I have sent a few test parcels to figure out some of the issues and I quickly noticed a trend…If an Airmail flat is below the tax threshold it seems to find it’s destination without taxes or delay, often beating transit times for Express Mail.
I have set up a custom ‘low value order’ page for most of the EU countries that limits the total value of the order to roughly 22€ or less. Under 22€ is typically duty/tax free meaning a Core8 board costs roughly 10€ including insured shipping via this method.
The new page serves Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
My main parcel insurance provider finally added Brazil and other countries in South America, so I’m working on similar custom pages for BR rules and few other countries.
Any questions/suggestions/feedback are welcome, including ‘why don’t you ship to x’…but lets keep it in this thread so I can stop repeating myself in my inbox.
Italy is not alone with this, many countries have the same rule…Assuming one of my two parcel insurance providers will cover it, I’ll make a similar offering using Priority Mail. It’s not as cheap as Airmail/First Class but it’s typically $10usd or more less than Express Mail.
remember we discussed about Norway via PM? Please see if you can include us as well… :flowers:
Thanks, ilmenator
Yes!
Thank you for reminding me…
Insurance rules/rates and shipping rules/rates are the same as most of the EU, the low value for customs is almost the same at nok 200, so I added Norway to the country list.
If the exchange rate happens to widen the roughly $3 difference by another $3 in the customs threshold, I’ll make a Norway only page to take advantage of the gap.
In other words -if/when- the exchange rate is nok 200=$36.23usd a core32 board could ship this way without tax or delay.
I’m off to do a full read of that section of the customs rules, but so far the only noteworthy difference I see is the parcel needs two invoices attached instead of one…I think I can cope!
My main parcel insurance provider finally added Brazil…
Ah Muleque! :frantics:
Good that you have said that oficially. Lots of people here been asking where order the boards. I was always confused to say because I didn’t know you was suporting BR oficially. Now it’s real. :ahappy:
Smash, is Greece supported in the regular shop, I see the shipping option in the small shop list, but I want to order a core 32 an the M6582 base and CS pcbs and parts, so I will need to do that via the regular shop, but I cant find Greece as an option, WIll you add it or should I order anyway and calculate the cost using another country (and which one?)
KnoBall thanks again for helping me figure out the rules for shipping to Brazil, both written and unwritten…
I added BR to the main store page with Express Mail service, and I will get the low value order page for Brazil finished and ready over the next few days. Brazil has a ‘no dutiable articles in Airmail’ rule, but unlike other countries that rule does not specifically include Priority Flat Rate service…so the Brazil low value page will use volume units instead of weight.
Hermes my main insurance provider stopped insuring shipments to Greece, but I recently started a new open coverage policy with a second insurance provider who does cover shipments to Greece. Greece is back in the country list on the main store page now.
You have to look at the official exchange rates that the customs offices in each country / in the EU use. Usually, these rates are updated once a month. Still, if the value is at the brink of the NOK 200 / (put in your local limit here) limit, it remains a gamble, due to the time it takes SmashTV to handle the order, and shipping time. I am not sure how this can be handled satisfactorily in the future?!
You have to look at the official exchange rates that the customs offices in each country / in the EU use. Usually, these rates are updated once a month. Still, if the value is at the brink of the NOK 200 / (put in your local limit here) limit, it remains a gamble, due to the time it takes SmashTV to handle the order, and shipping time. I am not sure how this can be handled satisfactorily in the future?!
Maybe upon request would be better then.
I never knew the customs offices had their own interest rates,
Mhm, it seems customs has intercepted my low value parcel… I hate them guys… (Smash: is there a way to track it? I guess not for these low shipping rates…)
(if it is still possible - paypal refund and I try your new shipment method tomorrow 
sigh!