Problem with Amazon: Order sent in multiple packages despite the "Groupmy items into as few shipments as possible" option

Most freight forwarding services like Shipito charge for package consolidation. Shipito charges $2 per consolidated package if you use a paid Virtual Mailbox plan ($50/year or $10/month). To avoid additional consolidation charges always use the "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" option on Amazon.

How to select "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" on Amazon

1. Add all the items to your cart.


2. When asked, select "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" as your shipping preference.
   
   

If you don't care about consolidation fees prefer to ship faster, choose the "Ship my items as soon as possible (additional shipping charges may apply)" option instead.

How do I take advantage of FREE Super Saver Shipping?

1. Place over $25 of eligible Amazon products in your Shopping Cart. Eligible items will say "FREE Super Saver Shipping..." next to their price:
   
   


2. Proceed to checkout.


3. Ship your items to a single U.S. address.


4. Select Super Saver Shipping as your shipping speed. Please note that your order will take an additional 3 to 5 days to ship.


5. Select "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" as your shipping preference.


6. Place your order, and enjoy the free shipping.

Problems with "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" option

If you make a single order on Amazon, there are several reasons why you may get it in multiple packages:

• Amazon has a marketplace. Orders from many sellers of the marketplace are not fulfilled and shipped by Amazon itself.


• Some items are shipped from different Amazon fulfillment centers.


• Orders marked as gifts may arrive as several packages.

But this list is not complete. For example, I ordered 4 toys from Amazon last week. All these toys were fulfilled and shipped by Amazon. All 4 toys would fit into a 26x13x13 box. But Amazon has sent these toys in 3 packages, although they were sent from the same fulfillment center and all of them were shipped the same day! So the following message about quicker service can be disappointing despite what Amazon thinks about it:

Greetings from Amazon.com, We thought you'd like to know that we shipped this portion of your order separately to give you quicker service. You won't be charged any extra shipping fees, and the remainder of your order will follow as soon as those items become available.

If you use Shipito for sending packages overseas, you can always upgrade your free service plan to the Virtual Mailbox to enable package consolidation. But when using any freight forwarder you should always keep in your mind that you may get multiple packages instead of just one.

How to combine multiple Amazon orders into the same shipment

When possible, Amazon tries to combine multiple orders into the same shipment. This helps Amazon to reduce the number of packages they need to send to you, so you receive fewer packages and have less packaging material to dispose of when you receive your orders.


Amazon tries to combine multiple orders into the same shipment if the orders meet the following criteria:

• Multiple orders are placed through the same customer account


• The orders are being shipped to the same address.


• Items from each order are located at the same Amazon fulfillment center.


• The orders are shipping at around the same time.

There are some cases when Amazon won't be able to combine shipments. For instance, they may not be able to combine the following types of orders:

• Orders that can't be shipped from the same fulfillment center to meet your promised delivery date.


• Orders shipping from different fulfillment centers.


• Orders being shipped to different addresses.


• Orders being shipped to an international shipping address.


• Orders marked as gifts.

Amazon will also try to combine orders for items that are placed via 1-Click ordering into a single order if the orders are placed in the same 30-minute time period.

How much it costs to send a magazine to Russia via Shipito Air Mail

Got my first magazine sent via Shipito Air Mail. Had "Fast magazine mailout" enabled on Shipito, so it was sent so fast that I didn't even have time to think whether it was better to consolidate the magazine with my other packages. It cost me $3.76:




0.50 lbs (0.23 kg)
13"×9"×1" (34×23×3 cm)
Shipito AirMail
Insurance: NO
Mailout fee: $1.00
Postage: $2.65
bank fee 4.3%: $0.11
TOTAL: $3.76

Some magazines are lighter than 0.5 lbs, some heavier.

See also:

• Free consolidation of magazines on Shipito


• Some samples on how much it costs to send packages/parcels to Russia using USPS and Shipito

Is it a good idea to send laptops (notebooks), cell phones (including iPhone), iPods, iPads to Russia via USPS Express or Priority Mail?

Personally I got my laptop, 4 cell phones and a router without any problem. All of these items were sent either via USPS Express Mail (EMS) or USPS Priority Mail. But many Russian customers had their laptops (including MacBook Air), cell phones (inlcuding iPhones), tablets (including iPad), iPods and other items stolen. The problem is that USPS denies insurance claims for the items from the UPU list of prohibited items. So if your laptop (notebook), cell phone, iPad, iPhone, iPod, macbook was stolen you won't get any insurance from USPS, because transmitters and transceivers of any power, except Panasonic radiotelephones, models KX-T7980, KX-T9000, KT-T9050, and KX-T90890 are prohibited items.


USPS just ignores the fact that Russian customs doesn't confiscate items silently (except for maybe weapons and drugs). If something like laptop (notebook), cell phone, iPad, iPhone, iPod is missing, it was stolen, not confiscated. When something is confiscated by the customs, you get a confiscation act. Actually when prohibited items are sent, the following options are possible:

• Seizure of the prohibited articles only, the rest delivered to the addressee.


• Return of the item to the country of origin.
  
• Seizure of the whole item.

But the fact that you didn't get a confiscation act won't stop USPS from not paying you for the insured items from the UPU prohibited list.

Now you know that sending something like laptop (notebook), cell phone, iPad, iPhone, iPod to Russia via USPS is risky. But there are things you can do to reduce the risk:

• Do not send send laptops (notebooks including macbook), cell phones (including iPhone), iPods, iPads via USPS.


• Don't use the names like iPad, iPod, iPhone, MacBook... that are often stolen in the customs declaration. Declare iPad as a tablet, portable electronic device, electronic gadget,... Declare iPhone as a cell phone, portable electronic device, ...Declare MacBook Air as a notebook, laptop


• Buy additional insurance for your electronics whenever possible. Some package forwarders offer this service.

Free consolidation of magazines on Shipito

Shipito allows you to receive magazines and letters. You can:

• trash them,


• enable fast mailout and send them to you via Shipito air mail,


• consolidate magazines with your packages.

When consolidating magazines with other packages many users wouldn't want to pay the regular consolidation fee of $2 per package. Luckily there are 2 ways to get free consolidation of magazines on Shipito:

• Get "Virtual Mailbox Premium" ($25 per month or $150 per 6 months)


• Get "Virtual Mailbox" ($50 per year) and pay for more than 1 year. To be accurate virtual mailbox must be pre-paid for longer than 365 days and then there is no fee for consolidating magazines. Just watch when your Virtual Mailbox gets below 365 days as it will make the consolidation for a fee again.

Note that you can't consolidate a letter for free. But you can request email shipping of the contents of the letter or pictures of it, which will be a scan for $2.

Free ebooks (Kindle Edition) from Amazon: Insights from Remarkable Businesspeople (Collection of 16 ebooks)

Free ebooks (Kindle Edition) from Amazon (Kindle Price: $0.00 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet):

Insights from Remarkable Businesspeople (Collection of 16 ebooks) [Kindle Edition]

• Changing a Troubled Ship's Course (Captain D. Michael Abrashoff)


• What's the Problem with Customers? (Fred Wiersema)


• Get Results, Not Salutes (Captain D. Michael Abrashoff)


• Winning Customers with Commitment (Gary Hirshberg)


• Listen Up! (Captain D. Michael Abrashoff)


• Clearing the Mind for Creativity (John Kao)


• No Company Runs Itself (Michael F. Golden)


• Why I'm (Still) Buying Gold (Dean LeBaron)


• How to Design a Great Customer Experience (Fred Wiersema)


• Oprah (Brand) Renew (Nancy F. Koehn)


• The Future Is Yours to Invent (John Kao)


• The Pull of Customers, The Push of Processes (Jim Champy)


• How to Rebound from Adversity (Glenn Mangurian)


• What I Learned from Peter Drucker (Jim Champy)


• What I Learned at the Naval Academy (Captain D. Michael Abrashoff)


• Lessons of a Brand Manager (Michael F. Golden)

More free ebooks from the Kindle Store:

• 100 the most popular free ebooks and applications in the Kindle Store

Shipito.com alternatives. Part 2: VIAddress.com review and comparisonwith Shipito

VIAddress is a worldwide shipping forwarder offering a USA virtual address for making online purchases in America. Its membership is free. There are no fees for package consolidation, you may store your packages for free for 90 days. Assisted purchases are available. And VIAddress can ship to worldwide destinations via UPS, FEDEX, DHL, USPS. Looks attractive, isn't it? Let's find out whether there is any catch.

Comparing VIAddress and Shipito shipping rates

If you take a look onto VIAdress homepage, you will find a very attractive chart:



So I decided to compare VIAdress estimated shipping costs to the costs of real packages I sent to Russia in 2011 via USPS Express Mail using Shipito

Weight, lbs	VIAddress Estemation	Shipito
12.3	$127.38	$121.89
19.9	$180.42	$135.25
34.7	$279.86	$222.59

I do pay $50 for a yearly membership in Shipito, while VIAdress membership is free. But if I send a package of 34.7 lbs via USPS to Russia using VIAddress, I will pay extra $55+ compared to Shipito.

Some more details about VIAddress

Unfortunately shipping fees is not the only problem of VIAddress. VIAdress has the lowest possible rating on BBB. And there many complaints about VIAddress from around the world, some of them even lead an investigation by The Indiana Attorney General's office.

Would you recommend to use VIAddress?

I have never been a customer of VIAddress, but personally I prefer to stay away from it.

Shipito shipping rates are one of the best. Considering the amount of services Shipito provides, their quality and cost, I think Shipito is one of the best parcel forwarding (freight forwarding) companies.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals: Replay Capture Suite, WM Recorder Bonus Bundle, Jaksta Plus coupon codes

The best coupon codes we have seen this year for Replay Capture Suite, WM Recorder Bonus Bundle, Jaksta Plus, Jaksta for Mac:

• Click to buy Replay Capture Suite for $39.50. Coupon code: embedded into the link.


• Click to buy WM Recorder Bonus Bundle for $39.50. Coupon code: embedded into the link. Coupon discount: $40.45. Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals 2011.


• Click to buy Jaksta Plus for $24.50. Coupon code: embedded into the link. Coupon discount: $25.45. Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals 2011.


• Click to buy Jaksta for Mac for $24.50. Coupon code: embedded into the link. Coupon discount: $25.45. Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals 2011.

How to make a free phone call to a toll-free number in the USA

Sometimes when making an online order online stores or private shopping clubs put your order on hold and request you to make a phone call. For example, this was the case with me when buying from BeyondTheRack and Timberland. Luckily major retailers offer toll-free numbers and you don't need to spend a penny when calling them (may be except for paying to your Internet provider). Skype is one of the free calling applications allowing you to make calls from your computer or a mobile phone to toll-free numbers in the USA for free.

How to make a free phone call to a toll-free number using Skype for Windows

1. Hit the "Call phones" button in the bottom left corner.


2. Enter the toll-free number on the right side.


3. Hit the green dial button.

[caption id="attachment_1628" align="alignnone" width="546" caption="Skype 5.5: How to make a free phone call to a toll-free number"][/caption]

 

Don't use Skype yet? Get Skype for free!

 

How to buy unlocked Apple iPhone 4S from US Apple Store if you're outside the USA

Apple Store USA started selling the unlocked version of Apple iPhone 4S. This time Apple started selling the unlocked version of iPhone very soon after its launch. Many international fans will be able to buy the latest version of iPhone in the USA.



Current price of Apple iPhone 4S in the Apple Store USA:

• iPhone 4S 16GB - $649.00


• iPhone 4S 32GB - $749.00


• iPhone 4S 64GB - $849.00

You can buy the unlocked version of Apple iPhone in the Apple Store USA, but there are 2 problems to address:

1. Apple Store USA ships within the USA only. So you need to get a virtual USA address from package forwarding company like Shipito.
   

    

   
   
2. Apple Store USA allows to pay with a US or Canada debit/credit card only:
   

   When an order is placed using a credit card as payment, the Apple Store will perform an automated check to confirm that the address information matches what is on file with the card-issuing bank. It is less likely that an automated response will be received from an international bank than from a U.S. bank. If a response is received and indicates that some of the information does not match, we must contact the bank for verification. If the card-issuing bank is outside the U.S., the secondary verification is not possible, and we cannot proceed with the order. For this reason, Apple strongly recommends that you use only credit cards issued within the U.S. or Canada.

   
   
   If you don't have any credit cards issued within the USA or Canada, you may use Assisted Purchases services from companies like Shipito.
   
   
   

Bottom line: For purchasing Apple iPhone 4S, use a package forwarder (freight forwarding company) like Shipito for both a virtual USA address and paying for the purchase in the Apple Store USA.

11407 SW Amu St., Tualatin, OR 97062, USA: Scam and fraud or legit?

Is the following address used for scams and frauds?

11407 SW Amu St.
Suite # XXXXX
Tualatin, OR 97062
USA

No, this is one of the warehouses used by Shipito.


Shipito warehouse: 11407 SW Amu St., Suite # XXXXX, Tualatin, OR 97062, 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 5'000 likes:




See also: US online stores shipping and not shipping to Shipito warehouse in Tualatin, Oregon (11407 SW Amu St., Tualatin, OR 97062, USA).

Can the "11407 SW Amu St., Tualatin, OR 97062, 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, APO, DPO and FPO addresses.

Information for online retailers about Shipito

Shipito and victims of stolen credit cards

If you're a store owner who shipped product to 11407 SW Amu St., Tualatin, OR 97062, 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.

Visit Shipito web-site