[Milsurplus] The End of International Trade for Individuals?

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

This cut into my foreign sales as well.  The official USPS excuse was the 
difficulty of contacting for reliable ocean freight.  The more likely reason is 
laziness.  You can still do surface freight but it essentially requires going 
through a freight forwarder and unless the customer can come to the port of 
entry at the far end, it gets complicated getting the package from there to the 
customer.  And in the end not a lot cheaper unless you're shipping something 
like a BC-610.

I will mention two things, though.  Air Letter Post didn't go away, it got 
renamed to 1st Class International.  And the rates didn't go up much.  In fact, 
lightweight items to Canada are still cheaper than the same item sent to this 
side of the border.  Second, I discovered by accident that the LS-3 
Loudspeaker, if the buyer allows me to remove it from all of the original boxes, will 
fit safely into the Flat Rate shoe box and to Australia costs only slightly more 
than it used to by Surface Parcel Post.  To Europe it's about $4.00 more 
which isn't too bad.  However, there aren't many radio items that will fit in the 
box and that are heavy enough to make it work out about the same as before.

In a message dated 10/5/2007 10:38:42 AM Central Daylight Time, kk7iz at cox.net 
writes: 
> When the postal rapes went up all individual foreign free trade came to a 
> stop. No more air letter post, air parcel post or economy parcel post. My 
> foreign sales have dropped to 1 or 2 a month, and they are to well heeled 
> individuals.
> Thanx
> Lloyd  KK7IZ
> kk7iz at cox.net
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "David Stinson" <arc5 at ix.netcom.com>
> To: "Milsurplus" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 6:46 AM
> Subject: [Milsurplus] The End of International Trade for Individuals?
> 
> 
> >A gentleman in Australia bought a BC-659 from me.
> >The package weighs 31 pounds.
> >I just checked on shipping costs- lowest rate available:
> >
> >USPS: $125
> >USP:  $357 (?!!?)
> >FedEx:  $327 (?!?)
> >
> >It's more than twice what it would cost
> >to send it to Europe (that rate's an outrage, too).
> >It's appalling;  I can't ask him to pay that.  I'm embarrassed to even 
> >suggest it.  I've told the man he can cancel the deal if he wishes.
> >Surely these rates can't be based on any realistic cost-plus-profit model. 
> >What on Earth is going on?
> >
> >Thanks for letting me vent,
> >Dave S.
> 

Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
<http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
MVPA 9480
<wa5cab at cs.com> (Primary email)
<wa5cab at comcast.net> (Backup email)
   
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