For years now, if any USA seller insists that I must use UPS, I get out of the
sales
process.
UPS are crooks. For private imports into New Zealand, with the exception of
some product
categories such as clothing, GST ( Goods and Services tax, at 15%), is NOT
charged for
items costing under $400 NZ.
If UPS are the prime mover, they insist in levying the GST on ALL items ( or
you don't
receive them). I'll bet they don't pass all such funds to the NZ Customs and
Excise.
USPS are just great. The only time I had an item go missing in scores of
trades, was due
to internal pilfering. The tiny packet for a a small computer memory module
was sliced
open and the cut covered with a USPS airmail sticker. Packet arrived OK - but
was empty
when I laid my hands on it..
I buy a lot of books via www.bookfinder.com - the very best book search site
there is.
There are some bookshop franchises which dominate, such as Alibris, ABE Books,
and a
lot of others ( including Amazon UK which won't ship to NZ).
Some of these periodically have free shipping to NZ, or very low rates, and
these do not
go by surface ( or the former alternative, air over sea, the rest by land), but
in bulk to an
NZ re-distributor who is extremely efficient. Sometimes I've had such books in
well under
10 days, instead of the 4 - 6 weeks promised.
Costs - I recently paid about $NZ35 to send a small packet of two small books
to my son
in London; and it got there in under 5 days.
I bought a book for my daughter from a Dutch auction site. Euro 4.50 for the
book and
Euro 28.50 for the postage. (Plus $NZ25 for the international bank transfer
fees ! - he
would not accept PayPal. :-( ). It arrived in about 8 days.
I sent a heavy little camera to Russia for servicing. $35NZ for the postage and
it took
about 4 weeks. Same for the return. And it didn't get stolen !!!
Brian Swale
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