keziak
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posted on September 3, 2001 04:23:33 AM new
I just sold a big, heavy paperback book and the buyer is in another country. In my ad I ask them to contact me about shipping rates but I don't recall hearing from them before it closed. I had to drag the package to the P.O. to weigh it, it was so big - over 6 lbs.
So I semi-apologetically emailed with the rate, which come to more than the price of the book for air mail, and a lot for surface to, about $20.
They emailed back cheerfully saying "oh, just slap $14 of stamps on it and throw it in the mail slot, the Post Office never notices".
Say what?
Last I looked you can't even mail anything over 1 lb. Our post office threatened to throw such packages away because they are bomb threats.
I wrote back saying I"ll re-package it in a padded mailer and hope that brings the postage down...
keziak
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BJGrolle
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posted on September 3, 2001 04:55:38 AM new
Yikes!
The padded mailer might bring the postage down a bit, but I doubt it'll shave $6.00 off.
If the buyer refuses to pay the actual cost to ship, well, you know what you have to do.
BTW, I've found my bathroom scale to be amazingly accurate  when it comes to weighing my packages that are over 5 lbs.
http://bjgrolle.freehomepage.com
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mapledr1216
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posted on September 3, 2001 05:06:18 AM new
That's exactly why I ask out-of-US bidders to please email for shipping rates before bidding in my TOS - so they won't be surprised by the rate - and only about 10% actually do. Sigh!
Keziak, you're right that you just can't stick a bunch of stamps on it and drop it in a box. On top of the postal/FAA regulation about packages greater than 1 pound, you'll also need a customs form for it.
I bought a kitchen scale at my local flea market that weighs up to 20 pounds for only $3.00 and it's been a great help.
Good luck with your bidder!
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capotasto
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posted on September 3, 2001 05:25:58 AM new
"you'll also need a customs form for it"
It's the simple green form... grab a handful next time you are at the PO to have them available.
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kidsfeet
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posted on September 3, 2001 05:30:34 AM new
Capo:
Over 4 pounds and you have to use the large white customs form.
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hwahwahwahwa
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posted on September 3, 2001 06:13:08 AM new
contact the second high bidder ,hope he lives in usa
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keziak
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posted on September 3, 2001 08:15:19 AM new
I got it down to 4+ lbs, but the USPS site still says it will cost over $20, and the buyer keeps emailing me saying it will cost $14. I think I'll take it to the P.O. with my packages tomorrow and get a for-sure rate, let him know, and if it's a deal-killer, move on.
Possibly the m-bag rate will be cheaper, but as I recall, I'll need to dig around in the bowels of the USPS site to find the rate.
keziak
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dman3
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posted on September 3, 2001 08:29:55 AM new
letter rate surfice is the lowest rate and should be lower then $20 to ship 4 pounds.
here is what I got from the USPS calculator for a 4 lbs shippment
Economy (Surface) Letter Post 4 - 6 Weeks $11.10 Max. length 24", Max. length, height, depth combined 36"
air mail was $23.00
last time I used the usps calulator as well I got a quoate for a package the rate it gave was $12.75 when I got to the postoffice they charged me only $8.50 to ship.
if your international buyer sends you $14.00 for shipping you should be able to even ship the Item letter rate air and have change to spare if you get the item at around 4 pounds.
http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
Email [email protected]
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keziak
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posted on September 3, 2001 10:01:32 AM new
Dman - thanks. I think this whole experience is leading me to package and take to the P.O. for a quote from them first, before finalizing with the buyer. No matter what I tried, I kept coming up with high rates for 4 lbs and up. I really prefer to just use the Global Priority envelope, but this book won't fit into one.
keziak
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commentary
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posted on September 3, 2001 10:12:42 AM new
You should use M-Bag if available. Much cheaper than what you are indicating to ship this book.
If you are going to sell books Internationally, you must be familiar with M-Bag.
It is useless to take it to the post office for a quote. Most of them don't even know what an M-Bag is.
Quote is easy - just look for the volume shipping option and select M-Bag for books and publishers.
[ edited by commentary on Sep 3, 2001 10:14 AM ]
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wbbell
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posted on September 3, 2001 12:15:15 PM new
I kept coming up with high rates for 4 lbs and up
That's because the cutoff for "letters" is 4 lbs. Anything over 4lbs has to go as a "parcel" which costs a lot more. And, Global Priority is not available on items over 4 lbs.
I agree that M-Bag may be a cheaper way to go, even with paying the minimum 11 lbs it starts at $11.45.
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keziak
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posted on September 3, 2001 02:30:36 PM new
Bingo! I recalled it was somewhere between $10 and $15 but wasn't sure. My Russian friend finally reported that his book arrived, so it seems reliable enough.
It was funny to see my postal clerks stumbling around trying to figure out how to mail it, but they were game.
keziak
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mapledr1216
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posted on September 3, 2001 06:38:12 PM new
I'm sure many window clerks have never even heard of M-Bags. I was a window clerk for 15 years and did M-Bags a whopping two times! As long as the clerk is willing to hunt the info down in the International Mail Manual, it's not too bad.
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ravensrealm
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posted on September 5, 2001 09:59:57 PM new
What the heck is an M-Bag??????
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erost
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posted on September 6, 2001 06:50:18 AM new
M Bags. I really got excited when I saw this. I just looked it up and the regs say something about a 50lb per mailing minimum.
Elaine
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wbbell
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posted on September 6, 2001 07:03:15 AM new
http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub51/pub51.pdf ... page 9
There is no longer a minimum weight threshold for M-Bag usage. However, customers who tender M-Bags that weigh less than 11 pounds are still required to pay the applicable 11-pound postage rate.
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keziak
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posted on September 6, 2001 09:40:12 AM new
That's the main thing to understand, and possibly source of confusion. If you have a 6-lb package, you will have to pay the 11-lb rate. But it's still going to be a lot less than other options if the object won't fit a Global Priority mailer. It also takes a long time.
keziak
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