Shipment of large amount of test equipment USA -> Europe - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: TAMHAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 12:31:52 am
content: Hello Folks,having excess revenue this year, my accountant recommended me to go on a shopping spree - universal counter, large HP bench supply and possibly a DPO are already bought.My problem is how to transport them to their new home most efficiently. The power supply alone is a 50x50x20cm box which weighs a cool 22kg. DHL would, via shipito, take a cool 200$just for ONE of the gadgets. My benefit is that I have an old friend in the USA; who would be willing to act as my shabbesgoy for the deliveries. So I can stack up the boxes at Matz's Mansion, where it then gets picked up.Does anyone of you have a shipping idea?

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 12:54:57 am
content: maybe use one of those mail forwarders, due to the amount of customers they have there is a good chance that you can benefit from the large quantity discounts those fellas get from FedEX/UPS/DHL

author: TAMHAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 01:01:33 am
content: Already checked shipito, they didnt do too much for me ;(

author: jitter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 07:07:13 am
content: Large items get lugged around the planet all the time, so it shouldn't be much of a problem, but those $200 US DHL wants, I wonder how they send it... by plane?There should be cheaper options, if you can wait.A friend used to have a 1966 Mustang and he ordered lots of parts from the USA. After ordering, a long wait began as typically, the items would be shipped by sea. This way shipping cost wasn't prohibitive, but I remember it could take several weeks to more than a month to receive the items...Also, in the Mailbox sections, Dave always mentions that he can pick out stuff sent by companies because they use expensive shippers like FedEx. That probably means that there are less well known companies than FedEx/UPS/TNT/DHL that would charge you less...

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 07:31:57 am
content: Consider packing them in sturdy boxes then get your friend to send them as air cargo. He has to drive to the nearest major airport ( after calling to see what they want paperwork wise and the specs for packaging along with allowed and disallowed items) with them, fill in the paperwork and pay the freight charges to your nearest local international airport with cargo handling. You need the destination and departure IATA codes, so the parcel gets routed correctly. On arrival you will have to clear them with customs and pay all duties that are levied. Probably the same as the couriers do, but you do not pay them the charges they levy for the time and the vehicles and staff.I have sent a lot that way, though now the airlines are a lot tougher about what they allow as cargo, now they exclude cans and lithium batteries unless they are in an explosion proof container.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 10:47:31 am
content: Something to look into: PCL or Partial Container Load. You'd need a shipping agent to handle it, and it will cost. But this way you can ship any amount of weight and volume you need, without actually owning shipping containers. The agent handles getting your stuff loaded into a shipping container with other customer's stuff. Obviously, this involves sea freight and is slow.But it sounds like you are not thinking of that kind of amount of stuff.I'd second SeanB's suggestion - direct airport freight. I've done this and it's easy. The major airlines at big airports will have freight offices, and if you can arrange to have your boxes dropped off there at the origin, and pick them up at destination airport, it works fine. Your sender has to handle the customs paperwork.Though I'm surprised you didn't like shipito's costs. Did you actually compare to typical costs via other means? Shipito get a huge discount from the freight carriers due to their volume. Also, their LA warehouse is one mile from LA international airport.

author: TAMHAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 11:28:46 am
content: Hello Folks,thank you so much for the nice responses. It really is nice to get help from likeminded individuals.Re air freight: sorry to sound stupid, but what do you mean by sturdy box? Does the normal box used for shipping the thing from the seller to Matz work?Re Shipito: I checked with them, and they are even more expensive than the USPS. For the HP 6624A, USPS charges me a 128 bucks. Shipito would want at minimum 145...for DHL, and does not offer any "slower" transfers.

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 12:45:15 pm
content: 128 bucks UPS?I get $167.35 (page 34, price group 5, 49 lbs.)and then USPS offers an onlinediscount price at $145,59But of course this requires that someone is going to do the shipping / dropping off at USPS for you,not sure if it is correct to disregard the cost for that.DHL express from Shipito is not to be compared with USPS. DHL is a courier will arrive in 2-4 business dayswhile the international priority mail takes 6-10 (usually longer). That is the sole reason it's so expensive (yes it is by air).I'm a bit surprised by the shipito calculator not mentioning priiority mail international,it lists it at the bottom of methods for which the prerequisites are not met (because the exceeding weight or dimensions etc.)Maybe use their online chat and ask? Give them a destination, the package details and say that USPS was a lot cheaper than what they listed,and if perhaps the calculator has a bug. I'm sure there will be some explanation.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2015, 01:21:17 pm
content: Airfreight you want a box that will survive handling. they get tossed around, thrown to handlers off the plane, dropped on the apron and more. Typically a plastic baggie wrapped around with a fragile sticker is not going to be noticed. You need at a minimum a double layer cardboard box, and the inner parts should be wrapped and taped so they do not rattle, with sharp edges ( or basically any corner) being protected with a taped on, or wrapped on with pallet wrap, cardboard edges. Then you place all parts in the box, fill empty volume with either packing foam or an expanding foam pack, then tape the box securely on all seams and wrap again with pallet wrap. Include inside a printed paper describing the contents, and sender and recipient contact details including phone numbers and physical addresses, and duplicate on a paper taped to the outer box as well, under the wrap. Then the documentation is placed in the supplied document pouch stuck to the parcel.May seem like overkill, but I did do a lot of handling of stuff that had to go airfreight. Biggest thing I posted to myself was a washing machine.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2015, 05:29:30 am
content: Quote from: Neganur on November 14, 2015, 12:45:15 pmPayPal shipping offers a larger discount on USPS than usps.com, so perhaps that was what OP was looking at. I get a rate of $122.96 for a 49 pound package.I think the only way to get cheaper shipping is to pay a traveler to check it as baggage, but it depends on the airline's overweight baggage fees.

author: TAMHAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 09:23:35 pm
content: Hello,as I hate to leave threads "open", here is a collection of what happened. We got an urgent client (real urgent, urgent-o-meter level). So we needed them scopes, and we paid shipping out of the nose. With some sellers, we could haggle around: the man from canada wanted to ship to Austria instead, which was much cheaper.However, if I ever need to buy something big again, this shipping company turned out to be the most interesting. They, basically, send a container every month - and ur stuff goes right in there:Quote