Knife shipping help...

[cramsey3006]

The important questions are..

1. Are you paying shipping or is the buyer? If the buyer is paying, then do whatever they want you to do.

2. If you are paying the shipping, is the knife worth enough, AKA, are you getting enough out of it, to make it worth spending $30 to ship it?

 

[Sithus1966]

On a side note, if you use Priority and buy the postage online, it's a little cheaper than at the actual post office.

 

[frontline29]

So in order to be able to track it across the border, I need to ship it via registered mail, so that adds $13 to the package, not including the cost to ship the package for priority mail itself. (Value $100-500). So right now we're talking somewhere in the neighborhood of $30?? (AND I can't use a small box)

Or I could just ship it in a small box, fill out all of the forms and send it with insurance and tighten down the pivot? (for around $15 ish?)

You should be able to ship it First class mail international small flat rate box with added registered mail for around 15$ total. You would therefor get: Tracking, insurance, and DC.

Or you could send it with first class/priority mail international small flat rate box with insurance for like 8-12$ total shipping cost depending on the weight.

If they are expensive knives/knife I would use first class mail small flat rate box with added registered mail. In that case I think the 15$ spent to cover your a$$ is a wise move.

In the end just make sure to use a service that provides insurance and you'll be fine.

 

[knivesandguns]

You should be able to ship it First class mail international small flat rate box with added registered mail for around 15$ total. You would therefor get: Tracking, insurance, and DC.

Or you could send it with first class/priority mail international small flat rate box with insurance for like 8-12$ total shipping cost depending on the weight.

If they are expensive knives/knife I would use first class mail small flat rate box with added registered mail. In that case I think the 15$ spent to cover your a$$ is a wise move.

In the end just make sure to use a service that provides insurance and you'll be fine.

frontline, thanks a ton! :thumbup:

I sure hope the above works... I'll report back and hopefully will be in the CAN shipping know-how from now on

 

[razorburn]

Just want to let you know that I thought the small flat rate Priority Mail boxes could not be tracked.I was proved wrong with my recent order from GPKnives they used a CP72 Customs form and instead of costing $11.45 it was $21.75

 

[Super X]

I ran into this recently on Ebay and could not get any tracking out of the USA. Even a small package like a knife, the shipping with Insurance was 30.00to 35.00 dollars. Since I could not get tracking, I insured the package so I could atleast recover the price of the item. UPS has tracking.... at double or more the price of USPS. I decided it was too much trouble after 3 deals that went out of country. I was told at the post office there was NO WAY to get Tracking, Delivery Confirmation, or Signature, out of the USA.

 

[knifeswapper]

International Priority is very risky. Can't be insured, can't be tracked, and gets no respect by Customs anywhere.

International Express has been flawless. You can insure it (comes default with $100), you can track it, and Customs do not like pesky inspectors coming around investigating losses.

It costs $25 and up, but USPS International Express is the way to go. You can order free supplies and print the labels online and save as well.

 

[JNewell]

My experiences are that USPS does not offer tracking once it leaves the country too. I've shipped several knives to Canada

But I think you can pick it up in the Poste Canada system with the same number...? I may be mis-remembering. I know I've had inbound packages from Canada that were trackable in the PC system and then in the USPS system once it got into the US.

 

[JNewell]

Send it Priority, insure it, and tighten the pivot before you send it. As others said, you cannot track USPS outside of the country.

I believe you can track priority mail in the PC system.

International Priority is very risky. Can't be insured, can't be tracked, and gets no respect by Customs anywhere.

International Express has been flawless. You can insure it (comes default with $100), you can track it, and Customs do not like pesky inspectors coming around investigating losses.

It costs $25 and up, but USPS International Express is the way to go. You can order free supplies and print the labels online and save as well.

Priority mail can be insured and tracked above the envelope/small flat rate package level. In other words, "large flat rate" and "medium flat rate" boxes can be insured and tracked.

You should be able to ship it First class mail international small flat rate box with added registered mail for around 15$ total. You would therefor get: Tracking, insurance, and DC.

Or you could send it with first class/priority mail international small flat rate box with insurance for like 8-12$ total shipping cost depending on the weight.

If they are expensive knives/knife I would use first class mail small flat rate box with added registered mail. In that case I think the 15$ spent to cover your a$$ is a wise move.

In the end just make sure to use a service that provides insurance and you'll be fine.

Small flat rate box is not eligible for tracking or insurance, according to the USPS website.

 

[daoud]

USPS Delivery Confirmation is what most people are referring to when they say "tracking number." Whether inside or outside the U.S, it's NOT tracking in any real sense (like FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.) All Delivery Confirmation tells you is that, HELLO!, the item was delivered. With the other services tracking TRACKS, i.e. tells you where your shipment is every step of the way. USPS Express International is the only USPS service, as far as I can tell, which offers REAL tracking. About the most I've ever paid to ship a knife Express was $30.00 and that was to Australia. If you want security you gotta pay for it. You CAN use the Customs number on on any shipment to check out the shipment's general whereabouts- it will tell you when the shipment gets to foreign customs and when it's been released for delivery.
If you want to do it on the cheap you can send it First Class International and, since the P.O. won't insure FCI, get insurance through a third-party source such as http://www.shipsurance.com/ .
If you want to ship internationally you have to get all this kind of stuff sussed out beforehand, otherwise you can really screw yourself.

 

[frontline29]

I believe you can track priority mail in the PC system.



Priority mail can be insured and tracked above the envelope/small flat rate package level. In other words, "large flat rate" and "medium flat rate" boxes can be insured and tracked.



Small flat rate box is not eligible for tracking or insurance, according to the USPS website.

Basic flat rate small box first class/priority international is not covered with tracking, insurance and DC.
If you want tracking, insurance, and DC you will need to add registered mail to the package as an option and ship it in your own box. They do not provide insurance when using their flat rate boxes.

Regardless of all the international shipping options there is.
If you want insurance,tracking, and delivery conformation it's gonna cost you...

I personally have never had a problem using first class mail international with the added registered mail option. I was able to track the package to my door and had to sigh for it upon delivery.