Shipping from Italy charges

[popgun pete]

I have purchased a few pneumatic spearguns and their accessories directly from Italy and often I am horrified by the shipping charges. A case in point are rear inlet valve covers as can be seen here.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TAPPO-COPRIVALVOLA-FUCILE-SUB-CYRANO-MARES-RICAMBIO-ORIGINALE-CAP-INLET-VALVE/382830415861?_trkparms=aid=1110001&algo=SPLICE.SIM&ao=2&asc=20131003132420&meid=d885b7264b9c4438afa1384997bfa8ad&pid=100005&rk=12&rkt=12&mehot=pf&sd=254459702855&itm=382830415861&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TAPPO-MARES-COPRIVALVOLA-ARANCIONE-PER-FUCILI-JET/264465474235?_trkparms=aid=1110001&algo=SPLICE.SIM&ao=2&asc=20131003132420&meid=520143ba7a4f4b218eb891a0971871bb&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=12&mehot=pf&sd=382830415861&itm=264465474235&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Shipping of 25 to 45 bucks is daylight robbery on such small items which are about the size of a thimble!

Recently I acquired a rare speargun's operating handbook from Italy and the shipping was over 30 bucks for an item about the size of a large Christmas card and as thick as a junk mail pamphlet and it took over 3 weeks to arrive. Have others found this to be the case?

 

[floatingbeatle]

Totally agree Pete, but here in Australia, we have a distinct disadvantage. Very few supplies for Pneumatics exist here, and our hands are tied behind our backs, so we are forced to pay exorbitant fees offshore to get supplies.

 

[popgun pete]

Totally agree Pete, but here in Australia, we have a distinct disadvantage. Very few supplies for Pneumatics exist here, and our hands are tied behind our backs, so we are forced to pay exorbitant fees offshore to get supplies.

It used to be the case that the distributor for a brand of pneumatic spearguns held stock of all spare parts for the guns, including spears and speartips. Unfortunately for many years now the only stock held is new guns, otherwise they had to contact the manufacturer for anything else. To protect their business in more recent times, and with the rise of internet shopping, distributors sought exclusive rights to import that brand. Now that is OK if in return for this protection they do get parts in, but in many cases they cannot be bothered and their only interest is in selling you a new gun. This not very satisfactory state of affairs means you need to look for suppliers such as Divestock in Estonia who will send stuff regardless of restrictions. The big money is in scuba gear and dive computers, so spearfishing is still very much a second or even third tier activity as far as distributors are concerned, with a very few exceptions.

 

[tromic]

For the Salvimar kit I bought (years ago) the price was 40 euro and the shipping 30 euro.

 

[floatingbeatle]

It used to be the case that the distributor for a brand of pneumatic spearguns held stock of all spare parts for the guns, including spears and speartips. Unfortunately for many years now the only stock held is new guns, otherwise they had to contact the manufacturer for anything else. To protect their business in more recent times, and with the rise of internet shopping, distributors sought exclusive rights to import that brand. Now that is OK if in return for this protection they do get parts in, but in many cases they cannot be bothered and their only interest is in selling you a new gun. This not very satisfactory state of affairs means you need to look for suppliers such as Divestock in Estonia who will send stuff regardless of restrictions. The big money is in scuba gear and dive computers, so spearfishing is still very much a second or even third tier activity as far as distributors are concerned, with a very few exceptions.

It is actually quite amazing how much 2nd hand scuba gear is for sale on various sites. Guess it all comes down to supply and demand, but yes, I agree that suppliers have dropped the ball. In some cases, it has been cheaper to source from overseas, in particular, Asia, but they usually sell in wholesale quantities.

 

[popgun pete]

Sometimes shipping charges are high because sellers load up the cost by including their own handling charges, this is not necessarily something only in Italy as other countries are just as likely to pull this stunt. A few years ago on eBay a guy was offering a small pneumatic for “buy-it-now” of around 20 dollars, the guns being brand new. The catch was the shipping was well over 200 dollars, so anyone hoping to score a bargain by hitting the keyboard button and beating out other buyers for the ten or so guns on offer was in for a big surprise! I already knew what those guns cost from other sellers, this guy was not the only one selling them, so I spotted the trap before being tempted (the guns were a small Russian model, so had a certain appeal to unfamiliar buyers by being unusual).

 

[vrokhlenko]

I am gonna 'cheer' you up. I custom made two slide rings for Cyrano and wanted to mail them to my buddy in Portugal from the USA. Since the thickness of the envelope was more than 1/4 of an inch (the weight was 14 grams!!!!) they wanted to charge me $14. I said goodbye and mailed it to him from Azores for 80 European cents. Apparently ANYTHING mailed from the USA to europe that is thicker than 1/4" has s hipping charge of $14 and higher. When they say that the government is the biggest criminal - they are not lying

 

[popgun pete]

Here shipping charges are dependent on the size and weight, anything that qualifies as a “letter” has to fit though a gauge which is a slot in a template made for certain sizes. Parcels attract higher charges, however getting an item through as a “letter” can have problems. Once it took two attempts to receive a small item, it being sent back the first time and when I finally received it on the second mailing there were signs that the bump in the envelope had caused the item to be caught in the postal sorting machinery that defaced the mailing address and so it was not delivered. Next time with the address label in a different spot I received it with no problems.

Although you may not want multiple items, it is often better to buy a bulk order which fits in the same size shipping box with a minimum price, as buying one will incur exactly the same mailing charges as say 20 of them in the same box.

On eBay it can be frustrating to buy multiple items from the same seller as it can then be a lottery if the seller has the brains to ship everything together or sends them piece-meal in separate packages. Of course charging you for separate shipping and then putting everything in one package is another possibility!

 

[floatingbeatle]

Here shipping charges are dependent on the size and weight, anything that qualifies as a “letter” has to fit though a gauge which is a slot in a template made for certain sizes. Parcels attract higher charges, however getting an item through as a “letter” can have problems. Once it took two attempts to receive a small item, it being sent back the first time and when I finally received it on the second mailing there were signs that the bump in the envelope had caused the item to be caught in the postal sorting machinery that defaced the mailing address and so it was not delivered. Next time with the address label in a different spot I received it with no problems.

Although you may not want multiple items, it is often better to buy a bulk order which fits in the same size shipping box with a minimum price, as buying one will incur exactly the same mailing charges as say 20 of them in the same box.

On eBay it can be frustrating to buy multiple items from the same seller as it can then be a lottery if the seller has the brains to ship everything together or sends them piece-meal in separate packages. Of course charging you for separate shipping and then putting everything in one package is another possibility!

Seems to happen all the time to me with eBay, even when I contact the seller!