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trifivers outside the US - what's the best and cheapest way to ship a book to your country?

509 Views 31 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Postman57, 
stoveboltgeek
As I've discussed in my Carburetors 101 thread, I'm helping put the finishing touches on a "how and why" carburetor book. Now, the question comes - how to ship it outside the US?

My friend Dean has thought about getting a local contact in various countries to distribute the book. I see that as potentially creating more problems than it solves.

So, here's my question for those of you outside the US:

Suppose you're interested in buying a car book shipped from the US. It measures 8.5 by 11 inches, weighs about one pound (not including the shipping package) and its price is $30-35 US. I would guess this would go in a box a bit over 1/3 meter long and weigh under a kilogram "as shipped".

What is the best way to ship it to your country for minimal cost? How much would it cost and how fast would it get there?

If you wanted to receive it just a bit faster, what shipping method would you choose?

And, at what shipping cost would you think twice about buying the book?

In case you want to "run some numbers", these books would be shipped from Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA, postal (zip) code 27587.
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Shadetree55
stoveboltgeek said:
As I've discussed in my Carburetors 101 thread, I'm helping put the finishing touches on a "how and why" carburetor book. Now, the question comes - how to ship it outside the US?

My friend Dean has thought about getting a local contact in various countries to distribute the book. I see that as potentially creating more problems than it solves.

So, here's my question for those of you outside the US:

Suppose you're interested in buying a car book shipped from the US. It measures 8.5 by 11 inches, weighs about one pound (not including the shipping package) and its price is $30-35 US. I would guess this would go in a box a bit over 1/3 meter long and weigh under a kilogram "as shipped".

What is the best way to ship it to your country for minimal cost? How much would it cost and how fast would it get there?

If you wanted to receive it just a bit faster, what shipping method would you choose?

And, at what shipping cost would you think twice about buying the book?

In case you want to "run some numbers", these books would be shipped from Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA, postal (zip) code 27587.
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Don't know if media mail works for foreign shipments but is usually cheaper
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schovil69
USPS will work for international shipping of books. I haven't shipped a book overseas but I have purchased books from several countries abroad and USPS gets the job done. England, for an example, uses their version of USPS and when the package arrives stateside USPS takes the reigns.

Of course, other shipping companies will be happy to oblige. The key to shipping international, or even stateside for that matter, is packaging. Bubble wrapped in a box within a bubble wrapped box seems to work best.
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30coupestreet
postal service works for Canada as the most economical just like in the US. mail it USPS and Canada post will deliver to recipient in Canada.
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KiwiBelAir
30coupestreet said:
postal service works for Canada as the most economical just like in the US. mail it USPS and Canada post will deliver to recipient in Canada.
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Likewise for New Zealand.
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TheHotrodHandyman
Not positive but I think the USPS only does Priority mail for international packages.
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angs1957
Down here Australia Post distributes our mail, they do a good service, its up to the individual to arrange the purchase and importation.
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BamaNomad
Media mail: The USPS charges $3.32 for the first pound and an additional $0.63 for each additional pound up to 70 pounds. Just like Media Mail, items sent through Library Mail cannot contain advertising or other non-media materials except for a packing slip.

No, unfortunately Media Mail is a domestic service only, and you cannot send items via Media Mail if you want to ship them internationally. This service is only available in the 50 US states, and if you wish to send something abroad, you will need to choose another option.May 2, 2022
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johnonetrillion
USPS ... especially for one-off dispatches. Usually 7-10 days to Australia. Just make sure you have the right packaging – corrugated cardboard with extended and sealed ends ... this keeps the corners protected.

I'd reckon $15 or so for an item that price.

Maybe look on Amazon to see what s/h book and music sellers use for international shipping.

But if you are sending them out in bulk, say a 100 unit dispatch, then some sort of publication mail house might be your friend.

I would not bother with local distributors – it's double handling and inventory/returns is a nightmare.
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Shadetree55
Have you checked into the possibility of digitizing some and make available by download??
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johnonetrillion
Shadetree55 said:
Have you checked into the possibility of digitizing some and make available by download??
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Someone is going to do that anyway! ;)
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Car1
Where I am, I frequently pay more for shipping than the product´s price. Just recently I payed $35 shipping (Fedex) for a $41 bag of bolts. With import tax the total was close to $120. All US goods must be declared when imported to Europe. So, first we have the product´s price, then add shipping costs, then add VAT, and finally customs fee.
That said, the US postal service to the Swedish would be the best way to ship out a product of smaller value.
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stoveboltgeek
Car1 said:
Where I am, I frequently pay more for shipping than the product´s price. Just recently I payed $35 shipping (Fedex) for a $41 bag of bolts. With import tax the total was close to $120. All US goods must be declared when imported to Europe. So, first we have the product´s price, then add shipping costs, then add VAT, and finally customs fee.
That said, the US postal service to the Swedish would be the best way to ship out a product of smaller value.
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WOW!!!

Doing a quick Google check, VAT in Sweden is typically 25%, with customs being 0-20%, depending on the item. But, these are the kind of numbers that help me understand what guys in other countries will have to deal with when buying something from the US. It's both eye-opening and helpful to understand the situation.
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matt56
Perhaps you could contact specialist distributors. An example in Australia would be to contact Graffiti publications (they do automotive stuff, some self authored and plenty of other books).

Or as others suggested, digital - but not sure if that would appeal to those that want a carb book??

I had Buick service manuals shipeed ex USA via Fedex (from Rockauto). I do not remember the price but remember it seemed reasonable.
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stoveboltgeek
Shadetree55 said:
Have you checked into the possibility of digitizing some and make available by download??
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johnonetrillion said:
Someone is going to do that anyway! ;)
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But, if we did all the calculations in the book using a slide rule, why would we want to digitize it? :)

Just kidding, of course. (There are no calculations in the book, BTW.) Actually, Dean has been sending the latest copies to me to review in a PDF.

That said, it raises an interesting question - if you download a book, would you still have to pay customs and VAT? Or, do those only apply to a physical book?
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Shadetree55
stoveboltgeek said:
But, if we did all the calculations in the book using a slide rule, why would we want to digitize it? :)

Just kidding, of course. (There are no calculations in the book, BTW.) Actually, Dean has been sending the latest copies to me to review in a PDF.

That said, it raises an interesting question - if you download a book, would you still have to pay customs and VAT? Or, do those only apply to a physical book?
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not sure---I have bought software from foreign countries and it was just emailed to me with a download link good for only one download
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stoveboltgeek
Shadetree55 said:
not sure---I have bought software from foreign countries and it was just emailed to me with a download link good for only one download
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It's an interesting question. I'm sure the downloads you're talking about require a key code sent to you in the email in order to do the download. In that case, it's relatively simple for the download server to track the total number of allowable downloads.

Given that this is a book, the situation is a bit more complicated. You could still do the "one download only", but if you decided to keep it in electronic form, you should be allowed to move it to a new computer when you buy one. Of course, that means it's easily recopied and redistributed (unless there's additional security stuff built into the download). Given that this is copyrighted material, that's a problem.
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Car1
I think your buddy should ask an US publisher for advice. I would go for a digital product for the outside US markets.

Physical products price: $100
Shipping: $30
New total $130
VAT: (25%)$32,50
New total 162,50
Customs: (pending goods, let´s say 12%) $19,50
New total: $182

Digital (no paper, printing) Products price: $50(?)
Shipping: $0
New total: $50
VAT: $12,50
New total: $62,50
Customs: $7,50
New total: $70

I found some info about digital services and taxes here
See less See more
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stoveboltgeek
It looks like the cost of going to Europe (Sweden in particular) is going to be really high for a physical book.

Looking at Australia, it looks like you have a GST tax of 10% and customs fee of 5%. Is that correct?

In Canada, it looks like there's a national VAT of 5% plus a possible provincial VAT, and customs fees of 5%. Is that correct?

Doing a quick check of USPS prices to Australia via Retail Postage Price Calculator Mail Services , it looks like a Priority Mail box for a $30 book would be $87.50. Un-freaking-believable! But, shipping via First Class mail would be $37.10. Still pricey, but a whole lot better.
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Car1
Not positive but guessing all European countries/members of the EES agreement would have the same regulations.
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