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Shipping Questions

What shipping method should I use?

The answer to this question depends on what is most important to you - price or speed. If speed is the most important requirement then select express+tracking. If cost is more important then select economy or economy + tracking. The economy option does not have tracking and is not available for orders over US$250. Please note that there is no sea mail to Australia.

What is return protection?

Return protection provides for coverage of the shipping costs involved in making a warranty repair any time during the manufacturer's warranty period. his includes the cost of shipping from Australia (or your country) to the USA, all shipping within the USA, and return shipping to Australia (or your country). Coverage is not provided on purchased extended warranties or items with "lifetime" warranties where my US partners have to pay the shipping costs (these are not really lifetime warranties, but are paid for out of the shipping charged by the company). While return protection is optional, it must be purchased at the time of item purchase. The cost of return protection is 20% of the total shipping costs.

If you have purchased return protection and need to make a claim please before shipping your item back to the USA as my US partners may need to arrange a UPS (courier) to pick up of your item. You will need to ship any items back via an equivalent method to that which your order was shipped from the USA.

Because AusPost will not ship items that contain lithium batteries to the USA, if your item contains lithium batteries you need to select UPS shipping if you wish to also select return protection.

Return protection may not be offered on some items, particular items that are impossible to return or are refurbished. If return protection is not offered you will be informed in the quote.

Does delivery protection cover items that arrives not working?

No. Delivery protection only covers replacement of shipments that do not arrive. Because of the extra time involved in shipping an item to and from Australia (or your country) my partners can't just return dead on arrival (DOA) items to the original store. This means that the DOA item will need to be replaced or repaired under the normal warranty conditions. If you need an item repaired under warranty please

What are the USPS shipping size limits?

The size limits are listed below. The girth + length size can be calculated by adding the two shortest lengths together (width + height) then multiplying by 2 then adding the length. In practice the maximum size that can be shipped is a box a little under 16x16x16 inches (40cm).

If your item is larger than the USPS limits please as we can arrange to ship large items using courier delivery although UPS (courier) - this is cheaper than express mail on a lb per lb basis.

USPS Express Mail International (express+tracking)

Weight Limits

• 44 pounds max (20kg).

Dimensions

• Maximum length: 36 inches (90 cm).
• Maximum length and girth combined: 79 inches (197.5 cm).

USPS Priority Mail International (economy+tracking)

Weight Limits

• 66 pounds max (30kg).

Dimensions

• Maximum length: 42 inches (105 cm).
• Maximum length and girth combined: 79 inches (197.5 cm).

USPS First Class Air Mail International (economy)

Weight Limit

• 4 pounds max (1.8kg).

Dimensions (Envelopes and Packages)

• Minimum length and height: 5.5 inches x 3.5 inches (13.75 cm x 8.75 cm).
• Minimum depth (thickness): .007 inch (0.175 mm).
• Maximum length: 24 inches (60 cm).
• Maximum length, height, depth (thickness) combined: 36 inches (90 cm).

My item is larger than the mail 79" size limit. How can I ship it?

The only option is to ship it via express+tracking (UPS courier). My USA partners have a high volume UPS (courier) account which gives them an approximately 2/3rds off the standard UPS (courier) rates. For example, to ship a snowboard from the USA to Australia via UPS will cost between US$100 to $130. UPS charges on the basis of the greater of the the actual weight or volumetric weight. The rule to calculate the volumetric weight is 139 cubic inches = 1 pound. For example, if your item weights 20 lbs, but has dimensions of 24" x 24" x 24" (13,824 cubic inches) then the shipping weight will be 100 lbs (13,824 / 139). I have a button on my order page (shipping cost calculator) that will help you calculate the volumetric weight based on the box dimensions.

UPS charges additional fees (surcharge) for the following

• More than 70 lbs in actual weight • US$8
• Length greater than 60 inches • US$8
• Remote area surcharge • $24
• Girth + length greater than 130 inches• $50

My shipping cost calculator takes these surcharge into account when estimating the shipping costs.

What are lbs and inches?

These are the American weight and length measurement. One pound (lbs) equals 0.45 kg and one inch (also written as '') is 2.5cm. Most USA companies will quote shipping sizes and dimensions in pounds and inches.

I don't know how much my item weighs? What should I do?

Don't panic. If you don't know what the shipping weight is either make a guess so that you can get a rough estimate of how much the order will cost to ship, or select one of the "estimate shipping for me" options. I also have a button on my order page that will help you calculate the shipping weight if you know the approximate size of your item. It is always a good idea to provide the size of each item in the order details if you know this is as it will help me to give you the most accurate quote possible.

One good place to find the shipping weight of an item is Amazon as they normally list the shipping weight for products. Please keep in mind that this information is not always 100% accurate.

What happens if my item weighs more or less than estimated?

Please remember that the "shipping and handling to Australia" (or other country) price provided in the final quote can only be an estimate unless someone has ordered exactly the same item before and it has shipped. You will be charged on the basis of what the order actually weighs (either actual or volumetric) so it does not really matter what the shipping estimate is except to give you an idea of what the final order cost will be. You do not pay anything towards the shipping at the order stage and are only billed the actual costs later.

My USA partners have limited storage spaces so they cannot store your order indefinitely. If you fail to pay for any extra shipping owed my USA partners will hold your item for 10 days before returning them to the store at your expense. If it is not possible to return the items to the original store then my USA partner will sell the items on eBay. You will be refunded any money my partners can recoup from returning or selling the items minus any costs incurred. This does not apply to consolidated orders where my US partner is waiting for an item to arrive before shipping.

If you have Fixed Price Quote then no matter what the shipping cost your shipping prcie will not change.

How long will it take for my order to arrive?

This is difficult to estimate as it depends on a number of factors outside my US partners control, such as how fast the USA shipping is and how quickly the original store processes the order. My US partner will normally place your order within 24 hours of receiving payment and ships the goods the next business day after they arrive at their address. You can expect that most orders will take between 10 to 21 days. USA FREE OR GROUND SHIPPING CAN BE SLOW (up to 8 to 15 business days). If you are in a hurry select the fastest USA shipping and UPS (courier) for the shipping to Australia.

How long do each of the different shipping alternative take?

These are the shipping time ranges I have observed with each of the different shipping options over the last 12 months.

• USA Ground Shipping (free shipping): 8 to 15 days.
• USPS Express Mail: 6 to 7 days
• USPS Priority Mail: 10 to 12 days
• USPS Air Mail (First Class): 12 to 28 days
• UPS Expedited (courier): 6 days
• UPS Express (courier) : 3 to 4 days

The most variable shipping time is for USA Ground (Free) Shipping. This is the shipping from the original store to my USA partner. Many stores seem to give a very low priority to free shipping orders so as to "encourage" you to pay the extra for their more expensive shipping. If you are in a hurry to get an item it may be worth paying for faster USA shipping. You can use the test address to workout how much this will cost.

My order was shipped to me but it hasn't arrive yet. What should I do?

Sometimes shipping take longer than it should. If your order was shipped by my USA partner by express, priority, or UPS (courier) more than 28 days ago then please and I will arrange for a replacement. If your order was shipped by First Class Air Mail please allow up to 8 weeks. While most first class air mail shipments arrive within a couple of weeks, the occasional order has taken as long as 4 months. Unfortunately if your order has been shipped by first class air mail we are not able to find where it is as this class of mail does not have a tracking number. This is one of the major disadvantages to using this method.

I should mention that the tracking information provided by USPS is very often inaccurate. If your order has supposedly been delivered then please contact your local post office. My experience is that in most case these "missing" or "delivered" packages are actually sitting at the post office collecting dust. You just need to quote your USPS tracking number and the staff should be able to help.

One final point is UPS will sometimes drop off your package at your local post office. If your UPS order has arrived and been signed for by someone you don't know then check with your local post office to see if they have it.

What happens if my items arrive damaged or not working?

Please contact me to arrange for return of the item. Please do not ship the item directly to me or my USA partner without first. This also applies if the wrong item has been shipped.

If your order was shipped by UPS then it is covered by UPS insurance. Please contact UPS about the damage and remember to keep the boxes since they may wish to inspect the boxes. UPS may refuse to honor their insurance if you do not keep the boxes.

Can I have my items shipped to a different address?

Yes. To select a different shipping address please check the "ship to different address" box on the order form. This will displays the "shipping address" section allowing you to enter a different delivery address. If you are shipping to your work address please include your company's name. My US partners will not ship to USA address.

Can you change the declared value of my order?

No. This is customs fraud. This also does not protect you from later charges by customs. They may send you a bill anytime in the next five years if not accurately declare. While there are some companies out there that will do this, it is worth considering if you want to use the services of someone that is willing to commit fraud.