Cost of Postage from US and other places

[KTM47]

I recently found a part of may need for my Maico 490 in the US.  It will cost $96 USD which is a reasonable price.  I have now been told that postage will be $54.95 USD.  Something is wrong.  I got a rod kit from the US that the postage was under $30 USD and it arrived in just over a week.  Does anyone have some advice on this subject.

[DR500]

I use a V post to forward stuff, when they won't ship out of US.

[Ted]

I guess it comes down to how bad you want that part.

I just paid $44 postage for $40 of bearings from the US. 

$254 here just for the bearings.

If you can't buy the parts here either , don't  buy them or just suck it up

[kdx Geoff]

Bought a pair of blinkers today from US and enquired about postage, the reply....

'Hi, these would be $46.00 by priority mail or $27.50 by the slower first class mail. Thanks!'

l want the parts now so $46 it is.

[PEZBerq]

I find if you ask the seller to ship using USPS priority mail international that will work out cheapest. If they take it to the post office you will get the best price. If they simply use a pre paid flat rate box or parcel you will pay top dollar and often get a big box or parcel packed with packing and a small item. Once they go to the post office and find out the real price they will usually be happy to give a refund. When the package arrives you can often see the postage cost if they didn't use a flat rate package and you can politely ask for a refund if the actual cost was a lot less than you paid. Sometimes they will oblige and sometimes you get bs about insurance costs etc or eBay costs. Most US sellers don't really understand the eBay shipping calculator or how the USPS system works and if you explain they usually are quite OK. Otherwise just suck it up and chalk it to experience!

[KTM47]

Thanks PEZBerq That is the sensible answer I was asking for.  Telling me if I really want the part I will pay the price is not what I asked.  If I was willing to do that I would not have asked the question in the first place.  I'm also sure the sellers in the US would like to know the cheapest rate so they can give the buyers an option and maybe even make more sales.

Also this is going to become even more important as the value of our dollar drops.

[firko]

The eBay shipping and USPS online calculators are notoriously inaccurate and, as Pez suggested,  it's good advise to ask the seller to check at the post office for the correct (or best) shipping cost. Sometimes the seller flat refuses to double check at the post office and adamantly stick to the calculator figure so if you've already pressed the Buy button before asking him to check, you're stuck with whatever he quotes. That's why it's wise to ask for shipping costs early or if an exorbitant figure is already listed, to politely ask them to double check at the post office. A good percentage of sellers are more than willing to help out, in my experience (1300+positive feedback) it's only the odd one that won't help out. It's also a good idea to check that they don't ship overseas using UPS,DHL or Fed Ex as it's way too expensive for foreign shipping.

(Side story) A few months ago I had a one off experience from a seller in Nevada asking me if St Mary's was near my house. When I told him that it was very close he asked me if I'd be willing to save myself $80+by including my RT2MX cylinder & head in with a Kawasaki 1000 seat and other stuff for a friend of his in St Mary's. He gave me the blokes number and after a phone call  where my gut feeling told me he was kosher, I decided to go with the deal. It ended up hassle free and only cost me a 6 pack of designer beer for my new friend in St Marys when I went to pick up my top end and $25 into the sellers PayPal as a gift, saving me about $40 .

[KTM47]

Thanks Mark.  This is the positive straight forward type of information we all need to get from this forum.

Kevin

[KTM47]

Thanks for the positive replies.  I asked the supplier if there was cheaper post and even gave him the link to this thread.  The original quote was $54.35 USD.  He checked things out more and it will cost approximately $15 USD plus $4 insurance to send it snail mail.  I don't need the part straight away so waiting a bit isn't a worry.  So that is a saving of probably $39.00 or a carton of stubbies.

[Rossvickicampbell]

I usually go for one of the more expensive options that offers tracking.  Have had a couple of parcels go "missing" of late.

[KTM47]

Yes I understand that, but that is why I took the insurance. I started this thread just to see if there was a cheaper way and to let the supplier also know there was alternatives. I succeeded on both accounts.  I have had parcels with tracking before.  I usually find when it has been accepted, then when it left. And then after I have received the item it tells me it has arrived in Australia.  Also I think all mail goes by air so snail mail isn't always slower.

[FAT-TOY]

   Recieved this email today from a supplier in the UK. 

   
Hi Zane,

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year.  I can confirm that you order was despatched out last Monday 30th December so this should be with you in the next couple of working days, and we managed to get this posted out a little cheaper so we have refunded you £5.00 back to your PayPal account.

Thanks once again for your order and we look forward to doing business with you again in the future.

Paula Sewell
TDS Services
www.tdsclassicmotorcycles.com



    Good to see that he was happy with his profit on the goods and didn't use the postage to supplement it.  Also good for business because I will buy from him again.
                                                                      Zane

[firko]

Welcome back Zane....
I recently bought a pair of Can-Am Betor forks really cheap and the bloke quoted me $75 to mail them which was fine. A couple of days later I got an email from him telling me he'd mailed them off but that he'd been hit up for $109.45 but not to worry, he'd cop it because it was his mistake. The forks arrived today with a $109.45 stamp so being pretty impressed by his honesty and willingness to take a loss because of his fluck up, I sent him $25 to help ease the pain. I just got a cool reply from him I thought I should share.......

Yipee !! Wow !! ,Happy new year to you also and thanks alot for the $25.00 ,That shore makes a guy feel good when you help out like that.  I never thought to take them apart, Ill keep it in mind for the future . Australia must have a lot of good people because you down under guys never give me any problems. It is my honor to meet you and thanks again..Steve

[KTM47]

Thanks Mark, again that is the positive feedback we need.

While I didn't have a New Year's resolution, I think I have now got one.  Be positive!!!!!

[Hardo]

Hey all.
When International shipping costs are too high from greedy sellers in the US, I use Jim Provine in Arizona. He sells a great deal of parts and ships all over the world.

I have saved hundreds of dollars over the years using him. I just get the parts shipped to him, and he then forwards them on with a small fee. The small fee is always less than what it would have originally cost me.

He is happy to do business with anyone in Australia and is extremely honest. I have used him for about 10 years now.

His email is [email protected]

Hope that helps.