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[quote user="InternetTrains"]International orders. Should we ship out of the US or not? Many online retailers do not ship out of the US, including many model railroad companies due to the fact that it is expensive, orders get lost, and it can take months to get a package. Overall we have had good success shipping overseas, but problems do arise. An air mail package can take 90 days, not the norm, but it happens. The Postal Services are also notorious for losing International packages or never getting them to there destination. There are two options that we have weighed heavy on changing. 1.) Not shipping out of the US. 2.) Option two would be only shipping by UPS. UPS is fast, trackable online and easily insured to most countries. The drawback to UPS International shipments is it is very expensive. It can be 4 to 8 times more expensive than Air Mail. For now though, we are still offering Air Mail as an option to our International customers. Just know that if you order and have it shipped by Air Mail, your package can be delayed for weeks and weeks. Thank you for your time, Steve Guccione President Internet Trains, Inc. [/quote] I haven't ordered anything from you Steve, but would like to make a few observations. Airmail from the US to my part of the world usually takes no more than three weeks, most often 10 days, unless customs likes what I have bought and plays around with it for a few days. Thats usually because the shipper mucked up the customs form by not clearly describing the item. My worst time airmail ex US is 27 days Sea mail is the slowest, my record being three months, 4 days post shipment ex UK, more than half a world away. When I buy, I usually request that the item being shipped is insured, that way there is generally a method of tracking it down. So far I have had a 100% success rate from all OS purchases, including those from e-bay. The USPS, Royal Mail, Deutche Poste and Australia Post have not let me down. You are right about UPS, it is so expensive it defeats the purpose of buying off shore. I usually don't need the item in 3 days, so there is no point. The three places I buy from usually only charge me on shipment, they usually respond to my emails, and are most helpful if I call. There appears to be a phobia in the US about sending things OS - sure, I would be wary about sending to some countries, but others like Australia, the UK and Europe are worth the trouble for the sale, and the repeat business. I would hope that those US businesses I deal with would be more than happy to keep sending items to me!
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