Pen Shipping Guide

[speerbob]

Hi, in 2012 and 2013 I posted articles on my experience shipping pens the previous year. I receive many questions about pen shipping since I ship so many. I had a few questions recently so thought I’d post an update.

Bottom line is the United States Postal Service is awesome when it comes to handling, speed, reliability and on-time delivery. The experience at the Post Office is not always great, but better than in the past. Use online postage services like Stamps.com or the USPS’s own online postage. Online postage is cheaper too. USPS is nearly always cheaper than UPS, FedEx and other services as well. Also USPS scheduled home pickup is awesome and free.

 

A quick note on packing. As far as I’m concerned if an item is broken in shipping, it’s your fault as the shipper. You didn’t pack it well. Use PVC tubes in padded envelopes or a box for loose pens and sturdy boxes with good packing for delicate items. Wrap the pen before putting it in the PVC so it doesn't get scratched and tape the ends. Bubble wrapping a pen and putting it in an envelope is not good enough. 99.9% of packages are handled well and do not get damaged, but pack for that .1% that gets rough handling.

I shipped over 5000 packages via USPS in 2015. About 1500 went outside the USA. For the fifth year in a row I did not lose one single package shipped inside the USA. A few came back for address issues and a few were misrouted and took longer than they should have, but no lost packages in five years shipping domestically. I had a few where the buyer said he/she didn't get it but the tracking showed it was delivered. Usually when this happened it went to a company or apartment address and no one gave it to the buyer or the spouse didn't tell the buyer he/she had a package. Usually they turn up. This is why delivery confirmation is important and it’s free if you use stamps.com, USPS online postage and some other postage services.

For mail in the USA use whatever mail class you like. First class is usually not much slower, if slower at all, than priority and about half the price. Use delivery confirmation (which actually provides full tracking) and if it makes you feel better use insurance. Only use parcel post for big packages and if there is a big difference in cost as it can be slow. Insurance is up to you based on your risk tolerance. It is very unlikely the package will get lost, but if it makes you feel better use it. The online postage services have much cheaper insurance than the USPS and their service is much better. It can take months to collect from USPS but Stamps.com, for example, pays claims in 2 weeks. If a package does get lost and you do not have tracking to prove it arrived, YOU are responsible. AGAIN, the sender/seller is always responsible until there is proof it arrived at the buyer’s address so use delivery confirmation.

International mailing is always a bit scarier for many people. Of the 1500 or so packages I sent outside the USA in 2015, I lost 15 (1%). All were lost once they left the USA. Still a pretty good record. There were also a few that seemed to be lost but eventually came back to me since they couldn't be delivered for various reasons. 95% of packages I mailed international were sent first class with less than 5% sent flat rate priority or regular priority mail. First class is MUCH cheaper. The transit times vary quite a bit by country, time of year, and if Customs decides to inspect the package. Figure at least 15 days for priority mail but do not be surprised if it takes 30 days sometimes. First class is not really much slower and as it usually bypasses Customs inspection, quite often faster than priority. I ship 95% of international packages first class mail. While mail to Canada and Japan seems to always be very fast, don't assume certain other countries are faster than others. I often have mail to the UK take 30 days and mail to Brazil take 10 days one time and the opposite the next time. 45 days to Russia is not unusual at all. Don't start to worry until 30 days after shipping even for priority mail. Just because USPS treats it as priority doesn't mean other countries do, especially their Customs office. I prefer first class mail because it almost always flys under the radar of Customs so first class packages are rarely delayed. It’s also much, much cheaper. I ship to most all countries. The only exception is India. Six of those 15 lost packages lost in 2015 were to India. The last two years probably 50% of the packages I sent to India were lost so I stopped mailing to India. I never use Express Mail. It may be faster but it will nearly always be opened by Customs, likely delayed if there are any questions about value, taxed, and it is quite expensive.

First class and flat rate priority cannot be tracked once they leave the USA in many cases. Brazil is one of the few countries to track first class international mail and some countries do track flat rate priority, but not many. Regular priority is usually tracked all the way but cost twice as much. So depending on your risk tolerance insure your packages. This is another reason to use Stamps.com. They will insure all packages to nearly all countries and their insurance is much cheaper than USPS insurance and collecting on it is MUCH easier than the USPS. My risk tolerance is probably high because the occasional lost package is the cost of doing business but I do usually insure international packages with a value over $200.00. Oddly I rarely lose expensive pens, it’s the $20.00 ones that get “lost”.

I also use international registered mail very occasionally for small high value packages. If using registered go with first class mail as it is much cheaper and because of how registered is handled priority is not really any faster. Registered requires special packaging so know the requirements and you will always have to go to the Post Office to register it. You cannot insure registered mail with the USPS so if you want to insure it use Stamp.com for the postage label and insurance and then take it to the Post Office for the registered. You’ll have to explain to them that you already paid the postage and all you need to pay for is registration. This always confuses them. Make sure they don’t charge you again for the postage.

I will not get into Customs tax issues but keep in mind that your buyer may be taxed and in some countries like the UK, Brazil and much of Western Europe the taxes are very high. They may ask you to put a lower value on the Customs label and it is up to you whether you want to do that. I personally have no issue with it. Marking the item as a gift helps too. Of course if you put a lower value on the label, don’t put a higher value invoice in the package. In fact I never put an invoice in the package and it has never been a problem at all. International buyers should also know that tax is their responsibility as the importer of the item. Again, be sure to always pack very well. I pack single pens in a plastic sleeve then in a PVC tube which makes them pretty much indestructible.

I hope this info is helpful. Drop me a note if you have questions and I welcome comments that help others ship better. Speerbob@starpower.net. Also check out my new web site at www.speerbob.com. Cheers, Bob

[sharonspens]

Thanks for this update. Very appreciated!

 

Sharon in Indiana

[Cryptos]

First Class International (FCI) from the US to New Zealand is frequently tracked door to door. Essentially, if there is a tracking number it applies all the way.

 

For US traders, International Surface to Air Lift (ISAL) is by far the cheapest option to ship overseas - beats USPS FCI by almost 50% most of the time - yet very few US traders either use it or are aware of it. Takes a bit longer to arrive though.

[gweimer1]

I can say that my first pen from you set the standard that I now use for every pen I ship. In addition to being more than protected, the recipient is able to get to his pen easily. I cringe when I get a pen smothered in bubble wrap and tape that won't let go of the wrapping. I'm waiting for a pen to be sacrificed trying to open it.

[KellyMcJ]

A quick note on packing. As far as Im concerned if an item is broken in shipping, its your fault as the shipper. You didnt pack it well. Use PVC tubes in padded envelopes or a box for loose pens and sturdy boxes with good packing for delicate items. Wrap the pen before putting it in the PVC so it doesn't get scratched and tape the ends. Bubble wrapping a pen and putting it in an envelope is not good enough. 99.9% of packages are handled well and do not get damaged, but pack for that .1% that gets rough handling.

I regularly receive very fragile antique and modern glass items and I will back you 100% on this. I have received boxes that were in all but the worst possible condition and the contents were in fine condition. I believe that "fragile" must be Latin for "football" judging by the condition of some of the boxes! Pack it well, though , and it will survive.

[jar]

I find USPS Priority by far the best service as a buyer and as a shipper.

[PS104]

​

Thank you for this updated guide

Thank you for your kind words for the USPS. I have purchased more than a few pens and have not had any problems (knock on wood) in having them shipped to me. Ron Zorn adds another layer of protection for himself by requesting a Signature Required delivery. Many of my pens are inserted into a PVC tube with a layer of bubble wrap with plastic peanuts at both ends and then usually with caps or tape at both ends. Then it is usually put in to a small Flat Rate Priority Shipping box with more peanuts surrounding it. To their credit the USPS the boxes never look like they’ve been used for football practice. I agree with you that it is the shipper's responsibility for the adequate protection of their merchandise. The other innovation of the USPS is their Tracking Number that is generated. Especially with the packages from Mr Zorn I can follow its journey to me and see when it will reach me. This way I can be home to receive it. If for some reason I’m not I can either request it be delivered the next day or go to the post office and retrieve it myself. Kudos for the USPS for their continuing improvements.

Edited January 10, 2016 by PS104

[hari317]

I am buyer and seller in India and I have had no lost incoming parcels in the last 8years. The only lost outgoing parcel was to Ireland where the package vanished after departing India. I use only registered mail or EMS. I buy a lot from sellers around the world and many in the USA and have had good luck so far, including some items from speerbob. From USA I ask sellers ti use first class envelope with registered mail service added. This provides tracking and is cheaper than priority.

[speerbob]

I am buyer and seller in India and I have had no lost incoming parcels in the last 8years. The only lost outgoing parcel was to Ireland where the package vanished after departing India. I use only registered mail or EMS. I buy a lot from sellers around the world and many in the USA and have had good luck so far, including some items from speerbob. From USA I ask sellers ti use first class envelope with registered mail service added. This provides tracking and is cheaper than priority.

Hi Hari, Yes, registered to India is a good option but it's expensive at $12.00 on top of the shipping charge and most pens I send to India are in the $20.00 to $30.00 range so the buyer doesn't want to pay $20.00 or so for shipping. If it's sent registered it's unlikely to get lost. Cheers, BOB

[Goudy]

This web page lists the countries for which USPS First Class International includes free tracking door-to-door. The countries are Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, France, Netherlands, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Israel and Brazil. Detailed UK tracking is available at http://www.postoffice.co.uk/track-trace once the package has entered the country.

 

As a UK recipient, I prefer First Class International to Priority. Not only is the shipping cheaper, the customs handling fee (added by the courier to the actual import charges) is cheaper, too: £8 for First Class vs £13 for Priority. First Class is maybe about a week slower for deliveries from the US.

 

Regarding the customs form, if it's an antique pen (>100 years old), writing "Antique - relief claimed" can help the buyer as it allows them to claim the lower import tax of 5% (the normal rate is 20%). Sometimes, just writing "antique" on the form triggers the lower rate. "Pen - for repair" usually results in zero customs fees. A few sellers have done this, though I've never asked them to, nor would I advise it (unless the pen actually is for repair) - it's the sender who is breaking the law if he misdescribes an item on the customs form.

[VGTheOne]

Very useful. Thank you!