Freight & Couriers - Shipping Hi-Fi

[zippi]

+1 for Shipito, however haven't used them recently (maybe 2-3 yrs ago)

[Guest jakeyb77]

23 hours ago, Robbo1802 said:

Hi,

I could not find another place to post this, so if it is wrong, my apologies (in advance).

I am looking at buying a turntable off eBay Canada but the seller only seems to ship to Canada and the USA. Are there people or services to act as third party shippers?

That is, is there a service where the turntable is shipped to the service which then on forwards it to Australia - for a price.

I used to buy motorhome parts from the USA this way although, in that case the third party shippers were integrated into the suppliers' web page. At the checkout, you would click on international, a shipping estimate was generated and if you accepted it you were whisked to the shipper's page, you entered details and then paid. Seemed to work quite well and meant that the supplier didn't have to worry about all the complexity.

The countdown is on

Any help greatly accepted.

Regards
Bob
BTW, I am going to post this on a few different sites.

I’m assuming you’ve messaged the seller to ask if they will ship it to Australia? Canadians are very accommodating 

[Robbo1802]

Hi everyone,

 

I came here rather than try google search as I kept going down unproductive and expensive paths.  Also, I hoped to get information from people who have used services, success!

 

jakeyb77

I have tried to contact the seller with little success, okay, none at all, I leave a message but get no reply.  I have had this problem before.  Also, a number of times, I have had no ability to contact oversees (always the USA) eBay sellers at all, when I try the contact seller button I get a message back about this not being possible - most strange.

 

 

I have tried both Shopmate and Shipito as well as a couple of others such as  the usual courier services, even Pack and Send (only send in North America).  It is scary but Shopmate came out as the cheapest and easiest. 

 

Details:

 

Delivered to Southport QLD, 1 turntable at 46x46x16cm and 10KG valued at $200USD gave the following result:

 

International shipping is estimated to be $166.55 AUD inclusive of GST
(an estimated 5-8 business day* delivery from our ShopMate warehouse)

GST of $44.60 AUD on the value of the item and value of the ShopMate shipping and service fee has been included.
GST will be collected and paid to the Australian Tax Office.

The delivery cost of your item was calculated using actual weight.

 

 

Now Shipito's lowest cost option:

 

Shipito Preferred Carrier with AU Post $114.72 USD about $167AUD before credit card provider fees 4-9 business days$4.00 USD (Optional)     As far as I can tell this does not cover all the GST but it is unclear to me, Oz Post is more focused on that stuff.   I suspect the Shipito and Shopmate are the opposite ends of the same journey.  They both appear to use the same warehouse in Oregon.   The others were FAR more expensive, e.g., Pack and Send (no pack in the USA) quoted $242.  This does include pickup in Canada.  BUT it does not include the duty or GST on the item, it just covers their services  The seller looks to me as ship only, but I will not know if he doesn't respond    Pack and Send does not have a North American shipping Address.  You do get the following: Collection from your nominated address Air Freight transit time of 5 working days prior to Customs Clearance For international consignments the provision of the appropriate customs documentation. Door to store air service Track & trace system Proof of delivery Warranty for freight loss  in transit Note that warranty covers total loss NOT damage.   Anyhow, it looks like Oz Post is the best price.   I didn't believe it, so I ran some variations through the calculator and it all looks consistent.   Thanks for all the responses, I hadn't come across Shipito or Shopmate using my own searches, I must be becoming even more senile.   If this sale comes off and I get to ship it back, I will report back on the experience. Regards, Bob

[lemarquis]

19 hours ago, Robbo1802 said:

I have tried to contact the seller with little success, okay, none at all, I leave a message but get no reply. 

This would be my chief concern, quite apart from any logistical issues.

[Robbo1802]

35 minutes ago, lemarquis said:

This would be my chief concern, quite apart from any logistical issues.

All has come good (I hope), it appears he was travelling.  He has 1 negative comment vs 94 positive for the last 12 months, the negative was someone gambling on condition who lost.  Says he has packed a lot of turntables  with heavy duty packing.  He only ships Canada/USA.  So, the on-shipper it is, it will be an interesting experiment. 

 

The thing only cost $99 Canadian - I was the only bidder, the advantage of buying a turntable that is not well known.   From that viewpoint, if the experiment fails it will not have cost the earth, perhaps $300-$320AUD total - still more than I would have paid had my brother done the right thing ($290AUD total) and the Canadian turntable is not in as good a condition. 

 

Regards,

Bob

[eman]

You get the auto ebay msg that says you can't msg the seller because that seller isn't selling the item to you.

 

Don't worry about shipping costs until you know if you can actually buy the thing !

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by eman

[Robbo1802]

1 hour ago, eman said:

You get the auto ebay msg that says you can't msg the seller because that seller isn't selling the item to you.

 

Don't worry about shipping costs until you know if you can actually buy the thing !

 

 

I thought as much but it does not appear to be consistent.  I will experiment by changing my default address from Australia to the USA and see if it changes the behaviour.  If it doesn't change, I don't know what I have to do to bid on the listings that state: "Doesn't post to Australia"  Surely a US shipping address  as default should be enough.

 

Bob

 

 

[cafe67]

Just checking you know the voltage will be different? 

[BATMAQN]

On 16/06/2020 at 5:29 PM, Robbo1802 said:

I used to buy motorhome parts from the USA this way although, in that case the third party shippers were integrated into the suppliers' web page

Do you still do this or has the motorhome gone?

[Robbo1802]

2 hours ago, BATMAQN said:

Do you still do this or has the motorhome gone?

The motorhome is still around although we are going to sell it in the not too distant future. 

 

Travelled OZ for 12.5 year full time living in it - no turntables!  We are now renting a unit on Marine Parade. 

We knew it was time to give it away when not only all the small towns started to look the same but JABB set in (JABB - just another bloody beach).  This was seriously shocking, camped in the motor home, virtually on the beach, and we had become blasé about it all (Swimcart Beach, Bay of Fires,  north of St Helens, Tasmania).

 

Might go back to it again, but it is far more crowded on the road than when we started in 2005. 

 

As to buying stuff in the USA for the motorhome, it can be a necessity.  Manufacturer buys a couple of containers of fittings off manufacturers in the USA.  Uses then all up, does NOT keep any spares, starts using another manufacturer's stuff. 

 

I often found myself doing extensive google searches trying to locate spares for orphaned parts. 

 

I have to say, the spare parts suppliers in the USA were fantastic to deal with, only had a problem once with the wrong colour being delivered (combined smoke and CO detector).  They dispatched the correct part before they asked me to return the wrong part, no  cost to me apart from a little time.  I also found a handwritten apology in the box with the correct part.

 

Regards,

Bob

[Robbo1802]

3 hours ago, cafe67 said:

Just checking you know the voltage will be different? 

Yes, direct drive so no issues with mains frequency.  Some of this manufacturer's  turntables were shipped to the USA with multiple primary voltage taps to suit all the voltages, sadly this one is 110V only.  Fortunately step down transformers of under 100 watts are cheap.   There are even a few multi tap transformers for this model turntable up for sale on eBay, they are asking far too much money, it is complicated to change over  and it is not really necessary to do so.

 

Regards,

Bob

[lemarquis]

@Robbo1802 Seems like times change but TT stay the same

 

Hope it all works out.

[zippi]

On 17/06/2020 at 7:27 PM, Robbo1802 said:

Note that warranty covers total loss NOT damage.

Shipito used to cover both loss and damage however you had to tick a box saying you wanted this option and pay an extra $1 (or other such nominal amount)

[adfraggs]

I've seen there are these repeating posts asking for guidance on how to ship speakers across the country. There are plenty of useful answers. I just wanted to post some details of my experience shipping 5.1 surround speakers with Pack & Send. 

 

Service: Pack & Send (Milton, 4064)

From: Brisbane

To: Sydney

Total items: 6 (5.1 surround speakers) 

Packaging: Items delivered to courier unpackaged, packaging included in shipping cost

Total Weight (kg) : 62.00

Total Cubic (m3): 0.484 

Warranty/Insurance: Yes

Estimated Value: $450

Total Cost: $325

 

Delivered within two days (50 hours from drop-off at the P&S depot) which is pretty impressive in the current COVID situation. No response yet from the buyer as to the condition but I assume he's happy enough since there has been no complaint. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by adfraggs

[gibbo9000]

Good idea for a thread.  Recently shipped some speakers from Melbourne to Tassy. 

 

Service: TruckIt.net

From: Melbourne (Eastern suburbs)

To: North West Tassy

Total items: 2 (stereo speakers)

Packaging: Items in original packaging.  Picked up in Melbourne, delivered to depot in Tassy (receiver preference)

Total Weight (kg) : 94kg

Total Cubic (m3): 0.44

Warranty/Insurance: Yes

Estimated Value: $4,000

Total Cost: $250 (incl $50 insurance)

 

Goods made it safely in 7 days.  ( during COVID-19 lock down)

 

Quotes from from $200 to $900!  One of the cost drivers seems to be OH&S requirement for power tailgate truck for pickup of any package over 25kg (or somewhere around there) if not from warehouse with forklift.

[cookster]

Hi folks,

I am about to send some speakers and an amp from VIC to SA and wondered if anyone could recommend a reliable and economical courier service. 
I am country VIC so don’t have much access to metro services. 
 

thanks

mark

[hopefullguy]

i use ego couriers but send depot to depot. not sure they have a depot drop off in country Vic. but i would require buyer to pick up from their Adelaide depot. this cuts out the local,low bidder delivery guy.

 

also i extra pack even if i have original box/packaging. reason is the item was originally shipped nicely packed with other units on a pallet, so very safe. individually not so safe.

 

[BLAH BLAH]

Sendle

 

[rantan]

 

Transdirect.

You get a good selection of couriers at really good rates and if you sign up for an account (free ), you get 10% off any booking.

I have been using them for years now. No connection just a very happy customer.

[muon*]

E-go depot to depot has worked for me in the past.

 

Ones I avoid are Fastways (now named something else) and TOLL, unfortunately some services use these two as part of their networks and this is not known up front.

[Gryffles]

TNT have a sensitive freight service. Sometimes it’s available through transdirect or interparcel. 
Main thing is insuring for full replacement value 

[lonewolf]

Pretty decent rates, It seems to be hit and miss as i have come across some quotes from Pack & Send being quite high for a relatively small item. 

[lowpoke]

I use Interparcel. You just punch in the dimensions, weight, to and from postcodes and you can see costs from many carriers. You just pay upfront online and take advantage of the rates they get from all the carriers due to the volume of transactions they make.

[spottie]

21 hours ago, BLAH BLAH said:

Sendle

 

+1 for Sendle too. Have recently received a pair of bookshelf speakers from a fellow SNA. Faster than expected. Online tracking. Quality pick up & delivery. Reasonable rates. Good for small items.

 

https://www.sendle.com

 

 

[cookster]

Thank you for all of your kind and informative responses.

 

I have booked using transdirect who have contracted with TNT.

 

thanks again,

 

Mark