Any advice on shipping something internationally?

[JSUPreston]

I'm selling a few parts on eBay that I thought we would use on the Trans Am I'm rebuilding. We decided to do an OEM style rebuild, so we're going to reuse some parts instead of replacing with aftermarket, etc.

Anyway, I have a set of the PMD/Viscounts seats that I've been trying to sell. I've got this guy from Brazil that is interested in them, but a quick calculation at the UPS site shows that it would cost him around $4k for shipping, if I break up the shipment into 4 boxes. One large package would be about $1,100. For some reason, the prospective buyer wants 4 boxes. I expect a pretty pricey bill for shipping, but that seems a little absurd. Any of you guys shipped anything internationally before? If so, do you have any recommendations on who to ship through?

Oh yeah, I'm concerned about getting taken for a ride/scammed, but the wife is pushing for me to sell to anyone interested, no matter the hassle.

[dbhost]

After my experiences shipping internationally all I can say is... Don't. Too much hassle, too much risk. Not worth it unless you are shipping a LOT of product for a high margin...

[Esteban]

Freight forwarder or consolidators

The best bet is try to locate a freight forwarder or consolidator that ships out of Mobile. These companies fill up containers with small loads or merchandise from different suppliers. They deliver the containers to specific ports in several countries, unload them sort the packages and truck them to the final destination. Two things, they are a lot cheaper than UPS ( and I mean a lot) and second they are familiar with all the paperwork required, such as insurance, customs and excise or duty taxes. You can size the packages and they will give you a quote and approximately delivery time ( this is usually a long one). Then is a matter of letting the potential buyer decide. ( be sure to get paid before shipping)

Hope this helps.

[Stytooner]

If I can't send it in the mail, it doesn't go internationally.
I just read something from Ebay where when you sell something in the US, they will have it shipped to a place that will take care of International shipping. That will provide a larger market for your stuff and they would take the hassle of shipping abroad off of you. Sounded pretty good. Buyer still pays all fees of course.

[leehljp]

And another caution from me. What Lee said about ebay might work, but be cautious. Honestly, what your wife said is a prescription for loss big time. It is not about the hassel, but how much it is going to cost you if it is a scam. - It might be cheaper on you to just put them in the garbage than to sell overseas and especially with that high of a shipping cost.

In NO way, should you pay for the shipping with the expectation of getting re-imbursed; or ship with a legitimate foreign "check" in hand. Checks should be deposited and wait until cleared well before sending. That can take up to a month. Heard many accounts where a check was deposited and came back 2 weeks later.

[cwsmith]

As the others have said, it's pretty risky!

I have a friend who used to travel to Brazil as a field service engineer for a major international printing manufacturer. I remember him telling me that almost any time he had to ship parts, they'd be held up... "for ransom!"

Personally, I found that difficult to believe as Brazil is a modern country, and I would think well beyond such uncivil things. But back in 2000, I was tasked with sending some of my technical illustrations to Australia for a trade show. Now I would consider Australia to be right up here on the level of Canada or the U.S., etc. (and a few steps above Brazil).

Well, I declared "a value" to the shipping tube containing the illustration prints which I sent DHL priority service. Well, the day before the show I got a very angry call from our Australian district director. Because of "my stupidity" the package was being held up by some Australian "authority" who demanded payment for their release. Apparently one has to make sure the package is a valueless as possible, otherwise someone might feel an opportunity to make a little money on the side.

This kind of thing was well beyond my perception and it made me wonder how really naive I must be. I wonder how many countries have problems like this and where does one go to find out ahead of time? From that, I think I'd always leave the shipping to be handled from the destination end.

CWS

[JSUPreston]

You guys have confirmed what I had already told my wife. When I gave her the shipping quotes I received, she finally understood why I wasn't willing to ship outside of US or Canada.

I would rather sit on this (no pun intended) rather than risk losing money due to some scam or customs issue.

I signed up last night for the international shipping thing that eBay now has, but of course this item doesn't qualify, so that sealed the deal for me. Maybe this guy will quit asking me about it...he's contacted me several times over the past month or so and has become a thorn in my side.