Rant: Shipping to Germany

[threeneurons]

In the middle of October, I send a little parcel to our friend Dieter (http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/nixie-tubes.htm). As of a couple of days ago, he emails me about the tracking number. I'm guessing he hasn't received it yet. If you've read my past posts on this topic, you'll note that delays to Germany (from the US) are frequent. I know from shipments to England and France, that it takes less than a week to get to Europe. If I was in Germany, I'd rattle the cage of my Postal officials. Maybe Customs. They are obviously keeping it in some warehouse, before clearing it.

Maybe somebody in France, Belgium, or the Netherlands could act as an agent and hold on to the parcel. The German client can then take a long weekend trip, to go an retrieve it ? Maybe they don't pass parcels from another Euro country thru Customs ?

I ship parcels to all over the world (Europe, Asia, South America, Australia). The only time I've lost one, was to the inner bowels of Thailand (not a big city like Bangkok).

[Dekatron42]

I'm not sure if my problems have any relation to yours, but since the end of October and at least up until today there have been a lot of problems with shipping here in Europe. I first found that out when six packages that I shipped with DHL first disappeared and then turned up after four weeks but in the completely wrong place! They had to be rerouted to get to their final destination, that took another two weeks and one package is still missing, DHL don't know where it is if it has been delivered to the wrong person or what has happened to it. I've also had problems with people sending me stuff, they disappear and turn up in the wrong place and are then rerouted to me. That happens even with packages within other countries that I have had shipped to friends in the same country as the sender and also packages being shipped from abroad to me. The last information that I got today was that it is all due to some computer system hiccup at DPD, which many other shipping companies rely on for final destination delivery, DHL blame both them and their own computer systems - the packages inadvertently suddenly got new (or mixed up) tracking numbers so DHL had to reassign a third number to get it right. Parcel2Go within the UK and to me in Sweden have the same problem since two weeks ago, one of their packages says that it has been delivered to a complete stranger in another town in Sweden! So my problems looks like a bad update of the shipping software.

I've never had these many problems in such a short time, one or two packages gets lost every year but at least one of those usually turn up sooner or later.

I hope your package arrives soon! And mine too!

/Martin

[jb-electronics]

Hey guys, I can confirm that it takes really long sometimes, 6 weeks is no exception...

Cheers
Jens

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to neoni...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/6db61333-dc3b-48d4-ae16-77cb777bb39d%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Ian Sparkes]

I could offer to accept it to Switzerland, if that helps at all. Switzerland is geographically Europe, but politically not. Germany is only 50km away, and items up to $300 can be carried as personal goods across the border.

As long as you make sure that you put the customs declaration on the item, and it is less than $50 (declared) and there is a copy of the invoice in a plastic envelope on the outside, it should go through cleanly and without additional costs.

My shipping experience is that you have to expect 1-2% loss, either because of real loss or punters who claim they didn't receive the item. I have never had one returned, and have stopped even putting a return address on parcels.

If it helps, let me know.

On Wednesday, 25 November 2015 18:04:41 UTC+1, threeneurons wrote:

[taylorjpt]

I no longer ship to Germany because it takes a long time or gets lost all together and then the German customers open up ebay and paypal cases against me. If thr packages ever get there, not a single one of them will admit to it.

I wash my hands of German customers!

[NeonJohn]

Same here and for the same reason. We've had induction heaters sit for
3 weeks in german customs.

John

--
John DeArmond
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
http://www.fluxeon.com <-- THE source for induction heaters
http://www.neon-john.com <-- email from here
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- Best damned Blog on the net
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BarbraJoanOriginals <-- please visit
PGP key: wwwkeys.pgp.net: BCB68D77

[Instrument Resources of America]

Good for both of you, and I certainly don't blame either of you. If
enough sellers do this, maybe,,,,,just maybe, the buyers in Germany will
have had enough, and do something about it. If you haven't already you
probably need to add Italy, and Nigeria, and a few others to your list.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ira.

[threeneurons]

I may be answering my own question (rant). I found this discussion at Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/11913364/

Seems German Customs needs to see an invoice accessible from the outside. I tend not to ship any paperwork. Only the required Customs Declaration pasted on the box. I think I'll have to invest in these:

[Ian Sparkes]

Yes, right. See my answer from 3 days ago.

If you don't do this, the parcel is held in bond while the value is determined, and this involves the customs dudes writing to the customer demanding an invoice and or payment receipt. The process takes weeks, and there is a cost involved, often exceeding the value of the goods.

It's a great way of pissing your customers off. The get to have the delay and pay extra for it.

Beware: even if you do it right it's not a guarantee all will go well. The customs people are notorious a-holes and do this even if the documents are there and in order. They want to test that the declared value is backed up by payment evidence and it is not a fictional invoice.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/neonixie-l/5_WTnFqVkjE/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to neoni...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/602ed603-ff40-4ea0-ae77-81ada9e4e27b%40googlegroups.com.

[Instrument Resources of America]

What a great system!!!!!   I'm glad that we don't have it here in the U.S.   Seems like there is never a delay here.  Possibly my imagination though.     Ira.

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to neoni...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAGgg%3DS20nUj3o4XdeRZLVLCV1xhxnvrg%2BOZ_feBx8Kd7U2BXnw%40mail.gmail.com.

[NeonJohn]

On 11/29/2015 11:27 AM, 'threeneurons' via neonixie-l wrote:

> Seems German Customs needs to see an invoice accessible from the outside. I
> tend not to ship any paperwork. Only the required Customs Declaration
> pasted on the box. I think I'll have to invest in these:

Doesn't matter. We did it correctly and out products still sat in
customs for weeks. Amazingly enough, the nearby countries that you'd
expect to have the most problems with, France and Italy, no problems at all.

If you have a UPS account, their software will present you with all the
necessary forms and request all necessary data for the country you're
shipping to. And if you pay their $35 brokerage fee, they'll handle all
customs paperwork at the receiving end.

I highly recommend having an account even if you don't use them much or
at all. The account is free. We run stuff that's going USPS through
the UPS system just to make sure we have all the forms and declarations.
The post office is pretty useless in that regard.

We recently shipped an induction heated lead melting machine to a
Canadian utility. That was a week-long, nerve-wracking ordeal. My
first mistake was taking the machine to a company that packs stuff for
shipment. They had no idea what forms were needed and simply put an
address label on the box.

It took UPS's regional export expert almost a week to straighten out
what was to be an overnight shipment. I shipped the second machine via
Fedex at a Kinkos/Fedex center and everything was done perfectly but
that's another story.

I learned something from the UPS expert. Thanks to the panphobia
rampant in this country post 9/11 as embodied in the Patriot (sic) Act,
one is now supposed to be a TSA certified shipper before shipping items
out of the country. Why TSA? Who knows? I don't have the stomach to
read the Patriot (sic) Act.

Our attorney is researching this but I suspect that any of us who ship
stuff across the border are breaking the law. Customs probably pays no
attention to small, low declared value items but they sure did my lead
melter ($5k).

I had to transfer ownership of the machine to UPS and they technically
exported it.

Something to at least think about, if not worry about. Meanwhile we are
USA-only sales until we get this clarified.

John

[Instrument Resources of America]

It's actually difficult for me to comprehend that the customs that are collected actually pays for, or even comes close to paying for all the salaries, and all the other expenses involved of running this customs dept. It is in fact the very reason why it is NOT done here in the U.S. as it is "NOT" cost effective.   Ira.

On 11/29/2015 8:43 AM, Ian Sparkes wrote:

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to neoni...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAGgg%3DS20nUj3o4XdeRZLVLCV1xhxnvrg%2BOZ_feBx8Kd7U2BXnw%40mail.gmail.com.

[David Forbes]

I've mailed hundreds of Nixie watches all over the world for many years.
I use FedEx. They are expensive, but it seems to just work. Even to
Germany. The only place I have trouble is Russia, but they have begun to
refuse any international shipment to a residential address whatsoever.

The FedEx shipping website creates a commercial invoice that goes
outside the box in a pouch (4 signed copies), using a web form on which
I fill out the customs value info. I tell my customers in advance that I
won't lie about the value on the customs report to save them money. If
they don't like it, too bad. It's the law.

I provide the six-digit HS tariff numbers for Nixie watches (910212) and
Nixie tubes (854089). Look up the tariff number for your gizmo and write
it in there! This lets them know that you're a seasoned professional
shipper who doesn't need to be hassled.

On 11/29/15 9:27 AM, 'threeneurons' via neonixie-l wrote:
> I may be answering my own question (rant). I found this discussion at Etsy:
>
> https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/11913364/
>
> Seems German Customs needs to see an invoice accessible from the outside. I
> tend not to ship any paperwork. Only the required Customs Declaration
> pasted on the box. I think I'll have to invest in these:
>

> <http://atlanticpoly.com/images/envelopes.jpg>


--
David Forbes, Tucson AZ

[David Forbes]

FedEx provides them for free. "International waybill pouch".

On 11/29/15 9:27 AM, 'threeneurons' via neonixie-l wrote:

> I think I'll have to invest in these:
>

[Dieter Waechter]

Hi!
I receive hundreds of packages from USA a year and nearly never had a
problem with the customs or transit time.
The packages hang at the airport in USA from time to time because of the
security checks (elecronics seem to look like a bomb sometime).
But it is impossible that they hang in the German customs since German
receivers MUST collect tehm within 10 days.
So anything must be wrong in this discussion.
BUT: Shipping to USA from Germany can be a big big problem.
This is a) also because of the security checks at the German airport (only
with packages to the USA) and b) because of the mail in USA from the airoprt
to the receiver can take extremely long. Longer than in most countries.
Dieter

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "neonixie-l" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.

> To post to this group, send an email to neoni...@googlegroups.com.

> To view this discussion on the web, visit

> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/565B4A9C.3080003%40dakotacom.net.

[Charles MacDonald]

On 15-11-29 12:33 PM, Instrument Resources of America wrote:
> It's actually difficult for me to comprehend that the customs that are
> collected actually pays for, or even comes close to paying for all the
> salaries, and all the other expenses involved of running this customs
> dept. It is in fact the very reason why it is NOT done here in the U.S.
> as it is "NOT" cost effective. Ira.

Well, If you shipping truckloads of Goods, those pennies DO add up, and
small Hobby type outfits get caught on the crossfire. The other thing
is that the customs folks are supposed to keep drugs and Pornography in
check and so the Government would pay them even if the duty was Nil.

The USA if famous for having a lot of customs inspectors so perhaps your
incoming shipments were checked but they did not figure the revenue
would cover the cost of collecting the fees.

--
Charles MacDonald Stittsville Ontario
cm...@zeusprune.ca Just Beyond the Fringe
No Microsoft Products were used in sending this e-mail.

[taylorjpt]

Its just not worth the effort and stress, and as mentioned elsewherw you can di everything right and still get stuck wheter from malice or incompetence. Add to that when these "missing" parcels never come back indicating they were delivered or destroyed: Not once has a German customer admitted that they eventually got their package leading me to believe that its not just the customs drones that are the a holes.

[Instrument Resources of America]

""delivered or destroyed''',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, or were glommed
onto by a customs or postal employee!!! Ira.

[Instrument Resources of America]

I have bought a good number of items from overseas, many with values
great than $750.00 and have never been asked for even a dimes worth of
customs duties. I'm sure that there must be some dollar amount that
would trigger those duties, possibly over $10,000.00 but I do not know
for sure. Ira.