Any non US people ordered from B&H and uses UPS?
 

Hi guys. Thinking of ordering some nearfield monitors from B&H and the cheapest shipping option they have is UPS for about US$280. Fedex Priority is US$740 (I'm not doing that :) ). Is UPS pretty good in looking after stuff and I can expect my Speakers to arrive in one, well two, pieces?

Cheers
Aaron

Well I guess it all depends. UPS is a HUGE company and it all depends on who is delivering it. Nobody here can realistically tell you if your package will arrive in one piece or not, as sometimes they are reliable and sometimes they screw things up. Personally I've never had a problem with a package being damaged, but if that were to happen you wouldn't be responsible. Overall I'm sure they have a pretty solid record otherwise they wouldnt be in business.

They annoy me by making me take a day off work to wait around in their "9 to 5" window only to have the package arrive at 4:59 pm. You can always pick it up but they have to make a delivery attempt first.

In your case it looks like that may be your only option as Fed Ex is a ripoff. Are there any other shipping methods available?

There are different levels of UPS shipping. The slightly faster one will have brokerage fees built in, whereas the regular (slower) UPS does not. That means, whoever delivers on your end, will collect the taxes, and brokerage fees. So before going with anything, check about the fees and the taxes on your end.

Aaron,

You've just defined my typical shopping experience. I've never had a problem.

And I concur with Frank...if you go the cheaper route in the shipping end, you tend to get stung in the receiving end, one way or another.

As to Brad's comment on "waiting around," you can head off problems like that by having it delivered to a business address.

$750 is incredible...I have a hard time believing that's right. My Glidecam package weighed around 30 lbs. and it only cost me about $99 to ship it UPS express.

have you heard of ARAMEX ? you get an address in the states. you ship your stuff to that address, then ARAMEX ships it to your country for very cheap prices!
I live in Kuwait. that's pretty FAR away. typically, what costs $400 to ship by UPS, will costs me $100 with ARAMEX. BIG save.

check them out:

http://www.aramex.com/

I´ve ordered from B&H and the cheapest UPS option to Spain, and my stuff arrived here pretty fast and in perfect condition.

Although I had to pay Import taxes right in front of my home to get the package. Thing I didn´t know, until the drop off guy showed me the bill.

Still, the shipping fees and taxes were cheap enough for getting my stuff cheaper than buying from a store here.

Thanks guys.

John, the speakers come to a total of 50lbs, and honestly it's $739.50 to ship them to New Zealand. Plug in 2 Mackie HR624 monitors into B&H's shipping charger and see ;)

Even with shipping, taxes and duty the price comes to around NZ$2200. To buy them in New Zealand is around $3300...


Cheers
Aaron

I'm non US people ( I think) and I live a days drive from B&H and 3 hours from the US border. Shipping isn't quite so disasterous though. This is a very large planet and non US peoples can live miles or many thousands of miles.

You're forgiven though. My family from the UK thinks we still fight Indians and trap beaver and they have absolutely no idea of the distance from one end of the North american continent to the other. Los Angeles is the same distance as it is to Vancouver , British Columbia for me.

Talk to B&H and see if they won't send the stuff US Postal Service. that would be a whole lot cheaper. All of the foreign countries ( at least the civilized ones :) ) have an agreement with the USPS. I know Britain and Canada do.

Hehe Bryan. I've had the same experiences in the US. Standing in the line at Disneyland waiting for the Indiana Jones ride ;) some people asked us where we were from. "New Zealand' I replied and got a "Which state is that in?" reply...eek.

People thought we wore grass skirts and lived in corrugated iron shed. No bullshit. We were even asked if we had electricity. Guess New Zealand is a non event to most people...... :)

Aaron

My sister used to work for a travel agency in Santa Fe. They'd get calls from "back East" asking if passports were required, and whether U.S. currency was accepted there.

Just like the "sidewalk" skits on Jay Leno...makes you cringe.

I know where Auk N.Z. is. It's Down-Under, and a little bit over, or before from where I's am. I hear south of Auk is colder and has more sheep. I agree with Bryan. I'd use USA Post with extra insurance. It's most likely cheaper.

Aaron,
I stay away from UPS. Why? They delivered a barnd new pair of Fujinon binoculars that, when I first looked through them, were so out of line as to be unuseable. I know and spoke with the dealer who said they were in perfect condition when he shipped them (via UPS). When I mentioned to a neighbor that I had to return my new binoculars because of some internal damage he said he wasn't surprised. He told me that he saw the UPS delivery man toss the box (with the binos) about 10 feet to my front door.

When I order now I insist, "NO UPS !". I have had better luck with the U.S. Postal Service although some people have had a problem with them as well.

Have you looked into DHL . When I worked overseas we used DHL almost exclusively and had great success with them. As a matter of fact, they were doing international shipping long before UPS and FedEx got into the picture.

Good luck with your venture. Remember, always insure. Nick

If the stuff is packed right, it's pretty hard to damage it.

OT:
I work in the US a fair bit and I also talk to people in US companies daily. Some either think we're a northern territory of the US or a large ice flow. A common question is "What providence do you live in (not province). Most are savy and have a grip on geography and culture.

I don't like UPS, mostly for the brokerage fee.
I bought a $60 item from the US. Paid $30 to have it shipped. When it got here there was $10 tax/duty on it, plus a $40 brokerage fee. Total cost for $60 item was $140. It was worth $140 new here.

That one was the last straw, but they've dicked me around many times before.

Dylan
That brokerage fee is for ground only, premium shipping includes it.

The brokerage is the fault of the wonderful North American Trade Agreement. There's nothing free about it. Niether side will give the consumers a break ( Canada or US customs)

At least if the stuff comes by mail it's a max $5 brokerage fee. Other parts of the world may not have this problem. I wouldn't bet that NZ is any different, it's the British way, we inherited the system.