Recommendations For Sending Insured And Tracked To Usa?

[ChrisB]

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations or tips on services to use for shipping overseas (especially the USA)? I would normally use Royal Mail Airsure or International Signed For, but strangely they only go up to 2kg unless its printed papers, in which case they go to 5kg.

Generally speaking both Royal Mail and Parcelfarce seem to be offering less and less useful services these days. Everytime I check they have sneaked a new restriction into the T&C's for their services. Back to the original query though :-). I need to price up sending a Wild One with spares to the USA (total weight about 3.5kg). I need insurance for loss or damage for about 200 quid, plus I need proof of delivery.

Tried the FedEx site, but that is coming up with 87GBP for the economy shipping , which I don't think is really gonna fly. What do other folks use?

Cheers,

Chris

[TWINSET]

Try parcel2go.com - they use FedEx and DHL but get better rates as a 'broker'

Get it in as small a box as possible though, you'll pay either by weight or box volume, whichever is the greater value.

There's a quote facility online

[ChrisB]

Thanks for the info Andy, but I've heard too many mixed reviews about them to trust them with my precious Wild One

I think I'll just have to stick with a UK only auction for now.....

[Tipsy]

I sent my Kyosho Icarus with Parcel2Go. Prices were far better than Royal Mail/Parcel Force. No issues at all. It went with HDNL, and arrived at its destination when they said without damage. I will happily use them again.

[TWINSET]

I sent my Kyosho Icarus with Parcel2Go. Prices were far better than Royal Mail/Parcel Force. No issues at all. It went with HDNL, and arrived at its destination when they said without damage. I will happily use them again.

Who collected it, a Parcel2Go bod or the company you choose on their site?

Just curious, I've never personally used them, but had them recommended to me loadsa times now.

[Tipsy]

Who collected it, a Parcel2Go bod or the company you choose on their site?

Just curious, I've never personally used them, but had them recommended to me loadsa times now.

HDNL (Home Delivery Network) came to my house to collect. DHL do the same, but depending on service (cheapest multidrop) would charge for the home collection.

I would certainly use them again.

[zakspeed]

HDNL (Home Delivery Network) came to my house to collect. DHL do the same, but depending on service (cheapest multidrop) would charge for the home collection.

I would certainly use them again.

I've used parcel2go loads of times for international stuff and found them to be fine - DHL came to my door last time I used em. Did give interlinkdirect.co.uk a go for some heavy 1:1 car parts and again found them to be good. I think it cost me (or should I say the buyer) £40 to send a Hillman Imp gearbox to ireland .. didn't think that was bad..

[tam-trucks]

i used parcel2go aswell

sent few rc cars of with them and good price,,,well better then rip off post office!!!

recently send mk2 cortina gearbox to germany,£65 ish quid and it was there in 7days,,,well pleased with them

well worth adding to favorite site folder

[ChrisB]

Thanks for the feedback - I'm still 50-50 on Parcel2Go, thats the problem when you google a company - you always get the bad stuff, but there does seem a disproportionate amount of it, especially in realtion to attempting to claim on the insurance when things get lost / damaged.

Reason I am being picky is its for posting quite a valuable Wild One overseas, and generally I see there are a lot of problems with claims with companies like Parcel2Go that are effectively just intermediaries buying delivery services in bulk from the main players. The cover is not always what it seems. Whilst its good to hear from people that have sent with no problems it would be even better to hear from folks that have actually had to claim - this I think is where you find out which companies do actually offer a decent service.

Been hearing quite consistently good things about interparcel.com, (similar idea to Parcel2Go), even when people have had to claim so might see what their rates are like.

Thanks for all the replies.

Chris

[Olly_Lunchbox]

ChrisB,

You're absolutely right to say Royal Mail are offering less and less service, though I would add that their counter staff are giving less and less information too.

I just sent a Wild One with spares and a beetle bodyshell to Denmark, what a PITA.

I boxed it all up, got down there, queued forever only for the guy at the counter to tell me a about the 2kg weight limit. Of course it was 170g over. Nevermind I said, I can easily split this into two packages, so home I go.

Opened box, took out Beetle body and the spares and left just the Wild One in the original box. Weighed them both on kitchen scales and took them back to post office, queued for about twice as long this time and got the same guy at the counter. This time the he announced the weight was fine but they were too big. Apparently Royal Mail have a size limit for overseas which he had "forgotten" to tell me the first time around. The dimensions of the package must not total more than 90cm otherwise it has to go via Parcel Force at treble the price. The original box containing the Wild One was too big so I went home again and had to repackage everything.

Three times I had to go to that blinking post office to post the package and sometimes I swear we are just playthings for the bored counter staff

[twisty]

They tried to make me pay double for being only 8 grams over the 2 Kilo limit,needless to say i walked out in disgust,went home,cut a bit from the cardboard flaps inside the box and went to a different P/O.

[ChrisB]

I think I am pretty lucky with my local PO, but then its one of those ones that is a shop and has a PO counter in it, so its not run directly by Royal Mail - more of a sub PO. Staff there are really helpful and I never have any issues. My issues are more with the creeping restrictions RM seem to be adding to their services. You used to be able to send larger stuff 2nd class recorded, but now I think there is a 1-2kg limit on that, so you are forced to send 1st recorded.

Sending stuff internationally is also pretty poor value, not to mention (again) the restrictions on what can be sent. Just compare with the prices you pay for stuff to be shipped insured from the USA or HK - RM is very expensive.

<dusts off soapbox..>

God help us if the Govt. goes down the route of privatisation... it will be Railtrack all over again..... with bells on. Even the good ole USA, the bastion of capitalism, recognises the need to have a universal postal service under state control - hence the USPS. I fear after the next election RM will be one of the first things to be privatised, and it will be downhill all the way after that ;-). Look at any successful Western economy and almost without exception they have a modern, universal postal service..... and then there is the UK

</climbs off soapbox>

As you were