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Posts: 1,277The last bear I sold went to Australia. I have a scale at home so I weighed him and checked USPS website for shipping cost. I charged the lady $6.20 for Airmail Letter Post. Only supposed to take 4-7 days. Well, when I went to the post office, they wouldn't let me ship him that way because I wanted insurance. In order to get insurance I had to send him Airmail Parcel Post which takes 4-10 days and wound up costing over $14, not including insurance. With insurance it was $18.10. Does anyone use UPS or Fedex? Any better choices out there?
Ruby Mountain Bears
I had the same problem with a bear I shipped to Australia. It cost about 15.00 to ship a mini bear. The woman was furious, so I refered her the usps website and told her if she could find a better rate I would try it. After that she calmed down. It does seem a bit outrageous a cost.
I wanted to send the bear the way I usually do but you can't get the customs tag on the smallest package and She wouldn't allow me to send it in a bubble envelope.
My bears are so small that I make individual container for them. A small keepsake tin with Handstamped teddy bear on it with my logo. Or smallest Keepsake box with similar designs on them, Handstamped. And then put them in bubble envelopes to ship them.
See Picture
But this buyer insisted that I put him in a Box to ship him so that cost even more!
I don't know how to make it any cheaper to ship them. I just list the bear shipping standard $7.00 in the US and $14.00 Internationally. That usually covers Insurance, delivery confirmation and package cost.
Kim-Bee BearsIt is EXPENSIVE to ship UPS or Fed Ex to other countries... not only for costs up front but sometimes they hit your buyer when it arrives with fees too!
Ruby Mountain BearsOh thanks kim, thats good to know. I thought about sending something using ups.
Kathy
Kim-Bee BearsThis is what I was told by Mandie when I went to ship her Koala - and I checked the website for UPS and found that the cheapest rate was about $70! and this bear only weighed (including box and goodies) about 2-3 lbs total!
Ruby Mountain BearsOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 1,277Thanks for the input, girls! I didn't make her pay the difference, because I had already given her the quote. My fault. When I checked on USPS for cost though it didn't say I couldn't purchase the insurance with the Air Letter Mail. After I selected this shipping option it actually gave me some options that I could add on, and insurance was on the list! Well, now I know better!
Kathy-your tins are a great idea for the small bears! May I ask where you get the tins? 
Bears-a-Bruin!These costs sound about the same as from the UK. I list my little bears on eBay at $15 airmail from the UK to the US (or anywhere else outside europe). This includes 'signed for' delivery. I also add extra compensation (insurance) depending on the price of the bear, but don't charge the buyer for this. I also bear (hoho!) the cost of the packaging itself. It just is expensive unfortunately, but a lot of people don't seem to realise that! I guess I could send them airmail, or even surface mail, without all the extras but I've had problems with lost parcels in the past and have found this to be the most reliable way.
I know this doesn't help those of you in the US, but hopefully it's good as a comparison!
Ruby Mountain BearsThey are actually a discard item from my employer. One of our supplies comes in them and they throw out the containers. I thought they were perfect for the bears, since I was already purchasing small containers to do the same thing. :thumbsup:
Now I get the containers for free.
I work for a federal employer so I don't think you can get them from anywhere else? Sorry.
Kathy
Kim-Bee BearsThey are actually a discard item from my employer. One of our supplies comes in them and they throw out the containers.
Cool! I am all about recycling things like that! I get packing materials from my office that stuff is sent in (I order office supplies) so little boxes and packing "bubbles" that would ordinarily be discarded I reuse
Sophie Z'OursYou clever girl, Kathy! What a great idea to use these containers! so much better to have them free!!! 
:cool:
Concerning shipping costs, I had a look from France to foreign countries, and here too prices are very high (same kind of prices). That is the painful part to have the bears posted. I have not post any so far but will have to post the bear for AnnG when he's ready and some bears from Asiactic friends when I get them ready. It will cost me a lot, but this is life. At least, we all have similar shipping costs, so no jealous!!! :P. Finger crossed that I can get insurance on the cheaper way of shipping... Other ways are so expensive!!!
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
I send from California, USA, to France with regularity, and to England less frequently. I used to use Airmail Parcel Post with Insurance -- always insure international packages! -- but it was pointed out to me by some wonderful person whose name I have entirely forgotten, that actually, when you do the math, it's CHEAPER, yes indeed it is, or comparable (but with added services) to ship GLOBAL EXPRESS MAIL. And it's much quicker, too.
GEM comes with $100 of insurance so that cost is smaller, and it comes with tracking as part of the cost, which Airmail Parcel Post does not.
It is expensive. I just sent a 4 lb. parcel to France GEM and it cost me $38.50, including insurance.
Hope this helps someone!
I ship my big bears from the UK to the US using Parcelforce International standard service. It usually costs about £40.00 for a 20/21" bear. OUCH! :cry:
Insurance up to £150.00 is included, but anything over that will cost an additional £10.00! 
Kim-Bee BearsWOWZA!
Wowza indeed Kim! 
Posts: 1,277I checked out the global express mail. I was just curious about what it would've cost me. They have package restrictions though. I think it said a minimum 9" high and 12" wide. That'd be an awful big box for a 3" bear.
UKPaula - i wonder if you might benefit or be worse off then when they bring in these new rules from royal mail. charging you for the size of the box not the actual weight ??
Kiprie BearsI'm using EMS for international, it's not
cheap but they are easy to track down(by web) and they insure the box up to $200.00 with no charge, for extra insurance
you need about $10.00 more or so..
I think EMS is avaible for most of country and depend
on the weigt of your bear, it's cheaper then regular air mail- Parcel (with no insurance).
for 14~15" size bear I paid about $25.00 to USA with EMS...ouch
Adorable BearsMost of my bears go to the USA ( from Australia). The price of my bears as sold from the website, include post and insurance. Worldwide. It is a huge cost and I am sure many buyers do not realise how much of the full cost the post/ins. equals. However, they at least see the total price. I post air mail and delivery has always been very quick.
Only one bear has been "lost" and Australia Post tracked that it had landed in Canada but could get no cooperation from their post as to where it then went. I replaced the bear for the lady and received a full refund from Aust Post.
Susan
www.adorablebears.com.au
I have received lots of packages from the States (lucky me!) and am always amazed by how widely the price can vary...sometimes as much as $20 for essentially the same size package. I get a lot of stuff in the global priority envelopes and delivery is fast and cheap - it would be perfect for your bears in the tins Kathy (provided your buyer will let you send them that way) but I understand its not insured ?? The smallest size is $5 anywhere in the world and the biggest one $9. i have only ever had one parcel go missing and that was some kids stealing it from my letterbox and not the post office's fault.
I count myself fortunate - postage for small bears from NZ is cheap as chips, provided I dont put any extras in the box...it usually costs me around US$7 for airmail and that includes $250NZ insurance (abot $200US), and lately my bears have been getting to the States in 4 days!
