Shipping a large box internationally...who do you use?

Whoa . . . $439???

This will probably not be much help, but here goes anyway. The biggest box I've shipped internationally was a Soom Sabik's; the EMS charge from Kansas to Shanghai was about $72 (give or take some small change that I can't remember exactly).

I'm sure that package didn't weigh more than 6 or 7 pounds, though, and while it was more than 30 inches long, it wasn't 27 inches wide.

I'll be interested to see what answers people have for you, just in case I wind up needing to ship a box that big!

 

where are you shipping to? That's a big box! I know if you ship FedEx, they will charge you extra for its size over its weight.. They call it dimensional weight. I only recently found out about it.

 

The post office USPS priority international is about the only way to go. FedEx and UPS will both charge $300 to $400 for oversize. USPS should be under $100

 

I've shipped a doll internationally and basically my post office told me that the safest way with guaranteed tracking is EMS instead of international priority. I don't know how much it would cost for oversized items though D: but I always thought they do it by weight. Mine cost about $55 for a 7lb package for EMS to Poland. It's packed in one of those Luts brown cardboard boxes that they use to ship the Delf boys in (you know, the big one that says "made in Corea" on the sides).

 

If it's within the limits and you can get a postal employee to accept it, USPS is the way to go- even though EMS seems high, it's a lot cheaper than any other international service out there- I called around for a few quotes when I was in the US last to send here to Australia (stuff that wouldn't fit in my suitcase) and UPS etc all had very high quotes, the post office was actually cheapest (and yes many courier services like UPS/Fedex/TNT/etc charge based on the size of the box moreso than the weight if it's at all large and bulky). If you need to, bring a copy of the regulations that show the size limits, a measuring tape, and demand to see a manager, but if the regulations say you should be able to ship it, don't give in. For some reason, postal employees seem to get a lot of things wrong or not know their own rules and services sometimes.

 

Priority can't be tracked but you can still purchase insurance for it whether it's in the U.S. or internationally. Since you're sending it internationally, you'll be filling out a customs form and that number on the customs form is sort of like a tracking number. You can enter it at the USPS website and it'll tell you when it's left the U.S. and when it has arrived in the U.K. or has been delivered.

 

When my mom sent me the rest of my stuff from the US to Japan, she sent it USPS Global Express. It cost about $130 a box, but they were fairly large boxes that each weighed almost 30 pounds. Everything was insured and trackable.

 

Customs forms are not an accurate means for the sender/recipient to track a package. Results are usually not supposed to display although sometimes they will. I've mailed a lot of packages overseas, and out of the ten or so I've mailed out these past few weeks, I haven't had one display any information on when it has left the US or has been delivered. Also, some customs numbers are recycled, and for those that will display information, some of the information pertains to an old, previous shipment.

The best means of tracking without using a premium shipping service provided by USPS is to purchase Registered Mail, which starts at $10.15, the fee in addition to postage, for a declared value between 0.01-100.00. For declared values higher than 100, the fee table can be found here.

 

Are you talking about EMS or the USPS EMI (Express Mail International) service? How do you get EMS from the USA to someplace international, like the UK?

 

Note: Honeyedbiscuit: Registered airmail is NOT available if the box weighs over 4 pounds. I sent a Dollshe to the EU and had to get it below that limit. Anything higher gets bounced into International Priority automatically.

Moonchilde: There's no equivalent EMS from the US anymore unless you pick the highest two tiers, and the EMI gets turned over to Fed Ex for delivery, that's why they're the most expensive, but do have full tracking.

PamSD - You know, I've never had a problem sending or receiving from the UK. Canada, now....

 

Pam, I was able to send a doll express by removing the legs so that she could fit in a shorter box.

 

LOL Pam, I realize that, but I was posting for the benefit of others who might be reading this thread looking for ideas on how to ship a large doll