six more weeks to be delivered, even though the recipient lived 50 miles from the postal and customs center.
 
You see a lot of sellers on the auction site that specifically single out Italy as a country that they will not ship to. Wonder what the deal is with that...
 
69_knives said:
You see a lot of sellers on the auction site that specifically single out Italy as a country that they will not ship to. Wonder what the deal is with that...
Click to expand...

Lots of claims that items where never received. This comes from a gal that is a rep for a major glove company.
 
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