Turnaround Time of USA Shipping Forwarders

jlim87 on 09/12/2017 - 17:33
Last edited 09/12/2017 - 17:34

Apologies to mod if it's related to my other post but figured it's a different question.

I've never used a USA forwarded before so I'd like to know what their turnaround time is from receiving an item to posting it out.

If I purchase something with overnight shipping, I'm confident they'll receive it at most in 2 days, and if I look at Shipito for example, they list DHL express shipping at 1-4 days, which I'm also comfortable with, however I can't find anywhere how long it takes for them to receive my item and repost it out.

Are they reliable or should I expect several days of turn around time for them to sort things out, get payment from me, verify it, etc.

Lastly - Would be good to have a recommendation for a forwarder. Hoping to purchase from USA this weekend to the forwarder, and have them ship to Japan.

Although this is OzBargain, I'm not too worried about price, just want my item!

General Discussion

Comments

  • 87percent on 09/12/2017 - 18:38

    I bought something from Amazon and shipped it via Shipito, and it took nearly 3 weeks in total to be delivered to my doorstep

    • jlim87 on 09/12/2017 - 20:30

      What shipping method did you use though and what was the ETA? I'll be quite shocked if you opt and paid for express (1-5 days) but it took 3 weeks.

      • 87percent on 10/12/2017 - 09:05

        I used Amazon prime to get from Amazon to the forwarder so it arrived overnight, but then just used normal shipping to get to me.

      • 87percent on 10/12/2017 - 09:06

        I used Amazon prime to get from Amazon to the forwarder so it arrived overnight, but then just used normal shipping to get to me. I did remember that the package sat at the forwarder for 3-4 days before it was sent to me

  • holdenmg on 09/12/2017 - 18:55
    +1

    Hi,

    If your proposed purchase is of a GoPro Fusion then I'd draw your attention to the unboxing video @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5AUhPBaD0w

    When you get to 01.51 you can see that the Battery (supplied) isn't installed or inside the GoPro Fusion housing, it is in the box (but loose) and the Fusion battery is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

    As such, I'd encourage you to read:
    Shipping lithium batteries from USA
    https://www.shipito.com/en/help/tutorials/shipping-lithium

    I'd suggest you ask Shipito.com to confirm if they would view a Battery (supplied) in Box together with the GoPro Fusion housing and other accessories as complying with UN 3481 - PI966.

    Assuming yes, you need to follow the instructions very carefully and complete a MSDS if prompted.

    If "time is of the essence" then unfortunately shipping Items containing even a small battery can slow things down because it is then regarded as Dangerous Goods and can be handled differently (more slowly) along the line.

    If you (and Shipito and DHL) are OK with all that then all you have to do is have enough cleared funds to cover the Freight, Shipito's fees (and I'd certainly recommend you take out Insurance on the Item).

    This obviously only covers you for the Goods until you receive them, once you do your Travel Insurance would need to cover it against any Loss or Damage.

    To expedite things at Shipito's end, you can pre-populate the Expected Package section with details of Vendor, Tracking Number and remember to select Hawthorne (California) as your Warehouse which will probably be quicker than Minden (Nevada).

    So, when you order nominate your Shipito Hawthorne (California) address too.

    Last time I pre-loaded my Shipito account with sufficient funds (actually used Bitcoin) but I'm pretty sure they are OK with PayPal as well.

    Also, Shipito can sometimes have (Security) concerns with forwarding to addresses other than your native address (Melbourne) particularly if you are new…

    • jlim87 on 09/12/2017 - 20:34

      Thanks heaps for all the tips. Will definitely double check all the issues with batteries with Shipito (or any alt. shipper i go with).

      Assuming Shipito/DHL have no issues with the batteries or can repackage it accordingly, would you have any concerns with the turn around time? That's my main concern at the moment.

      If I order it today, latest they receive it is Tuesday. Assuming they dispatch it on Weds, their website says DHL is 1-4 business days, so I would just like to receive it latest the following week Weds. My only concern is their turn around time from receiving the item on Tues and dispatching it. Any experience on that?

    • jlim87 on 10/12/2017 - 15:38

      Hey mate,

      Sorry to bother you again but I thought I'd pick your brain on this since you seem to have experience with shipping batteries.

      So I managed to find someone in the US who's happy to purchase the item for me, and ship it out via DHL to me in Japan, cutting out any delays with forwarders.

      I'm going to be scheduling a residential pickup and delivery via dhl-usa.com and making sure this person helps me put the battery within the GoPro itself. There isn't a MSDS for the GoPro available yet on Google. Do you reckon they'll be any problems or delays with DHL and should she be signing this as Dangerous goods?

      Cheers

  • holdenmg on 09/12/2017 - 22:56

    I guess Wednesday is possible…

    I know DHL regard both LAX and Narita (NRT) as Hubs.

    I don't know how DHL would send it, possibly LAX to NRT and then on to (I assume Sapporo) then Niseko?

    DHL do have a new office in Sapporo http://www.dhl.co.jp/en/press/releases/releases_2017/local/d… but say "much of the cargo is transported by truck for import/export via Narita"

    I found the turnaround at Shipito pretty good, not so great on a Monday, but of course with Christmas coming along, things get busy. As long as they aren't backlogged, I wouldn't envisage a problem, all they have to do is relabel/or rebox it and a little paperwork.

    Apart from that, don't mention the Wildfires near LAX.

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