I ordered a coin from Germany and the seller tells me because of Covid he cannot ship to the US...he CAN however ship DHL to the US. So instead of 10 euros shipping, if I wanted the coin I would need to pay 50 Euros. (most I have ever paid and was equal to close to half the price of the coin I was buying) I really want the coin because it was a great example of the type but I would not do it again. Left a bad taste but I did it willingly so I cant whine. So just wondering. Anyone from Germany here? Has all regular shipping to the US stopped save for DHL (and incredibly expensive DHL at that)?
Hi Cachecoins, yes, the seller is right. Sadly. I stopped shipping to the US immediately in April, because the costs increased. The reason is that the cargo hold dicreased significantly. Covid 19 is the cause.
I have received a few shipments from Germany (to me here in the USA) in the last month or so that came via regular post, without the need to pay for expensive private-carrier shipping. They took a good while to arrive, but arrive they eventually did. I suspect it is more a policy of your particular seller than across the board, unless there have been changes I am unaware of. I shop regularly on MA-Shops and buy from German (Dutch, etc) dealers and have never been asked to pay such an exorbitant amount. I have also recently done business with auction firms in Spain and Switzerland and did not pay any unusual shipping fee. There was a wait, sure, but it wasn't awful. But if they are dealing with increased expenses, I suppose different dealers might handle it differently. One seller in Sweden that I did business with (long before all this COVID stuff) charged $20-something for shipping, which seemed a tad high to me at the time. But to my surprise, it came via FedEx, and I got the coin within about 36 hours- from Sweden to Georgia! So that was worth it.
German here. It is possible to send items to the USA using normal post, with limitations. From the official German Post website: Source: https://www.deutschepost.de/en/c/coronavirus.html I've sent three shipments (as letter, less than 500g) to the USA in June and all arrived safely. It took a little longer though, about 3 weeks. So if your seller needs to send your goods in a box or package (Warenpost / Päckchen), it's true. The only option is the pricier DHL.
Just checked the prices and the 50 EUR sounds accurate. https://www.dhl.de/en/privatkunden/pakete-versenden/weltweit-versenden/preise-international.html
Okay thanks...the reason why I asked was like Mr Marcovian i was shipped a coin from Germany not long ago with no problem however it was a small light flat hammered silver coin from the middle ages sent in an small envelope which might be why it was reasonable while this is a heavier Prussian sliver coin. Oh well. Thanks.
I remember even before COVID, shipping to the US was about $50 / 45€ for a small parcel containing merchandise. The only cheaper option available at this time did not include tracking information.
Problem is a lot of air cargo used to ride in passenger jets … that’s hugely decreased. Air freight companies have had nowhere near enough capacity to take up the decreased passenger cargo capacity. I have a neighbor who flies for FedEx. They are at capacity … pilots, planes, ground crews, terminals, etc. Wouldn’t be surprised to see laid-off passenger pilots going to work for freight carriers and flying planes leased from passenger companies. However, a passenger plane requires modification to be an efficient freighter. There is also retraining of pilots even if they will be flying the same basic model of plane. All this takes time. Cal
Wow...this still has not arrived. I just tracked it and it said it is still in transit. I posted this thread on July 18th.
Sometimes parcels are hold by the customs office and it takes some time before they’re inspected and eventually shipped to its final destination. Not sure about the US, but it happened to me...
