Examples of fees charged by USPS Express Mail and Shipito shipping forwarder in 2013 for sending packages from the United States to Russia

I’m continuing to post detailed fee structure for sending my packages from the United States of America to Russia. The fees of both Shipito and USPS grow every year, so you may find it useful to compare the figures from my previous post for 2010-2011 and 2012. This article will be updated each time I send a new package from the USA to Russia via Shipito throughout 2013.

Shipito fee structure 2013

• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  10.80 lbs (4.9 kg)
  19″x14″x7″ (49x36x18 cm)
  USPS Express Mail International
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $16.00 (8 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $104.58
  (Carrier) ($100.27)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($4.31)
  Insurance: $30.32 (3% delivery + damage insurance; higher than normal insurance rate because the package contains jewerly, a watch or a cell phone)
  Alternative shipping methods offered by Shipito for delivering this package to Russia:
  • USPS Express Mail (5-6 business days)
    Postage: $104.58
    Insurance: $30.32
    TOTAL: $134.9
  • USPS Priority Mail (6-10 business days)
    Postage: $88.23
    Insurance: $41.95
    TOTAL: $130.18
  • Airmail Economy (15-30 business days)
    Postage: $102.56
    insurance not available
    Tracking is not available
    TOTAL: $115.1
  • Airmail Priority (8-20 business days)
    Postage: $113.14
    Insurance: $60.16
    Tracking is not available
    TOTAL: $173.3
  • Airmail Express (15 business days)
    Postage: $104.58
    Insurance: $60.16
    TOTAL: $164.74

  

  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $32.53
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $28.81
  TOTAL: $159.4
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  14.30 lbs (6.49 kg)
  17″x13″x13″ (42x34x32 cm)
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $18.00 (9 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $130.40
  (Carrier) ($125.02)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($5.38)
  Insurance: $23.97 (3% delivery + damage insurance; higher than normal insurance rate because the package contains jewerly, a watch or a cell phone)
  Alternative shipping methods offered by Shipito for delivering this package to Russia:
  • USPS Express Mail (5-6 business days)
    Postage: $130.4
    Insurance: $23.97
    TOTAL: $154.37
  • USPS Priority Mail (6-10 business days)
    Postage: $113.93
    Insurance: $33.44
    TOTAL: $147.37
  • Airmail Economy (15-30 business days)
    Postage: $135.7
    insurance not available
    Tracking is not available
    TOTAL: $145.54
  • Airmail Priority (8-20 business days)
    Postage: $149.7
    Insurance: $49.35
    Tracking is not available
    TOTAL: $199.05
  • Airmail Express (15 business days)
    Postage: $130.4
    Insurance: $49.35
    TOTAL: $179.75

  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $27.87
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $31.88
  TOTAL: $180.87
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  24.50 lbs (11.11 kg)
  26″×13″×13″ (67×34×34 cm)
  USPS Express Mail International
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $20.00 (10 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $180.30
  (Carrier) ($172.87)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($7.43)
  Insurance: $10.04
  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $19.70
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $28.5
  TOTAL: $218.84
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

Do you use Shipito or any other shipping forwarder? If you do, are you satisfied with its fees and service? How much did it cost you to send you package?

Examples of fees charged by USPS Express Mail and Shipito shipping forwarder in 2012 for sending packages from USA to Russian Federation

I’m continuing to post my expenses on sending packages from USA to Russian Federation. The fees of both Shipito and USPS grow every year, so you may find it useful to compare the figures from my previous post for 2010-2011. This article will be updated each time I send a package.

Shipito fee structure

Packages sent by USPS Express Mail International from USA to Russian Federation in 2012

• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  29.10 lbs (13.2 kg)
  37″x19″x14″ (93x49x36 cm)
  USPS Express Mail® Int’l change
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $24.00 (11 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $199.40
  (Carrier) ($191.18)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($8.22)
  Insurance: $19.13
  (Carrier) ($11.49)
  (Warehouse 1%) ($7.64)
  (No content photos 1%) (not charged)
  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $19.28
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping and USPS insurance): $48.36
  TOTAL: $251.03
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($50 / year)
• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  36.80 lbs (16.69 kg)
  36″x18″x17″ (92x45x42 cm)
  USPS Express Mail International
  Mailout fee: $18.50 (including $10 surcharge for heavy packages over 30 pounds)
  Repacking fee: $22.00 (11 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $234.34
  (Carrier) ($224.68)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($9.66)
  Insurance: $29.40
  (Carrier) ($17.37)
  (Warehouse 1%) ($12.03)
  (No content photos 1%) (not charged)
  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $18.23
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping and USPS insurance): $62.19
  TOTAL: $304.24
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($50 / year)

As you can see I haven’t received any shipping discounts this year, because I don’t have the Gold or even Silver status anymore. Plus Shipito added 2 additional hidden charges:

1. All customers pay the warehouse insurance of 1% (has nothing to do with insurance – just a hidden charge of Shipito)
2. All customers not having Silver, Gold or Diamond status need either to make pictures of all incoming packages (A special request for incoming packages allows to take 3 pictures of the package content for $1.00) or pay 1% insurance. Since I send my packages by USPS Express Mail, it is USPS that insures my packages (Carrier insurance) not Shipito. So again this is not insurance, but another hidden charge of Shipito.

Not to mention that they charge the bank fee of 4.3%. Yet again it is not mentioned on the “Our services & prices” page.

If you want to calculate USPS shipping costs only, you can use USPS Shipping Calculator for Russia

USPS Postage International Price Calculator: Russia

Update (09/14/2012)
Since August 2012 there is no more warehouse insurance on Shipito. And you can choose whether you want to insure your package or not. Plus Shipito offers a 10% discount for USPS Express Mail for customers from Russia from 09/13/2012 to 11/15/2012. So it costed me less to send my last packages:

• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  29.50 lbs (13.38 kg)
  36″x17″x17″ (92x44x44 cm)
  USPS Express Mail® Int’l change
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $16.00 (8 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $179.46
  (Carrier) ($172.06) (10% discount)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($7.40)
  Insurance: $15.49
  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $16.4
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping and insurance): $31.9
  TOTAL: $219.45
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($50 / year)
• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  37.50 lbs (17.01 kg)
  36″x17″x12″ (92x44x30 cm)
  USPS Express Mail International
  Mailout fee: $18.50 (including $10 surcharge for heavy packages over 30 pounds)
  Repacking fee: $20.00 (10 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $215.39 (10% discount for customers from Russia until November 15th, 2012)
  (Carrier) ($206.51)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($8.88)
  Insurance: $15.83
  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $15.86
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $47.38
  TOTAL: $269.72
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)
• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  12.60 lbs (5.71 kg)
  17″x13″x13″ (44x34x34 cm)
  USPS Express Mail® Int’l change
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $10.00 (5 packages consolidated)
  Postage: $114.56
  (Carrier) ($109.84)
  (Bank fee 4.3%) ($4.72)
  Insurance: $17.63
  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $26.39
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping and insurance): $18.5
  TOTAL: $150.69
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)
• Package Location: Tualatin, OR
  19.40 lbs (8.8 kg)
  26″x13″x13″ (67x34x34 cm)
  Mailout fee: $8.50
  Repacking fee: $20.00 (10 packages consolidated)
  Shipping method: USPS Express Mail International (5-6 business days)
  • Postage: $149.49
    (Carrier) ($143.33)
    (Bank fee 4.3%) ($6.16)
    Insurance: $17.05
    TOTAL: $166.54

  Alternative shipping methods offered by Shipito for delivering this package to Russia:

  • USPS Priority Mail (6-10 business days)
    Postage: $129.02
    Insurance: $28.25
    TOTAL: $157.27
  • Airmail Economy (15-30 business days)
    Postage: $184
    insurance not available
    Tracking is not available
    TOTAL: $184
  • Airmail Priority (8-20 business days)
    Postage: $202.98
    Insurance: $45.99
    Tracking is not available
    TOTAL: $248.97
  • Airmail Express (15 days)
    Postage: $149.49
    Insurance: $45.99
    TOTAL: $195.48

  Total per 1 kg of gross weight: $22.16
  Total Shipito fees (not including USPS shipping, insurance and Shipito monthly fee): $45.55
  TOTAL: $195.04
  Shipito service plan: Old Virtual Mailbox ($100 / year, available for old customers only)

  

Do you use Shipito or any other shipping forwarder? If you do, are you satisfied with its fees and service? How much did it cost you to send you package?

List of prohibited items and restrictions you must check before making any purchases in the USA

Before making any purchases in the USA for International shipping you must check the customs list of prohibited articles on the Universal Postal Union (UPU) web-site. However this list is not the only one you must pay attention to. You must also learn about restrictions, prohibitions,… that your postal service or your courier has.

I use USPS Express Mail International (EMS) most of the time, so I check the prohibitions, restrictions and other information on the USPS web-site. The information provided there is country specific. If you need Country Conditions for Mailing to Russia (Russian Federation) by USPS Express Mail, see here.

Now I will explain why it is important to follow the restriction on the USPS web-site. I have shipped a dozen of jewerly items and a couple of watches to Russia by USPS Express Mail. I got them without any problem. The customs of the Russian Federation allows these articles to be sent to Russia. However if your insured package with prohibited items is lost, USPS refuses to pay the insurance. So if your lost package contained a $17 watch or a $10 jewerly item, USPS will refuse to pay the insurance not only for the watch or jewerly, but for the whole package!

Comparing shipping rates to Russia: Shipping Epson v600 Photo from Amazon via Shipito vs. from B&H Photo Video directly using USPS Express Mail (EMS)

I’ve decided to use USPS Express Mail for shipping Epson v600 Photo scanner to Russia. This way of shipping is faster than USPS Priority Mail. Besides your parcels are delivered to your door when using USPS Express Mail, while they are delivered to your postal office when using USPS Priority Mail. USPS Express Mail is slightly more expensive than USPS Priority Mail, but it is worth every penny.

Shipping Epson Perfection v600 Photo Scanner using USPS Express Mail from B&H Photo Video costed USD $141.00.

Shipping Epson Perfection v600 Photo Scanner using USPS Express Mail from B&H Photo Video

 

Shipping Epson Perfection v600 Photo Scanner from Amazon (not its marketplace) to a USA location is absolutely FREE. So I shipped the scanner to my middleman, a US company called Shipito, for free. I’ve used the “FREE with Super Saver Shipping” option on Amazon.

Then I used Shipito to ship the scanner to Russia via USPS Express Mail. It costed me USD $105.24. Other expenses when using the “Individual packages” plan are equal to zero (no setup fees, no monthly fees).

Shipping Epson Perfection v600 Photo Scanner from Amazon using Shipito and USPS Express Mail

 

As you can see, the same shipping method was chosen (USPS Express Mail), but it was USD $35.76 cheaper to ship from Amazon using Shipito, than to ship from B&H Photo Video directly.

Note: The american version of Epson v600 Photo supports 110V only, so you need a different power supply or a voltage stabilizer to use it in Russia. Personally I use Robiton IN3800S AC adapter (Input: 100-240V, 50-60Hz, Output: 24V, 1.5A). It was cheaper to buy Robiton IN3800S and replace its cable with the one from Epson A411B than to buy Epson A411E AC adapter (Input: 220-240V, Output: 24V, 1.3A) or to buy Epson v600 compatible AC adapter (Input: 220-240V, Output: 24V, 1.5A) on eBay. Note that replacing the Robiton IN3800S cable will require you to use special tools and a soldering iron, you won’t be able to do it with regular screw drivers only. Besides Robiton I was also suggested to use an AC adapter from MeanWell.

Robiton IN3800S (100-240V, 50-60Hz) with Epson A411B cable

Note: Usually Amazon sends multiple goods in several packages, so it is recommended to use the “Virtual Mailbox” plan on Shipito when buying multple items. “Virtual Mailbox” allows you to consolidate packages (You pay only $2 for every consolidated package).