AusPost launching a US mail forwarding service

[Paulbot]

Via Springah on twitter: AusPost are launching a service so you can buy things that ship to US addresses only and they will forward them here.

"Shop like you live in the USA"

http://shopmate.auspost.com.au

[Paulbot]

Seems pricey, min $25 postage per item, but I don't know how much the US based forwarders cost people?

[unexpectedpanda]

Perhaps might help someone here :)

http://shopmate.auspost.com.au/

[Sky Shadow]

Actually, I'd say that's a great price, even for things that do ship to Australia. Much better value than eBay's global shipping.

[MrTrick]

they're offering 20% off shipping rates for November with coupon code "ShopMateLaunch"

Gonna wait for the Black Friday sales end of the month and use it :)

[Bidoofdude]

So you don't pay the US postage, just whatever they cost you? It could make buying on TFW easier, since a lot of dealers only ship to the US.

[Trent]

The problem is that you are unable to consolidate packages, like any decent shipping forwarder does.

Still, it's a start.

Now make one for Japan!!

[Trent]

Ninja'd

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=19723

[CoRDS]

So you don't pay the US postage, just whatever they cost you? It could make buying on TFW easier, since a lot of dealers only ship to the US.



I wonder if it makes bbts and ttfsource shipping cheaper considering from them to the auspost warehouse is free for orders over $150

[unexpectedpanda]

Ninja'd

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=19723

Doh!

[Sinnertwin]

Sounds interesting, potentially devastating on the wallet, but interesting nonetheless.

[griffin]

Perfect timing for Amazon cutting us off.
It still wont help us with Hasbro site for new stuff and SDCC items, as that site require credit cards with US billing addresses.

[Sky Shadow]

So you don't pay the US postage, just whatever they cost you? It could make buying on TFW easier, since a lot of dealers only ship to the US.

Surely you pay the US postage? :confused: But that's negligible compared to postage to Australia, and makes eBay items with free US shipping a great option.

[UltraMarginal]

Well I think it's a very interesting step, clearly the income source for Auspost these days is parcel shipping.

I've done the numbers and assuming I can get a mate in the states to make the purchase for me, the cost of shipping the knights of unicron set from the states to here with this service is about $78.50, which is about a $20 saving on having him ship it using usps.

unfortunately a lot of that $20 saving has been eaten up in the last couple months with the dollar tanking.

[Tropisetron]

Probably a good timing for competition...

Watch the Wreckers at DHL

http://mobile.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/investigation-under-way-as-shocking-video-emerges-of-freight-handlers-tossing-parcels/story-fnizu68q-1227112130491

[UltraMarginal]

Probably a good timing for competition...

Watch the Wreckers at DHL

http://mobile.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/investigation-under-way-as-shocking-video-emerges-of-freight-handlers-tossing-parcels/story-fnizu68q-1227112130491

that ladies and gents is why I take extra care packing parcels. I don't think I'd mind so much if there was someone there to catch them and place them neatly.
It explains some of the gashes I've seen in my BBTS boxes over the years.

[Paulbot]

So you don't pay the US postage, just whatever they cost you? It could make buying on TFW easier, since a lot of dealers only ship to the US.


Surely you pay the US postage? :confused: But that's negligible compared to postage to Australia, and makes eBay items with free US shipping a great option.

You'd pay US postage costs, but it'd be cheaper and for sites like Amazon that have free US shipping options that *might* mean $0 (depends if those free shipping options have any exclusions)

[DELTAprime]

Perfect timing for Amazon cutting us off.

What? Is amazon stopping shipping to Australia?

[griffin]

Probably a good timing for competition...

Watch the Wreckers at DHL

http://mobile.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/investigation-under-way-as-shocking-video-emerges-of-freight-handlers-tossing-parcels/story-fnizu68q-1227112130491

Unfortunately, those are airport workers doing the throwing into the DHL truck, so it isn't just DHL... it would be all parcel freight (including Australia Post) that gets the same "thrown" treatment.


What? Is amazon stopping shipping to Australia?

It was mentioned here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=441828#post441828), so I'm giving it a little time to see if it is permanent or just a glitch that gets corrected, before I post it in the news section.

[griffin]

They certainly must know about foreign companies keeping their monopolies in place in Australia with the many shipping restrictions of items, and the cost differential of the "Australia Tax" on those monopoly items.


The problem is that you are unable to consolidate packages, like any decent shipping forwarder does.

Still, it's a start.


It mentions a "Bundling discount", but you will have to time the purchases so that they arrive at the AusPost warehouse at the same time or within a few days to get the discount.


Bundling discount: If your parcels arrive and you pay for them on the same day, then your first parcel will be charged the full shipping costs and we will offer you a discount of AUD10.00 on each subsequent parcel.
Once your shopping arrives at your US address, we’ll let you know what the shipping charges to Australia will be. You can pay with Visa or MasterCard.Sounds like that US Postbox scheme that I signed up to several years back but never used. You buy items and use a designated shipping address from AusPost, and when they arrive, AusPost contacts you with the international postage price and then you pay.
Not sure how much time they'll give you to wait for multiple parcels to get the Bundling discount though, but there is a fee if it sits for more than 21 days unpaid (so I guess in theory, you could wait 7-10 days for other parcels to arrive, and then get a new quoted shipping rate with the discount).
Not bad.

They even assess your items to see if they can be repacked to a smaller shipping carton, to save you international shipping. (plus $5 repacking fee)

Normal Customs fees apply, if over AU$1000.
And just be aware of the weight and dimensions restrictions... which shouldn't be a problem on Transformers purchases (but could be for other things).

This could certainly be a worthwhile replacement for Amazon if they remain cut-off from international shipping.


It could make buying on TFW easier, since a lot of dealers only ship to the US.


I wonder if it makes bbts and ttfsource shipping cheaper considering from them to the auspost warehouse is free for orders over $150

This is what I'm looking forward to... and if Hasbro Shop ever allows for paypal payments, SDCC items could be so much cheaper.

[Zippo]

New Zealand Post launched a similar service in November 2012 and I use it almost extensively now for all USA purchases, as it has been in most causes cheaper to pay for USA to USA postage and then USA to New Zealand, than direct.

However the 'base fee' for the New Zealand version is 1/2 the cost of this, and the 500g is is a few dollars cheaper - minimum cost is $17.25 + they also offer a multiple parcel discount of $6

True consolidated shipping is also coming soon.

Never used it for Amazon or HTS parcels you can't be sure that those stores will use a small outbox or spilt the shipment

[griffin]

Also, take time to read their shipping restrictions (http://shopmate.auspost.com.au/shopping-guide/shipping-restrictions) and their Rates and Fees (http://shopmate.auspost.com.au/our-rates/shipping-rates).

Fortunately the batteries in Transformers toys aren't Lithium based, but if they ever do, those might have a problem.
I would say that Megatron guns have the potential to be prohibited if they open up the box and see one... so perhaps avoid using this service if you are buying a Megatron gun from America.

Hmmm... they don't allow food items. :(
(I sometimes like to buy limited edition themed items, like Christmas or Halloween candy)

[griffin]

New Zealand Post launched a similar service in November 2012 and I use it almost extensively now for all USA purchases, as it has been in most causes cheaper to pay for USA to USA postage and then USA to New Zealand, than direct.

However the 'base fee' for the New Zealand version is 1/2 the cost of this, and the 500g is is a few dollars cheaper - minimum cost is $17.25 + they also offer a multiple parcel discount of $6

True consolidated shipping is also coming soon.

Never used it for Amazon or HTS parcels you can't be sure that those stores will use a small outbox or spilt the shipment

Amazon has free shipping within US and looks to allow you to use different shipping addresses (like for gifts), so should be possible.
Hasbro Toy Shop though, last time I checked, won't sell to anyone who doesn't have a US billing address to the Credit Card they use. That was two years ago, so maybe check to see if it is still in force.

Nice to have that option there for you, with the more limited and more expensive domestic range than we have here.


This is so exciting, particularly with the ebay Global Shipping Program that costs a lot and doesn't combine purchases.

[Gofigure]

Brilliant

So many options now.....

[griffin]

All those US ToysRUs exclusives... might now be easier, without having to deal with their problematic and unreliable iParcel 3rd party shipping.
(and US Target exclusives too)

I think I'm actually salivating at the thought of what this opens up for me... :p

[yoshi594]

Won't this make harvey norman angry that auspost is encouraging people to buy items from the us??? we'll hear them badger the gov for import tax again...

[griffin]

I registered, and it gives an Oregon postal address to use.

To get around the restriction of some places that don't ship to POBox addresses, they use a "Suite" number at their Oregon address that then relates to each account/person.

[UltraMarginal]

Hasbro Toy Shop though, last time I checked, won't sell to anyone who doesn't have a US billing address to the Credit Card they use. That was two years ago, so maybe check to see if it is still in force.

its still the case as of a month or so ago when I tried to order the Kreon set.

[griffin]

Hasbro Toy Shop though, last time I checked, won't sell to anyone who doesn't have a US billing address to the Credit Card they use. That was two years ago, so maybe check to see if it is still in force.


From the ShopMate website FAQ, for sites like HTS, you might be able to add the ShopMate US address as one of your billing addresses, allowing those sites to process your credit card...


How do I order from a US merchant that does not accept Australian credit cards?
You should contact your bank or credit card provider to see if they can add your ShopMate address as a secondary billing address on your account.

[Zippo]

I registered, and it gives an Oregon postal address to use.

To get around the restriction of some places that don't ship to POBox addresses, they use a "Suite" number at their Oregon address that then relates to each account/person.

What is the address, it will be interesting to see if it is the same warehouse is NZ Post

14601 North Bybee Lake Court
Suite NZxxxxxx
Portland, OR

I used my address for one item from Amazon via free postage. I knew it wouldn't be spilt into multiple shipments but was worried about the external box size. For those types of items, I would use it again if Amazon didn't ship direct.

[griffin]

Yep, same address, but Suites start with SM (probably our country code for their sorting process).

Maybe it was an American company that set up that warehouse, and then solicited joint-ventures from postal companies around the world, to be their middleman for shipping.

[DELTAprime]

Amazon still list Australia as a country it will send toys to. Maybe it's a matter of Hasbro and others following Lego's example. Also remember theres shipping differences between Amazon and the various companies that are "Fulfilled By Amazon". I refuse to use Amazon any more for toys because they have a bad habit of mangling the packaging.

As long as Hasbro doesn't crack down on BBTS I'm ok with them crippling Amazon.

[Zippo]

Without knowing how many toys Amazon sell; I looked through quite a few other brands that I have some interest in and then some I don't. My estimate that 95% of all toys Amazon sell, no longer ship to New Zealand.

Maybe it got too hard for them, maybe the companies are cracking down on things. Who knows.

On topic, good to know its the same address.
Be interesting to hear the experience you have. As I said, I wouldn't go back to shipping direct to New Zealand vis USPS anymore after using this service. I just have to be a tad selecting on what I ship there and when I purchase it

[reillyd]

Seems pricey, min $25 postage per item, but I don't know how much the US based forwarders cost people?


Mine does a flat rate $8 per parcel, and can also consolidate orders.

[Sinnertwin]

Mine does a flat rate $8 per parcel, and can also consolidate orders.

Who's that?

[Sinnertwin]

creating an account was easy enough, now to take it for a test spin

and of all places to place an order... kmart.com :rolleyes::p

it's also interesting to see the free shipping offers that the major retailers like kmart, walmart, TrU, target etc offer

[griffin]

creating an account was easy enough, now to take it for a test spin

and of all places to place an order... kmart.com :rolleyes::p

it's also interesting to see the free shipping offers that the major retailers like kmart, walmart, TrU, target etc offer

Yeah, a lot of the majors have that now to compete... and I'm hoping that helps offset the postage charged by ShopMate.

I saw that Channel Ten mentioned it on the news tonight, and maybe other news programs... so that should give it some legs to kick it off with.

[Ravagecat]

This is a great idea and I'm happy to support it :) but yeah I think it will give the Australian retailers something else to complain about :rolleyes:


Probably a good timing for competition...

Watch the Wreckers at DHL

http://mobile.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/investigation-under-way-as-shocking-video-emerges-of-freight-handlers-tossing-parcels/story-fnizu68q-1227112130491

I think those same guys must work for Australia post too!! :rolleyes:

This is the condition of the box I received yesterday which had my copies of TF Box Art in it :mad:

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/ravagecat/20141104_172810copy_zps92d375cd.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/ravagecat/media/20141104_172810copy_zps92d375cd.jpg.html)http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/ravagecat/20141104_172830copy_zps1c990362.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/ravagecat/media/20141104_172830copy_zps1c990362.jpg.html)

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/ravagecat/20141104_173009copy_zps2b3dae7b.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/ravagecat/media/20141104_173009copy_zps2b3dae7b.jpg.html)






Fortunately they only suffered minor dinging on the corners (mostly due I think to the gift wrapping protecting them more). Two things could of helped this box to arrive intact and in good condition. 1. Amazon US should of shrink wrapped the books to cardboard to reduce movement in the box like I've had amazon Japan do with the generations books and 2. the fwits like in this video could take more care with stuff that doesn't belong to them :mad:

[griffin]

It's not DHL or Australia Post... it's the airport luggage-handlers (in that video), who have no accountability or responsibility to treat the "luggage" with any element of care. Particularly if *their* bosses have them on a tight schedule or don't pay them enough to take pride in their work.

It's probably why Australia Post stopped having "fragile" stickers, because they know how the airport workers operate... and figured that they couldn't do anything about it, or couldn't risk the airport workers refusing to handle their freight in retaliation.

[Mythirax]

The Parcel I just got from amazon was smashed in, all the transformer packaging in it was ruined beyond belief and crushed in. Yet some how every figure was not damaged the slightest. Yet the boxes for them look like a truck ran them over. I should of taken a picture, it was terrible.

[Ravagecat]

It's not DHL or Australia Post... it's the airport luggage-handlers (in that video), who have no accountability or responsibility to treat the "luggage" with any element of care. Particularly if *their* bosses have them on a tight schedule or don't pay them enough to take pride in their work.

It's probably why Australia Post stopped having "fragile" stickers, because they know how the airport workers operate... and figured that they couldn't do anything about it, or couldn't risk the airport workers refusing to handle their freight in retaliation.

I realise it's not Aus post that is directly responsible for this... I was merely jesting at the possibility that the same airport sub contractors in that video handled my parcel. If they are so hard done by when it comes to pay and gratitude for the job they are doing then they should look for another job instead of taking it out on other peoples property. :mad: In my job when I'm stumped by a a particularly difficult issue or get some pressure from my boss to complete certain tasks in certain time frames I don't start flinging my users computers around the room :rolleyes:

[griffin]

I agree entirely. I just remember the mentality people had at my last job (Coles Warehouse) that the property wasn't theirs, so they didn't take much care with the stock or the equipment, because there was negligible supervision, so it was easy to walk away from a mess or damage equipment and not be held accountable for it.
(people would only get into trouble if it was something significant, or something they owned up to... hence, the incentive to say nothing, because people with honour and respect would get into more trouble AND paid less)

[Bidoofdude]

You'd pay US postage costs, but it'd be cheaper and for sites like Amazon that have free US shipping options that *might* mean $0 (depends if those free shipping options have any exclusions)

It would work well for TFSource.

[Sinnertwin]

Shipping email to my suite :p confirmed
Now to see how Aust Post handle the rest

[Sharky]

Shipping email to my suite :p confirmed
Now to see how Aust Post handle the rest

Your such an Awesome Guinea Pig

[Sinnertwin]

Your such an Awesome Guinea Pig

:p:D

For those of us playing at home, my parcel is still doing happy laps in the US on its way to Oregon

[Sharky]

:p:D

For those of us playing at home, my parcel is still doing happy laps in the US on its way to Oregon

you need to sedate them before you ship them.... otherwise they run away

[griffin]

Also, take time to read their shipping restrictions (http://shopmate.auspost.com.au/shopping-guide/shipping-restrictions) and their Rates and Fees (http://shopmate.auspost.com.au/our-rates/shipping-rates).

Fortunately the batteries in Transformers toys aren't Lithium based, but if they ever do, those might have a problem.


Looks like it doesn't seem to matter what type of batteries are in the toys, as I was trying to send an older Movie toy in the mail to China, and I was called back the next day because it was rejected. They said that they don't accept any batteries in mail that has to go by air (which also affects mail to and from Perth and the east coast)... so I looked up their dangerous goods PDF (http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/dangerous-prohibited-goods-packaging-post-guide.pdf), which is dated 2009, and it says that non-lithium batteries like the ones that come pre-packed in our toys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LR44_battery), are okay in airmail, provided they are removed and stored separately within the package.

I don't know how they found out that there were a couple of button cell batteries in this toy (they must xray outgoing mail as well as incoming), but it means that if you want to sell a Transformers toy with electronics to someone overseas, you can't sell it as a sealed electronic toy if you use Australia Post. :mad:

This make selling on ebay even more frustrating than it already was.
If you need to post one intact to another country, you might have to look at courier services... to see if any of them don't have this sort of restriction, because I never have this problem with American carriers. (and I'm not going to mention it to the post office, in case they start screening all my incoming mail too)

If this becomes a more vigilant issue with other carriers and even with flying, it is going to become impossible to bring into Australia electronic gimmick Transformers (by post or in person as luggage on a plane)... leaving us to pay high local prices, or miss out on them completely if they don't get released here by Hasbro Australia. :(

[Raider]

This seems like it is going to be expensive for any items that are big but not heavy. AusPost seems to calculate costs by cubic weight. To give you an example, Fortress Maximus has box dimensions of 60 x 40 x 22.5 cm and weighs 4.8kgs. However, according to cubic weight, he weights (60 x 40 x 22.5)/5,000 = 10.8kgs.

Assuming that we don;t even take into account packaging and box dimensions for however Forty is being transported, this equates to a difference of 6kgs between actual weight and cost weigh. In other words it will cost at least $155.85 to have him forwarded here.

That huge difference in cubic weight v actual weight is going to be the killer for any boxed transformers imho.

Edit: On a side note if it turns out your parcel weighs more than the cubic weight, they charge actual weight. What a shock it doesn't work the other way...

[griffin]

Looks like it doesn't seem to matter what type of batteries are in the toys, as I was trying to send an older Movie toy in the mail to China, and I was called back the next day because it was rejected. They said that they don't accept any batteries in mail that has to go by air (which also affects mail to and from Perth and the east coast)... so I looked up their dangerous goods PDF (http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/dangerous-prohibited-goods-packaging-post-guide.pdf), which is dated 2009, and it says that non-lithium batteries like the ones that come pre-packed in our toys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LR44_battery), are okay in airmail, provided they are removed and stored separately within the package.

I don't know how they found out that there were a couple of button cell batteries in this toy (they must xray outgoing mail as well as incoming), but it means that if you want to sell a Transformers toy with electronics to someone overseas, you can't sell it as a sealed electronic toy if you use Australia Post. :mad:

This make selling on ebay even more frustrating than it already was.
If you need to post one intact to another country, you might have to look at courier services... to see if any of them don't have this sort of restriction, because I never have this problem with American carriers. (and I'm not going to mention it to the post office, in case they start screening all my incoming mail too)

If this becomes a more vigilant issue with other carriers and even with flying, it is going to become impossible to bring into Australia electronic gimmick Transformers (by post or in person as luggage on a plane)... leaving us to pay high local prices, or miss out on them completely if they don't get released here by Hasbro Australia. :(

The post office had a note on the box as the cause of rejection - containing prohibited goods, being Lithium batteries. So I told them about non-lithium batteries being permitted (I just didn't mention that they should be removed from the item), and was allowed to write on the contents description that there was 2 AA non-lithium batteries inside.
Now to see if that gets rejected by the sorting centre.
If it does, I will have to see if courier companies can take it... and see how much extra it will cost.

[zaneiken]

I'd been using Shipito as my mail forwarder for years.

[Sinnertwin]

Just received the delivery email. Now on to step 2 & aust post

[Sharky]

does it seem to be taking a long time?

[Sinnertwin]

A little; it took a week from placing the order to delivery to my bachelor pad, but they did use UPS Ground Service with tracking, so that may be.a reason as to why

[Sinnertwin]

ok, received my payment request for shopmate....

Base charge:$24.95
Weight charge:$35.70
Voucher discount:- $12.13

As you can see, clearly not the cheapest option out there & needless to say that I won't be partaking in an experiment like this any time soon

Australia Post are charging me for:
Package value: 2.9kg

When UPS Ground have it listed in their systems at
PackageWeight:2.20 lbs. that's roughly 1kg.

In short, my items were going to cost $60 to ship, but using the supplied promotional code i "saved" $12.
Ive emailed them my query in regards to the amount charged. Now to wait until the package arrives and chase up the difference in shipping weight costs. Joy.

[Megatran]

Your such an Awesome Guinea Pig
Awesome Guinea Pig. :D

[Mythirax]

Australia Post are charging me for:
Package value: 2.9kg

When UPS Ground have it listed in their systems at
PackageWeight:2.20 lbs. that's roughly 1kg.

That's disgusting.

[Sinnertwin]

That's disgusting.

Tell me about it. I get that there's a basecharge and 500 gram weight increments which are charged accordingly, but 3 times what the parcel actually weighs?...

The mental giants probably took one look at it and went ahhye fink dis wayyz aboout free keeylos aheee heee heee.

[Raider]

Tell me about it. I get that there's a basecharge and 500 gram weight increments which are charged accordingly, but 3 times what the parcel actually weighs?...

The mental giants probably took one look at it and went ahhye fink dis wayyz aboout free keeylos aheee heee heee.

And this is exactly what I was talking about with the weight calculations. It is ridiculous. Why would they not just weigh it and charge actual weight as opposed to cubic weight which will always be far heavier for TFs.

[speros]

I've been working in forwarding and shipping for the last 10years and can answer most of anyones questions.

when it comes to air freight they will charge what ever is higher weight VS CBM so the below is correct. If the item takes up more space in the contianer they will charge you by CBM as they lose space for average weight cargo in small boxes. if the weight is lets say 40kgs but its only 2 small size boxes they will charge you by weight.

Each container has a payload rating of how much it can carry then, so you have to fill it up and divide by shippers / receivers cargo space x weight.


And this is exactly what I was talking about with the weight calculations. It is ridiculous. Why would they not just weigh it and charge actual weight as opposed to cubic weight which will always be far heavier for TFs.


Dangerous cargo is very annoying especially batteries for airfreight, but if you declare it when you send it they put a big sticker on the box saying "PACKAGE CONTAINS *whatever type of batteries*". the problem with batteries and reason why they dont like to carry it is the same reason your not supposed to put them or lighters into check in luggage because they can start fires in the cargo hold just from shifting. No one wants to be held responsible for fires on planes. If you misdeclare DG cargo and something goes wrong you can expect some jail time coming your way and a crazy fine.



Looks like it doesn't seem to matter what type of batteries are in the toys, as I was trying to send an older Movie toy in the mail to China, and I was called back the next day because it was rejected. They said that they don't accept any batteries in mail that has to go by air (which also affects mail to and from Perth and the east coast)... so I looked up their dangerous goods PDF (http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/dangerous-prohibited-goods-packaging-post-guide.pdf), which is dated 2009, and it says that non-lithium batteries like the ones that come pre-packed in our toys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LR44_battery), are okay in airmail, provided they are removed and stored separately within the package.

I don't know how they found out that there were a couple of button cell batteries in this toy (they must xray outgoing mail as well as incoming), but it means that if you want to sell a Transformers toy with electronics to someone overseas, you can't sell it as a sealed electronic toy if you use Australia Post. :mad:

This make selling on ebay even more frustrating than it already was.
If you need to post one intact to another country, you might have to look at courier services... to see if any of them don't have this sort of restriction, because I never have this problem with American carriers. (and I'm not going to mention it to the post office, in case they start screening all my incoming mail too)

If this becomes a more vigilant issue with other carriers and even with flying, it is going to become impossible to bring into Australia electronic gimmick Transformers (by post or in person as luggage on a plane)... leaving us to pay high local prices, or miss out on them completely if they don't get released here by Hasbro Australia. :(

As for damage cargo / items I would be complaining to Amazon or requesting a refund of somesort as it arrived damaged and take as many clear photos as posible and send them the photos. If you can see your item is hanging out of the box partially damaged take photos DO NOT OPEN THE BOX and send the seller a photo or who ever and start a claim process like you do with ebay. once you open the damaged box your proof is gone as they may ask you to send back as is.

Our baggage handlers in Oz are rubbish but also smart I have known people who work that part of shipping, and they will damage a box purely for their own benifet, when a box of expensive goods gets damaged take a pallet of Digital Cameras for example and the forklift spike goes through the middle, they declare the entire pallet as damaged and due to the value its insured and the company gets their $$$ back. but the rest of the pallet of undamged cameras are supposed to go in the bin..... yet they go into the employees pockets and are later sold on ebay or gumtree etc. like the saying fell of the back of the truck

[Sky Shadow]

Okay, so I've experimented with this three times. After the 20% discount, two packages ended up at AU$39, and one was AU$34.24. Without the discount, benefits are negligible, but it's definitely worth it for items that don't ship to Australia.

[Sinnertwin]

Out of curiosity, Mr Shadow, did you purchase smallish items? I picked up three WWE figures from the same store & got slugged with a $60 shipping fee before their promotional discount.

[Sky Shadow]

Out of curiosity, Mr Shadow, did you purchase smallish items? I picked up three WWE figures from the same store & got slugged with a $60 shipping fee before their promotional discount.

Hmm... the two $39 packages were:

1. Two carded figures.
2. One boxed figure.

Once they get to this end, I'll see how they were packed, but I'm guessing they weren't put in greatly oversized boxes, avoiding the cubic weight issue.

[reillyd]

Who's that?

The service is called shipito.com. I find them quite handy with consolidation.
For five dollar service charge they ripped all the packaging and backer cards off an order to get it under weight for me.

[Sinnertwin]

Cheers, Reilly, i'll check them out too :)

Weighs 1kg, get charged for 3kg... Say hello to Shopmate.


All they did was use Kmart's shipping carton and attached my Australian address on the other side of the box.

http://i1335.photobucket.com/albums/w661/sinnertwinsphotos/CAM00262_zps7c96cded.jpg (http://s1335.photobucket.com/user/sinnertwinsphotos/media/CAM00262_zps7c96cded.jpg.html)

Size comparison

http://i1335.photobucket.com/albums/w661/sinnertwinsphotos/CAM00263_zps7bebff80.jpg (http://s1335.photobucket.com/user/sinnertwinsphotos/media/CAM00263_zps7bebff80.jpg.html)


http://i1335.photobucket.com/albums/w661/sinnertwinsphotos/CAM00264_zps71c61c56.jpg (http://s1335.photobucket.com/user/sinnertwinsphotos/media/CAM00264_zps71c61c56.jpg.html)

There it is kids. That's what $60 from Shopmate without the additional savings of promo codes will get you. Use them them as an absolute last resort.

[Thurmus]

I am wondering who people are using these days to try and reduce the cost of US parcel delivery?

Thanks

[philby]

I used Shop Mate once not too long ago. It was pretty expensive and they want a full detailed invoice of what you are buying and where from. I don't think I will use them again unless it is some kind of last resort.

[1AZRAEL1]

I'm using Shipito, they're not too bad. It's free to have stuff stored there for 90 days, but to combine packages, gotta pay for premium service US$50 a year or 10 a month I think. If you buy alot, sure would be worth it.

[reillyd]

The problem with Shipito is they now charge you gst on the item (customs declaration) AND shipping, which greatly inflates the price. If anyone knows of a service that doesn't enforce gst, I'd appreciate a headsup

[Sinnertwin]

I remember ShopMate. :rolleyes::mad:
Never again.
*shudder*

[Galvatran]

I remember ShopMate. :rolleyes::mad:
Never again.
*shudder*
Hehehe... Thanks for being Ozformers' guinea pig.

[bowspearer]

I remember ShopMate. :rolleyes::mad:
Never again.
*shudder*

Ugh, tell me about it. I won a G1 Quickswitch on ebay as my Christmas present from my wife. To make the shipping worthwhile I bought a lot containing a mint loose TM Terrosaur and mint loose TM Waspinator for $10 USD. The guy refused to ship outside of the US so I was like "you know what, I'll just use Shopmate, it'll be fine."

Once the $15USD to get the stuff there was added on, I was paying GST on $86USD or an extra $12, which is ridiculous considering that the shipping costs for the USPS should be GST free. To top it off, the whole thing was under a kg, yet they charged me for the cubed weight! That doesn't even happen if I ship something under a kg domestically using Aus Post. Talk about a rort!

Honestly, next time I want to mail forward, Shopmate is my last mail forwarder of choice!

[KELPIE]

Once the $15USD to get the stuff there was added on, I was paying GST on $86USD or an extra $12, which is ridiculous considering that the shipping costs for the USPS should be GST free. To top it off, the whole thing was under a kg, yet they charged me for the cubed weight! That doesn't even happen if I ship something under a kg domestically using Aus Post. Talk about a rort!

I think all international shipping uses cubed weight now unless the actual weight would cost more.

Also, sadly yes, you should be getting charged GST for shipping :(

Just on eBay... Their international shipping program is balls.

[bowspearer]

Also, sadly yes, you should be getting charged GST for shipping :(

Not the shipping I was referring to I shouldn't. Shipping from the Shopmate facility to here, certainly, but not the shipping from the seller to the Shopmate facility within the US - that is a service which in no way, shape or form, takes place here.

[reillyd]

I don't know what their gst policy is, but I just got an email from Skypax (my Uk reshipper) saying they now offer US shipping. If anyone knows of a non- gst compliant service, I'd really love to hear it.