USA Freight Forwarders - who do you use - what are they like?

[FenceFurniture]

As Dylan said so long ago - "For the times they are a-changing"

I have used Shipito for 4-5 years with reasonable success, although enormous effort on my part. They are as thick as two short planks and have never understood decent logic. For example, if you select the Australia Post option (I forget what it's called now) they say you can't send timber products of any kind. AP says "Tosh, of course we do". Shipito then says "nyaaagh our agent over here says they won't", and so it goes on.

Same thing with Knives/blades and TNT. Spoke to TNT people here years ago - "yep, sure, no wuckas". Shipito "nyaaagh our agent over here says they won't", and so it goes on.

TNT now bought out buy Fedex means prices seem to have gone through the roof. They used to be very fair, and very fast.

So apart from the other gazillion arguments I've had with Shipito, I've now had a gutfull of them.

Who do you use?
Are they at least half-smart?
Do they consolidate packages for a reasonable fee?
Are their shipping rates reasonable?

One of the big problems I see coming with Shipito is that they will want to charge 10% GST on packages that are >AUD1000. The legislation is quite clear on this - "For packages over AUD1000 in value - NOTHING CHANGES - exactly as before". That is, GST is NOT payable to the retailer - it will be collected at the border. I'm certain that Shipito will make a hash of this, and it will then be up to us to get a refund from them - GOOD LUCK with that suckers.

I also note that as of 22nd June - just one week away - I have still heard nothing from Shipito about GST collection by them.

NOTE PLEASE: this is not to be a mouthing off thread about the July 1 changes in GST - there are already two different threads going about that.

[woodPixel]

I've yet to read the entire thread, but I use: ShopNShip .... https://www.shopandship.com/en/home/account/addresses

They are EXCEPTIONAL. They ship by weight alone. I've shipped timber from the USA, including something bulky yet light (same price!) and stuff from China (twice). SNS even handled a bulky heavy thing for me - they are great. Recommended.

This is an AusPost version, given they are in the thick of it, they might have a more reasoned approach: https://shopmate.auspost.com.au/ (USA only??)

Edit: this is on the APSM site: "International shipping rates are $22.95 AUD per parcel, plus $4.95 AUD per 500g. The minimum chargeable weight is 500g, with 500g increments thereafter. The chargeable weight of your parcel will be based on the greater of its actual weight or cubic weight (charged in 500g increments)."

[Midnight Man]

Who do you use?
Are they at least half-smart?
Do they consolidate packages for a reasonable fee?
Are their shipping rates reasonable?

I also note that as of 22nd June - just one week away - I have still heard nothing from Shipito about GST collection by them.

I use US to OZ. I have done so for most anything I've bought from the USA since January 2015 (when I found them).

Their fees are very transparent, and are published on their web site: US to OZ - Shipping to Australia (http://www.ustooz.com).

Sarah, who runs the operation (this is a small outfit, not a huge concern, so you're treated like a person, not a number), is very switched on, and way more than half smart. Package consolidation is part of their normal service, and again is detailed on their site.

The shipping rates are pretty much what they pay plus their fees.

I will be perfectly honest and say I have no clue what their fees are, as I know from looking in the past that they are fair and reasonable, and the level of service and care is such that I have no concerns about "checking" the prices.

When you have stuff going to them, you put in an order on their site. Send them via e-mail the invoice(s) so they know what's coming. Let them know when you're done (I have had orders sitting on their shelf for a month or more waiting on "other stuff" to be ordered or to arrive - this too is no hassle, but be reasonable about it).

When you pull the trigger, Sarah will drop you an e-mail with about 3-4 shipping and insurance options. Pick which one you want, do a direct deposit via Internet banking to their Australian bank account.

A few days later, unwrap parcel.

As an aside, I wrote to Sarah on Wednesday 13th June at 22.43 in the evening asking their position and preparedness for the GST changes. I had a reply fifty two (52) minutes later clearly stating they were absolutely ready, and would be in a position to handle matters correctly, and immediately, come 1 July.

[FenceFurniture]

Yes MM, I have had previous dialogue with Sarah, and she did seem switched on. As you would expect from an ex-pat Aussie of course.:;
I can't remember her response to using sea freight for less urgent/heavy-as buggery items, but I might have to have another look.

Woodpixel, does SNS consolidate packages, etc? Do they use Sea Freight as an option?

[FenceFurniture]

WP, another thing with SNS - Shipping from China, Japan, Canada costs in the realm of 50% more than US, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe. That doesn't seem to make a great deal of sense - not up to you to justify it of course!

[woodPixel]

I'm a member, was since the month they started. Not sure if that confers any benefits, but I do remember a fee of some sort being involved.

When I book in a 2kg package, this is what I get:

Shopping From Zone 1: US, UK, Hong Kong, Turkey, UAE, India, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia 42.00 AUD

Shopping From Zone 2: China, South Africa, Canada, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan and Lebanon 50.85 AUD

It not too much more.... perhaps less than what you see?

As for repackaging/consolidation... I don't think they do.

One thing I will say for SNS is they literally mean by weight.... if you want to ship over a large box of feathers (no problem).

They are not cowboys, they know their stuff and my experience with the cust serv is they do get back to you, but it's pretty much all in the FAQ. They DO have a fairly long list of exceptions they wont carry and they don't seem to broker any shenanigans.

[ozhunter]

I might have to look into US to OZ. Their web site seems to be very informative and up-to-speed. There have been umpteen things over the time that I would have bought but was stymied by the "no we don't ship outside the US"

At the moment a couple of books are in that category.

[crowie]

A little off topic..
I bought an item from Parts Warehouse, Texas who use UPS; 1.5kg package for US$12.95 delivered which I thought was very good considering the cost using USPS...

[FenceFurniture]

Woodpixel, I'm just doing some analysis on the various carriers, and for ShopNShip there seem to be some inconsistencies:
On this page (https://www.shopandship.com/en/about/country-rate)it says the Zone 1 countries of origin are Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, UK, and USA so they are all AUD27 for the first 500g and $5 per 500g after that
BUT
when I go to this page (https://www.shopandship.com/en/home) (having clicked the Rates Calc button) it says Zone 1 countries of origin are US, UK, Hong Kong, Turkey, UAE, India, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia

In other words Canada, Japan and China are NOT in Zone 1. ¿Que?

And why is Canada >25% more than USA?

I must say the layout of their website needs a vast logic makeover - very vague.

[Bushmiller]

Some of the shippers just act as a forwarding agent and are fine for those retailers who won't ship overseas and you only have a single item. If you wish to collect a number of packages and ship as one to gain the benefit of a reduced shipping charge, the choice is less. The big attraction of Shipito initially was the ability to collect goods on your behalf for up to three months (six months at one of their locations) and then ship the whole lot at one go. The goods restrictions (sometimes quite ridiculous), the removal of the most competitive shippers and other rising costs eventually removed anything that was once considered attractive.

Regards
Paul

[FenceFurniture]

I bought an item from Parts Warehouse, Texas who use UPS; 1.5kg package for US$12.95 delivered which I thought was very good considering the cost using USPS...Nothing to complain about with that price Peter (and no, not off topic at all).

[FenceFurniture]

If you wish to collect a number of packages and ship as one to gain the benefit of a reduced shipping charge, the choice is less. Australia Post has excelled even their own standards of illogic at ShopMate. You CAN consolidate 5 parcels into one! Hallelujah brother!
Oh, wait, they have to arrive within 21 days of the first (almost bearable maybe)
but get this....they have to come from the same retailer!
Who in their right mind pays 5x the local postage from the same mob within 3 weeks!!! Why am I not surprised that AP is in trouble, with vast logic like that?
(they have another whole bunch of restrictions, but time for that later)



The big attraction of Shipito initially was the ability to collect goods on your behalf for up to three monthsYes, and if you put an 88 day old package into another one it started again. :;

Who are you using now Paul, or are you also on the lookout? (I just can't see you restricting your saw collection to the current paltry 5-700)

[ian]

Hi everyone

Can I add a caveat to this discussion.

within the last few days, The US Supreme Court ruled that internet shoppers in the US are liable to pay US State sales taxes.
I'm not sure if the sales tax is collected on behalf of the state / county within which the seller is located, or the state / county where the customer is located.
Either way, the effect COULD BE that Australian customers will be billed both US Sales tax and Australian GST.

Before people get too excited working out who are the preferred mail forwarding services within the US, I suggest it is advisable to clarify the sales tax implications of purchases from US suppliers.

[FenceFurniture]

The shipping rates are pretty much what they pay plus their fees.
I have no clue what their fees are, as I know from looking in the past that they are fair and reasonableSo I'm just going to work through an example, to see if you agree with the numbers.

Item One.
A package that is 20x20x20cm, cost USD100, weight is 2kg.
Assume a freight cost of USD30 (ignoring insurance)
Assume when I paid for it that the xrate was 0.7503
Today's spot rate is 0.744, so the rate they would apply is 0.719
UStoOZ fee = (100 + 30) / 0.719 * 4.5% which is $8, but the minimum fee is $12

Item Two.
A package that is 20x20x20cm, cost USD700, weight is 2kg.
Assume a freight cost of USD30 (ignoring insurance)
Assume when I paid for it that the xrate was 0.7503
Today's spot rate is 0.744, so the rate they would apply is 0.719
UStoOZ fee = (700 + 30) / 0.719 * 4.5% which is $45.69

So the only difference in the two packages is the value of the goods, therefore the freight costs will be the same (as stated before, ignoring insurance costs).

Can that possibly be right? If so, how do they justify charging nearly 4x the fee when the package is identical? That can't be right surely. I mean, they would be charging more than the freighter does!

The other thing is the relationship between the Spot Rate, the Mid-market rate, and the actual rate paid. The actual rate will always be less than the first two (so that is good in terms of the US to Oz fee), but I don't know the relationship between Spot and Mid-market (which is higher).

What I'm getting at is that their fee isn't just 4.5% - it's more like 6-6.5%.

[FenceFurniture]

I had a look at MyUS (https://www.myus.com/pricing/calculate-shipping). They charge significantly more than Shipito - forget it.

Interesting article from Choice (https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/online-shopping/buying-online/articles/shopmate-and-us-freight-forwarding-services). April 2018. Their calculations show that UStoOZ were significantly more expensive than the others (like pushing 50% more just for the postage on a 2kg package, without their ~6% fee as well).

[FenceFurniture]

within the last few days, The US Supreme Court ruled that internet shoppers in the US are liable to pay US State sales taxes.
I'm not sure if the sales tax is collected on behalf of the state / county within which the seller is located, or the state / county where the customer is located.
Either way, the effect COULD BE that Australian customers will be billed both US Sales tax and Australian GST.I'm not sure if I can remember this correctly - it's been a while since the excellent folk at Lee Valley explained this to me (and I may have it in an email archive).

I think it's dependent on the receiving State, and whether or not the retailer has any kind of presence in that State (even just an office). LV said that because my address was in CA (Shipito) and they had no presence there, then there would be no Sales Tax. I'll try to find the email.

EDIT: Here it is, from March 2014, Lee Valley:
Sales Tax, just the two most hated words. We must charge sales tax in the USA for when we have a presence in that state. So for California we do not have a presence so that means we do not collect sales tax. We have a warehouse in New York State so that means all orders shipped to this state tax is charged. We collect it and submit it. There is one exception and that would not impact you. We do wood shows in the USA and while we are attending the show it is considered a presence and all orders taken at the show have tax. Being as how we normally don’t apply tax to that state we pay the tax. But for you shipping it would not be taxable to California. We ship orders to the USA from Ottawa Canada. We package them up and put them on our own truck and drive across the border to New York State and ship them from there. That way you never have to worry about customs and duties plus we have our own brokerage for this. If a USA person has a return they ship it to our New York State location and we make the arrangements to bring it across the border. As per my understanding you pay on the ship to location and for the Florida business, if he has a presence in California he must collect the tax and pay the state. It is always the seller who collects the tax and they are responsible for paying.


(back to me) This might explain why many of the freight forwarders have a presence in Oregon (0% tax).

[FenceFurniture]

So it would seem that the Freight Forwarding community is broken into two camps: thems that will consolidate packages, and thems that won't.

What I seem to have turned up so far:
Those who will consolidate packages:
1. Shipito who seem to have an appalling reputation these days, judging by what I have read on Whirlpool (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2658736) and elsewhere. Furthermore, I have my own experiences with Shipito where I sent about 50 packages in a two year period. Their prices have gone through the roof and I very much doubt that their service has followed - but it needed to. Furthermore they will not ship timber products except by the VERY expensive DHL option. In short, I can't see how they are viable.

2. UStoOZ from what I can ascertain they are price prohibitive. They have an excellent reputation for service, but for the money they charge....so they should.In short, I can't see how they are viable.

3. comGateway Pricing seems to be ok - not the cheapest but not too far off. Consolidation options for Prime customers seem pretty good. Might be viable

4. USA2me Only viable if you are doing several shipments per month, otherwise not viable.

5. Planet Express Dunno about these guys. There is some dodgy English used on the website, but the most concerning thing is the calculator. 22 pounds, 2x1x1 feet is the same as 10 kgs, 60x30x30cm but metric costs twice as much as imperial. Suspect not the sharpest knives in the block which could lead to grief.

6. MyUS Even more expensive than Shipito so I lost interest very quickly.


Those who will not consolidate:
1. AusPost ShopMate Too many restrictions

2. ShopNShip Flex Easily the cheapest freight rates, but with a USD155 per year fee. Added advantage of 24 addresses around the world (which for me means USA, Germany, France, maybe Italy, maybe China, maybe Japan). No cubic weight! Timber ok!

3. ShopNShip (regular) the next cheapest, and with no monthly or yearly fee. Same 24 addresses. No cubic weight! Timber ok!


SO it seems to me that if you do one or two packages per month that don't need consolidating then ShopNShip Flex is the go, and you can use several countries of origin.

If you need to consolidate I think I'm coming to the conclusion that comGateway is the only viable option.



If ShopNShip would consolidate then they would clean up.......

[crowie]

Nothing to complain about with that price Peter (and no, not off topic at all).

I received the parcel this morning - Two weeks from Texas USA to my house... Pretty good... Thank you UPS!!

[ian]

I'm not sure if I can remember this correctly - it's been a while since the excellent folk at Lee Valley explained this to me (and I may have it in an email archive).

EDIT: Here it is, from March 2014, Lee Valley:
Sales Tax, just the two most hated words. We must charge sales tax in the USA for when we have a presence in that state. So for California we do not have a presence so that means we do not collect sales tax. We have a warehouse in New York State so that means all orders shipped to this state tax is charged. We collect it and submit it. There is one exception and that would not impact you. We do wood shows in the USA and while we are attending the show it is considered a presence and all orders taken at the show have tax. Being as how we normally don’t apply tax to that state we pay the tax. But for you shipping it would not be taxable to California. We ship orders to the USA from Ottawa Canada. We package them up and put them on our own truck and drive across the border to New York State and ship them from there. That way you never have to worry about customs and duties plus we have our own brokerage for this. If a USA person has a return they ship it to our New York State location and we make the arrangements to bring it across the border. As per my understanding you pay on the ship to location and for the Florida business, if he has a presence in California he must collect the tax and pay the state. It is always the seller who collects the tax and they are responsible for paying.

OK, what Brett has found in his past emails is what changed in the last week or so.

The physical presence test no longer applies and all sales from a company like Lee Valley will attract sales tax if shipped to a US address, or provincial taxes if shipped to Canada, or GST if shipped direct to Australia.

The issue with using freight forwarders will be that US state / county sales tax will be accessed based on the location of the freight forwarder, to which Australian GST will also be added, either when the package is collected by UPS or at the AUS border.

Given that the US summer break is upon us, it's possible that it will some months before systems are properly sorted out.

[FenceFurniture]

So I think I'm right that it's the receiving state in the US that gets the tax at whatever their rate is? That is, if I purchase in State A where the tax is 7% but I ship to State B where it's 5% then the retailer has to collect 5% tax and send it to State B?

That means the poor old retailers will have to send tax to (I think) 43 different jurisdictions, and charge tax at however many different rates (there are ~7 states inc Oregon that have zero tax).

If all that is correct then the way around state tax as well as GST is for the freight forwarder to be in a zero tax state like Oregon> Shipito is one of them, but.....it costs more to freight from there than LA.....

Eeez difficult, as Manual once said.

[ian]

So I think I'm right that it's the receiving state in the US that gets the tax at whatever their rate is? That is, if I purchase in State A where the tax is 7% but I ship to State B where it's 5% then the retailer has to collect 5% tax and send it to State B?

That means the poor old retailers will have to send tax to (I think) 43 different jurisdictions, and charge tax at however many different rates (there are ~7 states inc Oregon that have zero tax).it gets worse, most counties and cities also levy sales tax.
in some cases the state collects the tax and then distributes to the applicable county, in others the counties need to collect the tax independently.

[FenceFurniture]

Can anybody get a result with this online calculator from comGateway?
https://secure.comgateway.com/livequote#time-cost-calculator

All I get is blanks using Chrome and FF.

[FenceFurniture]

Bloody hell, what a weird evening. I've been having a chat with "Kim" at comGateway, trying to work out why their calculator is blank. After an hour and a half the chat just ended with no result. Suffice to say that Kim is seeing very different stuff to me.

So then I think I'll call Shop & Ship. Not a good idea. The supposed Sydney phone number goes through to a call centre in the Philipines. Joy oh joy. No, they are not S&S, they are Fastway. Long to short I think someone might contact me tomorrow.

[Pac man]

Yes can see the comgateway calculator on iPhone using Firefox

[FenceFurniture]

Yes but do you get $numbers?

[Pac man]

Nup

[Pac man]

Now that I’ve created an account using the page time an cost calculator I got a result.
Parcel Value : $50
Weight: 1kg
Express Shipping $33.60
Fuel Surcharge: $5.63
Shipping Insurance: $0.84

[Chris Parks]

I saw this today on SMC...https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?265842-Supreme-Court-rules-on-internet-sales-amp-Sales-tax-collection

[FenceFurniture]

UStoOZ are right in the middle of changing to a less expensive carrier apparently, so that might make them a little more competitive.

In the meantime I'm doing some sample weight price comparisons across the known forwarders. It looks like USA2me might be ok, and they are a package consolidator (Houston, TX).

[ian]

I saw this today on SMC...https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?265842-Supreme-Court-rules-on-internet-sales-amp-Sales-tax-collection
now that is a good read.

I don't think that I have ever laughed so much about a tax issue.

I particularly like the comment that there's a centuries old doctrine that Pennsylvania will not enforce the tax laws of other states.

Looks like there there is even more fun and games in store for the US congress.

[rrich]

OK, Mates.
I can forward things to you. I understand the "I need this. The only place I can get it is . . "
I'm not trying to make money. (I'm 76 YO and I don't need a business or a job.)
I can do small things as a "Birthday Present" for one of my many 'Brothers' via post.
Just let me know what you need, I'll order it and post it to you. YOU can then figure out how to reimburse me for costs. Again, at 76, I don't need a business or job.
The last time that I did something for one of you blokes, the reimbursement was far too much. ($42 US cost and $50 US reimbursement) As I said I'm not looking for a business or a job.

The big problem is that I don't think that large / costly / heavy items will fly under the customs a$$ hole scrutiny.

[rrich]

OK, Mates.
I can forward things to you. I understand the "I need this. The only place I can get it is . . "
I'm not trying to make money. (I'm 76 YO and I don't need a business or a job.)
I can do small things as a "Birthday Present" for one of my many 'Brothers' via post.
Just let me know what you need, I'll order it and post it to you. YOU can then figure out how to reimburse me for costs. A gain, at 76, I don't need a business or job.
The last time that I did something for one of you blokes, the reimbursement was far too much. ($42 US cost and $50 US reimbursement) As I said I'm not looking for a business or a job.

The big problem is that I don't think that large / costly / heavy items will fly under the customs a$$ hole scrutiny.

[Bushmiller]

Who are you using now Paul, or are you also on the lookout? (I just can't see you restricting your saw collection to the current paltry 5-700)

Brett

Activity is severely restricted nowadays. A very good friend collects a few purchases on my behalf and posts them off at some point in the future. It certainly looks as though it is going to become even more complicated, more expensive and more fraught with frustration in the future.

Regards
Paul

[FenceFurniture]

Brett

Activity is severely restricted nowadays. A very good friend collects a few purchases on my behalf and posts them off at some point in the future. It certainly looks as though it is going to become even more complicated, more expensive and more fraught with frustration in the future.

Regards
PaulYes, he told me about it.

Rich, that's a very kind offer, but my volumes are a little unfriendly. :;

[elanjacobs]

Australia Post has a freight forwarding service called ShopMate

[FenceFurniture]

Australia Post has excelled even their own standards of illogic at ShopMate. You CAN consolidate 5 parcels into one! Hallelujah brother!
Oh, wait, they have to arrive within 21 days of the first (almost bearable maybe)
but get this....they have to come from the same retailer!
Who in their right mind pays 5x the local postage from the same mob within 3 weeks!!! Why am I not surprised that AP is in trouble, with vast logic like that?
(they have another whole bunch of restrictions, but time for that later)
Thanks Elan, but we've spotted them. Essentially they don't consolidate (see above quote), which means that Shop and Ship Flex are 65-75% of the ShopMate cost. As far as I'm concerned, AusPost have a golden opportunity to clean up on this but they've ballsed it up.

[elanjacobs]

Thanks Elan, but we've spotted them. Essentially they don't consolidate (see above quote), which means that Shop and Ship Flex are 65-75% of the ShopMate cost. As far as I'm concerned, AusPost have a golden opportunity to clean up on this but they've ballsed it up.
Oops, missed that post

[woodPixel]

I saw this today on SMC...https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?265842-Supreme-Court-rules-on-internet-sales-amp-Sales-tax-collection

Are we reading about the UNITED states of America?

Seems like their system is... fractured, broken and unrepairable.

It might just be easier to break it up into 50 different countries.

The world would mourn its passing :(

[ian]

Are we reading about the UNITED states of America?

Seems like their system is... fractured, broken and unrepairable. which is as the drafters of the US constitution intended.

The states were essentially rebelling against a strong central government (the British crown) and saw any semblance to such an entity forming in the US as something to be avoided at all costs. They believed that strong central governments had a tendency to become tyrannical, so they created a system where every branch of government -- legislature, executive and judicial -- was weak. And to top it off they explicitly authorised the population (meaning white adult males) to "bear arms" so that at any moment the people would be in a position to overthrow the government should some part of that government start to act "tyrannically".

[woodPixel]

That makes a lot of sense actually!

[justonething]

OK, Mates.
I can forward things to you. I understand the "I need this. The only place I can get it is . . "
I'm not trying to make money. (I'm 76 YO and I don't need a business or a job.)
I can do small things as a "Birthday Present" for one of my many 'Brothers' via post.
Just let me know what you need, I'll order it and post it to you. YOU can then figure out how to reimburse me for costs. A gain, at 76, I don't need a business or job.
The last time that I did something for one of you blokes, the reimbursement was far too much. ($42 US cost and $50 US reimbursement) As I said I'm not looking for a business or a job.

The big problem is that I don't think that large / costly / heavy items will fly under the customs a$$ hole scrutiny.
That's an extremely generous offer. On behalf every Ozzie forumite thank you.

[FenceFurniture]

Ok, here are some results as best as I can get them accurate. Figures are in AUD.


<colgroup><col><col span="4"><col><col></colgroup><tbody>

2kg

5kg

10kg

20kg





NON-CONSOLIDATORS









AusPost Shopmate
$ 42.75

$ 72.45

$ 121.95

$ 220.95


from USA only


S&S Flex from Zone 1

$ 34.24

$ 55.04

$ 87.04

$ 151.04


USA, UK, HK, Germ, It, Fr, Spain, Sing, Malay


S&S Flex from Zone 2
$ 42.79

$ 80.69

$ 144.19

$ 271.19


Canada, Japan, China


S&S from Zone 1
$ 42.00

$ 72.00

$ 122.00

$ 222.00


USA, UK, HK, Germ, It, Fr, Spain, Sing, Malay


S&S from Zone 2
$ 50.85

$ 98.55

$ 178.05

$ 337.05


Canada, Japan, China











CONSOLIDATORS









USA2me FedEx Econ + $81 month
$ 1.03

$ 34.52

$ 107.10

$ 250.75


from USA only


Shipito AU Post
$ 55.34

$ 78.42

$ 127.27

$ 216.09


from USA only


comGateway Prime +1% insurance

$ 56.25

$ 92.48

$ 152.86

$ 273.62


from USA only


USA2me FedEx Econ + $47 month
$ 42.32

$ 76.62

$ 150.70

$ 297.33


from USA only











NOT WORTHWHILE









MyUS FedEx Economy
$ 57.01

$ 109.95

$ 175.16

$ 300.09


from USA only


Shipito FedEx Priority
$ 73.62

$ 106.50

$ 178.60

$ 319.66


from USA only


USA2me FedEx Econ + $13 month

$ 84.42

$ 120.76

$ 198.57

$ 352.67


from USA only


UStoOz (+7% of value)
$ 73.12

$ 127.46

$ 211.00

$ 362.37


from USA only

</tbody>


So, for a single package with no consolidation allowed, Shop and Ship Flex from Zone 1 ($155 per year fee) wins handsdown, with the added advantage of being able to ship goods from other countries.

In the Consolidators,
comGateway is overall the most suitable.
USA2Me $81 per month plan has good rates, but you have to be doing consistent high volume. Even the $47 plan would require consistent volume to be worthwhile.
Shipito AU post might be good rates, but it means A) dealing with Shipito :no: and B) there are too many restrictions with the AU version


US to OZ is obviously ahhhhh, not looking to increase their market share. Not only are those the brand new end-of-last-week "cheaper" freight costs (WHAT were they before?), you have to add ~7% of the value of the package to cover their fee! So a 2kg $200 package is around $87, and 20kg $1000 is around $430. You'd swear they think they have a captive market, with no competition.


In the next post I'm going to apply some economic logic..... :;

[woodPixel]

Might I note FF, that S&S is strictly weight and not volumetric.

This makes them even better value for large items.

This is an excellent comparison. It should be saved.

[FenceFurniture]

Consolidation had always been where it's at for me, and I'm sure for many others. Bear in mind that nn days of storage at the warehouse are only needed for consolidation purposes. If you are not consolidating then send the package as soon as it arrives.

However, is it actually worthwhile tying one's self up to higher rates for this service? I suspect not (overall), so let's have a look at some examples.
Note: I am not applying any consolidating fees to these prices (or any other fees)

Example 1.
I have 4 packages, 2kg, 2kg, 5kg, 5kg
With comGateway that would be $222 for the now 15kg package (a new carton will make it a little heavier)
With S&S Flex it would be $34 + $34 + $55 + $55 = $178
S&S Flex wins.




Example 2.
I have 2 packages, 5kg, 15kg
With comGateway that would be $273 for the now 20kg package
With S&S Flex it would be $55 + $151 = $206
S&S Flex wins again.



Example 3.
I have 6 packages, 2kg, 2kg, 5kg, 5kg, 5kg, 5kg
With comGateway that would be $350 for the now 25kg package
With S&S Flex it would be $34 + $34 + $55 + $55 + $55 + $55= $288
S&S Flex wins again!


Orrite then, there must be a scenario where comGateway wins......lotsa light packages should do it......
Example 4.
I have 10 packages, 6x 2kg, 2x 4kg, 2x 5kg (I have actually done similar on a few occasions)
With comGateway that would be $413 for the now 30kg package
With S&S Flex it would be(6x $34) + (4x $55) = $424
S&S Flex just loses!

GUESS WHAT?
Consolidating to save money is now a myth,
thanks to Shop and Ship!

Extraordinary. Imagine how cheap it would be if S&S DID consolidate!

[Midnight Man]

Question if I may - weren't Shop and Ship the folks that were "not switched on" about the GST implementation though?

Or have they got their house in order on this topic?

[FenceFurniture]

Question if I may - weren't Shop and Ship the folks that were "not switched on" about the GST implementation though?

Or have they got their house in order on this topic?

No that was Shipito, and I FINALLY heard from them yesterday. S&S may not even be doing $75 into Australia yet.

[FenceFurniture]

It seems that Shop & Ship are doing $75k+ as their website now talks about Australian GST (as of today).

It also seems that there might be some consolidation thing happening with Flex Smart Saver. Info is extremely limited though to:
"Get more savings on multiple packages that are shipped together to you. Ship more, save more! "

so I have sent them an email asking for more detail.

[FenceFurniture]

I have had some dialogue with the wonderful people at Lee Valley (and their extraordinary service) and I asked for some freight costs, where they dispatch the package using the carriers of their choice. That means that there would be no State taxes from USA or Canada applied. Those USA taxes will very soon be applied, and in New York, where Shop&Ship addresses are, it is ~9% (LV has a presence in NY, so that would be the case now anyway). comGateway addresses are in Oregon, aka Douglas Fir :D, and there is no state tax there.

So here are some figures, specific to getting AUD900.00 of goods from Lee Valley. Three options for their choice of freight, plus S&S, and comGateway.



<colgroup><col><col span="2"><col><col></colgroup><tbody>
PACKAGE VALUE AUD900.00
FREIGHT
STATE TAX
GST (pkg+frt)

FREIGHT+TAX



Lee Valley 15kg Sea Freight
$150.71
$0.00
$105.07
$255.78


Lee Valley 15kg XpressPost Int
$233.96
$0.00
$113.40
$347.36


Lee Valley 15kg UPS Express
$204.44
$0.00
$110.44
$314.88


NY Shop&Ship Flex 15kg
$161.67
$81.00
$114.27
$356.94


comGateway 15kg
$302.12
$0.00
$120.21
$422.34
















Lee Valley 25kg Sea Freight
$212.63
$0.00
$111.26
$323.89


Lee Valley 25kg XpressPost Int
$357.03
$0.00
$125.70
$482.74


Lee Valley 25kg UPS Express
$306.20
$0.00
$120.62
$426.82


NY Shop&Ship Flex 25kg
$248.59
$81.00
$122.96
$452.55



comGateway 25kg
$474.77
$0.00
$137.48
$612.24

</tbody>


So what comes out of that is that it is not worth getting LV to send a package to a freight forwarder - just ask them to either Surface freight non-urgent stuff, or use UPS if you need it before 8-12 weeks.

1. Note that it is the NY tax of 9% that knocks S&S out of this particular running, as a result of LV having a presence in NY,
otherwise S&S would be $268 for 15kg (you wouldn't even use LV Sea Freight at that price)
and $362 for 25kg (which only just makes Sea Freight attractive)

2. Also note that even though S&S offers a Canadian address there are two things that kill it as an option: Canadian GST is 10-15%, and the S&S freight costs from Canada are MUCH higher (Zone 2). The Canadian GST would be applied because the package would be shipped within Canada.

3. When the recent Supreme Court decision kicks in, and US State taxes are applied across the board (but at a plethora of different rates :doh:) those figures above will still stand as they are. However, be aware that ANY purchase from within the USA that goes to NY for S&S freighting will then have 9% of the value added to the tax bill (at point of sale).
O'course, that 9% becomes 10% because it is GST-able!


The biggest lesson to come out of this thread is that these days you have to absolutely be on your game to avoid being skinned on freight!

[ian]

Thanks Brett
but all those options are over $1000 AUD when the package hits our shores, so GST and duty are collected at the border.
when you were talking to LV did they mention how they would handle that situation (>$1000 AUD once freight added)?

and the other thing, all your examples are over $1000 AUD (goods plus freight) at our border, so incur GST at the border.

[FenceFurniture]

No, the assessment for <>$1000 is done on the goods cost only, without International freight costs. If GST is chargeable then it applies to the freight.

That's why I chose $900 - the $81 tax still keeps it under $1000.

[yvan]

Read the full thread and decided to give S&S a try without having ever used a freight forwarder before.
I get the basic idea but I am lost with the finer details! Say,



I buy a few w/working books from Amazon.
Amazon quotes each book's weight - so I already have a fair idea of the total weight and should be able to estimate a ballpark amount of what S&S will charge
I give Amazon S&S's address in NY to forward the goods - this address includes my "personal code"
The goods are shipped to S&S's Sydney depot


So


S&S will advise me of the actual weight and actual fee once the have the goods in NY?
Do I have a choice about speed - say surface freight?
Can the parcel be tracked?
Is the freight from Sydney to my personal delivery address an additional cost I have to wear?


Tried to find answers on S&S's website but found that I was going in circles...
Tried their Sydney depot telephone # but it rang out...
All this made me a tad nervous !!!

Yvan

[woodPixel]

S&S will advise me of the actual weight and actual fee once the have the goods in NY?

Do I have a choice about speed - say surface freight?

Can the parcel be tracked?

Is the freight from Sydney to my personal delivery address an additional cost I have to wear?



Correct on all points, except the last (no additional costs involved)

Tracking is always included. The parcel is sent from NY directly to you, via whatever courier they happen to find is cheapest at the time. No surprises, except customs, IF its picked up.

If you order from Amazon, ensure they ship the entire order as a single shipment, otherwise you'll pay multiple redirect fees. S&S doesnt do an amalgamation service yet.

[yvan]

woodPixel,

Thanks very much for the clarification and for the tip regarding single shipments.
I'm taking the plunge :)

Yvan

[FenceFurniture]

And there is no surface freight. Only one player that I have found offered that, but knowing them it would be almost as much as other agent's air freight.

[hiroller]

Brett, do those rates include GST or is that added on top?
Also, how do they compare to the Shipito rates?

[FenceFurniture]

Which post # Gav? (a few with rates - but prolly none with GST).

See post #42 for Shipito rates :no:

[hiroller]

Aah, missed the line in #42.
There is a convenience factor of consolidating even if the freight savings have disappeared.
Having stuff trickle in and then time the delivery home has it's advantages.
The Fedex and TNT acquisition has certainly not been beneficial to customers.

[paul.aldred1]

Just bought a laptop from NZ, i thought I'd fall foul of customs and clearance and have to pay additional monies and possible duplicate GST as the supplier charged me GST.

After investigation the supplier used incoterms DDP. Meaning they are liable for all clearances and customs cost and have collect GST on my behalf.

The best way to buy abroad is to get a sales agreement with incoterms DDP. That way the seller pays for all clearances and you don't have to worry about them just receive the parcel. No risk of double GST.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[Gunnaduit]

Just looking at the Auspost Shopmate (in case it's ok for a one-off purchase).


How about this, I'm quoting from their website: "GST will be payable on:
- The value of the item(s) you are shipping into Australia via ShopMate including any shipping fees or local taxes paid to the USA retailer, and
- The value of the ShopMate shipping and service fee (including Extra Cover if applicable)" (my bolding)

So Auspost, presumably on instructions from ATO, have no qualms charging you GST on the US state GST! You pay tax on the tax!
Are all these services doing tax the tax, or just the Australian operated one (ShopMate)?