International Shipping CHEAP--Two Methods

[Kroc]

Hey folks, major edit here. I have found a commercial method of doing exactly what I outline below. For more details go to EDIT below.

Do you know that the average small/medium Heroscape figure takes up about 1.5 cubic inches? Why should you care? Well not for storage, this is the average taken over 115 figures and any given unit will vary too much.

But shipping, did you ever notice how much of a booster pack is nothing but packaging? Did you ever wonder if you could cut down on your shipping fees if you had a buddy cut away all that packaging?

Yes you can! USPS has some new flat rate international boxes, and if you just cut away all that packaging you can get a massive number of figures shipped super cheap. Here are the options:

Size................$ Canada / Mexico....$ All other countries...Number of figs.
Small..................$10.95......................$12.95............. .........50
Regular (FRB-1)...$25.95......................$41.95......................340
Regular (FRB-2)...$25.95......................$41.95......................360
Large..................$32.95......................$53.95......................600


For example in the small box you can get 2 wave 9’s, 8 booster packs, so that’s only a surcharge of $1.60 per pack to get it shipped right to your home! If you are crazy enough to fill a medium size box the surcharge is only 85 cents per booster pack (that’s my order, not that I am going to fill the box, sigh.) Of course if you are ordering a large expansion pack you probably should leave at least 3 cubic inches per fig or more, but you get the picture.

And you can always order from Sandra over at housemousegames. She accepts international credit cards and paypal, so you will have no problem getting your package shipped to your buddy.

Interested? Then you probably should post here and hope some buddy will agree to help you out. You might want to mention that you will be cool if the person doesn’t get your order shipped perfectly, like if a few figs get bent, some cards go missing. You know.

Are you willing to be a Buddy? Then you should probably post here and wait for the flood of interested parties. You might want to mention the maximum number of people you are willing to help, any handling fees you would like to charge, any requirements on who you are willing to help (like community standing or something.) etceteras. I also strongly suggest you get prepared to edit your post when you have enough requests.

And please keep down the chatter, if you think this is a good idea bump my rep, not this thread. If you want to say Hi send me a PM. Let’s keep this thread neat, OK?

Let the fun begin!

EDIT: I want to put in a good word for Auggie's Games. Edit: They are (now) a site sponsor.


I just put in a massive order for D2 (approximately 3x the entire wave) and the postage and handling came to $22! This is lower than what my parents usually end up paying, and my P's didn't have to go through the hassle of unpacking the stuff! Truly amazing.

Basically Auggie is a professional who does what I suggest doing above for a living. He'll unpack your stuff and try to get it sent to you for as little as possible. It's an amazing service.

So, if you live internationally and must get your HS fix, go to Auggie's Games and enjoy. Of course it's possible that Miniatures Market might do the same for nearly the same price, but I haven't tried them.

[pegasus]

There's an added advantage. If you buy directly from a retailer, then for obvious reasons they cannot mark your box as gift.
But shipping stuff out of the box (so it's 'used') and as a private person makes it a lot easier to get it past customs without the receiving party having to pay through his or her nose.

Also the cost of shipping is often considered to be an intrinsic part of the value of the item sent. So if you do have to pay custom fees, you are charged a percentage (20% in the Netherlands -ouch-) of the cost of shipping as well. Which is another good reason to keep those costs as low as possible.

[Onacara]

I have been a buddy for several folks already..and offered to several others.

[Ramses800]

Being european and used to the metric system, can anybody please help me understand the the Size expression on the USPS rate table?

Does 12-1/2'' x 9-1/2'' mean 12 and a half times 9 and a half inches ?

Canada / Mexico All other countries Size
Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope (up to 4 pounds) $10.95 $12.95 12-1/2'' x 9-1/2''
Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box (up to 4 pounds) $10.95 $12.95 8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"
Priority Mail Regular Flat Rate Box (FRB-1) (up to 20 pounds) $25.95 $41.95 11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Priority Mail Regular Flat Rate Box (FRB-2) (up to 20 pounds) $25.95 $41.95 13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8"
Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box (up to 20 pounds) $32.95 $53.95 12-1/4" x 12-1/4" x 6"

/Ramses - who just ordered all 5 flagbearers from Amazon for delivery to my Buddy in Seattle

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Ramses800

Being european and used to the metric system, can anybody please help me understand the the Size expression on the USPS rate table?

Does 12-1/2'' x 9-1/2'' mean 12 and a half times 9 and a half inches ?

/Ramses - who just ordered all 5 flagbearers from Amazon for delivery to my Buddy in Seattle

12-1/2'' x 9-1/2'' is an envelope that is 12 1/2 inches along one side and 9 1/3 inches along the other (being and envelop it is flat, so no depth measurement. 1 inch is 2.54 cm.

The small box is: 8-5/8" wide, 5-3/8" tall, and 1-5/8" deep, or in cm: 21.9cm wide, 13.7cm tall, and 4.1cm deep

[mrkurtb]

I'm willing to volunteer my son and myself to help repackage and ship.

My only concern is that I don't want to use my credit card for anything. I checked with my local post office and they can't authorize credit card transactions over the phone. Consequently, I would request that a money order (made out to my local post office) be sent once the shipping charge is known.

If you are interested, just pm me.

[Ramses800]

Thanks Retlaw for your clarification!

[Parduz]

GREAT POST. Thanks Kroc!
<edit> with the previous stupid phrase i meant that i'm happy to have a thread to look at when i'll buy something.

[footsoldier13]

Thinking about buying some form of large expansion, anyone interested in being my buddy, I'm cool if no-one does, just a thought, came by this thread by chance, and there is literally NO heroscape in the UK!

And even though the expansions only have a few figs etc, the postage costs a bomb. And guys I dont mind if you lose anything, as long as its not a figure.

[pixlepix]

Would Sandra be able to implement tis as part of her buisness. Maby as another shipping option?

[J4Jandar]

Sandra, as well as every other online retailer, has international shipping rules stated on their website if you care to poke around.

[Kroc]

Originally Posted by pixlepix

Would Sandra be able to implement tis as part of her buisness. Maby as another shipping option?

Sandra would never be willing to take the responsibility for this, and would have to do a professional job if she did, increasing her costs until it wouldn't reduce her shipping fees.