How to best ship big & heavy speakers internationally?


Who might I call? What shipping company is best suited for this sort of thing? These are both big and heavy- 175# ea. Can you share your experience? And lastly, I stand behind my shipping until received undamaged. Any peculiarities about international insurance/liabilities, F.O.B. considerations? I need some "how to" help please.
Thanks, Truman


truman

One thing I found with shipping internationally is that some buyers might want you to declare a lower value on an item in order to lessen a customs charge.  Problem with that is that you won't be able to insure past the declared value, and if the item is lost or damaged, you will be out the difference.  I don't like to do that, but if the buyer insists I have required him to agree to accept the risk of loss after I ship, which of course goes against your desire to keep the risk of loss.  For that reason I have started limiting my sales to domestic buyers only.

For the weight you're talking about, I think you might not be able to use UPS.  There are some international freight companies, hopefully other members will chime in.

Bax Global (now Schenckar or something like that) might be a good way to go if you have or can use a business address.  They will charge extra if you require a liftgate truck rather than have a loading dock available.  My experience is that for international shipments UPS and Fedex are very expensive.
Wooden crates with 3" of foam around them. You want absolutely no movement in the crates. Do not under insure. Bax is good, but UPS and FedEx may be easier if this is a one time shipment.