Outrageous cost of EMS shipping

You might want to look into EMS shipping. It is the fastest shipping worldwide and can be to you within only a few days even from overseas. It is also one of the only ways to fully insure any packages and it usually starts in at around $20-$25 even for the smallest packages. Pretty much all of the doll companies use EMS service because they can have the package covered in case of something going wrong. So yes, it DOES cost that much.

 

EMS shipping is outrageous. a wig from soom costs as much as the shipping does. Just kinda the way it goes from what i can tell

 

Before I order anything small from a doll company, I always look for a group order in the marketplace. I don't get the item quite as fast, but it really saves on shipping costs.

 

That's fairly standard for EMS shipping from Korea or Japan to the US, and it is what it actually costs. EMS starts around $20 and goes up the bigger/heavier the package gets. Shipping for dolls has run me $50-90, depending on the company and the doll size.

I wish companies would offer airmail for inexpensive/non-breakable items like wigs and clothes, but I doubt that will happen since airmail can't generally be insured.

 

As a couple of other people have said - it's because most doll companies use EMS. It's safer, and faster than airmail. Musedoll used to offer airmail shipping as well as EMS. Airmail was only 7 dollars, but it takes forever and isn't insured. (At least I don't think so)

There's a few ways to get around paying the 20+ dollar shipping fee. If you don't need something immediately look for a group order. There's always one going on. If you don't want to go that route, try making a larger order from the site. It probably doesn't make alot of real sense, but to me ordering $80.00 worth of stuff from a company sort of softens the blow of the shipping.

EMS prices do seem a little out of hand, but I'd rather pay a bit extra and pay for piece of mind. If I ordered and the only option was airmail I'd be worried until the package was in my hands.

 

Depending on where you live, you might want to look up a local dealer. I've used a few here in the states including We Love Dolls, Featherfall, and Denver Dolls. There are many more so I recommend seeing what is available in your area.

 

Not if you think about how people act about these things. I would be perfectly willing to assume the risk of an inexpensive being damaged or lost in transit if it meant saving $15-20 in shipping. And in the case of the few companies who do allow airmail shipping, they specify that you do so at your own risk -- they will not refund or replace items that get lost or damaged, since they can't collect insurance on them.

However, I have seen people choose this shipping option, have something take longer than they expected (airmail can be slow) or get damaged (airmail also gets banged around a lot) and then demand that the company replace the item or give them a refund. I can't blame them for not wanting to take the risk of all that trouble.

 

I've read a few Q&A posts from people asking companies about cheaper shipping options. What it boils down to is the companies not wanting to take the risk of having airmail packages lost or taking forever to arrive which results in the customers complaining about it and ultimately, the company losing money and time over lost packages. EMS is the safest and fastest way to get things shipped overseas and it's pretty reliable.

Being a part of this hobby ensures that you will pay shipping through the nose when you buy direct... you just have to get used to it or find ways to offset the shipping costs.

Although, for Leekeworld, if you order more than one wig the shipping costs double as well... I wish this wasn't so!

 

Buying from local agents saves a LOT on shipping. For comparison; I bought a 1/4 doll from DollZone directly, plus a few other things. Shipping from China to my door in Australia cost me 50 USD (Roughly 65 AUD.) I then bought the same doll from the agent in my country, plus some other stuff. The parcel ended up weighing more than the one I bought from DollZone. Shipping only cost me about 35 AUD.

Regarding EMS and insurance, yes, it's there, but things still go missing. (Refer to: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245866)
Anyways, that's my 2 cents. <<

 

Good idea.
I haven't done this yet, but I am thinking of getting some clothing items from a doll company and I've been scoping for group orders. It seems like a good way to help each other save money. It really is expensive to ship things safely and quickly.

 

The shipping for a doll I just bought cost a little more then 60,00 US. I wasn't to happy about that because there's also gonna be custom fees and stuff. Grr..

 

I believe Cool Cat & Can-Can both sell wigs and will ship them via airmail.

 

Cotin Doll is another wig seller who will ship their products with regular Air Mail.

 

yea i orderd some goggles and stockings from a companie and they only use EMS and it ended up costing me 30 for shipping on top of the 20 something i actually bought.. so $60 for a paire of stockings and small goggles-_-;;

 

I remember that shipping Peregrine only cost a little more than the shipping for his wig... It does bother me, I won't lie about that. We can rehash the reasons and restate how much EMS costs all day, but in the end, yes, it is outragous. But, ultimately, we decide whether or not we'll pay for EMS shipping on a small order, or just look elsewhere.

 

I can only speak about Japan, but for larger packages, EMS is actually cheaper than airmail. It's also the only insured and traceable option, which is why I won't send any other way. You should also keep in mind that packing materials cost money, and companies also have to pay export fees and customs filing fees to ship overseas.