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International parcel post

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MCTID:
I REVISED my post as Laverda Dave's comments prompted me that I'd noted Parcel to go when I meant Parcel Monkey ! DOH.

Parcel Monkey is cheap....for a reason. If something goes astray and you contact them, they simply refer you to the Courier who they placed your parcel with. In effect they are just acting as a 'go between' so they have no responsibility for loss, delay or damage......that's why they are cheap ! UPS is OK for large parts (Frames etc) as their prices are reasonable....it's just their Website is a PITA to negotiate (IMHO) but otherwise I have found UPS to be OK. I never did figure out why the Triumph Frame I sent to Cornwall (from Blackpool) - spent a week sitting in their Norwich Warehouse !

Parcelforce is OK although my local PO Staff are another PITA if every T isn't crossed and every I isn't dotted 100% correctly, but the Parcelforce Drivers are really good so nowadays I book it Online and the Drivers collect it from me. They are probably the most expensive service, but as always you get what you pay for. Forget E Bay Shipping estimates - steer well clear of them when placing a sale on the E Bay Website ! They haven't got a clue about the real world and their Profit seems to be the only thing they care about ! I don't send anything overseas any more....too much hassle.......too expensive, too much red tape and too much grief !  If you undervalue your parts on the Customs Declaration (or ask Sellers to do so) you are actually defrauding the Taxman so think long and hard about doing so.........not worth it really and many Sellers won't entertain it - especially US Dealers who I have bought a lot of parts from over the years. I haven't used DHL, Hermes etc to ship anything, although their deliveries to me seem to be OK. The local Hermes bloke is excellent, but that might just be because he's a conscientious and decent bloke.

Like most things, do your research on shipping various sizes/ weights and destinations (especially overseas) then you'll settle into a routine....and BEWARE of Companies offering you unbelievably cheap deals just to get your business as there is ALWAYS a catch !

Laverda Dave:
And steer well clear of Parcel Monkey, absolute rip-off. They gave me a quote based on size and weight of parcel, collected it and two days later charged me more than double the original quote!

Nurse Julie:

--- Quote from: Laverda Dave on April 13, 2022, 01:12:43 PM ---And steer well clear of Parcel Monkey, absolute rip-off. They gave me a quote based on size and weight of parcel, collected it and two days later charged me more than double the original quote!

--- End quote ---
I use Parcel Monkey as an agent at least twice a week, mainly for quite heavy items, usually 10-20kg.
I've only ever had one problem and that was an item that arrived after 3 days, when I booked a 24 hour service. That wasn't Parcel Monkeys fault though, it was DPD, which was the courier for that load. Parcel Monkey customer service department is excellent.

Nurse Julie:

--- Quote from: AndyD on April 13, 2022, 09:58:23 AM ---Hi,
Hoping someone can offer a bit of advice.
I'm finally clearing out some of the accumulated 'treasures' from the bike sheds and have started listing various bits on eBay.
So far been reasonably simple for a newbie to selling anything but I've got a couple of bits on which have got interest from abroad and I've no idea what's involved in posting these.
From a very dull Google session I can manage UK postage but didn't really grasp the international side.
Current example is a set of clocks for a GS1000S so a medium size but quite fragile package and a guy in Australia has asked what cost would be to send this.
From experience, does anyone know where to look for costs on postage, explanation of paperwork involved.
Finally any views on whether posting overseas is 'reasonably' safe or a very high risk.

Any views and advice very welcome!

Cheers,
Andy

--- End quote ---
On your ebay sales, just tick the box 'offer International shipping' or words to that effect and
Ebay sort everything out for you and the customer. All you are responsible for is posting to GSP in Lichfield (at local UK postal rate) and that's your only involvement in the process.

AshimotoK0:
Agree with others ..just use Global Shipping option (GSP).. then you just shell out  the normal UK delivery.
Probably a bit of a rip-off for the buyer ...not sure... but certainly a lot less grief on the part of the seller.
They are very good too ...they email you as soon as received by their UK outfit in the midlands  and another email when it arrives at the destination. No custom forms either. Worth noting that if you post yourself and the postage is a high amount then eBay will charge you a % on the shipping fee, in addition to fees on the item. They also slap on a surcharge for 'overseas transaction', certainly with the Global Shipping option.
The only downside may be that you are marked down in the overall experience from buyers (the 5* system thingy), as you may get marked down on 'reasonable shipping costs', because the buyer paid a lot for the shipping.

I would be interested on other peoples experience on the GSP as I shied away from it initially because of bad reports.... but overall I have only had good experiences wheres the direct shipping has thrown up a few problems, like the buyer doesn't want to pay for tracked & traced delivery ... which is OK until a parcel goes astray.

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