Qwitry parcel forwarder allows to ship to Russia via SPSR Express

Qwintry parcel forwarder has finished testing a new delivery method – SPSR Express. Now it is available to all Qwintry customers shipping parcels to Russia.

The main advantage of SPSR is stable delivery time. On average it takes 10 days to deliver a parcel from the USA to Moscow and a couple of days more to other Russian cities and towns. Moreover this delivery method allows to avoid Russian Post completely, thus you will have better parcel handling and faster delivery.

The shipping cost is identical to USPS Express, so there is little to no sense to use the United States Parcel Service when shipping from the USA at all.

More parcel forwarders allowing to ship to Russia via SPSR Express:

• Pochtoy,
• Shopotam,
• NYCMSK

Russian parcel forwarder SPSR USA offers a no sales tax address for tax free purchases

Russian parcel forwarder SPSR USA offers a no sales tax address in Delaware allowing customers from Russia to avoid state sales tax completely.

SPSR USA uses SPSR Express for shipping parcels from the USA to Russia. SPSR has offices in 6000 locations in Russia allowing you to avoid using Russian Post and USPS completely.

Add deposit to your Shipito account via QIWI (for Russian customers)

Shipito freight forwarder has finally added QIWI payment method for customers in Russia. If you want to use this method, simply select QIWI on the payment form when adding your deposit.

Maximum transaction is limited to $400, and deposit added using QIWI does not count towards the monthly spending limit (so if you run out of your monthly limit, you can use QIWI to add funds to your deposit and ship more)!

Shipito opened a warehouse in Austria (Europe)

Shipito opened a warehouse in Austria. For start, it is available to all clients with Virtual Mailbox and account verified to at least 50%. They will lift this restriction in few weeks. Consolidation is available, shipping rates can be found in the shipping calculator.

Now that Shipito has a warehouse in Europe, I’ll be more willing to try some European private shopping clubs that don’t ship outside the European Union. Although prices are usually higher in EU than in the USA, some items are not sold in the USA and some are to heavy to ship them from the USA.

Update (February 08, 2013)
The Austrian warehouse is available to all customers, and the shelves are filling up already.

All customers are able to use the European address provided in their account for purchases all over Europe (UK, Germany, France, Austria, etc.). Nearly every European store (like Tommy Hilfiger, ebay.de, Amazon.de, Esprit, H&M, etc.) is shipping to the warehouse.

The location provides all services available (content photos, special requests, consolidations, etc.).

Shipping methods available at start: Austrian Postal Service and FedEx. For Austrian Post only real weight is used (not DIM weight).

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?

Package forwarders allowing to deliver lithium batteries and electronics from USA to Russia

Now that USPS prohibits international delivery of lithium batteries and electronics with lithium, Li-ion, Li-pol batteries, many customers from Russia will face problems delivering electronics. The problem is that courier services like DHL, Fedex, UPS are still facing problems with Russia customs, so they are hardly used by Russians for shipping from the USA to Russia. But luckily package forwarders (also known as mail forwarders, freight forwarders, parcel forwarders, shipping forwarders) started shipping packages from the USA to Europe in containers. And even when major American package forwarders fail to offer any decent shipping alternative for customers from Russia, other major package forwarders do ship electronics. And it is even cheaper than using USPS Priority Mail or USPS Express Mail International.

• Shipito is one of the largest package forwarders in the USA. Delivers packages with lithium batteries and electronics to Russia by Russian Post Standard, Shipito Airmail Priority and Airmail Express:
  • Russian Post Standard is recommended for heavy and small packages (like 26″x13″x13″, 18-20 kg). Such packages are delivered by truck to New York and then are sent to Berlin by air. In Berlin they receive tracking numbers and are delivered by the Russian Post to Moscow by train. Then they are delivered to local post offices. Packages can be insured from loss and damages (3% from product value). Weight limit is 20kg. No size can be longer than 105cm and sum of all three sizes should not be more than 200cm. Max content value is $2,500.
  • Shipito Airmail Priority delivery is cheaper than USPS for light and small packages (1-6 lbs). Shipito Airmail Priority packages can be insured, but can not be tracked. Max content value is $1,000. In Russia packages are delivered by EMS Russian Post.
  • Shipito Airmail Express delivery costs about the same as USPS Express Mail. Shipito Airmail Express packages can be insured and tracked. Max content value is $1,000. In Russia packages are delivered by EMS Russian Post.
• Shopotam (ex. EbayToday) is one of the largest package forwarders with Russian roots. Delivers packages in containers from USA to Europe, then ships packages to Moscow. Then your package can be delivered either via EMS or via BoxBerry courier service. Boxberry is cheaper than EMS, but it accepts packages up to 15 kg only. All packages are insured. Standard insurance of 1% doesn’t cover cell phones. Cell phone insurance – 5%.
  Coupon code for getting $5 onto your account (for new users only): 3fd2d2236ef081c56d1ff16f1588fa0f
• Shopfans is one of the largest shipping forwarders with Russian roots. Sends packages with lithium batteries in containers using Brokers Worldwide (BWW). You can’t send more than 2 lithium batteries in one package. Cost of goods in one package can’t exceed $1’000. BWW containers are delivered from the USA to Berlin. Packages are sent by Russian Post from Berlin (Russian Post has an office in Berlin). Packages can be insured ($3 for every $100). Packages are insured from non-delivery. Insurance doesn’t cover lost, stolen or damaged items in the package.
• Polar Express is a shipping forwarder with Russian roots. Delivers packages from the USA to Russia in containers by air and by sea. Customs clearance is done in Kaliningrad, Russia. Customers can pick up their packages (in some cities) or get them by post or a supported Russian courier service. Packages are insured. And you can insure electronics like iPhone, iPad, Macbook Air. Fee for packages with lithium batteries is only $3. Very good packing of parcels. Shipping rates are very competitive. Cost of goods in a package is limited to $1000. The company has been growing very fast, so they experience problems replying to customers fast as well as some other problems.
• SPSR Express (SPSR USA) offers express delivery to Russian and xUSSR countries. In Russia packages are delivered by Russian courier service SPSR Express. The company offers the following types of delivery: express, economy and economy by sea. Lithium batteries are accepted. SPSR has 200+ branches in Russia and delivers to more than 2000 cities in Russia.
  • Pochtoy delivers packages with lithium batteries by SPSR (Express, Econom, Sea).
  • Shopotam (eBayToday) offers SPSR Express among other shipping methods.
  • Qwintry offers SPSR Express among other shipping methods. Delivery cost is identical to USPS Express Mail International.
  • NYCMSK delivers packages with lithium batteries by SPSR. Supports the following types of delivery: express, econonomy and economy by sea. Packages are insured automatically from loss and damage (covert up to $20 per kg). Additional insurance – 1.5% of the package content.

Besides the above mentioned package forwarders, you may use Meest-America which is very popular among Ukrainian customers. Meest delivers packages by sea and air freight. You may also use package forwarders that ship by Meest such as RusBid and BosMix. The latter companies are well known in the Ukraine, but there is no much feedback about them from customers from Russia.

Do you know any other package forwarders that allows to deliver lithium batteries and electronics with lithium, Li-ion, Li-pol batteries to Russia? If you don’t live in Russia, do you experience similar problems with your package forwarder?

Update (November 11, 2012)
Effective Nov. 15, 2012, USPS will start accepting specific quantities of lithium batteries – when installed in the equipment they are intended to operate – to be sent to many international destinations, including APO (Army Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office) and DPO (Diplomatic Post Office) locations when permitted by the destination or host country.

Does Apple Store Hong Kong ship to Shipito freight forwarder?

Shipito has a warehouse in Hong Kong:

Rm 402A Hing Wah Industrial Building, 18 Hi Yip Street, Yuen Long, NT.

Some customers have managed to buy Apple iPhones, iPads, Macbooks and ship it to the Shipito HK warehouse.

Store	Ships?	Date	Comment
Apple HK	NO	May 04, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	NO	April 24, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	NO	April 03, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	YES	March 30, 2012	Apple Ipad2, SmartCover, iPhone 4s. One consolidated package to Russia. Fuf! I did it!
Apple HK	YES	March 17, 2012	Time Capsule
Apple HK	NO	March 14, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
applestore	YES	March 10, 2012	Купил Iphone 4s, первый раз покупал через калифорнию – отказали. Второй раз купил в HK – покупка прошла успешно.
Apple HK	YES	March 08, 2012	Macbook Pro delivered from education store with SIN credit card.
apple hk	NO	March 04, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	NO	February 15, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	NO	January 31, 2012	IPad 2,We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder. Therefore your order has been cancelled
Apple HK	NO	January 26, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	YES	January 19, 2012	iPhone 4
Apple HK	NO	January 11, 2012	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	NO	December 20, 2011	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	YES	December 14, 2011	Seems to be a “hit or miss”. My iPod nano arrived fine. Norwegian pre paid visa.
Apple HK	NO	November 07, 2011	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	YES	November 05, 2011	Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Trackpad
Apple HK	YES	November 02, 2011	iPad 2 + smart cover: OK
Apple HK	NO	October 27, 2011	iPod nano. We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder. Therefore your order has been cancelled.
Apple HK	YES	September 21, 2011	MacBook Air 13″ OK
Apple HK	NO	August 23, 2011	MacBook Air 13 We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	YES	August 23, 2011	iPhone 4 всё ок!
Apple HK	NO	August 16, 2011	Заказал MacBook Air 13. Деньги списали, потом заказ отменили и написали, что посредникам не отправляют.
Apple HK	YES	August 03, 2011	Заказывал мышь Magic Mouse, уже получил.
Apple HK	YES	July 30, 2011	Ipad 2 personalised with accessories
Apple HK	YES	July 28, 2011	Apple Time Capsule. Carmen Chung as shipping contact
Apple HK	YES	July 28, 2011	Заказал Mac mini. Списание денег, доставка без проблем.
Apple store	NO	July 14, 2011	Заказывал iphone 4, списали 20000р, через неделю пришло письмо что не отправляют посредникам. Деньги вернули только через 2 месяца.
Apple HK	YES	July 14, 2011	Заказываю второй раз iphone 4 все отлично, быстро и качественно.
Apple HK	YES	July 05, 2011	3 iPhone 4 and 1 dock station for iPhone 4
Apple HK	YES	June 28, 2011	iPhone 4. June 15
Apple HK	NO	June 22, 2011	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder.
Apple HK	NO	June 21, 2011	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder. Therefore your order has been cancelled.
Apple HK	YES	June 09, 2011	iPhone4 with some problems (i send scan of bank statement and accept my order by the phone call)
Apple HK	YES	May 23, 2011	Fast shipment without problems (iPhone 4 + Bumper)
Apple HK	YES	May 04, 2011	fast shipment without problem.
Apple HK	YES	April 05, 2011	Fast shipment (iPad, some other stuff)
Apple HK	YES	March 31, 2011	It was everything ok on 15-th of March
Apple HK	NO	March 25, 2011	We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder. Therefore your order has been cancelled.
Apple HK	YES	March 23, 2011	Bought the iPOD, headphones. Delivered without any problems.
Apple HK	NO	February 11, 2011	“We are unable to complete your order as we do not ship to freight forwarder. Therefore your order has been cancelled.”
Apple HK	YES	December 23, 2010	macbook air 11
Apple HK	YES	December 03, 2010	iPhone,iPad
Apple HK	YES	November 25, 2010	iPhone4 16gb
Apple HK	YES	November 22, 2010	Ipod nano
Apple HK	YES	November 04, 2010	iPad

What about your experience? Have you managed to buy Apple products online from a foreign Apple Store?

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?

Problem with Amazon: Order sent in multiple packages despite the “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” option

Most freight forwarding services like Shipito charge for package consolidation. Shipito charges $2 per consolidated package if you use a paid Virtual Mailbox plan ($50/year or $10/month). To avoid additional consolidation charges always use the “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” option on Amazon.

How to select “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” on Amazon

1. Add all the items to your cart.
2. When asked, select “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” as your shipping preference.

   

If you don’t care about consolidation fees prefer to ship faster, choose the “Ship my items as soon as possible (additional shipping charges may apply)” option instead.

How do I take advantage of FREE Super Saver Shipping?

1. Place over $25 of eligible Amazon products in your Shopping Cart. Eligible items will say “FREE Super Saver Shipping…” next to their price:

   

2. Proceed to checkout.
3. Ship your items to a single U.S. address.
4. Select Super Saver Shipping as your shipping speed. Please note that your order will take an additional 3 to 5 days to ship.
5. Select “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” as your shipping preference.
6. Place your order, and enjoy the free shipping.

Problems with “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” option

If you make a single order on Amazon, there are several reasons why you may get it in multiple packages:

• Amazon has a marketplace. Orders from many sellers of the marketplace are not fulfilled and shipped by Amazon itself.
• Some items are shipped from different Amazon fulfillment centers.
• Orders marked as gifts may arrive as several packages.

But this list is not complete. For example, I ordered 4 toys from Amazon last week. All these toys were fulfilled and shipped by Amazon. All 4 toys would fit into a 26x13x13 box. But Amazon has sent these toys in 3 packages, although they were sent from the same fulfillment center and all of them were shipped the same day! So the following message about quicker service can be disappointing despite what Amazon thinks about it:

Greetings from Amazon.com, We thought you’d like to know that we shipped this portion of your order separately to give you quicker service. You won’t be charged any extra shipping fees, and the remainder of your order will follow as soon as those items become available.

If you use Shipito for sending packages overseas, you can always upgrade your free service plan to the Virtual Mailbox to enable package consolidation. But when using any freight forwarder you should always keep in your mind that you may get multiple packages instead of just one.

How to combine multiple Amazon orders into the same shipment

When possible, Amazon tries to combine multiple orders into the same shipment. This helps Amazon to reduce the number of packages they need to send to you, so you receive fewer packages and have less packaging material to dispose of when you receive your orders.

Amazon tries to combine multiple orders into the same shipment if the orders meet the following criteria:

• Multiple orders are placed through the same customer account
• The orders are being shipped to the same address.
• Items from each order are located at the same Amazon fulfillment center.
• The orders are shipping at around the same time.

There are some cases when Amazon won’t be able to combine shipments. For instance, they may not be able to combine the following types of orders:

• Orders that can’t be shipped from the same fulfillment center to meet your promised delivery date.
• Orders shipping from different fulfillment centers.
• Orders being shipped to different addresses.
• Orders being shipped to an international shipping address.
• Orders marked as gifts.

Amazon will also try to combine orders for items that are placed via 1-Click ordering into a single order if the orders are placed in the same 30-minute time period.

Shipito.com alternatives. Part 2: VIAddress.com review and comparison with Shipito

VIAddress is a worldwide shipping forwarder offering a USA virtual address for making online purchases in America. Its membership is free. There are no fees for package consolidation, you may store your packages for free for 90 days. Assisted purchases are available. And VIAddress can ship to worldwide destinations via UPS, FEDEX, DHL, USPS. Looks attractive, isn’t it? Let’s find out whether there is any catch.

Comparing VIAddress and Shipito shipping rates

If you take a look onto VIAdress homepage, you will find a very attractive chart:

So I decided to compare VIAdress estimated shipping costs to the costs of real packages I sent to Russia in 2011 via USPS Express Mail using Shipito

Weight, lbs	VIAddress Estemation	Shipito
12.3	$127.38	$121.89
19.9	$180.42	$135.25
34.7	$279.86	$222.59

I do pay $50 for a yearly membership in Shipito, while VIAdress membership is free. But if I send a package of 34.7 lbs via USPS to Russia using VIAddress, I will pay extra $55+ compared to Shipito.

Some more details about VIAddress

Unfortunately shipping fees is not the only problem of VIAddress. VIAdress has the lowest possible rating on BBB. And there many complaints about VIAddress from around the world, some of them even lead an investigation by The Indiana Attorney General’s office.

Would you recommend to use VIAddress?

I have never been a customer of VIAddress, but personally I prefer to stay away from it.

Shipito shipping rates are one of the best. Considering the amount of services Shipito provides, their quality and cost, I think Shipito is one of the best freight forwarding companies.