PostBox-Courier.com how to

[DVDL]

No idea; yes, the US shipping is also on hold. Got this email reply from Gary last week or so:

Hi Gary

Your website states you are not taking bookings anymore (for the time being).
Does this also affect shipping from your US depot? I'd really like to make use of your services again (US to SA)

Kind regards,

Hi Dirk

Both services are offline temporarily.
We're working to get back online ASAP.
We'll keep you posted

Best regards

Gary

Sent from my iPhone

In the mean time I've tried out ShipItTo. Good service so far with a nice account page where you manage your shipments etc. Paid $55 for a 1.4 kg package (41×31×18 cm) with 4-6 days international courier, including insurance for delivery and damage. Courier should collect it from them today.
I guess it's a bit more expensive than postboxcourier, but it is MUCH cheaper than MyUS and so far I am impressed.

 

[Lord Nikon6]

No idea; yes, the US shipping is also on hold. Got this email reply from Gary last week or so:





In the mean time I've tried out ShipItTo. Good service so far with a nice account page where you manage your shipments etc. Paid $55 for a 1.4 kg package (41×31×18 cm) with 4-6 days international courier, including insurance for delivery and damage. Courier should collect it from them today.
I guess it's a bit more expensive than postboxcourier, but it is MUCH cheaper than MyUS and so far I am impressed.

That is certainly way cheaper than MyUS. Thanks, I might give them a go.

 

[Krypt0n1te]

No idea; yes, the US shipping is also on hold. Got this email reply from Gary last week or so:





In the mean time I've tried out ShipItTo. Good service so far with a nice account page where you manage your shipments etc. Paid $55 for a 1.4 kg package (41×31×18 cm) with 4-6 days international courier, including insurance for delivery and damage. Courier should collect it from them today.
I guess it's a bit more expensive than postboxcourier, but it is MUCH cheaper than MyUS and so far I am impressed.

Thanks for the info. Also anxiously waiting on Gary, but think I'll pull the trigger soon.

Cheers.

 

[hilton]

I'm currently trying out Stackry so I'll report back when I get my stuff.

 

[ripclaw]

I'm currently trying out Stackry so I'll report back when I get my stuff.

Looking forward to it. Did you have to declare the value of your purchases, or will Stackry derive the shipment value from the included invoices in the shipment?

I've looked at their shipping rates (as well as ShipIto's rates), and for a 13KG package, PostBoxCourier works out cheaper. I'd still want to stick with Gary and co., but it doesn't hurt to have a backup option, hence my interest in Stackry.

 

[hilton]

I still have one parcel en-route so when I hit the 'consolidate' button, I'll see what they say. This is all new to me as Gary handled all the nitty gritty and his pricing was pretty good.

I created a spreadsheet that compared about five or six agents and the respective shipping charges for seven different parcel size and weight scenarios. Two of them (ShipTo and MyUS) were cheaper if you factored in their premium annual membership fee and made use of their service multiple times a year. I also didn't opt for the absolute cheapest shipping option as sometimes that was over 30 days.

Anyway, waiting for my new Fenix TK61 to arrive. This was the very last order that was processed through PBC.

 

[Lord Nikon6]

DVDL, did you receive your packages, which courier did you choose? Seems like I might need to order soon, so might use shipitto.

 

[DVDL]

DVDL, did you receive your packages, which courier did you choose? Seems like I might need to order soon, so might use shipitto.

Tracking states it's currently at Johannesburg customs. Was actually quite quick

The time frame:
30 March: Shipito account set-up
5 April: Delivery from Amazon to Shipito depot in Minden, NV
5 April: Payment for postage/photos taken
7 April: Courier pick-up from depot
8 April: Tracked at Los Angeles airport
9 April: South Africa customs

And I chose TNT Economy

 

[ripclaw]

How much customs do you need to pay for whatever you bought?

 

[ripclaw]

DVDL, any update?

I'm also curious about how you paid customs, if any?

Ta.

 

[DVDL]

DVDL, any update?

I'm also curious about how you paid customs, if any?

Ta.

Only sent my ID details to TNT yesterday, was a bit busy. I believe they'll contact me as soon as the parcel arrives at their Pretoria branch; only then will I find out what amount is payable. Will keep you posted.

 

[hilton]

No-one asked but my experience with Stackry so far has been pretty good. The option to consolidate is very useful because if you have multiple parcels you drag 'n drop them to work out if consolidation is cheaper or if the consolidated parcels will be too big and thus more expensive. Shipping options were as follows;

9.5kg parcel 280mm x 380mm x 480mm

USPS Priority $181 - 8-14 days
USPS Express $204 - 4-8 days (I chose this one)
FedEx Intl Economy $251 - 3-8 days
FedEx Intl Priority $332 - 2-5 days

Package left yesterday so let's see when it arrives and how much the import duties and taxes will be.

 

[Lord Nikon6]

No-one asked but my experience with Stackry so far has been pretty good. The option to consolidate is very useful because if you have multiple parcels you drag 'n drop them to work out if consolidation is cheaper or if the consolidated parcels will be too big and thus more expensive. Shipping options were as follows;

9.5kg parcel 280mm x 380mm x 480mm

USPS Priority $181 - 8-14 days
USPS Express $204 - 4-8 days (I chose this one)
FedEx Intl Economy $251 - 3-8 days
FedEx Intl Priority $332 - 2-5 days

Package left yesterday so let's see when it arrives and how much the import duties and taxes will be.

Thanks. Please let us know if you receive your goods. Want to place a fairly large order for ice hockey equipment by the end of the month.

 

[ripclaw]

DVDL, hilton, any update?

I think that I'm leaning towards using Shipito. Do they allow you to specify if your shipment is a gift, as well as the value?

 

[DVDL]

DVDL, hilton, any update?

I think that I'm leaning towards using Shipito. Do they allow you to specify if your shipment is a gift, as well as the value?

Yes, before Shipito ships out the parcel you need to declare the value of your parcel.
I shipped my Amazon order as a gift and declared the value of the parcel on my Shipito account page (I understand if you read "oooh I can under-declare my goods!", but remember that SARS customs will not be shy to slam you with a fat penalty should they decide to try and find the actual value of your parcel and find it under-declared)

I paid about R300 VAT/Import duties on a $80 declared parcel (tablet/smartphone covers etc).

Also with regards to Shipito, note that they can place your account "on hold" before actually shipping the parcel. This is easily/quickly cleared by uploading some form of ID and filling in some forms (all on a secure page with the right privacy policies). This is due to many previous incidents with people smuggling illegal goods into/out of countries, and they just want some form of ID for their records.

 

[hilton]

My parcel left on Thursday as mentioned before and the tracking now shows it's with SA Customs. Not bad for USPS.

 

[noxibox]

I paid about R300 VAT/Import duties on a declared parcel (tablet/smartphone covers etc).

Is that including their fee for customs clearance? I've heard a lot of complaints about TNT charging exorbitant administration fees.

 

[DVDL]

Is that including their fee for customs clearance? I've heard a lot of complaints about TNT charging exorbitant administration fees.

Can't remember specifics - don't have the documents. But TNT customs/handling fee was about R150/R200 extra

 

[Lord Nikon6]

@Hilton, thanks, definitely not bad for USPS. Hope you get it soon.

@DVDL, thanks for the info. Did TNT handle the tax and you paid them on receipt, or did you have to go in to their branch to pay the customs fees?

 

[ripclaw]

DVDL, did Shipito include the original invoices for your purchae(s)?