Shipping Flashlights

jackthedog

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Messages
90
Hi,

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place, but I couldn't find a place in the MarketPlace. When any of you have sold lights, how do you ship internationally with tracking/delivery confirmation/insurance?

I was trying to ship two lights from the US to Europe and the total came to nearly $35 with insurance.

Thanks and again, if this the wrong place, I'm sorry.
 

anonymoususer

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
135
Since you mention tracking and delivery confirmation i assume you are trying to use USPS. From my previous shipments, my understanding is USPS is NOT able to track or do delivery confirmation since the package leaves the hands of USPS once it enters the recipients country. You will need to use UPS or Fedex.
 

nfetterly

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
3,764
Location
Cincinnati area, but lots of travel
Not the answer you are looking for - but I recently shipped an expensive light to Henk Lu in Belgium buy USPS. His wife works for the Belgium post office. He wanted it shipped registered - this (if I remember correctly) gives you tracking - but no insurance. Note - you need to use brown paper tape as they stamp where the tape meets the body.

Price is between the most expensive rate and first class (cheapest).
 

darkzero

Flashaholic* ,
Joined
Oct 7, 2003
Messages
4,459
Location
SoCal
Registered Mail is the cheapest trackable method of shipping internationally through USPS. The only other next available option is EMS.

Registered mail is actually an option. You would added Registered Mail on top of Standard Air Mail (First Class). It's sometimes slower than Standard Mail because it gets scanned at all/most checkpoints for tracking (trackable, not the same as Delivery Confirmation).

Registered Mail is insurable up to $25,000. It's called Declared Value. The fee for Registered Mail (in addition to shipping method) is based on the Declared Value amount.

US Registered Mail is pretty expensive compared to other countries.
 

JaguarDave-in-Oz

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
905
Location
Australian bush
Since you mention tracking and delivery confirmation i assume you are trying to use USPS. From my previous shipments, my understanding is USPS is NOT able to track or do delivery confirmation since the package leaves the hands of USPS once it enters the recipients country. You will need to use UPS or Fedex.
I have had many parcels containing watches posted from the US to me in Australia using USPS Priority Mail International "signature required" and been able to use the USPS website to track them right up to the point of delivery at my door in country Australia. Our Aussie computers can talk to American computers so maybe other countries can too......

That method costs about US$37 though.
 

choombak

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
415
Location
SF Bay Area
Registered mail is a "guaranteed" delivery mechanism that you can use. I ship flashlight from India via registered mail, and don't have to bother with anything else. It may take time, but surely reaches the other end.

This may be the cheapest "guaranteed" USPS option for you too.

-Amarendra
 
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