Hey everybody! I've been pretty busy lately. I hope you guys don't mind these "Blog Field Trips"! I took you to the bank yesterday. Today I'm taking you to the post office (USPS).I stopped by the post office, because I put together Halloween boxes for my blog friends Kizzy (Scotland), Jo (Canada) and Val (Italy). I've shipped Internationally before, but they were always small packages. Boyyyy, did I have stamp sticker shock shipping these! LOL The boxes were pretty heavy (I filled them to the top) and boy did I PAY for it! $60 (Scotland) $40 (Canada) and $50 (Italy).
I started questioning the postman! LOL You guys would've laughed at me! I was like $60!!! That's the cheapest you can send it? LOL He laughed at me. I told him, I would buy a damn plane ticket and hand it to them myself. HAHAHA I told him I would build a boat and row it to them. >.<
Does anybody have any advice for shipping Internationally? I had to fill out an ENTIRELY different custom's slip, because I went over a certain amount of lbs (P). I guess it's best to ship smaller and lighter quantity things. Share your shipping story if you wish :)
Another adventure tomorrow!
Wow I have missed alot of your posts as I had not been blogging about for two weeks. Went through all what I missed.
ReplyDeletewww.thoughtsofpaps.com
Ouch! Those are some painful postage charges right there! But you're so sweet to put together the boxes and I'm sure they will LOVE them x
ReplyDeletePostage can be an absolute killer... Unfortunately the only way to slightly reduce it is to pack things in smaller packages (here it's under 2kg and certain size for the box) and send it by the slowest mail option (which takes quite a few weeks to get to the destination), Oh, and the cost you declare on the label also makes a difference - first they charge you more for the insurance and then here they charge the recipient an extra duty fee should the cost go above, I think, $40 in total. :(
ReplyDeleteIt is so sweet of you to send all those presents - I can imagine how happy the girls are going to feel!
xxx
It costs the bomb to ship stuff from here too - international shipping is so pricey. Hope your lovely friends enjoy their gifts;-) Love your gif - so cute. happy day sweets
ReplyDeleteAx
Girl!! You are so funny!! I think our boxes are going to have to be split into smaller ones after this!! You shouldn't have paid that, so crazy!! As excited as I am to get the box, it's a craziness that you spent that much to post it...we must figure this out better!! The postman is ripping us off, haha!! Yes, I think your package will come in smaller ones to cut down the price, that's what the lady at the office said to do last time i sent you your box and my face dropped when she said the price, hahaha!! I was like...'could I not just buy a ticket there instead? hahaha. But, I will break yours down and see how much it costs overall & let you know, as it might be best for you to do that with anything else you may send to friends. Something is so amiss with the post people & their charges. But, I'm looking forward to it :)))))) EXCITED!!!!! Happy Halloween to me!!! Love you doll :))
ReplyDeleteGeez - that is so expensive.
ReplyDeleteBut I totally loved this post :)
You are so talented Kim.
xx
i would love to know if there is any cheaper way to ship internationally really! i feel like crying at such exorbitant rates..and the complications!
ReplyDeleteI would have bailed out, gone home and taken the heaviest things out. Wow that's a lot to pay! You're a mighty good friend. I'm very curious about what adventure you're going on tomorrow now :D. Happy adventuring! sparkle2day.com
ReplyDeleteWow! I had no idea it was so expensive to ship internationally! No wonder the blog giveaway I won from overseas never arrived!!! LOL! Have a fab Tuesday, Sweets!!! T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI hate shipping internationally! It's usually more than the present!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you had postage issues!
ReplyDeleteI remember one time I sent something to family overseas and the postage cost more than the gift! Always make sure to pick light gifts to send overseas, it can be so expensive :(
You can always send the slowest way possible really cheaply, I remember my friend did that when she went home after staying here, she knew it would be cheaper to send stuff back seamail rather than paying extra baggage fees at the airport. That's the only time postage seems cheap! :P
Away From The Blue
How sweet of you Kim, I believe the girls will be so happy to get your thoughtful presents. I get you and for this reason I send stuff internationally less cause is pretty expensive. I usually pack light and make an ordinary delivery but it is also risky and sometimes my parcel went lost! You look adorable in the gif! Kisses dear, happy Tuesday! xo
ReplyDeleteI like the first picture that you did. I saw it on Instagram and I like it. You are so funny, Kim. If I were the postman, I would be laughing at you shipping these parcels yourself. Hehehe...
ReplyDeleteI sent to 3 different countries all at once for my giveaway contest last year and I almost choked at the prices too! I think I had Norway, Spain, Italy... It's just like what you quoted! I seriously don't know why postage are so expensive I mean, it doesn't hurt to have one small little box in the ship or the plane right?
Whoa! That is pretty steep, Kim. I have a small business discount from our postal service which I got when I used to sell some stuff on Ebay. The discount helps a lot. Mind you, I don't ship much internationally, so our prices are probably almost the same. Cray cray!
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, can't wait for your next adventure:D
ouch- what a hefty shipping charge! unfortunately, i have no experience or advice for international shipping.
ReplyDeletealways, koru kate
Wow, $60 is A LOT for shipping! I don't usually send anything internationally so I had no idea either that it was so expensive.
ReplyDelete-Sharon
The Tiny Heart
Lord. Those fees are insane. I guess there's a reason I never ship overseas. Might as well save some funds, book a ticket and hand deliver them gifts
ReplyDeleteWhoa. Spendy! But I'm sure your friends are worth it!
ReplyDeleteOh geez! Yeah, I had that experience sending packages to Australia! It was very expensive, and I have no idea what the other options are other than sending smaller packages. :(
ReplyDeleteWow ,how expensive! :(
ReplyDeleteLovely Greetings ,kisses ,big Hugs <3
It's crazy isn't it? That's why I never ship internationally. Ironically it doesn't cost some countries what it's costs us. I think the UK can ship here pretty reasonably.
ReplyDeleteThat is expensive Kim!
ReplyDeleteHowever at least you postal system works.
Here it would be expensive and get lost.
Spain is even more expensive.
ReplyDeleteIt is cheaper to take things yourself, lol
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wow I like this blog;)
ReplyDeleteRYC:
ReplyDeleteYup, we pet lovers and owners would definitely empathise with each other. Animals require a lot of commitment. Fortunately, I find cats pretty independent. It's been quite a few years and I think I'm ready to have another pet. I asked the hubz if we could keep a cat in our future home and he said if I could take care of it, he is fine with it. I'm surprised that he wasn't averse to their shedding of fur and the need to scratch stuff at home yet ecstatic too, but I still gotta wait for 2 years. I hope you have since gotten over your 2 beloved doggies. It is so heartbreaking that the 2nd one died of heartbreak. That could happen to animals if they have been really close to each other. Hugz to you!
Trying to ship internationally can be such an expense, Kim - I totally know where you're coming from! It was particularly shocking to me when I came home from France, where shipping costs were very reasonable, even internationally. I just sent a package to my friend in Calgary, from Vancouver, and it cost me more than if I would have sent it to her from Paris! I think we get the short end of the stick when it comes to postal service here in North America! I'm contemplating trying a service like UPS - it might not be any cheaper, but I can't imagine it's more expensive!
ReplyDeletexox,
Cee
Dear Kim, I'm sorry about that!! I have no suggestions about international deliveries! When I have to ship something which doesn't fit in a flat envelope (20eu), the price is approx 40/50 Eu (also when I ship in Europe). Plus, I bought a lovely handbag made in Texas and it was blocked at the Customs and I had to pay 15 eu of customs fees. Is this globalization era or what? I can't wait to get your super valuable package!!
ReplyDeleteLove
Coco et La vie en rose
Coco et La vie en rose on Bloglovin
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Hi Kim! when sending product I did, my customers always pay the shipping costs, but in this case it comes to gifts, I guess I do more small package shipments could lower the shipping charge.
ReplyDeletewww.urbanikamoda.blogspot.com
I have shipped once internationally and it was a small package too but they sure did make me fill out a customs form. I can't remember what the cost was (might have been around $25-$30) but I remember when I went to UPS as an alternative they wanted $98!!! Are you kidding me? That was ridiculous so I went back to the post office. At this moment I am doing nail mail and chose to do it only w/in the USA because shipping is expensive.
ReplyDeleteWow that's steep! I'm really glad I saw this now haha, I'm planning an international swap with a friend from Israel and we've both been concerned with shipping prices!
ReplyDeleteHayfa
londonloafers.blogspot.com
Hi Kim, that is a seriously hefty sum! Did you send it via registered mail, because that works out more expensive. Also it depends on how much the box weighs. Everytime I buy books online from the US, the books come up to about $25 but shipping is up to $75. Its unjust!
ReplyDeleteInternational shipping rates can be pretty steep! I would've questioned it too. You might be better off splitting up your shipments in some instances. Boxes always cost more for some reason than padded envelopes.
ReplyDeleteRowena @ rolala loves
No wonder you were shocked with those postage charges! I think charges have increased here too but I generally post items which are fairly light otherwise the postage can sometimes be as much as the items themselves!!
ReplyDeleteYup! International Shipping has really gotten expensive since the USPS hiked up their prices on January. It's really hit my business hard since I have a lot of customers from the UK, France, and Australia. My advice is to use polybags (unless the package is fragile) instead of boxes (for the weight) and also to weigh and print postage in advance at home (you save a few dollars by doing that yourself!)
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet! And funny! Hahaha. If only flying to another country is that easy, I'd buy a plane ticket too. Hehe. Sending and receiving packages from other countries are both very expensive here too. I once read a horrific story about custom fees that are more expensive than the package itself and there were no explanations whatsoever. I always thank the people who send me packages because I know they made such a huge effort.
ReplyDelete(^^,)
Kim, I so feel you. I run into this a lot when I ship and it's like half the price of the handbag! I have found some ways to work around it though. I never let the post office price it, for some reason it's way more expensive that way. I do it online, I search for the best possible deal--sometimes it's priority, sometimes it's putting it in a slightly different size box. I've saved as much as $25 doing it this way. Although you can't get around weight--what were you sending them, cement candy? Haha, just kidding!
ReplyDeletexo Mary Jo
first, i LOVE your personal posts!
ReplyDeleteinternational shipping IS expensive. i had to return shoes to china and they wanted to charge me $60. i finally got it down to $30 with international first class. my best advice is to use their flat rate boxes...they have international ones. otherwise, you can save money by purchasing postage online.
same issue with australia post. daylight robbery!!
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