INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
International shipping has become a logistical nightmare lately. Hopefully I have found a viable solution for us. This solution is the topic of this post!
You might have noticed that recently the option for checking out from out of country disappeared. After shipping all over the world for over 25 (+) years, due to recent changes, keeping up with the shipping regulations to other countries had become a lot for me to wrangle.
That being said, I have re-instituted shipping out of country. There is a button for International shoppers to click at the end of the checkout process. When you click this link, you won’t be charged until we discuss shipping rates based on the size/weight of your order and its destination.
On to the topic of this blog post – a possible money-saving work-around for your out-of-country orders:
SHIPITO (that's a mouthful, isn't it!?)
That translates to Ship It To in case you were having trouble reading that!
Instead of reinventing the wheel, here’s a blurb from the Shipito website regarding international shipping:
Shop in the U.S.A. and have packages forwarded to you
“Many products are less expensive in the U.S.A. but sellers and websites do not ship directly to international addresses.
This is where Shipito can help.
With Shipito you can shop websites like [Arkansas Crystal Works] eBay, Amazon and Walmart, ship your purchases to our warehouse and then we will ship the packages to you.
No credit card is needed as we accept many forms of payment.”
HOW CAN SHIPITO BE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING?
Again, according to the Shipito website:
“At Shipito, we ship 100’s of thousands of packages every year.
This results in big discounts with the major carriers that we’re able to pass along to you, our loyal customers!”
(end Shipito, enter Genn): I think it would also be a savings (if you shop in the US a lot) to place several orders and have them all combined.
This way you would pay one shipping rate for all, rather than a separate shipping rate to each company.
If you are purchasing lightweight items (with free shipping in the US) I suspect this would be quite a savings overall.
WHY SHIPITO?
You might wonder where this idea came from. (Again, I am not affiliated with Shipito and am not profiting from this suggestion.)
When I was shopping at another website, I saw this service as an option for international shipping. It looked interesting so I investigated. The US-based website said they didn’t ship internationally but offered Shipito as an option which sparked my curiosity.
I looked into Shipito and suggested it to my friend M in Australia as he was wanting to place a crystal order and shipping rates were through the roof. We tried it. Following is what M had to say about the experience with Shipito:
REAL WORLD REVIEW FROM A CRYSTAL FRIEND IN AUSTRALIA
From M, regarding International Shipping with Shipito:
“Just a quick update on the ‘Shipito’ shipping:
When your package arrived [to the US-based address] I was sent an email informing me that was the case which also included photographs of the outside of the package.
At this stage, the ‘Shipito’ user is presented with a number of options which include ‘Ship now’, ‘Wait for other packages’, ‘Add to consignment’, plus a few other options which the user can pay for if interested.
The user then completes a customs declaration online, filling in a description and cost of the items and whether the items are personal, business or gift purchases, and then makes payment based on the services selected.
Overall the process I would describe as very smooth.”
PAYMENT PAGE SHOWING COSTS INCURRED
Shipito for International shipping experience from M, continued:
“I have attached a screenshot of the payment page to outline the costs as charged. I hope it will be of help to you when weighing up which adopters may benefit (or not?) from using the service.
There is also the option of purchasing insurance which might be appreciated for higher value crystals.”
(end M, enter Genn): As a caveat, when I priced shipping via USPS to Australia for M’s order (which weighed only a few ounces) they quoted $71!! Shipito as you can see was $28.55 after fees, taxes and etc.
IS THERE A MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR USING SHIPITO?
Depending on whether you want to ship a lot or just a time or two, there are 3 membership levels from which to choose.
Our Australian Crystal Friend, M, opted to use the free version and was quite happy with the service.
Check out this page on the Shipito website to see the different plan tiers available.
SPOILER ALERT:
- Free – 7 day free package storage
- $10/mo – 45 day free package storage
- $60/year – up to 60 day free package storage
Offerings vary. The free service looks sufficient to me!
It looks like the main difference is how long you can hold an order while you add to it.
YOU WON'T PAY TWICE TO SHIP
Shipping is high enough and it seems brutal to have to pay to ship from Arkansas to your “new” US address as well as paying Shipito to get your package.
If your crystal purchase is over the free shipping threshold, shipping from here to the Shipito facility in the US is automatically free.
To help defray your shipping cost even more, even if your order total is under the free shipping threshold, I will refund your shipping from here to the Shipito facility. Just email me after you order.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR ORDER THROUGH ARKANSAS CRYSTAL WORKS?
First, go to the Shipito website and see if it seems like a fit for you.
If it is, sign up and get your US address for international shipping.
Place your crystal order and enter the “new” US address from Shipito as your shipping address on checkout. It would also be helpful to make note that you have a US Shipito address in case the shopping cart doesn’t show it).
Finally, I send your crystals to Shipito. You may choose to order from other companies and combine them all, then have Shipito send all your goodies to you at once.
IN SUMMARY
I am saddened by how the world seems to be instituting more regulations that are splitting us apart rather than bringing us together.
Continued additional international shipping restrictions and regulations have just been a symptom of this false splitting.
If you’re reading this, you know that we really are all one big world (and people), not just a bunch of fractured countries (and tribes).
I trust (know) that this false appearance of splitting is just part of the growing pains entering a Shiny New 5D Earth.
We’ll get through this!
DON'T WANT TO USE SHIPITO? NO PROBLEM!
If you are an International Crystal Friend and prefer not to go the Shipito route and still want to place a crystal order, all is not lost!
PLEASE email me if you wish to order and I will do everything in my power to get your crystals to you!
Thanks so much for your understanding and patience!
Are you a current (or past) Shipito customer? Please take a minute to add an informal review on this service below!
Did you find it helpful or would you advise steering clear? We would all appreciate your input! Thanks in advance!
ADDENDUM - UPDATE FROM CRYSTAL FRIEND IN AUSTRALIA
It’s been many months since the original Shipito experience, so I checked in with our Crystal Friend, M, to see how he has enjoyed the service over time. While he didn’t continue to use the service, he reiterated his initial review.
“M” says: “After I had completed the online process with Shipito, the parcel seemed to take a day or two to get sent to the local California depot for onward shipping.
It’s perhaps important to point out that as I selected the national postal service here as the preferred carrier on the Shipito system (Australia Post), it seemed to be a very smooth handover between the depot and quick arrival in Australia.
Once the parcel arrived at the depot in California, it seemed the parcel then arrived in Australia in no time at all, and it was delivered to my home very quickly.
[It was about] 10 or 11 days from the Shipito warehouse, to delivered. I think that’s pretty good when considered against the backdrop of the last two years or more.
One other thing that I think is worth mentioning is that there were no additional charges. No importation charges and no local tax charges to receive the parcel. This may be due to my selection of the local Australia Post as the shipping carrier, I cannot say if other carriers would attract additional charges. This is probably worth checking, especially if you choose a Fed Ex, DHL, UPS.
Just one last thing, Shipito sent me a 10% off discount code able to be used the first time I used the service. So if you are considering using Shipito, perhaps just sign up for the free account straight away, then maybe in week or so Shipito will send you a 10% off code, then use that to lower the cost of your first parcel.”
"All in all, I would use the service again and it's quite good to know that of the retailers in the US who don't deliver overseas, I now have a way to access their products and have them sent via California to Australia. The tracked service is excellent and the process works as advertised."
Crystal Friend M
from Australia
