Importing stuff...Grrr...

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Someone is doing something wrong. Are they sending them in solid gold packages by private jet? Medium flat rate boxes 13 5/8 x 11 7/8 x 3 3/8 or 11 x 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Priority Mail International cost $59.95 and holds up to 20 lbs. Takes 6 -10 days sometimes only 5 sometimes up to 15. Large Flat Rate Box 12 x 12 x 5 1/2 or 23 x 11 3/4 x 3 likewise up to 20 lbs. $77.95. I import machine shop supplies and Engineer's tools and have been doing so since 2000. USPS provide the boxes free and do the Customs Declaration for the shipper. Priority Express is more expensive and takes 3-5 days. A 4lb. Priority Express envelope cost $59.95.

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Is that current Brian as USPS have recently upped their prices ?

I was shocked when I put an order through a few months back with a semi-regular supplier, the post bill had quadrupled :eek:

I just had a DC driveshaft + spare uni turn up UPS and it cost US$190.
I didn't quibble with the supplier as that's who he regularly used, but they did send it to Austria (UPS stuff up, not the vendor)
The vendor made a new one and sent it out the same day (Wednesday in the US, Thursday here) and it turned up here in the bush on the following Tuesday morning.
Apparently the original still hasn't returned, and it was stopped in Kentucky.....

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Originally Posted by rick130

Is that current Brian as USPS have recently upped their prices ?

I was shocked when I put an order through a few months back with a semi-regular supplier, the post bill had quadrupled :eek:

I just had a DC driveshaft + spare uni turn up UPS and it cost US$190.
I didn't quibble with the supplier as that's who he regularly used, but they did send it to Austria (UPS stuff up, not the vendor)
The vendor made a new one and sent it out the same day (Wednesday in the US, Thursday here) and it turned up here in the bush on the following Tuesday morning.
Apparently the original still hasn't returned, and it was stopped in Kentucky.....

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Off their website tonight. Your driveshaft would be quoted as a large package by dimensions. These can get expensive. Look at the website. You can input mass and dimensions and get a quote.

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Originally Posted by clubagreenie

When you say still in chassis is it a front cut?

If so there's another minefield there, especially secondhand of potential quarantine cleaning costs and the handling of it will be a nightmare since it's on a pallet and they'll charge accordingly.

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Should be easier to shift about on a pallet.. It was also steam cleaned before it left the UK. Either way, I know it won't be a cheep exercise! :(

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Originally Posted by clubagreenie

To drag this out of the pit.

Just imported a new auto from Ashcrofts and DHL haven't changed. The reason UK shippers use DHL is when packages are over 100kg TNT won't touch it. The only thing I have done is I armed myself with the details from AQIS and customs on all their charges and when they are applicable. Made them read out the list of charges they wanted to hit me with, the total was over $400- (shipping was only $260-) and I said no, no, no, no. Got it down to $80-.

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I got an LT95 by air last year through TNT, door-to-door. Hmmm. Shipping really is an insane business.

Quarantine will still want to clean it here irrespective of what they did when it left. Claim that they can't guarantee the quality of the wash down but you can't bring stuff in (won't be loaded for destination here) without a certified cleaning.

Just purchased a vacuum pump from the UK and it arrived at my door in 5 days. Awesome. I would like to have purchased it in Australia but at $300 + GST + courier compared to $108 + $60 air freight + paypal fee it was quicker and cheaper. Go figure. They obviously still haven't woken up to the fact that the internet is a huge competitive retail store.

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Originally Posted by SLOWBOAT

Just purchased a vacuum pump from the UK and it arrived at my door in 5 days. Awesome. I would like to have purchased it in Australia but at $300 + GST + courier compared to $108 + $60 air freight + paypal fee it was quicker and cheaper. Go figure. They obviously still haven't woken up to the fact that the internet is a huge competitive retail store.

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Too true. They can still afford beer, so they figure, "Who cares?" Is my guess.

Wonder how much a part for a Vauxhall (HSV commodore) costs in the UK?

Economies of scale, product turn around etc play a huge part in local mark ups.

Oh wow.

What a saga today. Because my goods were shipped door to airport and NOT door to door my shipping quote did not include clearance fees etc at this end. So I'm $370- poorer and more than a bit miffed that these things were not clarified before dispatch. It could have been worse, they wanted $280- to move the thing from the airport to home. A distance of about 40km.

While it was noted that this did not include local charges, because DHL do not use their own aircraft for their global forwarding shipments there are charges for the carrier to unload, access charges for DHL staff going to pick up the stuff and move it a few hundred meters, then there's a charge for one person giving another an envelope with the paperwork, another for someone sitting down and doing data entry to customs to tell them that they've moved the stuff, another to tell them that the paperworks changed hands.

In short I have it with ass clowns screwing us all over and I have a meeting on Monday with the head of customer relations and freight handling. I made it clear that there are certain ways things are done and this isn't one of them. And if I wasn't satisfied I'd be charging back the fees put through in the credit card and they could chase me for it.

Great thread, thanks for all the information. Very handy as I intend to get an R380 off them as well.

As a side, I have brought in heaps of stuff all under 1K, but once very close. All came via TNT door to door and I have never paid any other fees, including 8 steel wheels for the Deefa and camping trailer in one order, they were $50 each our money so $400, retail here for $110 each. The dollar was about $1.10 US at the time, I miss those times:D