international shipping is super costly & can be slow and is risky.

DON'T COMMIT TO PURCHASE UNTIL YOU COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE COSTS AND RISKS OF THIS INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTION!!!

It has been our experience that international transactions and shipping are far more painful than domestic USA experiences--by about 1000%.  This applies to Canada and Mexico, as well as the rest of the world.

We would prefer not to sell internationally,  however we have spent time outside the USA (including living in Atlantic Canada) and have some idea how hard it can be to obtain some items in locations outside the USA.

 It is far more difficult for us to export and ship to locations outside the USA than those inside--particularly after 9/11.  Payments from locations outside the USA have typically been problematic also (Unless they are Paypal ) due to long mail delivery times and lack of any international banking in our location (we can only accept USD postal money orders --absolutely no non-USA checks or banks!!!)  We only take bank credit cards through Paypal,   We do take wire transfers although there is typically a modest charge for this and since our bank does not have an international number it usually takes several days for us to see the payment.

After 9/11, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is breathing down the neck of those of us who do international transactions and looking for excuses to throw us into prison so don't even think of asking us to do something illegal--like shipping something that is not allowed or shipping to a banned organization or individual or putting a lower than actual price on an invoice.

The bottom line is that the cost of getting an item to an international buyer is far more costly than getting the same item to a domestic USA customer.  The median international item typically costs more for packing, export and shipping than the bid or BIN price.  Some items are subject to export or import regulations.  Thus it is critical that all international buyers, including Canadians, contact us before bidding or buying.

INTERNATIONAL shipment packing adds some additional issues.  The big one is that any wood product must be heat treated and marked so as to prevent transport of any insects or disease.  This costs more and generally precludes the use of recycled wood packing.  If we are loading an ocean container for you, you will have to pay for the cost of chains, binders, straps, etc. that may be required to secure the load in the container (you do get to keep these items when your container arrives--one can never have too many chains and straps).

We have had far more problems with international items never making it to the buyer.  Thus we no longer ship international via the cheaper methods that don't have tracking.  Even then, it is absolutely critical that you include your contact phone numbers so that the delivery people and/or customs can contact you in case there is a problem.

The USPS rate changes made mid-2007 seem to have  left international priority and express mail as the only options and the more expensive express is the only one with real tracking.  The main issue we have with USPS shipping is that we have to stand in line at the post office (since 9/11) which typically takes us an hour.  FedEx is our standard choice for rapid International shipping with tracking but that is always very expensive..  Larger, heavier items typically go Air Freight to a major International Airport where you have to arrange to get the item out of customs and to your location.  Really big/heavy items go by ship--by container is possible too.

Some items are not available for international delivery due to export/import restrictions. It often requires extensive research to attempt to determine what is or is not allowed.  Even then, the recent DHS driven rules are so ambiguous, we are subject to being imprisoned for anything if some DHS employee gets a hair up their nose.  It is up to the buyer to know what items are not allowed to be imported.  We will not ship items we know to be export controlled.  If an International buyer wants an export controlled item, they will have to make arrangements with a properly licensed exporter themselves.

Due to the issues noted above, International buyers (including Canadians) must pay fees and shipping costs additional to those paid by USA buyers.  As these fees and costs are highly variable from one country to another and with one type of shipment versus another, they can only be determined on case-by-case basis.  Prospective buyers must contact us in advance to get an estimate of what these costs will be.  It is essential that the country, nearest major city with an International airport/seaport  and postal code be included, along with a full identification of the item of interest.

We would prefer shipping to a US location consolidator/forwarder rather than directly to an international destination.  If you can find an importer/consolidator who brings containers of items from the USA to a location near you, it is almost always less expensive to have your item shipped to their USA location and then forwarded rather than having us ship it directly.

We do not cover any import duties, taxes, broker fees, customs charges, etc. that may be due when an item arrives in your country.  You typically have to pay these fees directly or through a broker to get your item out of customs after it arrives in your country.

If you pretend to be a USA buyer and then turn out to be international and in need of export paperwork, commercial invoice, etc.  we will not only by unhappy with you but require additional payment for the added documentation costs.

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