How do you handle shipping cost? (Int. Collectors)

[RagingBull]

When you live in Australia, being ripped of in general is part of the deal!

It's not just in Oz it's just the world in general

At least the weathers always nice where you are & that's free

 

[Freak_Zombie]

I'm from Australia and it hurts to ship stuff over although I do think our fellow collectors in new Zealand have it worse

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[telonio]

Here in Athens where I live, there are very few small shops that sell figures and overpriced, especially if you compare prices with America and China.

So basiclly I order my figures from Hong Kong. Shipping is around 50$ for one 1/6 figure. I think shipping costs are higher from Australia. Then is the custom. Well as far as my experience, custom here don't charge 23% if it's about a small size toy item. But you can never be sure about that. They might charge you if they want or they may not. There's always a risk with the custom charges. Now they have never charged me taxes for figures untill now. But I'm a little bit worried when the HT Batmobile 1989 comes here in the custom. The issue with the custom here is completely crazy. Taxes are no resonable.

Most Chinese sellers describing the figure as a toy for kids or gift present with much lower cost than the real. So the chances to add tax in the custom are quite low. Combine shipping is not an option for me, at least until now. That because I never had so much money to buy two figures at the same time.

 

[shocktrooper_au]

Here in Athens where I live, there are very few small shops that sell figures and overpriced, especially if you compare prices with America and China.

So basiclly I order my figures from Hong Kong. Shipping is around 50$ for one 1/6 figure. I think shipping costs are higher from Australia. Then is the custom. Well as far as my experience, custom here don't charge 23% if it's about a small size toy item. But you can never be sure about that. They might charge you if they want or they may not. There's always a risk with the custom charges. Now they have never charged me taxes for figures untill now. But I'm a little bit worried when the HT Batmbobile 1989 comes here in the custom. The issue with the custom here is completely crazy. Taxes are no resonable.

Most Chinese sellers describing the figure as a toy for kids or gift present with much lower cost than the real. So the chances to add tax in the custom are quite low. Combine shipping is not an option for me, at least until now. That because I never had so much money to buy two figures at the same time.

$1000 is the limit under that your safe

 

[Sixx]

Shipping costs I can handle. Its the customs fees that annoy the **** out of me.

 

[SAB]

Yeah legendary scale prices are causing me to hesitate.

Australia has a $1000 limit before they start imposing customs fees of various types. So I've never paid customs fees on anything.

But that legendary scale Indiana Jones statue that'll be $2000+ shipping.....hmmm

Though a few Aussie shops are offering current legendary scale statues at $2400-2500 ....which is pretty damn good considering the enormous shipping cost, customs and their own markups.

....plus the piece of mind of mind that comes with someone else dealing with the risk associated with a gigantic fragile item....

 

[DaveMac]

Trouser braces, a piece of wood to bite on and a tissue

 

[GE 7]

It's not just in Oz it's just the world in general

At least the weathers always nice where you are & that's free

I loled
Last time we got a rain in my city was at least 2 years ago, just imagine living here and paying those shipping charges

 

[kloug]

Most Chinese sellers describing the figure as a toy for kids or gift present with much lower cost than the real.

I don't think that's the real reason (got lots of packages from HK normally labelled, never paid anything).
I don't know but my top 2 guesses would be
-everything comes from china & your package is a drop in an ocean
-possibly there's something linked to HK's recent british past that would make it considered "from europe"? Officially I doubt it, but it could be some officious agreement.

Here since recently I have to buy everything from HK. I buy a lot of japanese figures, in the past japanese SAL "only" costed my 10eur/package at worst. But since last year they started taxing "normally" (& by normally I mean a little above as usual). My last little package had a 35eur value, costed 43 to ship.. I paid 22eur on it. That is over 50%

It has always been a game of statistics to me. Take a $100 figure.
-In good japanese stores it'll be $80. I add a $10 shipping, and in the past a "30% chance for a 10eur tax". Today I add a "50% chance of a 40eur tax".

-in HK stores it'll cost $110. To which I add a $20 shipping (HK shipping being more expensive), & no tax (but again it's all probabilities, I *once* paid a tax)

-in a concrete store here around it's ridiculous, that $80 figure will range from 130 to 200eur. Yes, I HAVE seen $80 items for preorder at $260 in belgian shops. I don't even understand how they survive?

So 2 years ago japan was still the least expensive, today it's HK for me. Also always been HK for oversized items.
My problem is that there aren't enough online HK-based shops. ESPECIALLY for 1/6 figures, which is ironic considered that most brands are HKese.
(& of course there's the Yen that changes all the time, but that doesn't matter here)

 

[GE 7]

I don't think that's the real reason (got lots of packages from HK normally labelled, never paid anything).
I don't know but my top 2 guesses would be
-everything comes from china & your package is a drop in an ocean
-possibly there's something linked to HK's recent british past that would make it considered "from europe"? Officially I doubt it, but it could be some officious agreement.

Here since recently I have to buy everything from HK. I buy a lot of japanese figures, in the past japanese SAL "only" costed my 10eur/package at worst. But since last year they started taxing "normally" (& by normally I mean a little above as usual). My last little package had a 35eur value, costed 43 to ship.. I paid 22eur on it. That is over 50%

It has always been a game of statistics to me. Take a $100 figure.
-In good japanese stores it'll be $80. I add a $10 shipping, and in the past a "30% chance for a 10eur tax". Today I add a "50% chance of a 40eur tax".

-in HK stores it'll cost $110. To which I add a $20 shipping (HK shipping being more expensive), & no tax (but again it's all probabilities, I *once* paid a tax)

-in a concrete store here around it's ridiculous, that $80 figure will range from 130 to 200eur. Yes, I HAVE seen $80 items for preorder at $260 in belgian shops. I don't even understand how they survive?

So 2 years ago japan was still the least expensive, today it's HK for me. Also always been HK for oversized items.
My problem is that there aren't enough online HK-based shops. ESPECIALLY for 1/6 figures, which is ironic considered that most brands are HKese.
(& of course there's the Yen that changes all the time, but that doesn't matter here)

For me those HK or Japan based sellers are a different story, as I previously mentioned I use a freight forwarding company that give me addresses in US, UK and China so it will be common sense for me to ship my HK or Japan based items to China, but based on my previous experiences anything shipped from Japan or HK to China will be taxed around %10 "This is what I have been told by several sellers I dealt with previously" so what I usually do is ship my items ALL THE WAY from Japan to the US and then it gets forwarded from the US ALL THE WAY to my Saudi Arabia address.

And with all my respect during my 2 years of collecting addiction I didn't found a reliable seller based on HK or China and I hope I will soon find one, always the communication is a torture and it takes forever to get a reply or an update... and I am still waiting for 2 shipments from HK for over a year now .

For me collecting is a hobby and I would rather keep digging in ebay for months looking for a good price over getting angry waiting for a reply from a seller who I paid money to serve me.

 

[dino76m]

i have 2 set of problems
one is when buying from Sideshow and other when buying from Elsewhere via post(USPS,EMS)
Sideshow uses Fedex so the rates for shipping the statues are between 70-100$ and I have to pay 18% of total value including shipping charges as customs duty, so a 350$ Pf cost me about another 150$ extra in shipping and customs
When buying Hot toys from Sideshow , after asking for pack out shipping is around 45$ , but the bummer here is Hot toys are charged CVD when shipped via Fedex ie. a extra 12%, a 250$ HT IronMan mark 7 cost me 150$ extra again, 100$ in customs alone, I have decided to stop ordering Hot toys from SS , as it simply not worth it and also deciding to stop Hot toys after completing a couple of lines I getting at the moment
The second shipping option is USPS when ordering from other retailers and Ebay. now the post office charges 40% customs on anything above 50$, the only way to get around is this by declaring low value on the items ,but its at the risk of damage or missing shipments , so I have decided to trim my collection to ordering from Sideshow direct at the moment because paying the extra in customs is sometimes worth it if items are damaged as SS will 90% take care of it, but when ordering from ebay or other retailers you can never guarentee a safe shipment