Sorry but I have to drag it up again.

Per my understanding if you use Priority Mail the USPS will bring you the mailing boxes for free and you can purchase postage on-line so for mailing to ANY state or US Territory there should be no need to go to the post office. Limiting sales to CONUS rather than selling to Alaska, Hawaii and US territories seems kind of dumb, or at least ignorant, to me. I find the New Mexico being a state ignorance of some sellers hilarious but a sad commentary on the US education system.
 
gis said:
I ended up paying $40 shipping to Alaska recently, (resulting in a $ loss on the item I was selling) which is why I have stopped shipping outside of CONUS.

I promised to ship it out on a Saturday and everything but UPS was closed, so I stayed true to my word and did the shipment through UPS with their outrageous prices. I asked the seller to pay for half of the shipping after I sent it out, and he said he'd consider it after he received the item, but nothing ever happened with that.

This is mostly my fault for not waiting until Monday to use USPS, but still it's too much of a hassle not being able to ship out on Saturdays for me. (and I typically don't have time to make it to the 12pm closing time that USPS has)

Call me whatever it be, but that is why I do not ship to outside conus.
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USPS post offices in many places have hours on Saturdays. In fact, often there is a PO open all day in addition to several others with limited hours. Next, USPS flat rate priority is much cheaper and quicker than UPS, especially to AK. Your points are not valid.
 
Little late in posting to this thread but I have dealt with Mike "miguet" for many years and it has been flawless. Not only is shipping a breeze but Mike is one of the finest gentleman out there, his word is golden.
 
I've had trouble ordering things for delivery to New Mexico. It's not much of a problem today with online ordering, but in the "old days" and telephone ordering things were different.

I recall once telling the lady on the phone to look at her computer, use the "state" drop-down menu, and click on the one called "New Mexico." :D
 
Hafa Adai!! Until about two months ago, I was resident in Guam (Tamuning). I now live in Hawaii (Big Island), and I have also lived on Saipan and in American Samoa. The lack of knowledge that most mainlanders have concerning the Pacific Islands is amazing, but understandable.

My own experience has been that knives can be shipped to and from the USA with no real problem. I have always used USPS but have made a point to show the knife to the postal clerk before I seal the box; I am also careful to clearly state on the customs form that the item is cutlery or a knife for sporting or utility use. I understand that postage rates to Guam are the same as to Hawaii. You may have to remind people in the mainland that Guam is a US territory - apparently not everyone understands that.

I have sent a folding knife to Buck for repair and have received a knife from Buck without any problems. When I obtained a sheath knife from Bark River Knives, I was first told that it had to go through United Parcel Service - but the knife showed up in my post office box in Tamuning with no problem. You probably already know that UPS and DHL have offices at the Guam International Airport. I also insure my packages but I have never had anything lost.

As I prepared to move from Guam to Hawaii, I sent a Samoan dance knife by air mail. It was wrapped carefully, properly labeled and arrived safely.
We just need to better educate people concerning the islands and to carefully follow all the regulations.
 
Sorry to read this thread, I only ship to the USA when I sell and I have never had a potential buyer from any of the territories.

I do not ship outside of USA for one main reason, I use the USPS provided priority mail boxes to ship all my knives. This way I do not need to spend money on packing supplies. A $5.80 small box gets the knife shipped anywhere in the US within 2-3 days with tracking, and buyers like that kind of speed. I figure the $5.80 cost of priority mail into the price I sell the knife at.

If I were to sell outside the USA, I have no idea what the cost would be to ship it via priority mail, and if it was cost prohibitive to ship it priority, I would then have to purchase a separate generic box to ship it in, which also cuts into the price I get at sale. I could factor this into the cost of the knife, but I want a buyer to feel they are getting a good value.

As a result I do not ship outside the USA. Also and especially, on ebay - many nondelivery scams originate from out of country, and I want to avoid those altogether.


For those from the territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, etc. Do you know if the cost of the small flat rate priority mail box is also $5.80 or is it higher?
 
Coming from Guam and American Samoa, my memory tells me that the flat rate boxes cost the same as anywhere in the USA.

One thing that has not been mentioned in this thread is the topic of machetes, cane knives, bolo knives and other tools found in outlying regions. My experience is that there is no problem, it the items are carefully wrapped and clearly labeled. Concerning legal issues and custom regulations, the website Machete Specialists has a good discussion of this. Machetes seem to be considered a agricultural tools and can be shipped into the USA.
 
Coming from Guam and American Samoa, my memory tells me that the flat rate boxes cost the same as anywhere in the USA.

One thing that has not been mentioned in this thread is the topic of machetes, cane knives, bolo knives and other tools found in outlying regions. My experience is that there is no problem, it the items are carefully wrapped and clearly labeled. Concerning legal issues and custom regulations, the website Machete Specialists has a good discussion of this. Machetes seem to be considered as agricultural tools and can be shipped into the USA.
 
jeffsenpai said:
Sorry to read this thread, I only ship to the USA when I sell and I have never had a potential buyer from any of the territories.

I do not ship outside of USA for one main reason, I use the USPS provided priority mail boxes to ship all my knives. This way I do not need to spend money on packing supplies. A $5.80 small box gets the knife shipped anywhere in the US within 2-3 days with tracking, and buyers like that kind of speed. I figure the $5.80 cost of priority mail into the price I sell the knife at.

If I were to sell outside the USA, I have no idea what the cost would be to ship it via priority mail, and if it was cost prohibitive to ship it priority, I would then have to purchase a separate generic box to ship it in, which also cuts into the price I get at sale. I could factor this into the cost of the knife, but I want a buyer to feel they are getting a good value.

As a result I do not ship outside the USA. Also and especially, on ebay - many nondelivery scams originate from out of country, and I want to avoid those altogether.


For those from the territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, etc. Do you know if the cost of the small flat rate priority mail box is also $5.80 or is it higher?
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It's still $5.80 I have actually traded with the op no different than shipping any where else in the us
 
I have only ever shipped to Australia as far as nice knives. The member had great feed back, but I still worried.


Mostly for me, it is a combo of fear and outright laziness.

Paypal is easy to get burned with, if customs seizes something. If the package can be tracked to your door, and insured for full value, I am less hesitant to ship.
 
miguet said:
I live on Guam - an unincorporated territory of the U.S. Almost all residents are U.S. citizens. They were drafted during the Vietnam War which is when I first visited the place 45 years ago. There's a National Guard here. Just read 11 local KIA in Afghanistan alone. USPS is all over the place. Shipping to and from the U.S. costs the same as between any state. For some odd reason, some Bladeforum members won't sell knives to me, regardless of the fact that I've been a member for 12 years and have done hundreds of satisfactory transactions over the years. "Lower 48". "Conus Only". As though sending stuff to Hawaii, Alaska is fraught with hidden danger. Even when you tell them you'll absolve them of responsibility once they mail it, they'll still decline. It's still pretty much a free country so no one should be forced out of their comfort zone. Just thought I'd mention it again. But jeez they don't mind buying my knives.
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Late response but I need to anyway. Because this is a frustration of any European knife nut. And the annoying thing is, that only US sellers are the ones who sometimes refuse to ship internationally, which is annoying, because most knives come from the US and are at least much cheaper in the US (even freaking German-produced Bökers are much cheaper in the US than in Europe!?!). But like I said: only some US sellers refuse to ship internationally. Never heard that from a Canadian, Aussie, Kiwi or Japanese. This annoys me especially since the US is a very advanced modern Western civilization and the service called 'international shipping' is freaking older than the country itself. Last but not least, I think the fear of European customs confiscating a knife is utterly exaggerated: IF a knife disappears during intercontinental shipping, I bet it is 99,9% of the cases stolen by one of the US postal employees.
 
Jeru said:
IF a knife disappears during intercontinental shipping, I bet it is 99,9% of the cases stolen by one of the US postal employees.
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cause European postal handlers/employees never steal, only americans steal? wow. i don't know what else to say about that............
 
miguet said:
For some odd reason, some Bladeforum members won't sell knives to me, regardless of the fact that I've been a member for 12 years and have done hundreds of satisfactory transactions over the years. "Lower 48". "Conus Only". As though sending stuff to Hawaii, Alaska is fraught with hidden danger.
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Keep fighting the good fight! We may be close to Russia, but we're still a proud part of the USA! Flat-rate priority boxes ROCK!
 
Every time I see "CONUS" or "lower 48" I wince but try to tell myself that what they really mean to say was "USA" and just used "CONUS" out of habit after watching others. I'm from Hawaii and it pains me to see these types of things. Please... if you mean "USA," please say "USA." It makes us feel bad... Really, we don't check your passport if you fly into Honolulu (unless you're not American).

Interesting fact: I know a couple who are each slightly past 50 years old. They're married. One was born in the territory of Hawaii while the other was born in the state of Hawaii. Oh the difference a few years can make...
 
Jeru said:
Last but not least, I think the fear of European customs confiscating a knife is utterly exaggerated: IF a knife disappears during intercontinental shipping, I bet it is 99,9% of the cases stolen by one of the US postal employees.
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1. The thread is about shipping within US territory.

2. The possibility of Customs confiscating an item is very different than someone stealing from the mail.

3. I bet you just lost any sympathy I might have had for your complaint. I am a retired USPS manager.
 
Esav,You were a supervisor at the USPS,right?In all the years you worked there have you ever caught or suspected a thief?
 
Not just supervisor -- manager. That's postmaster level. I worked with a lot of Postal Inspectors. Their resources are impressive and their success rate is too. We had a few laughs over how quickly and easily they shut down thieves.
 
Ok, I'll stop this practice immediately. The only reason I've ever stuck to 'conus' was cost. I had no idea that flat-rate was good anywhere that's 'USofA'. :D
 
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