Ok this is probably going to sound immensely stupid. Recently I have been getting a lot of offers on my yoyos from out of the us. I have been saying no to all the offers I get because I don’t know how to ship internationally. Usually I ship priority mail with tracking through the usps. So I have a couple of questions:
Last time I shipped international no special packaging was required. I just used a box the same size as the USPS priority mail box and wrapped it in plain brown paper.
shipping is more expensive than within the US. Find the rates here:
https://www.usps.com/ship/ship-a-package.htm
You also need to fill out a customs form.
You can get an international flat-rate box. The flat rate will depend on the country. The calculator jhb linked to is a good starting point, but I don’t think it’s always accurate.
Last time I ran the calculator for a box from US to Canada it was in the $20’s. But when the seller actually went in to the post office, the cost was $16.
Other shipments have come in bubble-wrap envelopes, yoyos in halves with axle and bearing separate. Was about $6 from US to Canada for a single yoyo.
Thanks. So should I use a normal priority box or do I have to use an international flat rate box?
Beats me. Based on the name, if it’s going from US to Canada, I’d think you’d need the international flat rate box; going in-person to a post office seems like the way to get accurate pricing, though.
As greg said, go into the Post Office and ask them, I usually ship stuff around europe and used one of the Flat Rate systems only to find I could have been saving ~£5 ($7-10) if I used padded envolopes instead.
I don’t remember the reason why exactly, but it was something along the lines of. "The the smallest flat rate package is $X, no matter what weight, so for a 60-70gram yoyo you then have to pad the package with paper or bubble wrap to fill it so the yoyo doesn’t move in the package. The US might be different however, I don’t know really.
Just looked at my last empty box on its way to my recycling box; it was actually $12.95, not $16. And yes, it was “international”; they even indicate on the box the reason for this: customs are pre-paid as part of the cost of shipping. This way there’s no risk of it getting held up at the border.
Thanks guys.