Showing posts with label freight forwarder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freight forwarder. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Review: Fishisfast parcel forwarder shipping purchases from US stores to worldwide destinations

I have switched from Shipito parcel forwarder more than a year ago. It ia a great company offering many shipping methods at a reasonable price, but I don't like to pay any monthly fees as well as more than $2 for every incoming package. It is absolutely NOT worth it when there are so many parcel forwarders shipping to Russia at a cheaper rate.

Unlike many other parcel forwarders I have tried, FishisFast was not founded by the immigrants from Russia and other xUSSR countries. For some customers Soviet legacy implies poor service, so they try to avoid it (it is not that I agree with that).

Fishisfast parcel forwarder shipping purchases from US stores

FishisFast targets not only customers from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other xUSSR countries, but also from many other destinations. Thanks to FishisFast parcel forwarder you may ship your U.S. purchases to the following countries:
Brazil, Australia, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Holy See (Vatican City State), Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, Korea, Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Republic of, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Federated States of, Moldova, Republic of, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Republic of, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Åland Islands
FishisFast offers high quality photos of your incoming packages. Unlike Shipito, the images are not blurred. More over you may order photos of the contents of your incoming packages for $2 per package. All your parcels will be unpacked then and the photos will be taken.

Here is an example of a package with Timberland sandals. The company offered a photo of the incoming package, the photo of the contents of the shoe box,


the photo of the shoe box,

the photo of the essential information on the shoe box.



Of course not all the items are unpacked by FishisFast. For example, a kid's winter suit appeared in a lightweight package. The company took a photo of the winter suit that covers a small fraction of it. But the photo contains the label on the item which clearly shows the name, the size and the color.


By ordering optional photos at FishisFast you can make sure that the shops deliver correct items, and you will notice that before shipping your package to your country (so you may return them right away).

FishisFast offers several free services:
  • Take photos of every order they get for you before they open it
  • Consolidate all the items you want to send into the most economical box to save on shipping costs. They'll even remove excess packaging like shoe boxes on request if you want to save a little bit more space.
  • Your packages are all insured against theft, damage or loss by us for free up until $100, above that for only $3 per shipment for every extra $100 of value.
  • Get as much space as you need to store all your items until you're ready to send them.
Also FishisFast offers extra paid services:
  • Unpacking $2/$5 - If you'd like, you can request that FishisFast unpacks every package that they receive for $2 per shipment. They will photograph and weigh all items inside and display them in your locker. If you only want to unpack certain parcels and continue receiving the rest without unpacking, they charge $5 for unpacking a single parcel.
  • Bubble wrap item $1 - They'll carefully wrap a single unpacked item in bubble wrap for additional protection.
  • Bubble wrap fragile items $5 - They'll unpack an incoming shipment and carefully bubble wrap any fragile items inside.
  • Plastic Bag $3 - They'll put all your items in a plastic bag to help protect against weather and unwanted opening of the contents.
  • Power on testing $5 - They'll give you a video showing that the item turns on so you can make sure it works before you ship it.
  • Stretch wrap $5 - They'll wrap your entire parcel in stretch wrap to help protect it even further.
  • Mediation service $5 - Having problems with a seller in the US? Didn’t receive everything you ordered? FishisFast can help you handle it. They'll contact the store on your behalf until the issue is resolved.
  • Return item - Free (plus postage).
The deciding factors for using FishisFast for me were:
  • the reputation of the company, 
  • free 180 day storage for all incoming packages, 
  • very low fees for assisted purchases, 
  • a no sales tax location in Delaware, 
  • free incoming packages, 
  • no monthly fees.
USPS increases its rates every year. Luckily customers from Russia can use a cheaper shipping method - Fastbox Economy via Russian Post. The packages are delivered to Berlin (Germany) by air. Then they are transferred to office of the Russian post in Berlin.

Fastbox Economy is not the fastest method of delivery, but it is not as slow as shipping by the sea. The cost is significantly lower than USPS. The packages are delivered to the post office, not to your door; and there is no way to change that. But there is no dimensional weight, your don't need to provide your passport to the customs, plus the customs declaration is identical to the one used by USPS.

Fastbox Economy allows to deliver package up to 20 kg. Length + circumference must be less than 251 cm.


Now let's talk about the package consolidation. When you order unpacking and photos of the your items, they are also weighted. Moreover when consolidating packages you may choose the individual items instead of the incoming packages. The weight of each and every item allows to avoid overweight.



Extra services like wrapping or removing shoe boxes can be applied to individual items. For example, I decided to remove 4 shoe boxed and bubble wrap my HDD.



I also decided to remove invoices (although it was not important) and use a branded secure tape.



The branded security tape allows to find out whether the package was opened during transfer (was it done by a criminal or a customs officer).

Unlike many other parcel forwarders FishisFast allows to choose your shipping method after consolidating packages.


It is a great option, since you may only guess the weight and size of the outcoming package before the consolidation.

The company offers the photo of the outcoming package



It also shows the contents of your package before closing the box:





FastBox Economy packages depart the FishisFast warehouse once a week only. You should take this into account when estimating the time of arrival.

FishisFast sends the tracking number of Russia post immediately after sending your packge by the  Fastbox Economy method. Of course the packages can not be tracked before they arrive in Berlin (Germany).

My package was sent on October 24. I have received it on November 23. The estimated delivery time of 20-30 days was absolutely correct.

Although the package was in the post office on November 20, I only got the notification about it 3 days later.


I didn't pay for the extra insurance. My package appeared to be opened. Luckily all the items were inside and in the perfect condition.

It costed me only $88,18 to ship the 7,5 kg package from the USA to Russia. The packaging materials costed $3, the rest was the cost of the shipping itself. There were no any monthly fees, sending fees, no bank fees, no nothing. Moreover you may get a $5 discount for your first package when registering via the invitation link.

The account can be filled by Amazon Payments, Paypal as well as wire transfer. You may also use your cash back services like Mr.Rebates to fill in the FishisFast account.

The only disappointment I had with FishisFast was that they removed the box of my HDD while I wanted to add an extra bubble wrap to it, not to the HDD itself.

My overall impression of FishisFast is very positive. Of course you may not use it for oversized packages and there are no courier shipping methods. But the company offers a very economical way of delivering packages, so I highly recommend it!

FishisFast web-site (Get a $5 bonus for registering via this link)

Thursday, March 5, 2015

2972 Columbia St., Torrance, CA 90503, USA: Scam and fraud or legit?

Is the following address used for scams and frauds?


2972 Columbia St.
Suite # XXXXX
Torrance, CA 90503
USA


No, this is one of the warehouses used by Shipito (Eastbiz Corp.).

Shipito warehouses
Shipito warehouse: 2972 Columbia St., Suite # XXXXX, Torrance, CA 90503, USA

What is Shipito (Eastbiz Corp.)?


Shipito (Eastbiz Corp.) is a US package forwarding company (also known as a freight forwarder, a mail forwarder or a shipping forwarder) allowing to overcome geographical shipping restrictions and ship online purchases to

  • Alaska, Hawaii,

  • U.S. Protectorates and Insular areas (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, or Federated States of Micronesia),

  • APO, FPO, and DPO Addresses,

  • DOS Addresses,

  • other countries including but not limited to Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, India, Russia, Kuwait, Virgin Islands, Japan, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil, Cayman Islands, the Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan,...


Shipito is one of the largest freight forwarders. It has tens of thousands of customers from all over the world. Shipito Facebook page has more than 12'700 likes:

Shipito on Facebook

See also: US online stores shipping and not shipping to Shipito warehouse in Torrance, California (2964 Columbia St., Torrance, CA 90503, USA).

Can the "2972 Columbia St., Torrance, CA 90503, USA" address be used for scams and frauds?


Yes it can be used for legit as well as illegal activities like ANY other address. BUT I and many of my friends use it for making legit purchases in US online shops that don't ship overseas. Also even US individuals and US companies use Shipito package/parcel forwarding service for shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, or Federated States of Micronesia.

Information for online retailers about Shipito


Shipito and victims of stolen credit cards


If you're a store owner who shipped product to 2972 Columbia St., Torrance, CA 90503, USA and got a chargeback, contact Shipito immediately if you are a victim of credit card fraud. If they find that a stolen credit card was used, they immediately send packages back to you. Shipito has zero tolerance policy. Fraud accounts are immediately canceled.

Shipito and international sales


Shipito offers a program where they can guarantee all sales to online retailers if they are purchased directly by Shipito. This allows online retailers not to lose international sales, while Shipito takes the risk of accepting international payments.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Shipito freight forwarder offers lower shipping rates for TNT Economy

Shipito freight forwarder (parcel forwarder, package forwarder, shipping forwarder) negotiated lower shipping rates for it TNT Economy shipping method. The price for shipping to Europe, Middle East and Africa was decreased dramatically.
Shipito freight forwarder offers lower shipping rates for TNT Economy
The price decrease is not final yet. Shipito need to increase the volume of packages sent via TNT Economy substantially before March 24, 2015, then these lower rates will become permanent for Shipito and its customers.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

How much it cost to ship a package to Russia from the USA via Qwintry, FishisFast and Pochtoy parcel forwarders in 2015

I've stopped using Shipito parcel forwarder for shipping to Russia in late 2014. The first parcel forwarder I used to ship from the USA to Russia in 2015 was Qwintry. I tried to choose the Qwintry Air courier service, but it appeared to be more expensive for my package due to the dimensional weight. So after consolidating my package I switched to USPS Priority Mail Express International.
Qwintry package: Invoice

But later on I also tried Qwintry Air courier service as well as Qwintry Eco Post delivery by Russian post via Berlin.

Qwintry fee structure in 2015:
  • Shipping method: USPS Priority Mail Express International (EMS)
    Package Location: Newark, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    Weight: 32.62 lb (14.8 kg)
    Dimensional weight: 57.60 lb (26.13 kg)
    Size: 24x18x24 inches (61x46x61 cm)
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Packaging materials: $8
    Security tape: $3
    Postage: $197.15
    Insurance: $0 (optional)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $14.53
    TOTAL: $215.11
  • Shipping method: Qwintry Eco Post (Russian Post via Berlin)
    Package Location: Newark, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    Weight: 6.69 lb (3.03 kg)
    Dimensional weight: 9.60 lb (4.35 kg)
    Size: 12x12x12 inches (31x31x31 cm)
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Packaging materials: $5
    Security tape: $3
    Postage: $53.71
    Insurance: $0 (optional)
    Banking fee: $2.27 (3.2% + $0.30)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $21.12
    TOTAL: $63.98
  • Shipping method: Qwintry Air courier service
    Package Location: Newark, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    Weight: 17.69 lb (8.02 kg)
    Dimensional weight: 17.10 lb (7.76 kg)
    Size: 16x16x12 inches (41x41x31 cm)
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Packaging materials: $8
    Security tape: $3
    Postage: $110.06
    Insurance: $0 (optional)
    Discount for writing review about previous Qwintry package: $16.51
    Banking fee: $3.65 (3.2% + $0.30)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $13.49
    TOTAL: $108.20
I also tested FishisFast parcel forwarder and its delivery method Fastbox Economy via Russian Post (via Berlin)

FishisFast fee structure in 2015:
  • Shipping method: Fastbox Economy via Russian Post
    Package Location: New Castle, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    Weight: 16.55 lb (7.5 kg)
    Dimensional weight: n/a
    Size: 23x15x13 inches
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (no packages consolidated)
    Packaging materials: $0
    Security tape: $3
    Postage: $85.18
    Insurance: $0 (optional, free $100 insurance is provided)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $10.42
    Discount: $10 (for first package when registering via the invitation link)
    TOTAL: $78.18
And the latest test in 2015 was a parcel forwarder named Pochtoy and it's delivery method "Polar Express via BPost-EMS".

Pochtoy fee structure in 2015:
  • Shipping method: Polar Express via BPost-EMS
    Package Location: Newark, Delaware (no sales tax location)
    Weight: 12 lb (5.443 kg)
    Dimensional weight: n/a
    Size: n/a
    Mailout fee: $0
    Processing incoming packages: $0
    Repacking fee: $0 (5 packages consolidated for FREE via promo code FREEVIRT)
    Express 2-hour repacking: $4.99
    Packaging materials: $0
    Security tape: $0
    Postage: $79
    Insurance: $7.5 (optional)
    Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $15.89
    Discount: $5 (for first package when registering via the invitation link)
    TOTAL: $86.49

Links:

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Fedex is lowering prices for Shipito parcel forwarder

FedEx is lowering prices for Shipito parcel forwarder. So its customers almost all around the world. The prices are going down usually by 5-10% worldwide, however in some cases the discount can reach up to 40%. The new pricing is put in place already.

Fedex is lowering prices for Shipito parcel forwarder


The biggest discount is concerning low weight packages to countries in Central-Eastern Europe like Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, etc. For example 3lb package to Prague, Czech Republic, is going down from $86 to $52 with FedEx Economy, or from $106 to $65 with FedEx priority.

Another country with very nice discount is Brazil, where low weight packages are cheaper by 10%-28%. 3lb package to Rio De Janeiro is discounted from $67 to $48 with FedEx Economy and 5lb package from $94 to $81 with FedEx Priority.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Shopfans Express allows to send items to several customers in one package

Shopfans Express allows to use several customers when sending a package. So to overcome a 1000 EUR customs fee free limit that is valid so far for customers sending packages to Russia, you may just add several recipients to your package. Of course every single item may not cost over 1000 EUR if you want to avoid paying customs fees. But you may send, for example, 4 iphones 5S 64 GB or 4 Macbook Air notebooks in one package by just adding 4 recipients.



That's a really nice feature. It will become even more useful when the limit will be reduced from 1000 EUR to 150 EUR sometime in 2014.

Do you know any other package forwarders (parcel forwarders, freight forwarders, shipping forwarders) that allow to use multiple recipients when sending packages to Russia?

Shopfans package forwarder to offer vacuum sealing for clothing

Shopfans package forwarder plans to offer vacuum sealing of clothing. The company has been testing a chinese vacuum sealer. It allows to reduct volume size significantly:



The service can be useful for customers sending clothing, plush toys,... Thanks to the reduced volume size, you will be able to send a heavier package. And the heavier the package is, the less you spend to per kilogram of shipping weight.

Moreover you can hide a cell phone or jewerly inside the sealed bag.

Do you know any other package forwarder (parcel forwarder, freight forwarder, shipping forwarder) offering vacuum sealing?

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Special request from Shipito parcel forwarder: extra bubble wrap and security tape for $2 each

Shipito parcel forwarder has finally offered extra bubble wrap and security tape as special requests for consolidated packages.

Special request from Shipito parcel forwarder: extra bubble wrap and security tape for $2 each

All special requests that Shipito currently offers:

Visual check that content is not damagedFREE-
Remove Invoice$1Remove store invoices from the package(s)
Extra Bubble Wrap$2Put extra bubble wrap or packaging material to protect the items.
Extra Tape$2Put extra tape on the package seams
Security Tape $2Put security tape on the package, so it's evident if the package has been opened after shipping
Other Request$5Write your own request

Here is the extra bubble wrap used for protecting my package:

Shipito parcel forwarder (package forwarder): Extra security tape

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Good news for Russian customers of Shipito shipping forwarder (parcel forwarder)

Shipito shipping forwarder (parcel forwarder) has finally moved towards Russian customers. The competition among US to Russia parcel forwarders is so high that there were no reasons to use Shipito anymore. Although Shipito rates are still above many Russian competitors, the new changes are better than nothing:

  • Shipito is shipping big volume by USPS Express mail. The shipping price was permanently lowered by 15%. If you are our status client (Silver, Gold or Diamond) you might have additional discount from already lowered price till the end of March (new benefits will be announced on April 1 for the 2nd quarter).
  • Shipping rates in Oregon were 10% higher than in California. Now you can get the same shipping rate in Oregon as in California.
  • SPSR Express shipping method is available for shipping from the USA to Russia.
  • Mailout fee will be reduced to $1 on all for all Shipito plans (including Virtual Mailbox).
  • Double consolidation fee will be waived.
I will ship a new package within a month and will update my article about shipping costs by USPS Express Mail and other shipping methods. We'll see whether the new pricing will make me stay at Shipito or not.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Review of Mainbox - US to Russia package forwarder (parcel forwarder, mail forwarder, freight forwarder)

I have bought Dell XPS 2720 all-in-one computer at Dell Outlet USA. I used a 20% coupon code, although it is 87 dollars cheaper with the 25% $GDBTQH7WC6FMV right now . But I had not time to wait for a better deal. And I didn't expect any deals similar to Black Friday ones when a refurbished DELL XPS 2720 costed only 1'000 USD at Woot, which is 200 USD less than you can get from Dell outlet now using the 25% coupon code.

I wanted my computer to be delivered safe and fast, so I was not planning to use the state postal services (USPS and Russian Post). I have decided to test a pretty new package forwarder (parcel forwarder, freight forwarder, mail forwarder) - Mainbox International Inc. I chose Standard delivery instead of Express, because it is much cheaper, but still very fast (sometimes even faster than the Express shipping by Mainbox).

I've made my order at Dell Outlet on January 30th, 2014.


Fedex has delivered my package to the no sales tax location in Bear, Delaware on February 4th, 2014.



I've chosen the no sales tax warehouse of Mainbox, because it only costs $2 dollars more, but allows not to pay the sales tax at all! The saving of several dozens of dollars was decisive for me. With the sales tax there was a chance I could exceed the 1000 EUR limit. And I didn't want to pay any additional customs fees or taxes in Russia. Nor have I considered an opportunity to lower the price in the customs declaration. It is an ethical decision for me, not the risk of losing the insurance in case of any problem.

On February 5rh, 2014 I requested Mainbox to test my computer. I also added in the comments that I wanted them to check whether the IPS panel has any dead pixels or not. This test costed me only 3 USD. The refurbished computer was tested to work and the screen didn't have any dead pixels.



Then I sent my purchase to packaging. My newly purchased computer was packed and the box was measured. This was the time I knew my final cost of sending my package from the USA to Russia by Mainbox Standard delivery.

On February 6, 2014 I paid for all the services of Mainbox as well as for the courier shipping by Paypal. I could have saved 10% by using a debit or credit card of the Avangard bank. As for Paypal, it costed me 0% to fill in the account. The same applies to debit and credit cards, there are no any hidden fees at Mainbox!

The size of the package was 77x62x32cm and its weight was 19.12 kg . Dimensional weight was 22.5 kg. The first kg costed me 28 USD and each every next kilogramm costed only 12 USD. This price was valid for my region, it can be less or more expensive for other regions of Russia (use their calculator to check the price for your city or town). Currently Mainbox ships from USA to Russia only. I would like to emphasize that Mainbox charged exactly for 22.5 kg (not for 23 kg). Total cost was only $286 USD.

Shipito package forwarder would charge nearly the same for shipping this package to Russia via USPS Priority Mail Express International from its no sales tax location in Tualatin, Oregon. But the state postal service is slower as well as less reliable. Moreover Shipito would charge more if you consider fees for filling in your account, mailout, testing a computer, cost of incoming package(s), optional monthly or annual fees. This is yet another proof that Shipito is not a very good option for Russia anymore due to the fact that other package forwarders (parcel forwarders, freight forwarders, mail forwarders) offer lower fees as well as much better service at the same time. But for many other countries Shipito is still one of the best options available. If you know any better service for say Australia, Brazil please let me know in the comments.



On February 10th my package was at the customs of Russia. I was notified about this event by e-mail. On February 11th the customs clearance was complete and the package was in the warehouse in Russia. On February 13th a courier of the Garantpost courier service called me by the phone and delivered the package to my apartment within 2 hours.

The package had the "Fragile", "Handle with Care" stickers which were requested by me (and I didn't pay an extra cent for the service). Moreover the whole box was covered with black sticky tape, so the content had much lower risk of being damaged by humidity. Besides this tape allows you to notice whether the box was opened or not by the customs, courier service or a thief. Because of this fact alone I would consider using Mainbox for sending electronics or something of high value from USA to Russia.
What I didn't like about Mainbox:
  1. The courier that delivered the package to me didn't know whether I was allowed to open the package behind his own eyes or not. Although he did help me to open it and check the content visually.
  2. One needs to provide scans of his ID. Right now you either may use the state postal service or have to provide your ID.
  3. The web-site was not very fast when I was using it. The graphics on it is awesome, but I would prefer better speed.
  4. The web-site doesn't support SSL protocol, so the content is transferred between you and the web-site via a regular HTTP protocol which doesn't use any encryption.
  5. There are some delays with the statused of the package. The situation is far away from critical, but obviously some customers of courier services prefer this to be better.
What I did like about Mainbox:
  • Very fast delivery (only 2 weeks from ordering at Dell USA to appearing in my apartment in Rostov-on-Don, Russia)
  • No sales tax location available (optional service which was free in my case)
  • Courier delivery to your door
  • The company promises to cover any damage or loss of the package.
  • 45 days of free storage of your parcels in the USA (before repackaging)
  • Nice prices (but be carefull with the dimensional weight)
Bottom line: I can recommend Mainbox for sending purchases from USA to Russia!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Russian Post Standard via Berlin becomes faster

All shipments sent by Russian Post via Berlin (Russian Post Standard shipping method) were previously sent by truck from Shipito warehouse to New York (JFK). It took about 4 days plus different waiting times at the airport.

Russian Post Standard via Berlin becomes faster


Shipito is currently testing direct flight from Los Angeles to Berlin. The last Berlin post shipment was picked up on November 23. Shipment will be at the airport on November 24 and fly directly to Berlin. Shipment will be in Berlin on November 25 and Russian Post will pick up from there.

The biggest complain until now was that Russian Post Standard shipping method of Shipito parcel forwarder is not very fast. Direct flights from LA to Berlin may speed the process a little bit. The good thing about the Russian Post Standard shipping method is that Shipito had extremely low loss rate with it.

What Shipito warehouse to use and why?

Each Shipito warehouse has its own benefits. The following information will help you to choose one:


Overview of Shipito Warehouses

California

Lowest shipping rates and fastest shipping time, short term storage
Lowest shipping rates and fastest shipping time, short term storage

Oregon

No sales tax, more storage space compared to California
No sales tax, more storage space compared to California

Nevada

Best for long term storage and large consolidations
Best for long term storage and large consolidations

 

 

Shipito Virtual Mailbox

California

12 cubic feet
2× huge 36”x17”x17” boxes, effective January 1, 2014
2× huge 36”x17”x17” boxes, effective January 1, 2014

Oregon

36 cubic feet
Triple of California capacity
Triple of California capacity

Nevada

72 cubic feet
Six times California capacity
Six times California capacity

 

 

Free Storage

California

90days

Oregon

90days

Nevada

180days

 

Sales Tax in different Shipito locations

California

up to9%
Only stores based in California will charge sales tax

Oregon

0%
No sales tax on any transaction

Nevada

up to7.1%
Only stores based in Nevada will charge sales tax

 

Shipito Shipping Methods

California


Lowest price

Lowest price

Lowest price

Lowest price

Lowest price

Available

Oregon


Approx. 10% more

Approx. 10% more

Approx. 10% more

10-13% more

Approx. 15% more

Available

Nevada


Lowest price

Lowest price

Lowest price

10-13% more

Approx. 15% more

Available

 

Speed of delivery from Shipito warehouses

California

Fastest due to the proximity to LAX airport
Fastest due to the proximity to LAX airport
USPS, TNT and Airmail are 1-3 days slower due to transport through California hub. Other methods are the same speed as California.
USPS, TNT and Airmail are 1-3 days slower due to transport through California hub. Other methods are the same speed as California.

 

Shipping Wine with Shipito

California

Only from our Torrance I location (Columbia St). The only location authorized to ship wine by FedEx or DHL only.
Only from our Torrance I location (Columbia St). The only location authorized to ship wine by FedEx or DHL only.

Oregon

No shipping of wine allowed
No shipping of wine allowed

Nevada

No shipping of wine allowed
No shipping of wine allowed
 

Update (December 27, 2013) Russian Standard Post is available not only in the California warehouses, but also in the Nevada and Oregon warehouses of Shipito.


Personally I've been using the Oregon warehouse for most of my purchases. It takes longer to ship from Oregon, this warehouse lacks some shipping methods and shipping from this location is more expensive. However the benefit of using Oregon is that it is a no sales tax location.

Learn more at the Shipito web-site

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

How to buy Apple Macbook Air / Pro in the USA and ship it to an international destination (like Russia)

Apple Macbook Air

What US stores sell Apple Macbook Air / Pro and ship it to international destinations


  • Apple Online Store USA claims that it doesn't ship to freight forwarders (parcel forwarding companies). Many customers got their orders canceled and received the following message after trying to buy a Macbook, iPad or iPhone:
    Thank you for your recent order with the Apple Online Store. We appreciate your business. We are unable to complete your order. We do not ship to freight forwarder addresses. Therefore your order has been canceled. For Apple's Online Store Sales Policy please visit: apple.com/legal/sales_policies/ To locate an Apple Authorized Reseller in your area: apple.com/buy/ If you wish to reorder, please visit apple.com/store or call 1-877-422-5368. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, The Apple Online Store
    At the same time many customers did manage to purchase Macbook Air, Macbook Pro notebooks, iPhones and iPads from the US Apple Store. Some of them even used an international credit or debit card (virtual USA was address used for billing). And successful purchases happen not only when using a new freight forwarder or a new warehouse of an old freight forwarder. The reason why Apple cancels some orders while shipping other ones to freight forwarders remains unknown.
  • Amazon USA offers Macbook Air and Macbook Pro notebooks. And sometimes prices are even lower than at the Apple Store. Amazon purchases can be shipped to freight forwarders like Shipito.

    Although Amazon offers international shipping of electronics to select international destinations, I wasn't able to ship even the cheapest models of Macbook Air like Apple MacBook Air MD711LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop directly to Russia. I got the following error when trying to ship to my Russian address:
    Important Message Apple MacBook Air MD711LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) cannot be shipped to the selected address.
    It seems like the only way to Macbooks it to an international destination is via a freight forwarder (package forwarding company).

    Note that Amazon is also a marketplace where lots of sellers beside Amazon are present. It is very important to check the seller rating when ordering expensive electronics from the sellers besides Amazon. Also sellers may have their own shipping policy.
  • Adorama - a very popular shop selling electronics. It is well known for selling photo and video equipment. But it sells Macbook Air and Macbook Pro notebooks as well.

    Adorama ships to many international destinations, but it doesn't ship to Russia at all.

    You may get special offers and pricing by registering in the Adorama VIP Membership program. Currently it is free.
  • B&H Photo Video - a very popular shop selling photo and video equipment. It also offers Macbook Air and Macbook Pro notebooks.

    The shop doesn't offer international shipping of Apple Macbook notebooks. But you may ship Macbooks to a freight forwarder like Shipito and then get it delivered to your international destination.
  • Rakuten (former Buy.com) - one of the largest marketplaces with many sellers. Some sellers offer Macbook Air and Macbook Pro notebooks. Make sure to use a seller with high rating only.
  • eBay - the world's largest online marketplace. Not only companies sell via eBay, but also regular people. Make sure to buy a Macbook from a Top-rated seller. Also make sure you know what the terms used, refurbished and open box mean.
  • MacMall - leading Apple Direct Reseller. It has great offers on Macbooks from time to time. But currently its web-site is not even accessible from some countries (including Russia), unless you use a US IP address (you may get it via ZenMate for Chromer, AnonymoX for Firefox, Tor,....)
Besides getting getting a new Apple Macbook, you may also get a refurbished one. Apple Store has the Mac special offers section where you may find Refurbished Certified notebooks:

 

Note that there are manufacturer refurbished and seller refurbished notebooks. You may also want to wait for the Black Friday offers. Although Apple Store itself doesn't offer the best prices during such sales, you may find great offers from other online retailers including Amazon.

Shipping Macbook Air / Pro internationally from a virtual USA address

Many freight forwarders (parcel forwarders) like Shipito offer virtual USA addresses. Although some American stores do not ship to freight forwarding companies or do not accept international debit and credit cards, You may use such an address for shipping your purchases from many US online stores.

After your purchases are delivered to the warehouse of your freight forwarder, you may ship them to an international destination. It may be cheaper to consolidate your packages into a bigger box rather then sending several parcels.

Some freight forwarders have their warehouse in no sales locations (For example, you may use the Oregon warehouse of Shipito). In other states you will need to pay sales tax from many online purchases. And it can be significant. Thus you will pay about $100 in sales taxes for a $1000 notebook in California.

Before using a freight forwarder, make sure to learn about customs fees and duties in your country.

Waranty

Apple offers international warranty, so you shouldn't have any problem repairing your Macbook at a local Apple Authorised Service Provider. But make sure to keep invoices; and save you online transaction into a PDF file as well.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Benefits of Silver members of Shipito freight forwarder (parcel forwarder)

I have upgraded my annual membership at Shipito and got the Silver status.



It allows me to choose one of the following benefits once:
  • FedEx Priority: 5% Discount from Tualatin, OR warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Tualatin Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • FedEx Economy: 5% Discount from Tualatin, OR warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Tualatin Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 5% Discount from Minden, NV warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Minden Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 5% Discount from Torrance, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 5% Discount from Torrance II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance II Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 5% Discount from Hawthorne, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 5% Discount from Hawthorne II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne 2 Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 10% Discount to Brazil from Torrance, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance Shipping Country: Brazil Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 10% Discount to Brazil from Torrance II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance II Shipping Country: Brazil Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 10% Discount to Brazil from Hawthorne, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne Shipping Country: Brazil Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Priority: 10% Discount to Brazil from Hawthorne II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne 2 Shipping Country: Brazil Available until: December 31, 2013 Russian Post: 12% Discount to Russia from Torrance, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • Russian Post: 12% Discount to Russia from Torrance II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance II Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • Russian Post: 12% Discount to Russia from Hawthorne, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • Russian Post: 12% Discount to Russia from Hawthorne II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne 2 Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Express: 5% Discount from Torrance, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Express: 5% Discount from Torrance II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance II Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Express: 5% Discount from Hawthorne, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Express: 5% Discount from Hawthorne II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne 2 Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Express: 5% Discount from Minden, NV warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Minden Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • USPS Express: 5% Discount from Tualatin, OR warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Tualatin Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Express: 5% Discount from Minden, NV warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Minden Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Economy: 5% Discount from Minden, NV warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Minden Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Express: 10% Discount from Torrance, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Express: 10% Discount from Torrance II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance II Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Express: 10% Discount from Hawthorne, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Express: 10% Discount from Hawthorne II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne 2 Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Economy: 10% Discount from Torrance, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Economy: 10% Discount from Torrance II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Torrance II Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Economy: 10% Discount from Hawthorne, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • TNT Economy: 10% Discount from Hawthorne II, CA warehouse Valid from Shipito warehouse: Hawthorne 2 Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • Austria Post: 10% discount Valid from Shipito warehouse: Austria Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013
  • 5x Free Express Processing Q4 Valid from Shipito warehouse: all Shipping Country: all Available until: December 31, 2013

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Discounts for Shipito customers having New Silver, Gold and Diamond statuses

Shipito parcel forwarder has announces bonuses for third quarter for customers having Silver, Gold and Diamond statuses

  • USPS Express: 10% discount from Minden, NV warehouse

  • FedEx Priority: 10% discount from Tualatin, OR warehouse

  • Austria Post: 10% discount

  • 3x Free Express Processing


The USPS Express Mail discount is the most interesting for me, although I haven't tried their warehouse in Nevada yet.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Shipito tips and tricks: Using the "Your note" field effectively

When I get a new package in the Shipito warehouse, I go to the "Packages in Warehouse" and click onto the "Your note" link on the right to the package. Then I enter the name of the shop in all caps as well as detailed about the items in the package:

Shipito_Your note

In the example above I have entered "THE CLYMB" in all caps and the following content of the package
Hurley Men's Franch T-Shirt Black Medium, Hurley Women's Dreaming SS Tee White Medium, Hurley Women's Drop Off Tee Neon Pink Medium

Then after sending my package it is easy to see what was inside of it and from what shops exactly:

Shipito_Sent packages

I enter much more details in the "Your note" field than in the customs declaration. This allows to find an item or shop easily without clicking onto the "details" links, because you can see all the shop names and all the items even in the consolidated package.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Russian parcel forwarder SPSR USA offers a no sales tax address for tax free purchases

Russian parcel forwarder SPSR USA offers a no sales tax address in Delaware allowing customers from Russia to avoid state sales tax completely.

SPSR USA: No sales tax location address in Delaware

SPSR USA uses SPSR Express for shipping parcels from the USA to Russia. SPSR has offices in 6000 locations in Russia allowing you to avoid using Russian Post and USPS completely.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Restrictions for shipping lithium batteries via USPS (update from Shipito)

Below is the information regarding restrictions posed by USPS for shipping lithium batteries. Shipito, a freight forwarder, recommends to follow these requirements in order to ship lithium batteries without having your packages returned.

v

Lithium Cell: refers to things like AA, AAA, C, D batteries, as well as button cell batteries that you can find at a retail store.

Lithium Battery: refers to two or more cells wired together and to battery packs and modules like those found in laptop computers and smart phones.

New Lithium battery Limitations Effective November 2012:

  • Battery must be installed in the equipment being shipped

  • Maximum of 4 cells or 2 batteries per package

  • NO spare batteries - no more than the number of batteries required to operate the equipment (Example: no extra battery for a cordless drill).

  • NO large batteries - like those that exceed lithium content or watt-hour power limits (Example: elec. bike; scooters; elec wheelchair; etc.).


Lithium Battery Do's

  • Mail piece contains no more than 4 cells or 2 batteries. Batteries are installed in equipment

  • Package is in good condition and will protect the equipment during processing and transport


Lithium Battery Don't

  • Do NOT ship lithium batteries packed along or separate from equipment

  • Do NOT ship damaged or defective lithium batteries

  • Do NOT ship packages with more than 4 cells or two batteries


If you follow these requirement, your packages should be going through USPS smoothly.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Can you reship/re-export packages to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Somalia and Sudan

Shipito shipping forwarder forces all its customers to agree with the following in every customs declaration:
I hereby declare that these specific commodities are being exported from the United States in accordance with all applicable United States export control laws and regulations including regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Treasury. As a customer of Shipito and/or Eastbiz Corporation, I agree not to export, re-export, or transship these commodities to any country that the United States has imposed an embargo or trade sanction upon, including but not limited to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Somalia and Sudan or any destination for which United States requires an export license without first obtaining such license(s). Diversion of these commodities contrary to the United States law is prohibited. Any and all export license requirements are the sole responsibility of the individual and/or entity in contractual agreement with Shipito and/or Eastbiz Corporation.

It looks even more stupid considering the fact that most products sold in the USA and purchased there by the customers from the rest of the world are actually produced in Asia (mainly in China). Nevertheless if you buy in the USA something manufactured in China and then reship / re-export it to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Somalia and Sudan, you will break the US laws. And that means if one day you visit the USA, its authorities can arrest you and jail you for breaking the law!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Add deposit to your Shipito account via QIWI (for Russian customers)

Shipito freight forwarder has finally added QIWI payment method for customers in Russia. If you want to use this method, simply select QIWI on the payment form when adding your deposit.

Shipito: fill in deposit using QIWI

Maximum transaction is limited to $400, and deposit added using QIWI does not count towards the monthly spending limit (so if you run out of your monthly limit, you can use QIWI to add funds to your deposit and ship more)!