Clover Zippo and Air Mail

[Relic Raider]

The following information is only for you guys who are not located in the USA and who are interested in any of my lighters.

Until now I have been shipping Zippos with USPS First Class International (Air Mail) with good results. For the first time an international shipment has not arrived after three weeks and is presumed lost. While I will refund the total amount for lighter and shipping to the buyer, I will not anymore ship internationally with essentially untrackable and totally uninsurable Air Mail. The custom form label number allows you to check when an item was mailed and when it has cleared customs at the destination. That is just not sufficient tracking for international mail.

In order to track and insure International Mail, I would have to ship a small package (5 oz/142 g) via

1. Priority Mail International
It takes 6 - 10 days
The cost is $20.
A Certificate of Mailing (sender's proof of mailing -- for some reason the receipt is not sufficient!) cost $1.05 extra
It is unclear what kind of insurance is provided. The information that I find says:

*Based on the weight of your package, $61.28 of automatic indemnity coverage is provided for uninsured parcels. Coverage is limited to the actual value of the contents or $61.28, whichever is less.  Automatic indemnity is not provided for certain items. See Priority Mail International for more information.

I do not find any information beyond that. I will investigate what the actual coverage is.

Priority Mail International will likely end up as the only "affordable" Air Mail shipping option. I will let you guys know once I have found out how insurance works and if tracking is sufficient.

2. Global Express Guaranteed
It takes 1-3 days.
Insurance is included.
The cost is $65.75.

3. UPS, FedEx and DHL
Insurance (up to $100 or so) included.
They all charge all around $70 for their "Economy" service.


I am sorry, but these shipping charges are out of this world. I am not going to risk losing another package without having appropriate insurance and tracking available. My advice is that you ask a friend in the USA if he might be willing to ship you the lighter. I have not yet decided what to do about shipping Badge Kits to overseas addresses.

Please check the USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL etc websites yourself to see if you can find better shipping options. I am at the end of my rope.

Cheers,
-Relic Raider

[Strider]

Just as a side note RR, FedEx does not have an "insurance" system like the postal service does. Here at FedEx, we use a "declared value" system, and in the event that a customer needs to file a claim for lost or damaged packages, FedEx pays out the current market value of said items. That said, if a customer wants you to declare more than a 100$ value to a package you are shipping through FedEx, you should have some sort of receipt or documentation of the cost of the item you're shipping. I haven't ordered from you (yet ), so I don't know if you do these things normally or not, but just a word of advice after having to explain this same monologue to tons of people here at FedEx Kinko's, where I work.

[Relic Raider]

Strider, if I ship with UPS, FedEx or any other similar carrier I do declare the actual item value, which is the price my buyer pays me. This brings up a question regarding the shipping charges. Will the shipping charges be refunded in case of a lost package? With shipping cost of $70 exceeding the declared item value, the shipping cost has the potential for representing the biggest loss.

Besides the insurance question, who would pay $70 shipping for an item that costs between $45 and $49? If anybody is willing to pay that much for shipping, then I should double my prices.

I could of course keep offering First Class International (no real tracking, no insurance) and the buyer is simply out of luck should the package get lost. I cannot do this, because it will damage my reputation quickly.

On the other hand, if I charge the high shipping cost a private carrier demands, I will be blamed for the excessively high shipping cost. For me this is a no-win situation and my best option seems to categorically not offer international shipping for anything that's worth over a few dollars.

If anyone has a suggestion, I am listening.

Cheers,
-Relic Raider

[Strider]

The shipping cost would be eaten by FedEx after the item was replaced. It generally is replaced and then shipped off to wherever it's supposed to go without another shipping charge. If the customer no longer wanted to ship with FedEx, they'd have to call 1-800-GO-FEDEX to talk to someone about being reimbursed shipping, as we here at a mere shipping center couldn't do anything like that once the package has been shipped and is going through a damage or loss claim.

[Relic Raider]

Thanks for clarifying. Not that I think it matters, because I don't think anybody would pay $70 to have one Zippo shipped. I know I wouldn't pay that much.

Cheers,
-Relic Raider

[Strider]

Well, when very few people are making them, what choice do you have?

[Relic Raider]

Luckily I myself am not faced with this particular dilemma!

Cheers,
-Relic Raider

[balsho]

Wouldn't matter to me if I was outside the US. It's still worth it...

[Relic Raider]

I have spent two days trying to figure out the best solution to the international shipping dilemma. For now it will be like this:


I still ship items with a value under $20 with First Class International (Air Mail) for a flat fee charge of $6.50 for the time being.


Priority Mail International (USPS) will be used for items with a value over $20:

Postage is the actual shipping charge, which may vary depending on the country of destination: expect about $20 for a small package (1/4 lbs). I will calculate actual postage as soon as I know the destination (country, city, postal code).

Insurance (automatic indemnity coverage) is included up to a value of $61.28. Postage falls under this coverage. If the total value (item + postage) exceeds $61.28, additional insurance can be added.

Shipping takes about 6 days. There is no guaranteed time frame.

Tracking: Priority Mail International is shipped with a Customs Declaration and Dispatch Notice (CP 72), which includes a tracking number (trackable online).

The CP 72 form requires the sender to declare all items and their value. Commercial items MUST be marked as such. You may end up paying a customs fee or duty fee. I have no way of knowing your country's import regulations and ask you to inform yourself. I also ask that you find out if a new Zippo lighter (without fuel) is considered a prohibited item by your country's postal regulations.

This is the best I could come up with!


Cheers,
-Relic Raider

I will change my website to reflect these changes as soon as I get around to it. I am now seriously behind my schedule due to dealing with this pesky mailing issue.