Shipping ex Thailand : really glad I dont do this for a living ...

[MrWorldwide]

OK, some of you will have seen my other posts, but I'm relieved to report that 6 of the 7 shipments I've made over the last month or so reached their destinations, hopefully meaning I wont have any PP flak to deal with. Not wild about the 21-day deal with PP but a little planning earlier in the year could have fixed that - such is life.

For the benefit of anyone else contemplating shipping anything expensive - everything was over 500USD - from Thailand to the US, UK, Australia or Europe may find some of this valuable:

- DHL seems to get a poor rap online : while their pricing is exorbitant, they deliver : excellent tracking and delivery within 4 days of handing it over to the somewhat clueless staff at MBE

- EMS (Thai Post) mystifies me - I sent two packages to the US just before Songkran (arguably the worst possible time) : one arrived within 9 days delighting the buyer, the second took 18 days and fortunately the buyer seems pretty laid back. That wasnt the case with another customer when they managed to break part of a pair of headphones, but fortunately the manufacturer came to the party on that one.

- my worst experience was with a component powered by a Lithium Ion battery : EMS refuses to ship anything with batteries and DHL's rates made it an insane proposition for the asking price. I was forced to refund my buyer and call it a day.

- none of the buyers gave me any feedback re customs duties or state taxes but I guess that's the lottery. One parcel spent an inordinate amount of time in US Customs, others breezed through - again, luck of the draw, but DHL is definitely a lot faster than EMS in this regard.

- tracking for EMS is great in Australia (surprisingly ..) but patchy with USPS in the states. DHL absolutely kicks butt in this area, even if their packages seem to take the scenic route ex Asia then do something of a tour when they get to the US : I'm sure the logistics experts know why that has to be the case.

I know there are other options but I guess I'm like most people : once I get into the flow (paperwork etc) I dont want to change unless I can see a significant upside.

[Soutpeel]

my worst experience was with a component powered by a Lithium Ion battery : EMS refuses to ship anything with batteries and DHL's rates made it an insane proposition for the asking price. I was forced to refund my buyer and call it a day.

You are aware of course the constantly changing rules worldwide as regards shipping lithium batteries, therefore can understand to a degree EMS's refusal, which is their right and DHL asking for lots of money to do it, the point being if they accept such shipments and things go wrong, its on their head not yours

http://www.customsinfo.com/Industry-Blog/bid/162527/New-Regulations-for-Shipping-Li-ion-Batteries

[redandyellow]

To boost the count, I will say I've had Levitra shipped to Thailand, as it used to be blocked coming to Canada. Now that I quit drinking, lost weight and go to the gym again almost every day, there's little need, but insurance is prudent

Signed,

Double too much information

[MrWorldwide]

my worst experience was with a component powered by a Lithium Ion battery : EMS refuses to ship anything with batteries and DHL's rates made it an insane proposition for the asking price. I was forced to refund my buyer and call it a day.

You are aware of course the constantly changing rules worldwide as regards shipping lithium batteries, therefore can understand to a degree EMS's refusal, which is their right and DHL asking for lots of money to do it, the point being if they accept such shipments and things go wrong, its on their head not yours

http://www.customsinfo.com/Industry-Blog/bid/162527/New-Regulations-for-Shipping-Li-ion-Batteries

DHL charge on the size/weight of the box, regardless of whether it contains Li-ion batteries or not, but you're right about the regs particularly here in Asia.

[Xonax]

Lithium-Ion batteries are considered Dangerous Goods, according to the IATA regulations and must therefore have proper Dangerous Goods markings and certificate, when transported by air. This is why EMS are unable to handle this and DHL are charging you for doing it. Same same all over the world.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Xonax