Need Advice - Experienced US Seller

[foreverflash]

Originally Posted by Twistedsymphony

FYI USPS is WORTHLESS for insurance, especially for international orders.

I've had several things shipped through them both within the US and Abroad that arrived damaged and they pretty much give me the run around in terms of which forms to fill out and who to call. One item I received smashed when I went to file the claim they told me to give them the broken item for their "investigation" then the the next day the SAME PERSON claimed that I never gave them the item or any proof that damage had occurred....

total waste of time...

--------------

Also this forum is for comments and questions about this website (eg: it's a feedback forum for me so people can let me know what they think about the site) so I'm moving this thread to collector's chat where it belongs.

Sorry. I struggled with deciding where to put this thread. Thanks for putting it in the right place. As for USPS; unfortunately, they are the primary (and sometimes only) choice for carrier when shipping international if you don't want to spend a fortune am I correct? So as difficult as they may be and as untrustworthy (which they are) I and others are forced to use them more than we'd like to. I'm just glad I at least understand now what is and isn't available when I ship international using USPS. At least I can give a buyer all the correct information now...

Symphony, do you see a more viable option in FedEx, UPS or DHL? From what I understand they generally charge a lot more for international. I know they have better services, especially DHL. And all of them offer full tracking and real insurance but at what cost? 50$ at USPS vs 100 at DHL for a 10 lb package?

[Ceohai]

Originally Posted by foreverflash

Sorry. I struggled with deciding where to put this thread. Thanks for putting it in the right place. As for USPS; unfortunately, they are the primary (and sometimes only) choice for carrier when shipping international if you don't want to spend a fortune am I correct? So as difficult as they may be and as untrustworthy (which they are) I and others are forced to use them more than we'd like to. I'm just glad I at least understand now what is and isn't available when I ship international using USPS. At least I can give a buyer all the correct information now...

Symphony, do you see a more viable option in FedEx, UPS or DHL? From what I understand they generally charge a lot more for international. I know they have better services, especially DHL. And all of them offer full tracking and real insurance but at what cost? 50$ at USPS vs 100 at DHL for a 10 lb package?

Speaking as an international buyer, I prefer USPS to just about any other service. Packages shipped using UPS and FedEx often come with massive brokerage fees that the buyer needs to pay when picking up the package, depending on the UPS / FedEx service chosen.

As far as tracking goes, this is what the USPS website says when outlining the features of international Priority Mail shipments:

Track your shipment online. Note: Tracking is not available for the Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope or the Small Flat Rate Box.

The fact that there is a special format for Express Mail International and Priority Mail International goes to confirm that,

Express Mail International®: EC 000 000 000 US
Priority Mail International™: CP 000 000 000 US

[foreverflash]

Originally Posted by Ceohai

Speaking as an international buyer, I prefer USPS to just about any other service. Packages shipped using UPS and FedEx often come with massive brokerage fees that the buyer needs to pay when picking up the package, depending on the UPS / FedEx service chosen.

As far as tracking goes, this is what the USPS website says when outlining the features of international Priority Mail shipments:


The fact that there is a special format for Express Mail International and Priority Mail International goes to confirm that,

Thanks for the input Ceohai, but I already cleared this up. I understand completely how USPS works now and am much more confident shipping international. All it took was a 1/2 wait on the phone and several transfers, then I got to speak with an International Phone agent from USPS. The particular agent I got was exceptionally kind and understanding and answered all my questions. If you see a few posts above I explain this in detail.

USPS does NOT offer traditional tracking for ANY domestic service, and only offers FULL tracking for the top two most expensive services for International (Global Express and Express International). Every other international service, including the two most affordable options (First Class and Priority) DO not include tracking.

Instead, what most people do is use the CP# (Customs #) to track USPS First Class and Priority shipments. Problem is CP# is not guaranteed to provide tracking information; but much of the time it does.