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

451 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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stoveboltgeek
Car1 said:
Not positive but guessing all European countries/members of the EES agreement would have the same regulations.
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VAT rules and rates: standard, special & reduced rates - Your Europe lists the VAT for the various EU countries. While Sweden is higher than most, it appears the average VAT across the EU is about 20%. Of course, then you still have customs fees to deal with.

Dean and I definitely need to give this some careful consideration. While the book primarily focuses on American venturi-style carburetors (we don't discuss the nuances of SU, Weber, etc. designs), as trifive.com makes clear - not all American car enthusiasts live in America.

And, to think I was mainly concerned about the cost of shipping. Look how much I've learned this morning...
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BamaNomad
I would suggest you go directly to the USPS to get the best information on shipping costs to other countries. There are also 'other shippers' that ship between all countries (a fairly large list)... No idea if you're going to find a 'discounted' rate for books/literature or not...? but I'd surely ask...
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stoveboltgeek
BamaNomad said:
I would suggest you go directly to the USPS to get the best information on shipping costs to other countries. There are also 'other shippers' that ship between all countries (a fairly large list)... No idea if you're going to find a 'discounted' rate for books/literature or not...? but I'd surely ask...
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I will have to check if they have the equivalent of media mail to other countries. I just checked the "regular prices" to ship a book-sized box to Melbourne, Australia via FedEx and UPS. Both were over $200 for their cheapest rate. That's clearly not an option.
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Z
I sold a pristine vintage service manual on Craigslist this summer. Listed it for $20. A fellow in Canada wanted it. It went UPS. It was still crazy priced. I tried to talk him out of it due to the shipping costs I was obtaining, but he wanted it bad since it was an original and mint. He paid via Western Union (70.00 US / 107.35 CN). I still received 20.00 for the book and the rest was shipping. It was also a mess cashing the WU MO. Had to go to two different places in opposite directions. The last kicker was it for what ever reason it was not deliverable - I would have to pay for it's return! I will never do that again.
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johnonetrillion
stoveboltgeek said:
Looking at Australia, it looks like you have a GST tax of 10% and customs fee of 5%. Is that correct?
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Used to be there was a $1000 limit on incoming goods before GST was applied.

Not that figure has been reduced to (I think) zero.

Established vendors like Amazon and EBay now collect taxes at the transaction end. But this does not seem compulsory, so those like Mutton Hollow can send without collection – and then it is up to random inspection at the delivery end (Australia Post) to see it applied (which has yet to occur for me).
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johnonetrillion
johnonetrillion said:
I'd reckon $15 or so for an item that price.
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Just took a copy of "How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy" off Amazon to the check-out. $11.63 USD shipping.

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stoveboltgeek
johnonetrillion said:
Just took a copy of "How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy" off Amazon to the check-out. $11.63 USD shipping.

View attachment 397986
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Would you let me know whether this shipped from an Amazon warehouse in the US or in Australia? I'm sure Amazon gets a special rate from the USPS based on their huge volume, but this seems like a very good price if shipped from the US.
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johnonetrillion
stoveboltgeek said:
Would you let me know whether this shipped from an Amazon warehouse in the US or in Australia? I'm sure Amazon gets a special rate from the USPS based on their huge volume, but this seems like a very good price if shipped from the US.
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US vendor.
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Postman57
I have an author friend and he self publishes and his books are offered as digital e books via Amazon and Barnes $ Noble; would that be an option for your book?
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stoveboltgeek
Postman57 said:
I have an author friend and he self publishes and his books are offered as digital e books via Amazon and Barnes $ Noble; would that be an option for your book?
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We've not fully explored that option. I've read feedback on Amazon's self publishing arm - it used to be quite good, but their feedback turned quite bad a couple of years ago. We've not yet explored Barnes and Noble.

This book will be self published. With the help of a friend in the industry who put in a good word, an automotive publisher was approached but said "no thanks". A second publisher looked promising, as they do a lot of low volume titles. But, they dragged their feet and never followed up, even after sending follow up emails. At that point, Dean got fed up and decided to self publish.

Graffiti Publishing in Australia was mentioned to me (I think by johnonetrillion). We may explore that option as well. There's also a Veloce Publishing in the UK.

Dean has been focusing on getting the final touches on the book prior to having a single proof copy printed (which happens before the initial print run). I've been trying to keep on top of proofreading for technical and grammatical stuff, and hoping we don't miss anything (I'm sure we will, and we'll have to make corrections). Distribution beyond the web site Fundamental carburetion book , swap meets, and word of mouth is still in the works.

FWIW - Dean will be at the big AACA meet in Hershey, PA in October with the book. If you go, you'll have the chance to meet him in person. See the "Upcoming Events" at Fundamental carburetion book for details on where he'll be. I plan to go to Hershey this year, but probably won't be there before Wednesday afternoon, so no promises if I'll be on hand at his booth.
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stoveboltgeek
Postman - has your friend ever investigated IngramSpark? I've read a few things about them that make them appear to be a viable contender for the e-book route.
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Postman57
I will inquire
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