Need Help - Best method to ship package to JAPAN????

[MrRetroGamer]

I had a BUY-IT-NOW winner on one of my game console auctions from Japan. I need to ship a package to them from the USA and I have never shipped to that country before. The box will be about 15 - 20 pounds and the prices I've received from USPS, UPS, and FEDEX seem pretty high, with USPS being the lowest at around $70 for AIR MAIL GLOBAL EXPRESS w/insurance. It's obvious the buyer understands this and already told me they will pay all charges and requested the AIR MAIL. Anyone have any useful ideas for me??

[punkoffgirl]

What do you need for ideas? I thought the Post Office would take care of everyting, as long as you got the money

[Revolt]

Yes i have an idea...send the package :lol:

[MrRetroGamer]

Anyone have any useful ideas for me??

So far, I guess NOT. :x

I'm looking for people who have used the various services mentioned and can say they prefer one over another based on experience, costs, & reliability. I want to make sure it gets where it's going as safely as possible, and not look like an elephant sat on it!

[packman75]

I'm looking for people who have used the various services mentioned and can say they prefer one over another based on experience, costs, & reliability

I always use USPS for overseas shipping, so I can't comment on FedEx or UPS. I've shipped to maybe 20 different countries and have never had a problem. If there is not a huge price difference, I'd say go with USPS.

[Lexicon]

I've also had good luck with USPS overseas. Haven't had anything destroyed en route to other countries yet.

[CrazyImpmon]

If at all possible, don't send anything oversea by land. The ship can take it's time to depart until it's full and from my experience it's about 2 months from North America to Asia and those ships aren't exactly climate controlled so expect packages to have a slew of black slimy spots.

Air mail is the safer route.

Another trick you could use is to declare the package as gift and price it not more than $30-$40 so there's less chance of being charged by custom tax. But if the package is damaged or lost and it was valued more than the declared value, your SOL big time.

[TheMom]

Absolutely go Air Mail or any other service that has insurance. I always demand insurance on overseas shipments unless it is something cheap.

[chocobokick]

We've had good luck with Global Priority mail (usps). the big narrowish boxes usually run $14 in Europe, I don't know how much Japan would be though. It gets there fast so I'm assuming it's air mail.
good luck!

[geelw]

i deal with an ebay seller in japan who has been buying some stuff from me once in a while!last month, i shipped her an atari jaguar (new/boxed), 2 games, a t-shirt and some music cd's via EMS, which takes 3-5 days, and is costly, but it's the safest bet.

other tips:

USE LOTS OF PACKING MATERIAL! bubble wrap, newspaper, foam popcorn, white cheddar cheez doodles (lol), whatever works to keep the item from shifting in the box!

CUSTOMS FORMS: GRAB AS MANY AS YOU CAN- it's a pain in the ass to wait on a long line, only to have to step aside and fill out forms for 5 minutes! go on a slow day and ask for forms- there are two types of forms for overseas mailing (not counting EMS labels/forms). just tell the p.o. you ship out a lot of stuff, and they'll give you certain supplies for free!

INVEST IN A SCALE- if you send out a lot of stuff, it'll help immensely to have accurate shipping amounts to hit buyers with as soon as they ask! just weigh the item, and go to www.usps.com and enter the weight- the site will let you know the assorted shipping choices you have.

[Sothy]

draw a picture of a young school girl being raped in every orifice by tentacles and it sill get to japan in 4 hours.