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Shipping costs to europe ??
I've just been on the Knifekits.com web site and was looking to buy a slipjoint kit and possibly some materials but when it came to using the shipping estimator I was shocked to find the cost of shipping to Great Britain. The estimator gave the cheapest option as $33.34 I checked out the cost of shipping on the USPS web site and the shipping for the same weight came out at only $12.95!!! roughly a third of the price for sending up to 4lb in weight.
http://www.usps.com/prices/priority-...nal-prices.htm I have asked Knifekits.com via there feedback form for an explanation but they have not returned any answer. I have noted many U.K knife makers commenting on the high cost of shipping charged by Knifekits . I would have thought that they would welcome orders from makers in the U.K and Europe especially in these difficult financial times. I look forward to any comments from anyone connected with Knifekits.com or anyone who has had similar problems with shipping costs. Andy. |
#2
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Hi Andy,
Our cart hooks up to the USPS system in real-time for estimates and charges. It takes the weight of the order and displays the available methods. In our case, I'm not sure if we are offering the cheapest service internationally. If I'm not mistaking, we offer: GLOBAL EXPRESS, EXPRESS MAIL INT, PRIORITY MAIL INT, FIRST-CLASS MAIL INT I'm not sure what the weight of the order you're running is, but tell us what the delivery address is and I'll be happy to run it to see what you're getting. We have software that connects us to the USPS also! Any way that we can help, please let us know!!! Alex __________________ Alex Whetsell [======]~~~~~~~> Atlantavirtual.com Atlanta NOC |
#3
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Thanks for the fast reply Alex. I've sent you an email regarding this matter. But in the meen time just check out the link above and you will see that you can ship up to 4Lb in weight for $12.95!!!!!
Andy. Last edited by andy gascoigne; 05-23-2009 at 02:30 AM. |
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Andy, pardon me for intruding here.
I'm just curious why a man with your talents and skills would need a kit knife. Now, buying supplies I can understand! Nice to see your name here. Be good now. |
#5
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Hi Don, Nice to hear from you and nice comments regarding kit. The reason for the kit was as a gift for a friend who's new to knife-making and I thought a kit of parts would be an easy way to explain and show him the geometry of slipjoints. It would also serv as a pattern for myself as well. All the best, Andy. Last edited by andy gascoigne; 05-23-2009 at 12:22 PM. |
#6
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Shipping costs to UK & Europe
Hi Alex
As you can see from the example below, the shipping estimator and cart are still throwing up over priced shipping on very small value orders. I put this screw driver into the cart as an example and the shipping estimator came up with $30.20 to ship when we all know that USPS web site states that it could be shipped for far less and a flat rate box or envelope could be shipped for $12.95. I'm not sure my emails are getting through and your message box was full so I've posted here for your attention. Best regards, Andy. Delivery Address (Edit) Andrew Gascoigne XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX xxxxxxxxxx, United Kingdom Shipping Method (Edit) United States Postal Service (1 x 1.1lbs) (Priority Mail International (6 - 10 Days)) 1 x MaxxDriver? - 8-n-1 - Multi Torx? - Tool $6.95 Billing Information Billing Address (Edit) Andrew Gascoigne XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX xxxxxxxxxx, United Kingdom Payment Method (Edit) PayPal Sub-Total: $6.95 United States Postal Service (1 x 1.1lbs) (Priority Mail International (6 - 10 Days)): $30.20 Total: $37.15 Last edited by andy gascoigne; 05-28-2009 at 04:02 AM. |
#7
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I know this thread is a couple years old but its the same problem/ Question
just had my delivery this week and was $200 postage to UK which is a fair amount the weight quoted was 46lb ish but seemed what the USPS online calculator said ish I did email a query but no reply so i palced teh order as ineeded the stuff ( we cant get any good stuff in UK ) I choose Fed ex as they where a couple $$ more but 3-4 days not 6-10 so i choose that was however surprised to see the Actual Fed ex weight in the tracking at 34lbs which i assume is a bit cheaper still only a 12" x 24" x 4" ( lot of kydex ) and biggest PITA is i have to pay 20% customs tax on the Shipping charge as well so minimising it is essential USA knifemaker delivered a few days before and a similar amount tho a bit lighter and smaller was $75 they do a manual calculation as their built in one also comes up with massive charges it was a lot of small bolts in there as well does your computer round up or is the min item weight ou can enter a lot more than the bolts actually weigh thus giveing a false estimate ?? great stuff excellent service but the postage kills it ATB Duncan |
#8
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Hi Duncan,
That's a good question. I'll pull the details of the order tomorrow when we reopen and will check the weight from the shipping scale system against the estimated cart weight. I found an item last month that was adding 2.0 pounds extra on our cart that was only .2 pounds. It was one of our new parts that was mis-added to the cart. I don't have your tracking number from my location now, but if you get the package in the meantime, please weigh it locally, if you have scales, and let's verify what the true weight of it was. It may be one tracking number for multiple packages, as well. I'll find out when I check. We'll certainly take care of any mistakes that were made on our end, that's for sure! A 45 pound kid can get a seat on the SST Concord for under $200, and he can get there in a couple of hours! Of course, I paid $100 dollars for an extra bag on a plane the last time I flew, so I'm pretty PO'd about all of this type transport stuff anyway. I'll check it and get back to you via e-mail tomorrow! Thanks for letting us know!!! Alex __________________ Alex Whetsell [======]~~~~~~~> Atlantavirtual.com Atlanta NOC |
#9
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I gave up altogether with ever wanting to order anything from knifekits when the order system wanted to charge me over $30 to ship a screw driver!!!!!
If you see my post last post above it's dated 05-28-2009 and I never got a reply. Is this because I'm in the U.K and they can't be bothered dealing with small orders to the U.k ? I have to admit it's been a long time since I looked at the order system on knifekits so I just hope they have sorted the problems with shipping small orders overseas. Andy. Just had a go with the order system and put a packet of 1-72 screws into the cart and then did an estimate shipping. it came up with the following charges.... United States Postal Service (1 x 0.87lbs) (0lbs, 13.92oz) (Priority Mail International (6 - 10 business days) ) $37.00 Federal Express (Total items: 1 pcs. Total weight: 0.87 lbs) (International Priority (1-3 Days)(NOTE: Taxes and duty are not included in international rates.)) $32.71 Federal Express (Total items: 1 pcs. Total weight: 0.87 lbs) (International Economy (4-5 Days)(NOTE: Taxes and duty are not included in international rates.)) $31.63 When has a packet of screws weighed 13.92oz??????? Last edited by andy gascoigne; 01-25-2012 at 02:59 AM. Reason: tried order system again |
#10
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Just weighed the package was as marked in the shipping info 34lbs
was charged for 47.43lbs so something is defiantly off in the auto calculate this is a $865 order thats over $1000 with shipping and will get 20% import tax ive only done 3 orders from here as its is painful to pay the shipping the first was to set up for kydex and was before I registered and was from memory $800 ish and $300 shipping I made the mistake of ordering the arbour press as $70 isnt a bad price but suspect it added a lot of weight , lucky i didnt order a steel press just he foam and made one same design in Ply second one was only $233 and prettty light but $61 postage again maybe 12" x 24" kydex is an odds shape and dosnt fit a Flat rate box also made the mistake first order on USAknifemaker so payed the estimated shipping but now found they do a mannual calc and bill acordingly so $800 is only $65 plus $11 insurance but did a fit a Flat rate box as no kydex (saving it up for Knife kits which are cheaper and a much better range However not with a 30% uplift on the shipping ) ATB Duncan |
#11
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just tried USAknife maker on a pkt of 1-72 screws they to come out with auto calc 0.11lbs and $37 for 6-10 day but at least they will redo it for Over seas |
#12
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Heck, the U.K. is one of our few remaining allies. Do you think we don't treat you guys as high priority customers over here? We bend over backwards to support you guys... and don't ever forget that! Anyone that fights beside the USA is a brother! If you ever need us, you'll see what I mean! I'm not supporting governments here... I'm supporting honor and commitment to our neighbors. I don't know how other companies treat you, but I suspect most feel the same way over here as we do! The one's that I know do! I'm sorry that the shipping rate was so high on your estimate last year. I'm not sure what shipping option you chose, or what screwdriver you were considering, but I would have handled it for you personally, if I knew you were being quoted so much. We have a lot of options on how to save on shipping, but they require human intervention. Our shipping system doesn't offer flat rate, as it causes too many problems for my order and packing staff. Firstly, most customers will pick a cheap flat rate method for a shipment that wouldn't fit in 5 flat rate boxes taped together. Our current system doesn't calculate dimensions, so it offers default Flat Rate pricing for shipments that exceed the dimensions of any of our available boxes. The gimmick with Flat Rate is that they'll let you put a Neutron Star in one, from a weight perspective, but many items that we sell are too big to fit. So, for every one order that qualifies, we have 10 that have to be contacted to explain that our system screwed up, and because it didn't fit, we have to charge them more, etc., etc. It creates unnecessary bad feelings. Until we get a better quoting system, we have to work within what we have for special situations. Generally that means that someone (human) has to figure out a special packing arrangement in order to help reduce the cost, if even possible. However, we've always been more than happy to do it. Shipping is a necessity, not a profit center! We don't want to charge a cent more than it's worth. However, we can't write down the order value for tax reasons, as the nature of what we sell requires that the documentation stand up to intense customs scrutiny. Believe me, they don't play when it comes to our industry. When you put ?knife? on a box, trust me, they watch it closely. As far as the weight is concerned, we add one pound to every shipment as tare value. This is to cover the weight of a quality box, plenty of packing material, a free catalog, tape and the packing list. Sometimes the box stuff weighs more, sometimes less, but it averages out to about a pound over time. As I said, our system isn?t Einstein, but it?s pretty good! Let me know what screwdriver you wanted and I?ll send you one on my dime, as long as you come around here more than once every year. I know that you hang out with the enemy right now, but we?d still be honored to have you every chance you get. ---- Duncan, I'm still working on your deal. I got tied up today and couldn't get back to it. One of my staff is leaving town for a meeting tomorrow and the day ran out on me. We'll get to the bottom of the issue and I'll guarantee you that we'll take care of the problem if we created it for you. Can you tell me what the package looked like when it arrived. Was it in good shape, or did it look rough? I'm always interested in how our packaging fairs over long hauls like that. I'll get the rest figured out ASAP! Alex __________________ Alex Whetsell [======]~~~~~~~> Atlantavirtual.com Atlanta NOC |
#13
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Andy, with all due respect, I've never intentionally ignored a man in my life! That doesn't mean that I didn't overlook your post. I do try to keep up, but I certainly miss my share of threads around here. Most times it's because I fail to "subscribe" to the notices on the threads that I post to.
Alex, I apologize for using the word "ignore". I appreciate as an admin of a site it can be easy to miss a post if you forget to subscribe to a thread, but as it was one that is so relative to your business, I for one would have made a point of subscribing. Heck, the U.K. is one of our few remaining allies. Do you think we don't treat you guys as high priority customers over here? We bend over backwards to support you guys... and don't ever forget that! Anyone that fights beside the USA is a brother! If you ever need us, you'll see what I mean! I'm not supporting governments here... I'm supporting honor and commitment to our neighbors. I don't know how other companies treat you, but I suspect most feel the same way over here as we do! The one's that I know do! I have a great respect and admiration for the USA and have many friends in the U.S and would NEVER disrespect the allies of the U.K. I have a friend who has just returned from Afghanistan and who has also been injured by an IED so I don't need reminding about who supports who or commitment to our neighbors. I have dealt with many other suppliers in the U.S and found the service to be excellent, the ones that excel are the companies that don't try to automate everything and deal with customer orders on a one to one basis. Don't get me wrong, I have come across companies within the knifemaking community that don't want to supply the UK but thats up to them if they don't want our custom. I'm sorry that the shipping rate was so high on your estimate last year. I'm not sure what shipping option you chose, or what screwdriver you were considering, but I would have handled it for you personally, if I knew you were being quoted so much. We have a lot of options on how to save on shipping, but they require human intervention. Our shipping system doesn't offer flat rate, as it causes too many problems for my order and packing staff. Firstly, most customers will pick a cheap flat rate method for a shipment that wouldn't fit in 5 flat rate boxes taped together. Our current system doesn't calculate dimensions, so it offers default Flat Rate pricing for shipments that exceed the dimensions of any of our available boxes. The gimmick with Flat Rate is that they'll let you put a Neutron Star in one, from a weight perspective, but many items that we sell are too big to fit. So, for every one order that qualifies, we have 10 that have to be contacted to explain that our system screwed up, and because it didn't fit, we have to charge them more, etc., etc. It creates unnecessary bad feelings. If you go back to the very first post in the thread a read my post you will see exactly what I was trying to order ( slipjoint kit) and not a screwdriver, that was only used as an example later on. My main argument is that the automatic estimating system does not work. You say that your system hooks up with the USPS web site but I clearly explained that your estimate came up with a lowest shipping cost of $33.34 and when I used the USPS system it came up with a shipping cost of $ 12.95. Until we get a better quoting system, we have to work within what we have for special situations. Generally that means that someone (human) has to figure out a special packing arrangement in order to help reduce the cost, if even possible. However, we've always been more than happy to do it. Shipping is a necessity, not a profit center! We don't want to charge a cent more than it's worth. I appreciate all business's have additional costs above the actual postal charges, ie packing materials, transportation, labour costs etc and I never accused you of trying to make a profit from postage. However, we can't write down the order value for tax reasons, as the nature of what we sell requires that the documentation stand up to intense customs scrutiny. Believe me, they don't play when it comes to our industry. When you put ?knife? on a box, trust me, they watch it closely. This paragraph I don't understand the relevance, I did'nt ask anyone to write down the order value as I know it's a federal offense to defraud the USPS! As far as the weight is concerned, we add one pound to every shipment as tare value. This is to cover the weight of a quality box, plenty of packing material, a free catalog, tape and the packing list. Sometimes the box stuff weighs more, sometimes less, but it averages out to about a pound over time. As I said, our system isn?t Einstein, but it?s pretty good! Why cant small orders such as a packet of screws be sent in a light weight air mail envelope? Save on sending out a catalog when it's all on the web site anyway. Let me know what screwdriver you wanted and I?ll send you one on my dime, as long as you come around here more than once every year. I know that you hang out with the enemy right now, but we?d still be honored to have you every chance you get. If you had read the entire thread properly you would see that the screwdriver was used as an example and i never intended to order one. The intended order was for a knife kit to give as a gift to someone new to knife making and possibly become a new customer for knifekits.com. With regard to your comment on my visiting the forum more than "once every year", I became disillusioned with the forum following this thread and decided to move on to other forums and interests. With regards to your comment that I "hang out with the enemy", I don't know what you are alluding to as I don't get involved with inter forum politics and I don't consider any other forum as enemy or friend. I still manage to meet up with forum friends on other knife forums. The only reason I replied to this thread was because I have subscribed to the thread and felt it only polite to reply. To wrap this up I would like to say, Alex this thread was never meant to be a criticism of you or www.Knifekits.com it was only to draw your attention to the ordering system and to the lack of reply from the online feedback system. The original post was submitted to let you know of a problem that if sorted in the correct manner would have only been of benefit to knifekits.com and would have possibly increased sales with overseas customers. Imagine a situation where a new customer looks at your web site for the first time, decides to place a small order and then is presented with an exorbitant shipping charge. the first thing he would do is walk away,never to bother again.....result a lost sales opportunity and possibly a lot of future sales. The U.K has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years regarding custom knife making and the standard of makers has become very high. We do suffer from a lack of good material suppliers and find the only way to get them is to rely on our good friends in the U.S. Not all makers can afford to wait until they have a large order to put together and from personal experience and talking to other makers at knife shows we are put of by automated systems that try to charge $31.63 to ship a packet of 1-72 screws!!! A VERY simple solution would be to just have an option where we can place goods in the cart and then ask for a real person to check the lowest price shipping option. Best regards and wishes, Andy Gascoigne ---- Last edited by andy gascoigne; 01-26-2012 at 10:15 AM. |
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No problem I did send an email thro the Knife kits system that wasnt answered but went ahead with the order a few days later I accepted the postage costs for that an the previous ones. but would hope that some review and change can be made for future orders I will in future always Email PM or contact you first before committing or can you have a collect in shop and pay on pick up option with like USAknifemaker do I always offer to UK knife makers on the UK knife forums the chance to add to my USA orders to help reduce the Postage for all of us. more accurate postal charges will mean I can order less stuff more often and help cash flow and would bring on more UK customers. I sell the odd knife to the USA and postage is only a couple $$ more than in UK certainly Ive never had to charge more than $10 the package was ok ish but had busted the tape on one end luckley nothing had fallen out not had any problems from previous deliveries all where in fine condition ATB thank you for your time Duncan www.dorsetwoodlandblades.co.uk |
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Many customers wanted the catalog, so we started adding it by default on box orders, especially to international customers. Quote:
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More importantly, we?re working directly with the FedEx developers on modifications to the API for their new Smart Post international system. Once we have that in place, it will fix this situation significantly for over 100 carts that we currently support. In the meantime, we invite all customers to contact us for individual options on any sites that we manage, domestic or international. I hope these answers help. But if anyone has other questions or suggestions, we?re here to listen. I generally check the forum every day, but if you write my staff at knifekits.com, you?ll generally get an answer before the business day is over. Again, Andy... I hope to see you around more often. You?re always welcome here! __________________ Alex Whetsell [======]~~~~~~~> Atlantavirtual.com Atlanta NOC |
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