To Bruce - question on delivery cost to Europe

[quaxer]

I already asked the same question in a thread below, but since I got no answer I guess it was not seen

...

The system now claims that the cheapest possibility to ship to Europe is 14.50 $. :blink:

Is this the

correct rate? That would mean that the US mail has increased their rate by 75% (!) as the original price was 8,25.



Please let me know, if there is any cheaper possibility.

Thanks
quaxer

[Bruce]

Hello Quaxer,

I'm afraid that is

probably correct. The postal service changed their rates recently. In the US that amounted to a sort of normal

rate increase, but for overseas shipping they increased the rates, AND eliminated some of the shipping options. I

haven't tried it yet myself, but I heard they elimiated the regular first class overseas shipping. That means the

cheapest rate is priority mail. I'll ask Tammy about it, but I think that is now the cheapest option.

Sorry

about that,
B

[chas]

Bruce, Re.

shipping rates to the UK - the USPS web site currently gives an 'International Shipping' option of -

'First-Class Mail® International' (much less than $14.50 & up to 4 pounds weight)
It seems that the 'First Class

Mail International' option still exists & could be useful for sending Pheromone Packets to the UK. I was thinking

of ordering some ):

[chas]

Sorry, I meant to a

put a smiley icon at the end.

[Bruce]

I'll ask Tammy (shipping/warehouse

in-charge) about that. She is my source of info about shipping.

[quaxer]

Dear Bruce,
To be more specific,

your shop gives currently only "priority mail international" as cheapest option. According to the US postal

service web site, there is still the much cheaper "first class mail international".

Just to give an idea on the

pricing for first class mail, an 8 ounce letter to Belgium costs 7,20 $, a 4 ounce letter 3,60. (without really

having a feeling how many ounces a bottle of pheromones weighs on average).

It would be really great if you could

find a cheaper solution with Tammy. I would like to order a bottle of Alpha-7, but at the currently offered

shipping rate, I would probably delay it until I would want to buy more items.

Thanks for your efforts
quaxer

[Bruce]

Here is Tammy's response to a

customer email on the subject:
---
Because the packets are wrapped to keep them from getting squashed we cannot

use this option. The package does not fit within the guidelines set by the post office. This is for a flat envelope

only and it is no longer flat when you wrap the gels to protect them. This is unfortunately an option we cannot

offer as we would be going in the hole on shipping. Sorry.

Tammy/Customer Ser
Love Scent

inc
---

Apparently, this option is only for documents anymore. They have eliminated the bubble pack option.

:(

[chas]

Thanks Bruce for explaining

it anyway. It seemed a bit puzzling at the time. Our UK post office has done a similiar thing. Postage used to be

calculated on weight alone - now the thickness of a packet is just as important as the weight. Posting a feather in

bubblewrap would now be a lot pricier...

[bubblebob]

The prices here in Germany

seem to be really good then: Sending back my A7 bottle in a 'buffered' envelope only costed 4 Euros... How about

LS relocating to Berlin? :cheers:

[quaxer]

Dear Bruce,
Thanks for the quick

reply. I would very much understand the argument of Tammy, however the web site of the US postal system gives a

very different information. You can choose flat letter or package. And an 8 ounce package is still 7,20$. See

this link:
http://ircalc.usps.gov/default.aspx?Mode=Intl_Single&CID=10033

And as to the dimensions

for first class mail, the following is stated:
243.21 Envelopes and Packages

Minimum length

and height: 5–1/2 inches x 3–1/2 inches.
Minimum depth (thickness): .007 inch.
Maximum length: 24

inches.
Maximum length, height, depth (thickness) combined: 36 inchesMaybe the local post office has

given Tammy the wrong information, or maybe the Website is wrong (which I would think rather unlikely), but I think

it would be worth re-checking and referring to the information on the web site. The currently offered shipping

rates to Europe might make many people think twice to order ...

Thanks again for the efforts ...
quaxer

[Bruce]

I talked to Tammy some more about

it last night. It affects the US shipping as well, but not so badly. Even though the first class rate only went up

a couple of cents, we can no longer ship our usual padded envelope style and get that first class rate, so we have

to go up to the next more expensive shipping method. For US destinations, that is another 50 cents, but outside the

US it is a lot more.

Bottom line.... to get that first class shipping rate, the package has to be less than 3/4

inch wide. If the envelope is any fatter than that, bzzzzt, they won't accept it as first class envelope

mail.

:(
Bruce

[Bruce]

Quax,

I just noticed your post

now. Maybe somebody could verify this, but I am guessing that information on the website needs to be updated.

Tammy insists that the big news is that there is now a maximum "depth (thickness)". It has always been the way you

have it pasted in your post there, but according to our local PO (according to Tammy), there is now a 3/4 maximum

thickness.

[quaxer]

Dear Bruce,
Sorry for being so

insisting, but I re-checked on different sites and yes the 3/4 inch maximum thickness has been introduced for US

internal mail (and maybe also for some other international options), but not for the "first class International"

mail. In fact the "First class international mail", which I refer to (with the dimensions given above) has been

newly introduced as a simplification with the new changes. So if my links above would refer to old information, it

would also refer to a different name.

And the information I gave is also available in this document, which was

issued on May 14th 2007 to introduce the new rules.
http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/welcome.htm

So

please could you (or anybody else living in the US) re-check and confirm?

I really dont want to complain and I

am always very satisfied with the Love-Scent service, but I really suspect that Tammy either was given wrong or

incomplete information, so that she is not aware of the new international "first class mail" option. In your

webshop all the other new international mail options are mentioned, but not this one.

quaxer

[chas]

Just to stick my

oar in:

The USPS web site rates updated recently say that for First Class International mail, up to 4 pounds

weight, the max. length, height & depth combined is 36".

An (e.g.) 8" length x 6" height x 3" depth padded

envelope would fit within those limits I would think.

Fingers crossed!

[Bruce]

OK, I'll check it again and get

back to you. Our PO is pretty small. They may not know what's up.

Thanks for the info,
B

[Bruce]

OK, I guess the squeaky wheel does

get the grease. Apparently there is a 4 pd weight limit on it and the overall size limit as you mentioned, but

small orders can go international first class. So, Tammy put it back on the site, and that option is now available

for European customers. I guess the wt limit is what is worrying Tammy. (she worries a lot :-) )

B

[quaxer]

Great news!

... in principle

...

I now try since 5 days to order the Alpha-7 I wanted, but I always only get the expensive options for

shipping to Europe (14,50 as lowest price). :sad:

Bruce, when do you think the international first class option

will be implemented?

quaxer

[Bruce]

Very sorry. I guess it was a

miscommunication. I thought Tammy had done it already. I just changed it. Try it now.

B

[quaxer]

Great, now it works!
Thank you

very much Bruce! :)

[Bruce]

No problemo. Sorry it took so

long