Tuesday, February 11, 2014

How much it cost to ship a package to Russia from the USA via Shipito, Qwintry, Mainbox and Shopfans parcel forwarders (USPS vs. courier service) in 2014

I've been using Shipito parcel forwarder for shipping to Russia for more than 3 years. I posted detailed fees that I paid for shipping via USPS Priority Mail International and USPS Priority Mail Express International (former USPS Express Mail International) in 2010-2011, 2012 and 2013.

But the competition among parcel forwarders shipping to Russia is amazing. So no wonder that many companies offer much lower shipping rates and much better service at the same time when shipping to Russia. Unfortunately this is not the case for many other countries where using Shipito is still one of the best ways to get a decent service and cheap rates.

The first alternative I've decided to test was a new Russian parcel forwarder Mainbox. It offers fast courier service delivery to Russia. Besides speed it has lots of other benefits. One of them is that unlike Shipito you don't need to pay any monthly or annual fees to have an account with Mainbox. When shipping my Dell XPS all-in-one computer and Sony A7 mirrorless camera I decided to avoid state postal service by all means. Moreover I needed to test my computer and camera before shipping them to Russia. Mainbox tested Dell XPS, checked dead pixels on the  screen for only $3. The camera focusing and lack of scratches on the lense and display were also done only for $3! Standard Mainbox shipping is fast enough, so there is no need to use express shipping.

It costed me $289 to ship a 19kg 77x62x32cm package with my Dell XPS computer to Russia by Mainbox.

   Mainbox account: Shipping DELL XPS computer to Russia

Mainbox fee structure in 2014:
  • Package Location: Bear, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    19 kg
    77x62x32cm
    Mailout fee: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Postage: $286 ($28 for the first kilogramm, $12 for every additional kg)
    (Carrier) ($286)
    (Bank fee) ($0)
    Insurance: $0 (included into postage)
    Alternative shipping methods offered by Mainbox for delivering this package to Russia:
    • Express shipping
      Postage: $342 ($41 for the first kilogram, $14 for every additional kg)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $15.2
    TOTAL: $289
  • Package Location: Bear, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    1,44 kg
    31x25x22cm
    Delivery time: 8 days
    Mailout fee: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Postage: $44 ($30 for the first kilogramm, $14 for every additional kg)
    (Carrier) ($44)
    Bank fee $1.21 (1724.80 RUR ~ $50.21 was charged by Uniteller instead of $49 for filling the account in RUR. The option of filling the account in USD by Paypal was not available.)
    Insurance: $0 (included into postage)
    Testing working condition (optional): $3
    Using no sales tax warehouse: $2
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $34.87
    TOTAL: $50.21
Besides testing Mainbox, I still use Shipito for delivering packages to Russia via USPS Priority Mail Express International.

Shipito fee structure for sending a package

Shipito fee structure 2014

  • Package Location: Tualatin, Oregon (no sales tax location)
    33.30 lbs (15.1 kg)
    36"x17"x14" (92x44x35 cm)
    Mailout fee: $18.50 ($10 extra fee for packages over 30 lbs)
    Repacking fee: $26.00 (13 packages consolidated)
    Postage: $225.21
    (Carrier) ($215.93)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($9.28)
    Insurance: $0 (no insurance)
    Alternative shipping methods offered by Shipito for delivering this package to Russia:

    • USPS Express Mail (5-6 business days)
      Postage: $218.66
      Insurance: $18.91 (optional)
      TOTAL: $237.57

    • Airmail Priority (8-20 business days)
      Postage: $343.09
      Insurance: not available
      Tracking is not available
      TOTAL: $343.09

    • Russian Post Standard (3-6 weeks)
      Postage: $243.76
      Insurance: $40.13 (optional)
      TOTAL: $283.89

    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $17.86
    Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $53.78
    TOTAL: $269.71
    Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

  • Package Location: Tualatin, Oregon (no sales tax location)
    22.40 lbs (10.16 kg)
    27"x13"x13" (69x34x34 cm)
    Mailout fee: $8.50
    Repacking fee: $38.00 (19 packages consolidated)
    Postage: $137.37
    (Carrier) ($131.71)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($5.66)
    Insurance: $0 (no insurance)
    Extra security tape: $2
    Alternative shipping methods offered by Shipito for delivering this package to Russia:

    • USPS Express Mail (5-6 business days)
      Postage: $135.42
      Insurance: $17.79 (optional)
      TOTAL: $153.21

    • Airmail Priority (20-40 business days)
      Postage: $220.95
      Insurance: not available
      Tracking is not available
      TOTAL: $220.95

    • USPS Priority Mail (6-10 business days)
      Postage: $141.26
      Insurance: $29.43 (optional)
      TOTAL: $188.59

    • Russian Post Standard (3-4 weeks)
      Postage: $150.95
      Insurance: $37.64 (optional)
      TOTAL: $283.89

    • SPSR Express (8-15 business days)
      Postage: $186.76
      Insurance: $47.64 (optional)
      TOTAL: $234.4

    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $18.29
    Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $54.16
    TOTAL: $185.87
    Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)
  • Package Location: Tualatin, Oregon (no sales tax location)
    38.50 lbs (17.46 kg)
    36"x17"x14" (92x44x35 cm)
    Mailout fee: $18.50 ($10 extra fee for packages over 30 lbs)
    Repacking fee: $34.00 (17 packages consolidated)
    Postage: $201.42
    (Carrier) ($193.12)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($8.30)
    Insurance: $0 (no insurance)
    Alternative shipping methods offered by Shipito for delivering this package to Russia:

    • USPS Express Mail (5-6 business days)
      Postage: $190.39
      Insurance: $18.86 (optional)
      TOTAL: $217.44

    • Russian Post Standard (3-4 weeks)
      Postage: $237.94
      Insurance: $40.02 (optional)
      TOTAL: $288.19

    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $14.6
    Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $61.8
    TOTAL: $254.92
    Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

  • Package Location: Tualatin, Oregon (no sales tax location)
    30.90 lbs (14.01 kg)
    36"x17"x13" (92x44x32 cm)
    Mailout fee: $18.50 (extra $10 fee for packages over 30 lbs)
    Repacking fee: $36.00 (18 packages consolidated)
    Postage: $169.41
    (Carrier) ($162.43)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($6.98)
    Insurance: $0 (no insurance)
    Extra security tape: $2
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $16.12
    Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $63.48
    TOTAL: $225.91
    Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

  • Package Location: Tualatin, Oregon (no sales tax location)
    27.70 lbs (12.56 kg)
    36"x17"x13" (92x44x34 cm)
    Mailout fee: $8.50
    Repacking fee: $22.00 (11 packages consolidated)
    Postage: $155.16
    (Carrier) ($148.76)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($6.40)
    Insurance: $0 (no insurance)
    Extra security tape: $2
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $14.94
    Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $38.9
    TOTAL: $187.66
    Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

  • Package Location: Tualatin, Oregon (no sales tax location)
    14.10 lbs (6.39 kg)
    17"×13"×13" (44×34×34 cm)
    Mailout fee: $8.50
    Repacking fee: $12.00 (6 packages consolidated)
    Postage: $103.82
    (Carrier) ($99.54)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($4.28)
    Insurance: $0 (no insurance)
    Extra security tape: $2
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $19.77
    Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $26.78
    TOTAL: $126.32
    Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)
I also decided to test Qwintry parcel forwarder for shipping to Russia via USPS. It has a warehouse in the no sales tax location in Delaware, so I was wondering whether it will be faster and cheaper to send the package from the East coast (rather than the West coast in case of Shipito). Moreover Qwintry doesn't have any subscription fees, not does it charge for incoming packages as well as package consolidation.

Qwintry package: Invoice

Qwintry fee structure in 2014:
  • Shipping method: USPS Priority Mail Express International (EMS) Package Location: Newark, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    33.16 lb (15.04 kg)
    18x18x22 inches (46x46x56 cm)
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Packagin materials: $8
    Postage: $201.60
    Insurance: $0 (optional)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $14.14
    TOTAL: $212.60

When shipping my Yamaha digital piano, using state post was not and option due to size limitations of the USPS. Mainbox wasn't able to ship this package due to the large size. So I decided to test Shopfans Express courier service for shipping Yamaha P155 to Russia.

Shopfans Express

Shopfans Express fee structure in 2014:
  • Shipping method: Shopfans Express (no other options available for a package of this size) Package Location: Claymont, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    57 lbs 5 oz
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0 (via coupon code SFXZERO)
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Postage: $309,05
    (Carrier) ($298,6)
    (Bank fee) ($10,45)
    Insurance: $0 (optional)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $11.89
    TOTAL: $309,05

Links:
See also:

No comments:

Post a Comment