- Joined
- Jun 1, 2012
Introduction:
Hi there, this is my first attempt at a guide in helping people understand how to easily ship heavy PC components (like your case) from one international location to another at an affordable price (emphasis on affordable)
.Purpose:
This is meant to assist people who are either trying to sell their cases or complete setups but can't find enough people in local markets (i.e. within the U.S. or Europe) or for people who live in international locations and can't afford the massive shipping costs of buying cases and heavy components in the U.S. and shipping them to your country and vice versa.
The Problem with Buying Heavy Components
Now I'm not sure how many of you have tried to buy a case from an international vendor but I'm sure at least some of you have seen a case you really wanted to buy from either someone on the forums or from a manufacturer in Europe or the U.S.
The problem that everyone one of you will run into is that while local shipping within the U.S., Europe or within your locality is either quite cheap or free, international shipping is a whole different kind of beast that can increase costs from 3 to 5 times the cost of the product you're trying to ship.
Origin of the Problem
The problem lies in the fact that most forms of international shipping that most of you are used to (i.e. Fedex, UPS, DHL, etc.) have costs related to the distance of the location, the weight of the product, the declared cost and miscellaneous handling charges.
For example, if I were to ship a 50 pound case from Las Vegas to Manila, the total cost via Fedex would be $800 while the cost of the case itself would only be $200.
This is of course unacceptable and a waste of money. This is also true for people based within the U.S. who want to buy heavy cases and components from other countries.
The Solution
If you're not in a rush and want to get/send a case or a set of heavy components, the most affordable tactic is to utilize ocean freight shipping.
Ocean freight shipping, as the name implies, sends your package to you via a cargo ship and not through normal air shipping.
This method of delivery does not charge for the weight of the package, rather, they have a fixed cost based on the dimensions of the box no matter the content.
For example, the company Johnny Air - Ocean Cargo (I've used them several times) charges $59 to $90 for packages with box dimensions of 28" x 18" x 17" regardless of weight. You can pack 300 pounds in there and it will still cost the same.
http://www.johnnyair.com/?page=44
How to Utilize Ocean Freight Shipping
Its actually quite easy, before you have the item sent email the ocean freight company and tell them that you're sending them a package to be forwarded to you. Tell them the weight, the contents and wait for a response. They'll get back to you with the price, the address where it should be sent to and an estimated time of delivery once the package gets there.
When you order from vendor all you have to do is have them address it to the ocean freight company with your name as the recipient. The company will receive the package, ship it via ocean freight to their local office near your area and you can pay for it and pick it up there.
How Long Does it Take to Get to Me?
It just takes 35 to 40 days for the package to get there but you in effect save hundreds of dollars in shipping costs for getting a heavy case or a complete PC setup.
Who benefits from this?
-Sellers within the U.S. who are limited to selling to the U.S.48 and want to sell to international buyers
-Buyers in the U.S. and other countries who can't afford the high shipping costs
-Retailers who need an affordable way of getting their products to their customers without increasing the costs to unacceptable levels.
Strategies to think about
Do note that since the price of shipping for ocean freight remains the same
regardless of weight you can ship a lot of things within a box to save on costs. For example, you and a friend could both buy a case and just have them placed into one box side by side (with bubble wrap of course) and save on the shipping costs
FAQs
Can I ship/buy full PC sets?
Yes you can, just be sure to have the outside bubble wrapped.
Will I get charged tax for shipping through ocean freight?
If you're buying from a person (i.e. from a forum) just declare the item as "personal" and "used" and it'll go through just fine. For normal items tax is usually not included either (declare it as personal as well).
Can I ship liquids?
Yup, I've shipped liquids as well. Just be sure they aren't corrosive or dangerous and they had better be covered in bubble wrap (I've had one package where the bottle got open somehow
)Can I ship firearms?
NO
How much bubble wrap should I use when sending?
A lot, trust me.
How many items can I send?
Well, usually a 28" x 18" x 17" box can hold around 350 pounds, anything above that is pushing it really. Most PC cases barely go above 50 pounds so I'm sure that you can ship two to 3 cases, a few gallons of coolant, a radiator, a motherboard, a processor, basically an entire setup and still have 100 pounds left over.
Where can I find an ocean freight shipper?
Google is your friend
but there are quite a lot and its all a matter of locating one near you.Hope this helps for those of you trying to buy/sell their items
