International Shipping fee's are such a nightmare

Discussion in Shipping Services started by deathbyprayer • Sep 9, 2014.

  1. deathbyprayer

    deathbyprayerActive Member

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    So I was about to buy a gift for my friend who happens to live on the other side of the planet. I didn't want to spoil the gift and I really wanted to surprise her so I went to Amazon and I bought the gift.

    My original plan was to buy the gift from Amazon and I would just send it to her personally but I found out that Amazon now does international shipping so I took advantage of that service and guess what, I paid more for the shipping than my actual purchase. Okay maybe not but still it's pretty expensive. But it would cost me almost the same price when I get to send it to her personally so I think it's fair. I'm really lucky that I live in America, free shipping all the way.
     
  2. johnnear

    johnnearActive Member

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    Yeah they're pretty much a bummer for everything you order online. I once bought a phone for $200 from eBay I think the phone came from Singapore and I paid an extra 100 just to ship it to the US.
     
  3. deathbyprayer

    deathbyprayerActive Member

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    $100 for shipping alone? Wow that's a lot of money for shipping alone. I never really paid that much usually just an extra $30 - $50 maybe more.
     
  4. AresBlade

    AresBladeActive Member

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    Wow, that's scary! I deal with shipping internationally a lot, being from Canada I order lots of things that they sell here, but we can buy from US markets for much less. Just an FYI, you can call the border office and find out what kind of duties or tariffs they will charge on certain products coming into the country. It's a good way to find out if there are excess hidden fees. You really need to watch out for brokerage fees though, that's where these shipping companies are probably biting you.
     
  5. deathbyprayer

    deathbyprayerActive Member

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    Yes it is pretty scary actually, you end up paying more than anticipated. I'm not sure how it works in Canada but for the most part every time I order from Amazon they're the once to calculate everything before they ship so that you don't have to worry about other charges.
     
  6. acnxtj

    acnxtjNew Member

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    You can send gift cards through an E-Mail on Amazon, no need for shipping or extra costs
     
  7. deathbyprayer

    deathbyprayerActive Member

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    Actually it's not a gift card I'm sending, it's an actual gift and it's not a digital good either. Or did I misunderstood you?
     
  8. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    The sole purpose of buying online is to save some money. If you spend a lot of shipping and then maybe also pay customs fees and you find out that you are spending almost about the same amount of money you'd be spending if you bought something "locally," that [buying "local"] would be the better choice IMHO. That way you'll avoid having to spend more money shipping sending whatever it is you bought back if you don't find it is damaged or defective.
     
  9. rz3300

    rz3300Active Member

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    Well thankfully I have been able to avoid this nightmare for the most part as I do not have anyone overseas that I send things to, but it did make me think of a good friend of mine who has four kids who all live in countries abroad. I wonder what she does for holidays and if she has to deal with these shipping costs. At least now I know what our topic of conversation will be the next time I see her.
     
  10. Binu

    BinuActive Member

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    I shop on amazon and ebay and none of these companies have operational base in my country. Amazon does not ship most of the products to my country citing country's custom rules. However, I can receive products from ebay because most of the ebay sellers are individuals who ship anywhere. When I shop I always try to look for free shipping. If there is no free shipping. I will not buy the product. .
     
  11. luckycharm

    luckycharmActive Member

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    When I was working on an online site I was rewarded with an Amazon Gift Card in dollars. Then I realized that for items I purchase online I have to pay more than the card amount as the shipping charge is quite huge.

    Even when there is free shipping in most of the cases the price of the item would be very high. I think they are adjusting the shipping charges in the cost of the product. So I stopped looking for international products.
     
  12. kamai

    kamaiActive Member

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    Yes shipping charges are a nightmare. I have never sent nor bought anything I have to pay shipping for as I won't be able to afford it. My cousin did send me something from the US and even if the package wasn't too big the charge was almost the same amount of the items.
     
  13. tonyb

    tonybActive Member

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    This is one main reason I try as much as possible to dodge international shipping by not buying certain items online. It baffles me when I have to pay an amount more than the actual cost of the item I bought just for the shipping. It adds up to me as a partial waste of money, instead I'd shop locally.
     
  14. kaka135

    kaka135Active Member

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    Yes, I agree with you. International shipping can be really a nightmare, and that's why I do not always buy things online, especially from foreign countries, though many items online look so attractive and much cheaper than what I can buy locally, the shipping cost can always be much more expensive than the actual product itself. Just because of this, sometimes I wish I stay in US. :D

    I think what @acnxtj@acnxtj meant is you don't buy an actual gift, but send your friend a gift card, so you don't need to bear the cost for shipping, and your friend will choose what she is going to buy with the gift card. But, I'd still prefer sending an actual gift than a gift card. :p
     
  15. Penny

    PennyActive Member

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    If your friend is in a country that has Amazon. You can send them a gift certificate linked to the item so it is pre-paid. Then they can just have it shipped to them at local rates. If it is expensive enough to qualify, or they have Prime, that being free.

    It's nicer to send the item but to save $100 a gift certificate for the item is close enough. And if it happens that they hate the item, they can convert it into a gift card for the same amount.
     
  16. Decentlady

    DecentladyActive Member

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    Gift card may be a nice idea but if someone is not into online shopping or you found the best gift for them than that makes sending gifts more feasible right.

    I have had similar problems with international e-shopping and e-shipping. That is one reason I first look for an appropriate gifts on local online stores before trying to go international. I avoid sending gifts across the country unless it's parcel by hand as the fees are killer.
     
  17. haivu721vn

    haivu721vnMember

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    I tried to buy some books on amazon that cost just $10 but the shipping cost was up to $20. Yes, that is really a nightmare.
    Gift Card isn't an opinion since there's nothing we can do with it if we're outside the US.
     
  18. kaka135

    kaka135Active Member

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    @haivu721vn@haivu721vn For books, I always like to buy from Book Depository, as they offer free shipping world wide. The price of the books might be slightly more expensive than those from Amazon, but they always have sales going on, and if we include the shipping cost, it is definitely much cheaper than I buy them elsewhere. Hence, I always buy books from Book Depository or hopefully there is an ebook version.
     
    #18Mar 14, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 15, 2017
  19. tonyb

    tonybActive Member

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    That reminds me I am looking to buying a quality power bank that I can use on my computer and mobile. I may visit Amazon for the online purchase but my greater worry is the cot of shipping. I am already nursing the thought the cost of shipping may exceed the actual amount for the item. I just have believe I may get a better quality at those well established online stores than buying at a local shop.