Question about accessibility of international shipping agencies for Americans

Benny Nganabbarru · November 13, 2009, 05:56:00 AM

Often the question of shipping costs from the USA to other parts of the world arises, and is well-answered.

My questions are: How accessible are agencies like FedEx and UPS to you Americans, should you be selling a bow to somebody overseas? Are there numerous shops within easy distance in larger towns or cities, where you can get a quote or make a shipment without too much hassle? Or is it a real pain in the neck to access these agencies? How does it work at your end to ship via FedEx or UPS to a foreign country? Is it as simple as making a phonecall and requesting a pick-up?

Thanks for your time and thoughts. With a strong Aussie dollar, I'm still entertaining thoughts of continuing to try to add a heavier Bear to the stable (my wife is in the kitchen and isn't reading this).

Cheers,

Ben

Jeremy · November 13, 2009, 06:46:00 AM

They're very accessible (to me anyway). Internet or phone call to schedule a pickup or any of the half dozen or so shops on my way home from work.

They're still very expensive though. I just priced sending a one piece Down Under and the shipping charges were $145 US!

Benny Nganabbarru · November 13, 2009, 07:37:00 AM

Thanks, Jeremy. Was that via FedEx or UPS? Or some other mob?

LBR · November 13, 2009, 07:43:00 AM

UPS isn't too far away for me. Fed-Ex is a bit more of a trip. The US Postal Service is the closest, easiest, and by far the cheapest, but has more size restrictions.

Chad

Jeremy · November 13, 2009, 07:58:00 AM

That was FedEx. The UPS site quoted me $177 for the same package. A bit much for a bow I was selling for $210

Paul Mattson · November 13, 2009, 08:07:00 AM

I have found the USPS International Priority mail the best route to go. There are no extra charges for international shipping.

Benny Nganabbarru · November 13, 2009, 07:15:00 PM

Yep, USPS is the way to go for a take-down, as long as the total price including shipping is under AU$1000. If it is more than that, I like to go with UPS, as they really offer great, fast service through customs.

For one-piece bows, the way I look at it is that we simply do not have access to all those beautiful old bows that you guys do, and we do live a long way from the USA, and so the extra US$90 (or even more) can be well worth-it and soon forgotten about as one enjoys a bow that can't be got any other way. That's how I look at it, anyway, and I'm sure some of my countrymen disagree.

el_kirk · November 13, 2009, 09:22:00 PM

I'm guessing you know about the online calculators that UPS, USPS and FEDEx have on their websites?

They're where I usually go if I want to know how much shipping will run me. In most cases you can also pay and schedule a pickup (even here in Wyoming).

You would need a scale and a tape measure to go this route, but that doesn't seem like an unlikely combination of things to find in a bow geek's house.

So I'd say that shipping things to you would be pricey, but not difficult.