Do you use Surface Economy Post to ship outside the US?

[Kitsune Sniper]

This is a sorta poll, I guess.

I just got a few bids on my auctions for some old sealed PC games. Thing is, the items are quite heavy... and he lives in Germany. I sent him a message telling him that should he win the items, the cost of shipping the stuff would be somewhat high, since I ship via Global Parcel Post. I'd use Global Priority Mail but the items definitely weigh over four pounds.

And then he replies by asking me "Can you use Surface Post"?

Now, I don't want to ship it via Surface Post. I can't use insurance, the items take almost two months to arrive, and I would expect people to, you know, COMPLAIN since their items have not arrived yet. I don't think I will let him use that (especially since he ignored the rule on my auctions for international buyers - ASK ABOUT POSTAGE COSTS BEFORE BIDDING). I'm mostly wondering if any of you have used it (to ship and receive stuff), and what was your experience with it.

[Mayhem]

Well I've got everything sent to me via surface from the US in the past. It can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 3 months to arrive however.

(and yes, I've had a couple of REAL slow ones!)

As long as he knows how long it will take, then I can't see too much of a problem apart from the tracking bit.

[jajaja]

I have used it 2 times from US and 1 time from Japan. I recived all 3. Altho, the 2 times from USA i didnt know it was sent with surface mail, it took damn long time. One time it took like 9 weeks (US to Europe) to recive it. I even threatened to police report the seller. The same day i sent that mail i got the package haha, what are the odds.. The seller didnt reply any of my previously mails tho so i was afraid i was scammed.

So if your going to do it say it can take upto 10 weeks, eventho it says 6-8 weeks. And that you are not responcible for loss or damage. Just make sure he understands and agree with this.

[scooby105]

if he pays with paypal, don't ship surface mail no matter what. it doesn't matter what you agree to, he'll still be able to file a chargeback and receive his money back.

[jajaja]

Many people dont honor their words indeed so ye, you might want to be careful with it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

if he pays with paypal, don't ship surface mail no matter what. it doesn't matter what you agree to, he'll still be able to file a chargeback and receive his money back.

This is exactly what I'm afraid of. I have to accept Paypal, since there's NO BANK nor cashing place in my area which will accept foreign money orders, postal or not, and cash them. I had a hell of a time cashing a Canadian Postal Money Order! Even the Post Office refuses to cash those, claiming that they have no funds to give me (I usually go around opening time, since there's nobody around). Lame, but what can you do.

I do know there's the Certificate of Mailing thing, but I guess it's not worth squat to Paypal.

I'm pretty sure I'll be telling him no, but I don't want to sound aggressive. But it is his fault for not asking before bidding, when I said so on the auction...

[Darren870]

usually airmail is like $2 more then surface. Did you check airmail?

[scooby105]

usually airmail is like $2 more then surface. Did you check airmail?

airmail still isn't trackable though.

[jajaja]

Its a bigger diffrence than $2 when it comes to heavy packages. Snding a 10 pound package costs $25 with surface mail, but with airmail it costs nearly $45. Maybe splitting the stuff into several of packages is the best solution, and send them as airmail.

[DreamTR]

Air Mail is trackable "sometimes" believe it or not. I've seen the USPS recognize the number on the Air Mail Customs Slip before on the web.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Here's the breakdown. I'm shipping this to Germany. This is in case the guy wins -all four items-. There's no way of knowing if he will, since he's already got someone bidding against him in one of the items.

All four items total about four pounds and a half in weight. Add to that the box, and packing material, and let's say it goes up to five pounds total.

Now, I can only ship via Airmail if the package isn't over a certain size. Unfortunately, these four items, if shipped together, need a box that is quite larger than the limit. But if I split them in two, I get this figure: $19.10 to ship each box, which would be around three pounds. Maybe less.

If however I stick everything in one box and ship it Parcel Post, It costs $28.70. That's for a FIVE pound package. In contrast, if I shipped it via Surface Mail, it would cost $20 to ship it.

You're probably thinking, "But these are boxed games! They can't be that heavy!" Well, they are, since these are oldschool DOS games. Back in those days they included huge, thick manuals (and these are RPGs, to boot!). I think one of them (an AD&D game) actually has a paperback novel inside.

I already informed the guy that I cannot ship via Surface due to the amount of time it would take for the item to get there. It's just not safe. I don't want trouble because of a package that will take ages to get there. :/

Edit:

Air Mail is trackable "sometimes" believe it or not. I've seen the USPS recognize the number on the Air Mail Customs Slip before on the web.

This only serves to let you know the date when the parcel left the country. Paypal won't count it as a valid tracking method. :\

[JerseyDevil65]

Did you look into shipping by UPS? They are usually cheaper than the Post Office for heavier items, plus they provide a tracking number.

If you have a Mailboxes Etc or someplace like that near you they might ship UPS for you for a small fee in addition to the UPS charge.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Did you look into shipping by UPS? They are usually cheaper than the Post Office for heavier items, plus they provide a tracking number.

If you have a Mailboxes Etc or someplace like that near you they might ship UPS for you for a small fee in addition to the UPS charge.

I hadn't thought of that. I heard somewhere around here that it's sometimes more expensive due to a... broker's charge? I think.

There's one place which ships UPS across the border. My sister used that to ship about 40 pounds of Mexican smuggled - er, stuff she bought here while on vacation. 8-)

[ryborg]

To answer your original question, if they paid via Paypal, DO NOT SHIP VIA SURFACE. Items get lost, items take months to arrive, items are untrackable. You're basically inviting a Paypal chargeback on yourself.

If they paid via cash or MO, I might consider it as long as they agree that their package might arrive 4 months late, if at all.

The fact is, why take the risk? If the buyer is serious about the items, he'll pay the few bucks extra for Airmail shipping. No, it's not trackable w/o EMS etc, but almost all Airmail packages arrive, and arrive surprisingly quick.

The only time Surface is preferable is when you're shipping something incredibly heavy/bulky, but in that case, you should probably consider a different mailing service.
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[Speedy_NES]

How much feedback does this guy have? If he seems reputable, I don't see a big problem.

I've personally had at least 15-20 heavy packages shipped surface mail from multiple regions in the past year, and those from the US have always arrived. The only problem with surface mail, and this is something you should take into account if you were to change your mind, is that the boxes are easily crushed since I believe they pile them up pretty high...so make sure to use a solid box or the items will get damaged. Also, as jajaja already stated, the shipping duration to Europe is much longer than the estimated 4-6 weeks that the post office gives you. All surface mail packages have taken at least 2 if not 3 months to get to me.

I agree that the buyer is at fault, though, since he did not ask prior to bidding.