Quoting from [allie]:


Hello,

I wil be importing diaries, photo albums, tshirts, etc. The quantities will be fairly small, lets say 500 of each.

So I do not want to deal with brokers, customs, freight containers, etc. I just want the company in China to ship me my boxes of goods to my house. So, my question is:

Should i open up an account with Fed Ex, DHL, UPS? Which company is cheapest. What is an average cost for door to door service? And what is the added fee to do the customs clearing?

I was supposed to get extremely important samples from China and DHL LOST IT.


The package contains samples that cannot be replaced and they are properties of the buyer.

The DHL driver claimed he had simply left the package in front of my apartment. He did not even bother ring the bell and just left my package unattended so anyone could steal it.


I googled and found out many people had same problems as mine with DHL. This kind of bad business practice could greatly impact companies who depend on international shipping services.


Please people google "DHL lost package" and you will see why DHL has been in trouble in the U.S.  They are incompetent and should not be in this business.


DON'T EVER USE DHL for god's sake!

Quoting from [Rizzob]:


Replying to [allie]:A basic rule of thumb I use:


If the total weight of the items are under 100kg --- Use air freight


If the total weight of the items are above 100kg -- Use Sea Freight


That is just a basic formula, use your best judgement. Good luck

robby

My experience:


If you use air freight, they only send to the airport, the goods will be left in the warehouse. After customs clearance, the goods are stored in temporary storage for 24 hours.


You have to get local forwarder to clear the goods and transport to your place, this may cost as much as the air freight you paid. Also you must produce your CR number as importer and declaration of the goods for tax purpose. This is really bad if you are simply buying something small and portable, weighing about 1kg or less.


I have assumed that Fed Ex is most expensive, and EMS or Speed Post is cheapest. Not that I did sent an item the size of a shoe box to Australia. EMS charged me $160.00, and we had to go to the Post Office, buy their box, pack it and go back there again, fill up a form and hand the parcel over to the counter and pay the bills in cash. Where I simply use my handphone, call the Fed Ex customer service hotline, key in the number for: 1. to schedule a pickup, 2. to check package delivery status and billing information, and so on. I pressed 1, no need to go through the whole voice mail message. Then second level, if your destination is Asia press 1, and if not Asia press 2. Third level, if your package is documents only press 1, for parcel press 2. Weight less than 100kg press 1, more than 100kg press 2. Please enter the nearest kg followed by the Hex key. Please prepare 3 copies of your invoice. If your package is ready now press the Hex key, if not key in the time when it is ready for pickup.


The closing is to confirm and clarify: Your package will be picked up at: "address" before 5PM. Your pickup number is Q1234.


All very friendly and convenient and invoiced with 30 days terms for $98.00 (less than EMS!)


Street