Best way to ship to Australia

[Former_Member]

Okay. I have my first international order. What is the best way to ship to Australia? I would first of all like to make sure it gets there safely. Second concern would be price. Can anyone help me out?

[Former_Member]

Congratulations on your first international order! At least it is to Australia - it might be expensive, but at least their postal service is pretty good. My first international order was to Italy, and it was nerve wracking.

How big is the item? Is it fragile? How soon does the buyer need it? All of these things will impact your choice of shipping method.

[Purl1VintageToo]

Well, it depends on what you are sending. We sell vintage clothes and what we have shipped there has been around 13.00 mailing it from our local post office. You have to fill out custom forms too. Our postmaster walked us through the process the first time. I hope this helps!

[Former_Member]

Jewelry. Inside a cardboard box inside a padded mailer. There is no time limit. Box is 4 1/2 inches. Mailer is 6 by 10 or so. My most important point is to have it arrive safely.

[Former_Member]

i would go small flat rate box or flat rate envelope, i shipped a dress there once and it is $16.95 so it depends on the value of the item, that is what i did, make sure to explain it to the customer and have them pay for it so you don't get the loss.

[NancyBags4U]

I shipped to Australia with no problem. I use regular parcel post. There is a little customs form to fill out and the postal clerk attaches it to your envelope.

I take international orders right to the post office and have them check out what I am doing just to have final approval that I didn't miss anything.

Good luck!

[Former_Member]

I follow NancyBags4U's process. I have had some item get stuck in customs even with the customs forms filled out. International orders are worth the headache though. You can't track once it gets past US customs though.

Good luck and congrats!

[Former_Member]

Thank you all! I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be better to use UPS or FedEX to deliver. I usually use the post office because of convenience. If anyone else has any suggestions, I will continue to check the thread.

[MaxplanationPhotos]

Depends on how big , I shipped it with a flat rate box . Snail mail overseas is risky

[LaAntiguaTextiles]

I shipped 4 yards of fabric to Australia right before Christmas, on Dec 16, First Class. There is no tracking with First Class. The cost was $15, I used a regular padded envelope.The customer got it on Jan 8. It took a little longer than usual, probably for the holidays. Some areas of Australia (Tasman Peninsula, for instance) are having terrible brushfires right now, so I guess that is something that could also delay deliveries.
I have never had any problems with my orders from Australia, and it usually takes 7 to 10 days. That is my experience.

[RainnRoseArt]

My first order was to Australia, it was pretty easy. I put it in a bubble envelope and filled out a custom form and it was pretty simple after that. cost 3 dollars


Good luck!

[LaAntiguaTextiles]

You can print the Shipping Label that Etsy offers, it is right there on the order. It is easy and convenient, as the shipping label also works as Customs declaration. I use it and am very happy with it. Now, you need to know the weight of your parcel (I have a scale for that).
If it is not very heavy, Flat rate is not a good idea, as it is more expensive than First Class and there is no tracking options for Priority Mail either. Tracking is only available with Express or Global for international shipping. One more important thing: jewelry might be tricky when it comes to customs, so be aware of that and act accordingly. When you say jewelry, they may think you are talking about diamonds or gold or stuff like that, which might not be allowed to ship. Make sure is all right.

[Former_Member]

I agree with Angela - I use the First Class International Rate and get the shipping label through Etsy. Yes, it involves a bit of breath holding because you don't get any tracking beyond the U.S.
However, the times that I have offered the registered shipping, my clients weren't willing to pay the extra costs involved.
Good luck and Congratulations!

[Former_Member]

If the package is under 4 lbs you can ship it USPS 1st class international otherwise it will have to go Priority mail.

When you set your shipping rates, which rate did you use? There's quite a difference between Priority and 1st class international rates.

I don't use private couriers for international packages simply because I don't want my customers to have to pay brokerage fees on their purchases. Its bad enough that some countries have such a low import duty free limit.

[Former_Member]

I think your question has been answered very well already but as another jewelry seller I just wanted to also say that USPS first class international is the way to go (unless the buyer has asked for another shipping service and is willing the pay for it). As Kim from ScrapAvenue said it can be a bit nerve racking because you can't track it but I have found it to be very reliable.