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Ian's...
If the item is of low value (under 15 UKP) then I can use normal small-packet airmail, which would be between 5 and 15 UKP.
Note that in some cases the EPB courier option is cheaper than insured airmail (depends on the weight and destination country), especially if the weight is close to 2kg, eg. this is certainly the case for Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands.
If faster speed is required, I can use a courier service instead,
though the cost is obviously higher (see below).
The fixed rates per parcel are as follows, in UKP:
PF48 PF24 PF12
All mainland UK areas: 12.50 15.00 17.50
For the Isle of Man, add 10 UKP.
These costs already include packaging materials and will cover most shipments of Indigo, Indy and O2, or any other item(s) which do not require a large size box.
For Indigo2, Octane/Octane2 and Fuel, the shipping cost depends on the final weight of the items required. If the total weight is more than 30kg, I must use two boxes, eg. a dual-CPU Octane MXE with two disks is more than 30kg once boxed.
However, almost all Indigo2s and most single-CPU Octane/Octane2s can be sent in just one box (assuming the inclusion of the usual keyboard, mouse, etc.) for which the fixed shipping cost is as follows:
PF48 PF24 PF12
All mainland UK areas: 17.50 20.00 22.50
For the Isle of Man, add 10 UKP.
The higher costs compared to Indy/Indigo/O2 are due to the extra packaging (foam chips, bubblewrap) and the much higher cost of the box (they cost 9 UKP each! I absorb half of this). If I can ship a heavier system in a single box, then I will, which definitely applies to any single-CPU Octane/Octane2 with a half-height graphics option, eg. SI, SE, SI+Tex, SE+tex, or any VPro. Likewise, a normal Fuel or Indigo2 (even with MaxIMPACT) will go fine in one box. Thus, for example, the shipping cost by PF48 for an Octane2 300MHz/V6 would be 17.50 UKP.
These systems can be over 30kg total weight if other items are required such as extra disks, external CDROM, PCI cage, long monitor or other cables, or in the case of Octane if the system is a dual-CPU and has a double-height graphics card (eg. SSI, MXE) or gfx card + options (eg. SE+XIO FC, VPro + 2 x XTalk). If a system does require two boxes, then the cost is +12.50 to the each of the prices shown above, eg. a heavy Octane via two boxes would be 30 UKP to any mainland UK destination: the main system in one box, all other items in a second box.
With respect to insurance cover, if the value of any individual parcel is more than 150 UKP then I must add 5 for each extra insurance level, up to a maximum of 2500 value, ie.:
Insurance Level Cover Cost
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^
Standard 150 N/A (already included)
1 500 +5
2 1000 +10
3 1500 +15
4 2000 +20
5 2500 +25
For each destination, the cost per parcel is a fixed rate for any weight up to 30kg, as follows (all prices are UKP):
- Channel Islands: 17 - Republic of Ireland: 20 - Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg: 19 - Corsica: 32 - Denmark, France, Germany, Monaco: 20 - Azores, Balearics, Madeira: 53 - Greece, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily: 35 - Italy, Spain: 33 - Andorra: 78 - Austria, Vatican City State: 32 - Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland: 42 - Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland: 42 - Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden: 42 - Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Malta: 45 - Norway, Switzerland, San Merino: 45 - Turkey: 69 For all other European destinations, I use the International Scheduled service with a 15% discount off normal rates. See www.parcelforce.com for pricing.
The above prices will apply to virtually all shipments of Indigo, Indy, O2 and anything else not requiring a 60cm box, eg. a number of disks, an external CDROM unit, PCI cage, MaxIMPACT set, etc.
For large and heavy items, eg. Octane, Indigo2, Fuel, etc., each price is +5 UKP. This is to cover the more expensive packaging required (the boxes are 9 UKP each).
If the contents of a box is worth more than 150 UKP, then the extra insurance cover cost is +5 to increase the cover to 500, and then +5 for each extra level required in steps of 500 value, up to a maximum of 2500 UKP.
If extra speed is required, I can use International Datapost (email for a quote), which has a typical transit time of 1 or 2 working days for mainland Europe. Also, for shipping medium-weight items (2kg to 8kg) to Andorra or Turkey, the Datapost service may be cheaper because the percentage discount rates I get for Datapost can result in a price that is less then the fixed cost of Euro48.
International Scheduled
International Scheduled is the slower of the two services, but still guaranteed. Typical delivery time is 3 to 5 working days, with full insurance, tracking, signature on delivery, and compensation available in the event of late delivery.
Ordinary rates for International Scheduled are available on www.parcelforce.com. I then subtract the following discounts from the normal rates:
- Rest of Europe: 20% off - USA and Canada: 40% off - Far East and Australia: 25% off - Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India: 25% off - Middle East, Israel, Pakistan: 25% off - South Africa, Sri Lanka: 25% off - Everywhere else: 10% off
and then adjust to account for packaging costs, etc.
If the item is worth more than 150 UKP, then the extra insurance cover cost is +5 to increase the cover to 500, and then +5 for each extra level required in steps of 500 value, up to a maximum of 2500 UKP.
International Datapost
The faster, more expensive service is International Datapost, with a typical delivery time of 2 to 3 working days. It includes full insurance, tracking, signature on delivery and compensation in the event of late delivery. Note that I can use Datapost to send items to any non-UK destination, but Euro48 is usually sufficient for mainland Europe (except for medium-weight items to Andorra/Turkey, for which Datapost is often cheaper).
Ordinary rates for the Datapost service are available on www.parcelforce.com. I then subtract the following discounts from the normal rates:
- Channel Islands: 35% off - Republic of Ireland: 30% off - Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg: 30% off - Corsica: 30% off - Denmark, France, Germany, Monaco: 30% off - Azores, Balearics, Madeira: 30% off - Greece, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily: 30% off - Italy, Spain: 30% off - Andorra: 25% off - Austria, Vatican City State: 25% off - Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland: 25% off - Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland: 25% off - Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden: 25% off - Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Malta: 25% off - Norway, Switzerland, San Merino: 25% off - Turkey: 25% off - Rest of Europe: 25% off - USA and Canada: 30% off - Far East and Australia: 25% off - Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India: 30% off - Middle East, Israel, Pakistan: 30% off - South Africa, Sri Lanka: 30% off - Everywhere else: 5% off
and then adjust to account for packaging costs, etc.
If the item is worth more than 150 UKP, then the extra insurance cover cost is +5 to increase the cover to 500, and then +5 for each extra level required in steps of 500 value, up to a maximum of 2500 UKP.
Feel free to download the normal ParcelForce
Pricing Table (open with OpenOffice, etc.)
The most common heavy items I send outside Europe are O2 and Octane systems. Based on the above information, here is the typical cost of sending these systems to the USA/Canada. Remember that unless the usual extras such as keyboard and mouse are not required, an Octane system is sent in two boxes, though some Octanes can be sent in a single box, eg. single-CPU VPro systems.
International International
Scheduled Datapost
O2 System (typical box weight 16kg): 72 UKP 95 UKP
Octane System (combined weight 36kg): 125 UKP 155 UKP
CAVEAT: sometimes the volumetric weight (length x width x height in cm, divided by 6000) is more than the real item weight, in which case the pricing is based on the volumetric weight, which usually adds about +5. Whatever the case, I always do a precise calculation for each shipment to make sure it's correct.
Sea-shipping is usually more appropriate for more remote destinations such as South America or Africa, for which the courier charges can be extremely high. Thus, for example, in late 2004 I sent an Indigo2 and two 17" SGI monitors to the University of Urugay, for which the shipping cost by WTA was 435 UKP with full insurance. By comparison, shipping the same consignment by International Datapost would have cost 912 UKP (and comparing to other couriers, TNT would have charged 1500 UKP!). With import taxes taken into account, the University of Uruguay probably saved about 300 UKP by opting for shipping by sea.
However, note that shipping by sea is only door-to-port, ie. the items are delivered as far as the nearest sea port to the recipient. It is then the responsibility of the recipient to arrange for the items to be cleared through their local port customs, including any relevant taxes and duties.
Sometimes though, shipping by sea is not cheaper even though one might think it would be. For example, shipping something like an Indigo2 to Australia is cheaper by International Scheduled or Datapost (about 150 UKP, compared to 335 UKP shipping by the WTA). This is because the routes taken by ships at sea are more complex or just much longer for some countries.
Alternatively, if you're in the UK, I can deliver in person if the destination is reachable in reasonable time by train/bus; the buyer merely covers my travel costs and other expenses for the journey. I've done this many times in the past, eg. delivering monitors by train.