"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
Just read this article this morning. Hopefully shipping across the pond will be easier and less costly in the near future for eBay purchases.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/...1fM/story.html
I'm not sure this program will bring about lower costs - in fact quite the opposite. Ebay currently allow buyers to select customs charges to be pre-paid, in the UK this does not always apply as there is no duty to be paid on certain goods (e.g. Books). This alienates many buyers as it is not easy to remove those costs after the item has been purchased.
I would also be concerned about this 'repacking' service. I know many shippers are very careful about how they pack their books, I would hate to have some low paid part timer throwing all that nice packing away and shoving a precious limited edition into a standard size mailer because it reduces ebay's costs....
For me, the biggest way of reducing costs (specifically from the US) would be to bring back Surface mail. It's slow but it gets there eventually and personally i'm not in any hurry to have a book delivered. I just want it delivered without damage or costs higher than the value of the book!
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
That article is informative and US sellers should read it before signing up for the program. It confirms what I posted about in the past. The sellers don't see the charge added onto their items. That charge is also arbitrary. According to the article, the company won't even explain how they figure the extra fees. Keep in mind some countries don't charge customs for books. Of course, if a seller wishes to make their items more expensive, that's their choice. I don't even click on most books I see are sent through the program. Why in the heck should I pay $20 customs for a $15 book?
Another issue the article brings up is repacking. They have to inspect all the packages or they will be responsible for any illegal items. They don't just fill out your customs for you and slap it on the box. I'd be curious to see what happens if a $1000 book gets damaged. Would the seller foot the bill or the person who repacked it? Both could claim the book was as described when it was in their possession. I have bought only one book through the program and it arrived "repacked" in a PLASTIC MAILING BAG. Not a box, not a padded envelope, not even padded with newspaper; just a plastic bag. If these are the idiots you want to entrust with your business - good luck. I threw the book out and didn't even bother starting a claim over a few bucks.
The Global Shipping Program is a joke. I have talked to Ebay and you can have the seller remove the charge but sometimes they won't unless Ebay contacts them (Which Ebay will on your behalf) but I have slowly stopped using Ebay and was once a huge supporter of it. The ONE time it helped me was with a Disney snow globe... for some reason the program did not take into account the weight. The charge was about half including border and shipping fees.... but you guys are right about buying a book... rape fest.
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
See Kris, our Catapult idea is a good one
Mulleins
I'm the caretaker of Room 217..............I've always been the caretaker of Room 217
Looking for a UK 1st/1st hardcover of Night Film (Marisha Pessl).
Mark Twain
This almost deserves it's own thread but I will place it here:
Careful using UPS to ship anything to or from Canada. UPS not only charged shipping, but they also hit Kris and I with a surprise Brokerage Charge of $35 with penalty's of 6% per day if not paid in 10 days.
It won't be long and we won't be able to trade, sell, ship, etc. to anyone outside the US.
Ralph
I'm the caretaker of Room 217..............I've always been the caretaker of Room 217
28 in 23 (?)!!!!
63 in '23!!!!!!!!!!
My Collection: https://www.thedarktower.org/palaver...ion-Merlin1958
The Houston Astros cheated Major League Baseball from 2017-18!!!! Is that how we teach our kids to play the game now?????
First, I'm not attacking UPS here, I think the Post Office and FedEx are doing this as well now:
After talking with a brokerage rep at UPS I found out UPS has a group that unpacks the boxes, verifies what is in it (yes that also means they open the book to see if it is signed), pack it back up, verify value on it by doing research, and continue to ship it and send a brokerage bill to the receiving party based on value.
My signed copy of Joyland (sent from Canada) arrived fine and I really couldn't tell if the box had been opened. But, after talking with UPS, I'm shocked. As far as I know this only happens with packages shipped by UPS going outside or coming into the US. I've started to hear other stories of our own Post Office opening packages to verify media mail shipments inside the US.
Will this stop me from shipping???? NO! But, I feel sort of violated with it. My opinion of course.
Mulleins
I'm the caretaker of Room 217..............I've always been the caretaker of Room 217
Media Mail has always been subject to inspection, so nothing new there. This is the first I've heard of UPS or FEDEX searching packages though.
I wonder if customs has been putting more pressure on them?
Mark Twain
Yes, I was always aware that "Media Mail" was subject to random spot checks. I was even involved in a incident where they opened a package of mine to inspect it and it got a little hairy. Slight damage occurred in that incident. However, opening and researching etc, well that I was NOT aware of and yes, I would feel a bit "violated" in that circumstance.
28 in 23 (?)!!!!
63 in '23!!!!!!!!!!
My Collection: https://www.thedarktower.org/palaver...ion-Merlin1958
The Houston Astros cheated Major League Baseball from 2017-18!!!! Is that how we teach our kids to play the game now?????
If no one replies before the weekend I'll check my local bookstore on Saturday. I'm pretty sure they have both US and UK 1st/1st copies in stock.
My gf went to the post office yesterday to send to the UK a wee package including a silver bookmark in a wee package the size of a book (i would say a maximum of 500grammes). They apparently didnt have any form for a specific shipping so by default they offered her another INTERNATIONAL option >>> 16 fucking euros. NO freaking way. Should be about 6€ tops.
In comparison, the other day i sent a package with 2 books + some sheets to the USA (to King's agent, after discussing with him in Paris an old project of mine. I hope that it will become something).
I dont remember exactly, but choosing the "books & magazine" option without any insurance or anything, it did cost me 6 or 12€. Cant remember.
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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The fact that it was a paper (including books) that you were sending makes a big difference.
I had a quote from the post office that was literally halved when I told them the contents of the parcel were 'documents'
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
I have recently used a service to ship books from the US back to the UK. The site is www.ipsParcel.com and they operate a store and forward service. Basically you sign up (for free) and are given a US postal address. Any items sent to that address are held for you for a period of 1 month. You are notified on arrival and they tell you (via email or if you log in and check your account) the weight and size of the parcel. You can then instruct them to send the items on to your actual address (for me it's the UK). They use reputable shipping companies (DHL, FEDEX, UPS) and offer a repack service if you require it.
The costs reduce with the amount you send and are based around weight. The fact that they hold the items for you means that you can build up a set of items and have them shipped together which gives you a large cost saving over having the items delivered direct individually. I recently received 7 items that had an approx cost of $17 per item. One of these items alone was quoted as $60 if shipped direct.
They do not open the items and the original packing remains intact. (you can have them repack if you wish for a small charge, I would never use this service however) You can also add insurance at a cost of $2 per $100. I received my items from the US to the UK in 3 days, had full tracking (via DHL) and am very impressed with the service. I will definitely use them again.
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
Big thanks to my good friend the Caretaker or Room 217 (Ralph). He always looks after me (I am in Canada) when there is a book I would like to bid on Ebay... thanks my friend!
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
I wonder if someone could get a copy of Entertainment Weekly, Issue 1303, March 21, 2014 for me when it's out. I can pay via Paypal.
Thanks in advance!
Wanted list:
Ubris
What will be in this upcoming issue?
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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Some picks from Steve about tv shows if I'm not wrong
Wanted list:
Ubris
I'm trying to ship a box to the UK but am striking out with something even remotely affordable. The box will leave from zip 73025 and be going to TR13 in Helston. It is 16" x 12" x 4" at 3.5 pounds. I am getting quotes of around $170 from UPS and FEDEX. I tried http://www.ipsparcel.com/ as suggested above and still $66 is lowest. Is this just the going rate or am I doing something wrong?
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King