There is a current post in the Wanted section from a forum member looking for an item from someone "willing to ship to England". I don't have this item, but it got me thinking (don't say anything) about why its so hard to ship overseas. We have several active forum members that live outside the US (Australia, England, Germany) and it would be nice to support them but it seems like it is too hard. If they are willing to pay the shipping and other fees (duties), what is the problem?
Ron
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As one who has lived overseas for work several times, I can say that there are can be several issues.
First, other than the US Post Office, shipping is very expensive. It might cost over $50 to send 1 car.
Customs documentation is not hard to fill out, however, unless the package says gift with no value, the package often gets held up in a customs warehouse. At one point point my employer sent me a set of transparencies for a presentation that I was to give. They were held up by customs and I would have had to travel 50 miles each way to get them. There is also an issue that sometimes customs randomly opens a package, looks at what's inside, stuffs everything back into the box, and then just tapes it shut, without really repacking the item.
Unless you use the highest level of shipping, there's no tracking, so you really do not know if the package will arrive.
Having said that, we never had any major problems shipping anything overseas. All the birthday presents our relatives shipped the family arrived on time and in one piece (sort of). Even stuff like electronic components arrived.
Over the years I have found the US Mail International Priority Mail flat rate boxes work very well and usually arrive in Europe within 10 days.
My feeling would be if you ship, ship as a person, rather than as a firm and it will be below the customs radar.
Lad
PS Shipping back to the US is easy. You label the package "Used Toys and Household items" and US Customs clears it instantaneously. I sent quite a few trains back home this way after spending 6 month in Europe. (It probably did not hurt that I had a child with me and the trains were included in with boxes of Legos, etc.)
the cost-the overseas costs are outrageos-i shipped a 15 lb engine to canada-75.00.
I have shipped overseas many times and it easier now then ever. The USPS is the only way to ship overseas for a reasonable cost.
The USPS web site makes it so easy, just fill in what you are shipping and they print out everything you need. Don't ever lie on item or value or you will never see the item again.
Don't ever lie on item or value or you will never see the item again.
This is a key issue. I have been asked by overseas buyers on more than one occasion to lie about items' values. I always respectfully refuse to do this.
Andy
I ship overseas......but it is a pain. And if folks can't or don't want to go to the Post Office and fill out paper work....that's their choice.
Cost and risk are two other reasons......and Paypal does make it difficult to ship without tracking which adds to the cost.
Using USPS is probably the simplest and cheapest option for most items. Both Priority Mail and Express Mail have full tracking facilities, so it's easy to keep track of where things are.
I receive numerous items from the USA this way, and rarely encounter any problems or delays. The only items that have suffered damage have been due to poor packing.
For large or very heavy items, there is always the option of using a forwarding agent who consolidates shipments. There are quite a few of these around, and they can be very cost-effective if you don't mind waiting several weeks, or even a few months while an item is in transit.
Do not ship by ups, FedEx or DHL because you will pay published rates. The only way to ship is the USPS When it comes to overseas.
I shipped a scale gg1 to Australia by the USPS for about $80.00, it arrived to his door in 5 days, less time then some packages I sent to California.
I live in Europe and I have no problem to buy my items from the USA.
USPS is a good way to ship stuff with a tracking number. it's about 65/90$ for a single loc... and as Franck Mulligan said, it's much cheaper than UPS
We have a strong money, and even with the shipping cost and the taxes, buying trains from the USA remains a cheap deal.
Concerning the sellers who want to sell within the 48 lower only.. well it's their choice I can understand that some of you don't want to be annoyed with the papers and documents.
Hopefully many sellers knows that they can sell faster and even at a better price if they sell worldwide.
The problem I've always had with overseas shipments is I have to drive to the Post Office, wait in the line generally, and then fill out the forms to send the item.
Contrast that with US shipments. I type in the shipping address, print the shipping label, and stick it in the bin on my porch for pickup.
Which would you rather do? 
The problem I've always had with overseas shipments is I have to drive to the Post Office, wait in the line generally, and then fill out the forms to send the item.
Contrast that with US shipments. I type in the shipping address, print the shipping label, and stick it in the bin on my porch for pickup.
Which would you rather do?
John,
you can ship intl on the USPS web site and it is very easy. It prints out all the paperwork you need which by the way is very little now.
I never go to the PO anymore except to drop it off. I have no qualms anymore about shipping overseas. I do request that they pay for their item by Paypal including shipping cost.
dave
When we were in business, our bank worn as about credit card fraud outside the U.S.A. After our bank told as this we stopped shipping outside the U.S.A. except for Canada.
I dont know if you are talking about my FS thread but for instance a gentleman asked me about shipping 6 MTH hoppers to England that i am asking 225.00. The cheapest i could find so far is 260.00. UPS + duty and broker. So as of right now i cant even respond to such a request until i can find something reasonable.Another fellow i am working with is in Canada. UPS want 27.00 plus duty and brokerage. USPS after looking at their website is 68-124.00. The package is 30x16 x4 (8lbs)and that is with no protection. I think the Canada rate isnt bad ,but not knowing what the duty and brokerage upfront isnt helpful either. the England rate simply is outrageous. In my particular case i work out in the feild everyday and return to office in afternoonso im not lucky enough to have alot of time to figure out custom papers and documents etc.. I like to put in the address and print the label . I dont mind going an extra mile for anyone but if it becomes to complicated and time consuming it may not be worth it for some people.
Who knows maybe im going about it all wrong but thats all the capacity i have as far as shipping goes. Maybe there are other tricks im not aware of.
It only takes an extra couple of minutes to fill out the form, no big deal. I stick with USPS. I tend to be anti UPS due to some damaged items. As long as both parties are ready for the $$$$, it is not an issue. Have sent a few to Canada the past week and one large package to forum member Graeme Eldred last month. He got a bunch of pre war Flyer and in turn I got some Hornby, Wells etc.
Steve
My experience from contacting sellers about shipping to the UK is that they are mainly not interested because of the additional time it takes at the post office to complete all the paperwork.
The alternative is if I really want an item that the seller won't ship direct is that I ask them to ship to someone in the US that I know who then does the shipping to me. This option has worked fine on all occasions bar one where the seller refused to do this and wouldn't give a plausible explanation why he wouldn't. Undeterred I still got the item as I got my US friend to win the auction instead.
With regards to cost, the USPS is possibly one of the cheapest options but even then for a single item it can be prohibitive. If you can have a number of items sent to a friend who can bundle them up into one package this reduces the costs considerably.
When the USPS stopped using the slow option by container ships it is probably fair to say it reduced exports on more than just trains as it can and does make purchases prohibitive and possibly borderline on is it worth it.
If you are a LHS and you are not selling overseas, you are an idiot. You are losing a lot of business. As others have stated, doing the customs form is not a big deal, USPS works fine, but, also have special deals with UPS and Fedex. The latter will send very heavy parcels that are over the USPS limits. Yes it's expensive for postage overseas, BUT THE CUSTOMER PAYS, NOT YOU. We overseas customers know it's expensive and are prepared to pay. As for Jimmy's comment about credit cards, well fraud can happen anywhere, overseas deals to first world countries are no less secure than domestic sales, and in any case, the bank covers any losses, not you. Also, use Paypal, it's very easy and safe.
If you are a private seller, well if you can't be bothered going to the post office, that's your choice. I personally don't care if a seller does not want to ship to me. I'll find what I want elsewhere.
Don't know about shipping to Canada, but when driving into Canada and bringing stuff for sale, to a train show, you pay taxes on everything that comes in and are told to keep your tax receipt in case you don't sell some items, then you get the tax money refunded when you leave Canada, but only with a receipt!
Lee Fritz
When we were in business, our bank worn as about credit card fraud.
what's the point with this thread?
I see a lot of good information here, in the way of incentive or stimulus to ship overseas if one does not currently do so. The last time I shipped overseas (Germany) the form took only a couple minutes, but if it can now be done in advance online - great.
I just accessed the USPS.com site for the customs form. It was easy to find, and looks simple to fill out. 
The folks talking about the USPS customs forms miss the point. I have to make the trip to the PO anyway, because the carrier won't pickup an international package! So, other than filling out the form at the PO (and I'm there anyway), there is no advantage to the on-line option.
The folks talking about the USPS customs forms miss the point. I have to make the trip to the PO anyway, because the carrier won't pickup an international package! So, other than filling out the form at the PO (and I'm there anyway), there is no advantage to the on-line option.
look on the bright side, if an overseas person wins an eBay item it probably means it has pushed up the sale price further for you and you could always pay someone a portion of that extra profit to spend timea driving to the post office and doing all that boring paperwork
Uh, there was a mention above of "overseas" shipping to Canada.
It's Canada. It's not "overseas". (Big lakes don't count.)
The shipping, though, does keep me away from most items there.
The folks talking about the USPS customs forms miss the point. I have to make the trip to the PO anyway, because the carrier won't pickup an international package! So, other than filling out the form at the PO (and I'm there anyway), there is no advantage to the on-line option.
Yes there is, ship the package at your leisure from the computer and when you go to the PO you can just drop it off, no waiting.
If I had to wait in line at the PO to mail a intl package or for that matter any package I would stop shipping. Just trying to help John.
dave
I don't buy a lot overseas, but have purchased Maerklin gauge 1. It seems to be a lot easier now, than say five years ago. I attributed that to, somehow, the Eurozone being in trouble and they want to make money, whereas before they chose to ignore North Americans. Turns out our money may be worth something, after all.
The only time I go to the PO is to pick up a supply of stamps, I ship everything from my computer chair. So, there is no "leasure" trip there. Also, most folks don't want to wait three or four weeks for their package after they pay. 
too big of a hasel.
I have bought a lot of stuff from overseas and had absolutely zero problems.
Question for Big Jim: Are you using PayPal, or what? The reason I ask is that when I bought a china item (no, not that China) from the U.K. for my wife it was a huge hassle because of the monetary exchange. This was a few years ago before I knew about PayPal.
Don't know about shipping to Canada, but when driving into Canada and bringing stuff for sale, to a train show, you pay taxes on everything that comes in and are told to keep your tax receipt in case you don't sell some items, then you get the tax money refunded when you leave Canada, but only with a receipt!
Lee Fritz
Just curious. What type of value did Customs put on your incoming items in order to
assess tax?
TrainsRMe,
Yes, I use PayPal. While most of the items I have bought from around the world are small, there have been a few larger items and I have never incurred the high rate of charges that many of you are speaking of in order to get things out of the U.S. I wonder what is going on?
In reading the above posts, it seems that there are two major problems as far as individual sellers are concerned. (Businesses in general do not have these problems.)
One of these is that US sellers think that the costs and transit times are excessive. Those of us who do not live in the USA are well aware of these costs and times, and we factor these in before we decide to purchase something from the USA. And from the seller's point of view, this shouldn't be an issue anyway, as the buyer is paying for it.
The second, and what seems to be the major issue, is that some US sellers can't be bothered to put in a little effort to actually take their parcels to the post office, and spend one minute filling in a very simple customs form. There isn't much that the buyer can do about that, apart from decide to buy their trains from somebody else.
Nicole - you hit the nail on the head. I buy almost all my stuff from the USA - over 30 engines so far - never had a problem with the post. When I buy I fully accept the postal cost and the cost to me of returning an item if faulty - but that has never happened as the few problems I have had have always been resolved with the seller. I always have insurance to protect both of us.Its all about being "grown up " about it!
You do hower ned it to be a 2 way street - I accept the cost and time - its the only way I can get stuff!, the seller accepts the extra bit of effort they have to put in and then its job done.
MIKE
Good statement Mike W, I've probably bought $50,000 worth of trains from US dealers and private sellers, not including what I buy for retail reselling. And that's a lot more!
I don't have lines at my post office and they are very helpful.
We ship on avg. about 15 boxes a week overseas.
The only time I go to the PO is to pick up a supply of stamps, I ship everything from my computer chair. So, there is no "leasure" trip there. Also, most folks don't want to wait three or four weeks for their package after they pay.
John,
I save even more time by having my wife buy our stamps at the local grocery store.
Maybe you can check into that option.
Lee Fritz
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