sergeantscruffy Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 My apologies if there is another topic on this somewhere but, anyway. I'm relatively new to discogs, and I've been selling things mostly domestically, I have just gotten a request for shipping a record to the Netherlands and I realize I have no idea what a "fair" amount is. I went to the USPS website and it seemed that it would cost like 25 bucks for the cheapest option. Is this correct? That seems high. If someone with more knowledge could educate me on this I would greatly appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmoney Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 That is likely correct. Posage costs overseas have recently increased by about 1.5x. USPS.com is your best source of information for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhook Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Charge what it costs to ship plus a little more for packaging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryengland Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Most people can ship an LP to me (UK) for $17 and a 7" for about $11. Would guess Holland isn't going to be much different, although with international some people want the safety of tracking which would probably be $25ish for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergeantscruffy Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Thanks everybody. As someone who doesn't ship internationally often, that just seems so high to me, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalnutSoap Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Thanks everybody. As someone who doesn't ship internationally often, that just seems so high to me, I guess. You could always charge $25 and then offer to refund the difference? Probably the most fair option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dethrock Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Is it not possible to go to a post office and see how much it will be? That's what I do every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxv Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Is it not possible to go to a post office and see how much it will be? That's what I do every time. You don't even have to do that. Just weigh it at home and use the postage calculator on the USPS web site. $25 is probably correct or damn close to it. As was mentioned in this thread before, international postage rates went way up in the past year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFP Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I know this sounds crazy, but I just shipped to Sweden and it was around $35 because of registration/tracking due to the rarity/cost of the record. My buyer understood why the price was so high (coming from the US). So, if the record you are sending is rare/pricey I would go with a quote of $35. And my buyer got it today, so a turnaround of 9 days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oojavaguru Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 A standard LP surrounded by cardboard and put into a LP mailer weighs 1 pound 10 oz. (based on the weight I used yesterday getting a Blink 182 splatter LP sent to a VC member in a trade....I have a postal scale). Using the USPS website, shipping to the Netherlands will cost you the following: First Class Mail International $22.30 Priority Mail International $38.15 Note that the above prices are Post Office prices. Getting the postage online via USPS.com or Stamps.com would save you money ($20.07 for First Class and $35.86 for Priority) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justin Maheiny Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 The fair amount to charge is the exact amount it costs. Get a cheap scale from staples or wherever and figure it out at USPS.com. Can pay for it there and does the customs forms simultaneously. Then just drop it off at the post office. Going to the post office every time to quote a shipping cost is a huge waste of time. Online discount will usually knock one to two dollars off the cost of international shipping rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamover Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 just go here... http://postcalc.usps.com/ first class is the cheapest. you save a little bit by printing out postage at home. if you want tracking it's WAY more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFP Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I just got my receipt out and the breakdown is: First Class Int'l : $20.45 Registered : $12.95 Total of $33.40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinji Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I've been getting the tracking # for free from my USPS receipts and it updates and everything! Haven't paid for tracking in months since I figured that out. International too, just shipped to Germany and the tracking from the receipt has worked and was updated frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamalatapes Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I've been getting the tracking # for free from my USPS receipts and it updates and everything! Haven't paid for tracking in months since I figured that out. International too, just shipped to Germany and the tracking from the receipt has worked and was updated frequently. First Class or Priority btw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajhall04 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 22-25 is right, getting ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seafoamgreen Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I've been getting the tracking # for free from my USPS receipts and it updates and everything! Haven't paid for tracking in months since I figured that out. International too, just shipped to Germany and the tracking from the receipt has worked and was updated frequently. International First Class packages shipped online will track until they exit US Customs. After that, tracking stops. Unless something has changed, this is why I don't ship internationally anymore. Unless you want to charge (and a buyer will pay) $35 for shipping w/ Certified Mail tracking, any international buyer can submit an eBay or PayPal claim stating they didn't receive it and get their money back. eBay even automatically deducts it from your eBay account without prior authorization. Just a warning from personal experience- maybe I'm wrong and they've got a deal with EU customs to submit tracking info now though which would be amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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