Shipping to Australia

C

Chuck Kuntz

Well-known member
What is the best method of shipping parts to Australia and what form of payment from Australia would be best? Thanks for any help.
 
I have shipped lots to Australia as well.
Last time we did a Moneygram and I dropped the part in the mail.
 
I have used USPS Prioriy Flat Rate Boxes to send parts to AU, NZ, and UK, however, the rates are much higher than using this same type of shipping within the USA.
 
If it's under 4lbs, It will qualify for International First class and save you $$. If over 4 pounds it has to be priority mail. If you print your own label online it will save you 20%. As others have said USPS is the way to go. FedEx and UPS are only good for huge items such as a seat.
 
I've shipped 5 or 6 packages to a friend in Tasmania, Australia via USPS Priority Mail. He's received each package in an average of 11-days each and in perfect condition. Not cheap, but nowhere near as much as UPS or Fed-Ex.
 
I recently sent a small item to New Zealand - paid for on PayPal and sent through US Postal Service, First Class. Totally trouble-free and it arrived in 4 days!! Yes, I know New Zealand isn't Australia, but I imagine the service to be similar!!
 
Being on the receiving end of many parcels over the years from the US parts dealers and ebay I can tell you that USPS priority mail is a lot cheaper than anything else. (mind you, nothing is cheap these days)


UPS and Fedex may be quicker but they are far more expensive.

If you want to ship big items ie Wheels, bumper bars, engines etc there are quite a few forwarding agents who are bringing in containers of parts and cars all the time who could handle it for you at a reasonable cost.
 
Priority mail costs about $60.00 for parts like a coil or distributor to most countries including Au and NZ. G.M.
 
I just shipped a "boatload" of parts from Alaska to Texas using USPS. Strange as it was, Priority (3-day) was cheaper than Parcel Post (3+weeks). I was able to print the labels and postage on line, saving another $20 on the deal.

And, UPS or FedEx would have been triple the price. Which is really funny when you figure that FedEx carries most of the mail out of Alaska.
 
USPS is expensive, Fed Ex is expensive , Sales tax is expensive , Customs is expensive
when you live down here. Heck some US vendors refuse to even ship to us prefering not to go through the bother of international postage -But its a price we are happy to pay to live in paradise
 
I regularly ship parts to a friend in AU, USPS Priority boxes are great. But I'm about to send him some door trim that is 42" long, and OMG !!! USPS just flat won't ship it, any way, any price. So it has to go FedEx, and for a box 42" x 6" x 6" weighing 15 lbs, it will be $325 !!!
 
I had a event where I shipped to down under USPS to a Au P.O. Box. The package went to San Diego and then on a UPS flight to Au where it was handed over to the Au postal service. USPS did not have any flights to Au and contracted with UPS for the movement of the USPS mail. The USPS could not track the package past San Diego UPS and Au postal did not track it either. If the package had not have gone to a postal box there would have been tracking by Au postal.
 
I've had a lot of stuff sent down under to me via USPS and that is my preferred way. Comes quickly and reasonably cheaply. I have only ever had one issue with Australian Customs and that was with an large article that came down with UPS, which made the package VERY expensive. When ever I buy anything from the International Auction site ;), I ask the seller if they will send USPS instead of the new mail system organised by the auction site. Mail to Australia takes twice as long through them and it isn't cheap either.
 
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