Dear BCBF members, I have sold a couple racquets and I want to share my experience to you all when you ship an item to our fellow members who bought the racquet. 1) Make sure you look up the Custom Law and figure out the best way to declare an item example: When you are in US and shipping to CAN, please remember that anything you declare as commercial good, the receiver will get charged by the custom tax. You may decare the item as gift and value less than $60 CAD (try to keep it under $50 USD to be safe) so the receiver will not get nailed by the custom. If in doubt, ask the buyer to look it up. Still in doubt, don't sell and don't ship. 2) You are taking a chance when you ship internationally and declare the value tha tis less than the true value of the goods. example: If your racquet got damaged during the shipping, the shipper only responsible for the value you declare. 3) Pack your item well so there is no sound when you shake the box. This is to prevent any damage to the item. example: Put your racquet in the thermo bag and double bubble wrap it. Tape it to the box if it is necessary. 4) Pick a right shipping method and shipper. There is no magic shipper out there that is the best to ship. example: Post office are often cheapest option. However, they are not as safe as other and no tracking. UPS might be good for the ground and no charge on custom process fee. However, it screw up doc. often. FedEx is good at getting there and not screw up, but they charge process fee. If you ship over sea, the cost is very high for any method. 5) Figure out the payment method. Check currency exchange rate. example: check if your bank take money order or personal check in forgein currency. Check if the bank charge a process fee. Paypal might be an option. However, they charge you a process fee no matter what. It might be a money loosing deal after you factor in the process charge. Also, Paypal charge different process fee for money from bank account vs. credit card. Exchange rate might be different between bank to bank. Please share your experience with other. Also, correct me if I miss state anything.
use canada post or USPS. UPS sucks. they charge you taxes and duty fee, althought their rate is the lowest most of the time..
Ive heard USPS takes a bit longer than UPS + they dont update the tracking on time...but then again its what ive heard. What about Purolator? are they any good?
I was able to get a way with declare the shipment as gift and value less than $50 USD. No custom tax and process fee. However, you take the risk of claim if the item break. I am speaking about from US to international. Usually, USPS takes about 6-8 days while UPS takes 4-5 days ground. I am not sure about UPS CAN shipping from CAN to US.
i use usps all the time. UPS sucks coz they throws in all kinds of levies under the sun. If the driver stop for a starbuck coffee break, he'll throw in that cost too i try to avoid fedex, dhl, ems as well (high price escort agents) unless the seller knows what and how to write up the form. eg. ordered 8$ usb memory stick, 40$ to ship it, luckily, they let me cancel my order. however, not all sellers wanna use usps coz they have to walk/drive to the postal office/station. (except NGP, he used usps on the reel he sent me) It work this way, u see the item u really really needed and wanted (eg, critical car parts) online but they then tell u they dont ship to canada. Murphy law is welll and alive
For international shipments, I use USPS all the time as well. The key is to get the applicable forms filled correctly as well as package your item(s) well. These are the Forms you need and some instructions from www.endicia.com, the electronic online mail service I use. International mail is subject to customs examination in the destination country. The contents and value of an item must be declared on the applicable customs form. Exemptions: A customs form is not required on nondutiable letter-post items that weigh less than 16 ounces. Consult your local Post Office facility for additional details. Customs Declaration Forms: When a customs form is required for international mailing, the customer must complete and affix one of the following customs forms to the mailpiece: * PS Form 2976, CN 22 - used for items where contents are valued LESS than $400. * PS Form 2976-A, CP 72 - used for Parcel Post OR any package valued at $400 or more. Instructions for BOTH forms: 1. Provide a detailed description, in English, of each article and the quantity for each article. General descriptions such as 'food,' 'medicine,' 'gifts,' or 'clothing' are NOT acceptable. 2. Give the weight and value (in U.S. dollars) of each article. 3. For commercial items (i.e., any goods exported/imported in the course of a business transaction, whether or not they are sold for money or exchanged) enter the country of origin, which is the country where the goods originated (i.e., where they were produced, manufactured, or assembled). 4. Check the appropriate box to indicate whether the package contains a gift, documents, commercial samples, or other items. After printing the form: 1. Sign and date in the form as indicated on the left side and the right side of the form. Your signature certifies that all entries are correct and that the item contains no dangerous articles prohibited by postal or customs regulations 2.a For Form 2976, affix the form to the address side of the item and present the item for mailing, or 2ab. For Form 2976-A, first present the form to a Postal Service employee for completion, and then place the form set inside PS Form 2976-E (plastic envelope) and affix it to the outside of the package. Hope this helps.