There are some anomalies that need to be cleared up, both in your post and in Geert’s post. Both of you are partly correct and of course entitled to your opinion. I’m also not happy with curt one-liners. If you call Elecraft, what are they going to tell you? The cost of a K4, the cost of shipping and possibly a choice of courier? Things we already know.
As far as USPS is concerned they actually contract with Parcel Force in the UK, not Royal Mail. I won’t pretend to know all of the vagaries of USPS, I leave that up to you guys on the US side of the pond. Supposing that USPS do their job correctly, any problems are likely to be with Parcel Force. They have a vast hub in Coventry (Midlands - England) which also houses HMRC (Customs) staff, who vet all packages that pass through the hub and that’s where most of the issues are. Last time I heard, the hub was not fully automated - they had staff using bicycles to get from one end of the vast warehouse to the other! HMRC are grossly understaffed and it usually takes them at least a week (sometimes a lot more) to clear a package through Customs and calculate the duty payable. Parcel Force will then take a couple of days to move the package to the delivery depot and in the meantime they will send the recipient an invoice for taxes and for handling the taxes. Until that’s paid, they will not deliver. My K4 was sent via UPS who either managed to ship it back and forth between different airports, causing some delay, or their iT and tracking are total crap. At least it took them less than a week, door to door. I would have preferred FedEx or DHL, both of which seem more reliable and consistent in the UK. Geert is incorrect on who’s responsible for screw ups. It may be the case in other countries, but UK law states that it’s the sender’s responsibility to ensure that any item is delivered correctly and on time (if stated). None of the shipping companies operating in the UK will entertain a claim from the recipient for loss or damage and the goods do not become the property of the recipient until they’re delivered in good condition. I’m sure that Elecraft know this and know how to ship their products safely. However, once the goods have left the shores of the USA, they have no control when things go awry, especially when the shipping agent is insisting that all is well, while the recipient knows it darn well isn’t! ISTM that there’s very little difference in shipping costs between the various companies, for a given service. Obviously premium services will cost more. Everything but everything is getting more expensive these days, including shipping and it’s gonna get worse. Comparing the cost purchasing direct from Elecraft and from elsewhere in Europe, for me was a no brainer.The distributors in non-USA countries are bound to charge more, to cover the cost of shipping from the USA and the cost of shipping to the end user and some cash to cover any possible warranty claims which they have to repair, plus they’re entitled to some profit. AFAICS the main consideration isn’t initial cost or shipping costs. The real concern is where you would send your $6000 pride and joy for any repairs and how long it would take. 73, Alan - G4GNX South Coast UK Elecraft K4D / KPA500 / KAT500 / IC-9700 > On 2 Aug 2023, at 21:43, Jon Poland <jonpol...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I agree with the comment to call Elecraft and take exception to Geert's > comments. > > There are other carriers besides the US Postal Service. From my experience > shipping hundreds of parcels from the US to the UK is that the USPS > contracts with a commercial provider in the UK (vs the Royal Post), and > that provider does not do a very good job. > > On the other hand, you can choose FedEx, UPS, or DHL. I've had > particularly good experience with DHL - especially using a discount > provider called Parcel Hero. I guarantee that these big companies are > absolutely up to date with the complexities of foreign import and VAT. > They know how to safely deliver high value items while complying with > current laws and regulations. > > I am confident that Elecraft has experience exporting into the UK (and > EU). I'm sure they have done it more than a few times already. > > jon N0WL > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
