Looks like many of us have suffered from lost parcels and I went to my post office to complain about that since it's not the first one that was "lost". He confesses that many customers who have ordered DVDs sent by USPS, had their parcels lost if not stolen and since USPS is not traceable or secured, God knows where these parcels are. So can you offer us, international customers, an alternative to Fedex or DHL, too expensive for small orders for ordering safely and to avoit hassle to your customers service complaint from angry customers ?
How would you feel about GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL? It is trackable and more affordable than DHL. We are currently looking at it as a possibility for International shipments. It runs approx $5.00 for 1 DVD and $10.00 for 5 DVDs. It arrives in about 3-5 days. The downfall is that they have to be shipped in a thin cardboard envelop and there is very little room for packing material to be in the envelope. Also, a customs agent could essentially feel what is inside the envelope without opening. What do you think? Email me with any suggestions.
I get all my dvd's from DVDXtreme using Global priority and have had no problems with it. The thin envelope is okay, but after all it's the disc people want and not the box. You can buy boxes for 50p.
Sounds a good alternative though you can't have the boxcovers with the discs ? and this solution is good for those who make big orders. Do u have also to declare merchandise values on it ? Usually customs won't charge tax on values < $50
We always undervalue packages to save on taxes. The same would apply to GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL shipments. We also do not declare any packages as "DVD". If you don't want the boxes and would prefer to receive just the jackets and discs we could fit more in the package.
We just recently switched distributors and have missed some EVIL ANGEL and WICKED titles. I will be getting that one in probably next week. Let me know if there are any others you are after.
Also, please email me if you don't get that package and I will be glad to help out with getting your replacements.
Thanks Marc-Lasers Edge orders@lasersedge.com
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roonie Deactivated User
Paris 128 Posts 7/01
Posted - Oct 5 2001 : 1:02PM
Marc
in the mean time, don't you distribute Rosebud video movies???
I cannot offer such low pricing as US shops do but I can offer you registered shipping of almost any title (Euro or US) from within the EU including DVD box. Shipping rate flat about $7 (11.50 Swiss Francs) - no matter how many discs and you don't have to worry about customs or taxes because the package will not go through customs.
It's always heartening to see retailers being proactive in these forums, especially with things like international shipping options (something close to my heart ;) )
I like to use Global Priority pretty much whenever it's offered as an option by retailers, with the exception of occasionally using DHL/FedEx/Airborne/etc.
Global Priority also offers boxes (up to 4lbs) which fit up to 8dvds quite snugly as well as a little bit of bubble wrap. I find this to be a good method as the boxes are large enough to be impossible (or very damned hard) for any lightfingered postal employee to slip into their jacket/bag/jumper.
On the other end of the Global Priority scale, and probably a good shipping option for people in the UK are the thin cardboard envelopes, that fit up to 6dvds and their covers inside them, albeit without any kind of packaging/padding beyond a plastic envelope-thing. The advantage of -this- method, aside from being much cheaper than the boxes, is that the envelopes are thin enough to go through the post with regular letters and often very fast. My orders sent this way arrived in Australia regularly in 3 days, 5 days was the longest I ever waited with this method.
I try to read the forum throughout the day to keep up on concerns and possible questions. We have used GPM by request up to this point and I have been pleased with the pricing and results. We have excellent pricing from DHL (2 lbs, about 5-6 dvds in cases or 20 discs/jackets) for $20.00 to most anywhere in the world. But the $9 for 2 lb envelope is a great deal for quick delivery at a lower price. We will more than likely be incorporating this into our next shipping rates/policies update. Until then we will do it by request. Thanks for your input.
Sorry for the delay, I was swamped yesterday and didn't even have a chance to check the forum...GPM is $5.00 for 1 disc and takes about 4-5 days to arrive.
Laseredge - You obviously undertand shipping as do we. Dont use the Global Priority $5 envelope. It's too small and the DVD can easily crack. Use the LARGE Global Priority envelope and send the entire DVD and case. You can fit 3 DVD's with cases in the package and its the same price no matter how heavy. If a customer orders 4 or more dvd's, request that you be allowed to send only 2 cases and put the multiple dvd's inside.
Since Global Priority is so fast, it RARELY gets stopped. And if it does ge stopped it goes right through since the contents are legal (its software).
Sadly, the Sep 11 events will bring much needed changes to the USPS system. The USPS system is the most poorly run business I have ever seen. They have ZERO security and low low tracking ability. Soon, all packages will be bar code trackable which will at least comfort customers.
Marc: When you say you can devalue the order to save on customs, do you mean you can also devalue the price of the DVDs on the receipt inside the package?
I´m asking because finnish customs don´t care about the customs stamp on the box, they want to see the receipt from inside the package and calculate the taxes from that.
We can do either. You just need to tell us what you want via email and again when you place your order. We have a "ORDER COMMENTS" section as part of our "Check-Out" process that allows you to give any special instructions at the time of checkout. This cuts down on mistakes and allows you to tell us any special procedures without the hassle of email.
