[78-L] The Nuisance of UP International Priority Mail & The Global Shipping Program

[H D Goldman]

Your problems are the result of your seller not directly shipping the package through the USPS but using an alternate shipper.

In the US a letter is defined by it's size & weight & records will always require sufficient size & weight to require USPS International Priority Mail.  Digital Customs forms are required for all shipments & if desired, can be also be attached externally by the shipper if desired.

 USPS has undergone extensive upgrading over the past several years & recently further improvement have made international shipping much more affordable.  

Parcels with physical/dimensional weight 11lbs & up are best sent by a business with access to the FedEx Grate Rate Service.

Regards,

Duane Goldman

On Oct 24, 2013, at 4:26 AM, Birgit Lotz Verlag <Birgit-Lotz-Verlag at gmx.de> wrote:

> Sending USPS International Priority to overseas customers is an enormous 
> nuisance:
> 
> While letter post will be delivered straight away, traceable packets 
> must go through customs, where both import duties and value added tax 
> will be charged.
> 
> One would have to pick up the packet at the customs house, which in my 
> case means travelling up to an hour by car during a working day, then 
> join a long queue.
> 
> The alternative is to email customs the invoice, and ebay numbers (since 
> for some inexplicable reason American sellers tend to never attach the 
> invoice on the OUTSIDE of the packet, as required).
> 
> My local customs office (in western Germany) then sends everything by 
> mail to a central customs office some 600 km away (at the far end of 
> eastern Germany), where it will be processed further. This normally 
> requires another fortnight (!) until the goods finally arrive at my home 
> -- with a customs invoice which has to be paid cash to the mailman...
> 
> On top of that, USPS Priority Mail charges are about double the charges 
> for regular uninsured letter airmail. And the advantage of airmail is 
> brought ad absurdum by this bureaucratic delay.
> 
> I therefore always URGE American sellers to send items as letters, not 
> packets, and adjust the invoices accordingly. I am prepared to bear the 
> risk of not being able to track the item (an alternative would be to 
> send by registered mail).
> 
> I just won two items from the same seller. I received what might be an 
> automatically generated invoice, charging the postage twice, and 
> stipulating USPS international priority mail.
> 
> I then contacted the seller:
> 
> "Could you please check the charges for combined shipping?
> 
> I prefer regular airmail, NOT USPS Priority Mail, because a packet will 
> always have to pass customs while letter post is unproblematic, and 
> cheaper."
> 
> The seller answered:
> 
> "Here is the message I receive from eBay when I try to invoice your 
> transactions -
> "you can't send invoice for this order .
> 
> The item(s) will ship using the Global Shipping Program. As part of the 
> program, buyer directly pays international shipping and import charges 
> to the third-party shipping provider. The buyer will still be able to 
> complete checkout even if you don't send an invoice."
> 
> It sounds like you will be hearing from the Third Party Shipper employed 
> by eBay as to the shipping charges owed. Hopefully you will be able to 
> work it out with them. Sorry I can't be of any additional help. Thank 
> you for bidding."
> 
> This sounds rather strange to me, actually, this never happened to me 
> before. Does any one have an explanation? What can I do?
> 
> -- 
> Dr. Rainer E. Lotz
> Rotdornweg 81
> 53177 Bonn (Germany)
> 
> Tel: 0049-228-352808
> Fax: 0049-228-365142
> Web: www.lotz-verlag.de
> 
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H D Goldman Lagniappe Chemicals Ltd. 
PO Box 37066 St. Louis, MO 63141 USA
v/f 314 205 1388 thedoctor at discdoc.com