Selling a heavy, expensive item overseas?

teepee2011

Hi everyone

I am selling an antique microscope on ebay and made it available to international buyers as there seems to be a lot of interest overseas.

Someone in Italy has bid and questioned my stated postage price claiming it is very expensive (which it is) and I am having trouble finding something cheaper.

It is almost 6kg, and ideally I want to send it tracked as it is expensive - and with insurance. One of the main problems is many couriers exclude antiques from insurable items!

Any ideas on anything not ridiculously expensive? I haven't found anything cheaper than £56, and some quotes are over £100 - without insurance!

Thanks.

tigeress289

With air mail,it is more about the volume size rather than weight. Just keep looking in the web. I would type in cheap parcel to Italy. I found a courier that delivered a 12kilo parcel to New Zealand, signed for. For £64,the courier that picked it up were DHL, and their cheapest quote was £112, work that one out? I think you will still be looking around the £40/50 mark with any luck. You might also consider surface mail which takes longer but cheaper.

soolin

tigeress289 wrote: »

With air mail,it is more about the volume size rather than weight. Just keep looking in the web. I would type in cheap parcel to Italy. I found a courier that delivered a 12kilo parcel to New Zealand, signed for. For £64,the courier that picked it up were DHL, and their cheapest quote was £112, work that one out? I think you will still be looking around the £40/50 mark with any luck. You might also consider surface mail which takes longer but cheaper.

I wouldn't personally use surface mail for an ebay sale and would stick with a courier that has a fairly quick turn around. However, as OP has pointed out many couriers exclude antiques - and since this will also include glass it will be doubly excluded.

martindow

Try Pharos

http://pharosparcel.com/QuoteAndBook/QuoteMe

18.64 + VAT to Italy.

I'm not sure if you will be able to get insurance for it though as most carriers will consider it a fragile article and exclude it.

PS I am aware I keep suggesting Pharos. I have no connection but I do find their European road services which typically take about 4 days to be good value to many countries.

teepee2011

Ok thanks everyone - Pharos seems to be the cheapest around.

wileycat

Only other option if you can split it into parcels less than 2kg and use Royal Mail.

Remember the postage service in Italy used to be very hit and miss (I'm trying not to say corrupt but close enough)...lots of parcels never arrive if not perfectly addressed.

hcb42

I wouldnt risk it with any postal service tbh.

Hammyman

soolin wrote: »

I wouldn't personally use surface mail for an ebay sale and would stick with a courier that has a fairly quick turn around. However, as OP has pointed out many couriers exclude antiques - and since this will also include glass it will be doubly excluded.

All my laptops go to Europe by road. Typically takes 3 to 5 working days. Italy takes 5 working days usually. I send DHL booked through Parcelmonkey. DHL have the best online door to door tracking of any courier company I've used.

OTTOMH I think it cost me £27 for 5kg with £200 insurance.

Obviously_the_best

For the continent I generally use interlink (https://www.interlinkdirect.co.uk) or https://www.interparcel.co.uk and everything is cheap and quick

sharnad

Hammyman wrote: »

All my laptops go to Europe by road. Typically takes 3 to 5 working days. Italy takes 5 working days usually. I send DHL booked through Parcelmonkey. DHL have the best online door to door tracking of any courier company I've used.

OTTOMH I think it cost me £27 for 5kg with £200 insurance.

Thats not bad