Another reason for me to hate UPS

[Meatwad]

I put a little birthday gift package together for my lady friend in Beijing - I've never shipped anything overseas before.
A co-worker suggested that I ship it with UPS, so I went there with my little/medium sized box. Maybe 5lbs., in a 10"x14"x14" box.

The guy at the UPS store puts it on the scale and says, "That would be $262.00."

Me - "Are you fvcking kidding me? Is that a mistake?"

Then he tells me that I might want to go the USPS, they're probably cheaper.
No kidding!

The post office was $37.00.

I saved $225.00 driving less than 5 minutes down the road.

 

[HeartString]

USPS has always been faster/cheaper for the items I ship. Good for you taking care of your lady!! They work their ass off and they love the niceties. Never met a woman that didn't appreciate it.

 

[fett]

And? UPS Stores are rip offs. It's a mom and pop franchise. Don't get me started. Good for you to realize the dif.

 

[Shadowplayer]

yeah, things are bad. For me to ship things to Vermont or to have things shipped here (Montana) it averages $70. For maybe 10 lbs tops

 

[Kashmir]

I'd be lost without the USPS. Screw all the others. Too expensive and they all suck.

 

[fett]

There is big dif. UPS is great. Just get to the real UPS. The UPS Stores are not the UPS. Those stores use UPS as the shipper. I could tell you stories. Anyway,. live and learn.

 

[Meatwad]

I live in a little college town, and there aren't a whole lot of choices here.
I expected the UPS store to be a little more expensive, but $225 more?

I thought about screaming "Rape!!" for a second or two when he quoted me $267.

 

[HeartString]

Those UPS stores are hugely expensive. I went once and learned how expensive. Never went back.

 

[fett]

Back to the rube seller. I bought a $100+ guitar on ebay. The stated shipping cost was around $15. I forgot. Anyway, the seller went to the "Store". The box cost $26. With all their packing, her shipping cost was $95. Well? That made no never mind to me.

 

[SixAngryStrings]

I'm actually pretty happy with UPS right now...

They just dropped this off \m/

 

[MATTM]

What was the value of the package? Part of that price was the customs duty that UPS brokers upfront.

 

[Meatwad]

What was the value of the package? Part of that price was the customs duty that UPS brokers upfront.

He never got that far - just the quote from the package on the scale.

When I filled out the customs papers at the post office, I had to list what was in the package, but not the value.

 

[Bluesky]

UPS:

Hot fed ex chick pic - Bing Images


Fed Ex:

Hot fed ex chick pic - Bing Images


Hot fed ex chick pic - Bing Images

 

[fett]

What was the value of the package? Part of that price was the customs duty that UPS brokers upfront.

None sense. From the USA to bumfuk is nothing more than the actual shipping cost. What your customs guys do with the VAT has nothing to do with the OP's issue.

 

[morats8up]

Sent the wife to USPS for a guitar I sold to be shipped. She thought I said UPS,
I nearly had a heart attack when she brought me the bill.

 

[freebyrd 69]

He never got that far - just the quote from the package on the scale.

When I filled out the customs papers at the post office, I had to list what was in the package, but not the value.

Ups is way too expensive for anything overseas. Domestically, I use them to ship guitars. With USPS, you are VERY limited on insurance both here and abroad. FEDEX is much cheaper with the guitars overseas. UPS insurance is different than FedEx. You can actually insure for a specific amount, where FedEx you have to declare a value. Long story, but I have had much better luck with UPS.

 

[kevinpaul]

When UPS went on strike I was soooo screwed. Friday pick up the driver told me no way a strike. Sunday I got the news the are closed with over $42,000 worth of my custom made lab part in a locked building. Nasty phone calls and letters from lawyer. The second week I went in to hiding, my life bad. I did lose some and will never forgive them. That was back in the mid 90's.

 

[Maynar]

Ups is way too expensive for anything overseas. Domestically, I use them to ship guitars. With USPS, you are VERY limited on insurance both here and abroad. FEDEX is much cheaper with the guitars overseas. UPS insurance is different than FedEx. You can actually insure for a specific amount, where FedEx you have to declare a value. Long story, but I have had much better luck with UPS.

My experience is that buying items from a US vendor that only ships UPS to Canada will result in me being raped by UPS for brokerage. To the tune of 60% of the invoice value. I soured on that real quick, especially when USPS has never let me down and only occasionally asks for a pittance of a duty/brokerage. Most times they let it slide.

My theory is that UPS rapes international customers to give continental USA customers artificially low rates. I hear stories all the time how UPS is so great shipping inside the lower 48. Sure doesn't represent what I see in the Great White North, but it does elucidate.

I have zero experience shipping from me to the US via brown, so I can't comment on that. I will say, postal service all the way. Never let me down yet, in either direction.

 

[mtgguitar]

Good for you taking care of your lady!! They work their ass off and they love the niceties. Never met a woman that didn't appreciate it.

How about my ex-wife visiting your dumb ass, I'll pay her way to Boulder, Colorado.

 

[BluesRock]

If you want to ship UPS, go online.
You can put in all of the shipping info, print out the shipping label and even schedule to have the package picked up at no extra charge. It is much cheaper than the UPS Store.