MOTM

Okay, first off, I had no intention of demeaning anyones profession, 
I was merely trying to explain what the problems were in shipping 
outside the US.

I have checked the USPS Website.  We have been using Airmail Parcel 
Post.  Global Priority is a possible option for smaller packages.  
I'm not sure if those are tracked or not.  Global Express is a good 
option as it does include tracking and allows heavier, larger 
packages.  However, it is roughly 4 times the expense of Airmail 
Parcel Post.

UPS charges a little more still, about 4.7 times the expense of 
Airmail Parcel Post.

I am willing to ship anything by any method anyone wants.

However collecting payment for that shipping service is up to Paul 
S., as far as how he chooses to collect for it and how he chooses to 
calculate it.  Paul S., reimburses us for shipping expense.  Our 
expense for preparing a kit for shipment is a flat rate regardless 
of package destination.  If we have to go through a substantial 
amount of extra work to ship by a given method, then we will ask 
Paul for more money and he in turn will charge you more.

Paul S.  also specifies what shipping method we use, I make 
recommendations only, but as I said we ship a lot.  Paul mostly used 
USPS when he was doing the shipping.  We use UPS mostly because it 
is easier for us.  

Since I have never had USPS pickup packages, I can't comment on 
their service, but UPS stops in at our location twice a day, every 
day.

We do have a postage machine and can print the "stamps" for anything 
going anywhere.  We have no problems with international mail.  
However, we have had very bad experiences trying to figure out how 
much postage to put on a given package, which is one of the reasons 
we take the packages to the post office ourselves.  The postman does 
stop by everyday and pick up the ordinary mail.

We also ship on a semiregular basis by FEDEX, but have had more 
problems using them than UPS.  We have had severe problems with 
DHL.  We have had good success using BAX Global for larger overseas 
shipments, but they are not cost effective once you get below about 
50 pounds.

I suspect that a lot of the problems that have come up have more to 
do with the customs service in the destination country than the 
shipping method.  We have had problems ourselves when importing raw 
materials from overseas, with customs clearance sometimes taking 
months.

Anyway, I'll be happy to listen to any suggestions on how to improve 
the service we provide to MOTM customers.  We have come a long way 
in the last 3 months, and hope we are still improving.

Paul Haneberg