KickstarterForum.org

Hello,
I hope someone who has run a successful kickstarter can help me with the question of international shipping. So we are selling a product which is a high cost product and we cant rely on 1st class USPS international mail as from experience items take forever to arrive and some never arrive at all. Loosing a handful of TarDisk 256GB drives could prove tremendously expensive for us. At the same time international shipping is super expensive 25-30$. We want to charge customers less and need a good while reliable solution, anyone have experience with fulfillrite or shipwire or other shipping sources.

http://kck.st/1yGSAk2

Feedback would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Craig
TarDisk

Hey Craig,

International shipping is a huge undertaking. I've never used Fulfillrite or Shipwire, but I did want to offer my thoughts on USPS.

We shipped using USPS and we had our products going out to 45 different countries. Aside from one package that seems to still be floating in the cosmos, all of our rewards appear to have made it to their destinations. USPS is likely the slowest, but the cost trade-off is completely worth it. Because it is a Kickstarter campaign people are expecting to wait. Just knowing that the package is in-transit is enough to please a majority of your backers. Whether it arrives three days or two weeks from the moment is not a huge deal. Additionally, with USPS 1st Class you'll get insurance AND a tracking number, which will help enormously for disputes afterwards.

Hope that helps! Great job on the campaign. And you've still got another 20 days!

- Tom

Thanks Tom, BTW love your kickstarter, great idea, I love it! We have been working with mills and CNC machines 3d printers and laser cutters, we found there was a lot more that can not be done with a laser cutter than we had hoped like aluminum foil tape. USPS is the method we have the most experience with, and I agree first class is generally fine as it now provides door to door tracking in many countries. I have found their insurance claims process a nightmare in the past but I will definitely re asses this option, thanks for the advice!
Craig
TarDisk

Hey Craig,

Your welcome! As for the claims process, I think it depends on the value in dispute, and as long as it's below a couple hundred dollars I've found it pretty easy. Just have to sit on the phone for a bit Congrats on your very successful campaign!

- Tom

Hi Tom,

Quick question...I'm in the process of figuring out our strategy for international fulfillment on our Kickstarter project (a high density exercise mat). We have about 115 international backers and the product value is ~$90. I was planning to ship USPS similar to how you describe.

However, I've been receiving many questions regarding the value we are going to declare and if we can lower it. Would you mind explaining to me the process of VAT or customs that is involved? Should my backers pay this? Or is this something I pay?

We even received one question from Germany asking if they would need to go to customs to pick up the product...which my response was No, it will be delivered to your doorstep. But just want to clarify that this is correct as well.

Thanks for the help...this international fulfillment has been a doozy

Best,
Justin

Can you share which how you found the solution?

This is the first time in my life after using MacBook more than 10 years when I found out what this space inside the laptop is used for, that is really killing, now I want to buy one lol. Also, I think that the best idea is to sign a contract with a shipping company, so you can have a good price and a secured delivery which will make you less problems and a more comfortable and pleasant work with your clients. I also signed a contract with a car transport company because I opened a private car shop, so it is cheaper and better for me to work with another company than to buy my own trucks and to pay salaries.

There are a lot of options that will end up much more expensive than you might think, such as:
Air freight . This option is fast but it can end up being very expensive. If you go directly to an air freight company you may have to sort out customs yourself or hire the services of a customs agent, which will add considerably to the cost and to your stress levels. You will also need to consider how you are going to get your items to and from the airport if your company doesn’t offer that service.
Sea freight and container shipping. This involves your possessions being loaded into a large container which are then placed on cargo ships. While cheaper than air freight, sea freight and container shipping can still cost big bucks. You will still need to make sure your items clear through customs and possibly hire a customs agent to help you, especially in destinations with complicated customs processes. The biggest problem with sea freight and container shipping is that it can take ages for your items to arrive at their destination. Plus, you need to arrange their transport to and from the ports.
Or just go directly to a courier company

Have you ever thought about shipping containers as an option? You can find multiple options at https://www.tigercontainers.com/contact-us/shipping-containers-melbourne/ and I always work with them because it's cheap, convenient, and comfortable. As you said, international shipping can be very expensive indeed, and yeah, sometimes the products didn't arrive at all. It's nothing more annoying than losing my time and money in vain, so I found that shipping containers is the option that works for me. If you don't want to buy them, you can just rent and give it a try.

AlexWilliams wrote: ↑Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:51 pm Have you ever thought about shipping containers as an option? You can find multiple options at https://www.tigercontainers.com/contact-us/shipping-containers-melbourne/ and I always work with them because it's cheap, convenient, and comfortable. As you said, international shipping can be very expensive indeed, and yeah, sometimes the products didn't arrive at all. It's nothing more annoying than losing my time and money in vain, so I found that shipping containers is the option that works for me. If you don't want to buy them, you can just rent and give it a try.

As for me, a great idea. I think it would be cheaper than with the other methods, or with the other providers.