Sarah Stokely05 October 2006, 3:30 AM
PC parts are so cheeeeeeap overseas. Trouble is, the cheapest prices seem to be from online stores that aren't aware of the rest of world outside of the United States. Here's the low-down on mail forwarders.
Do you find yourself wistfully looking at the unbelievably cheap prices US retailers offer on computer consumables, peripherals and parts?
Double-layer 8.5GB recordable DVDs are cheap in the States ($US88.12 for a 50 pack), while multi-gigabyte memory keys are sometimes a third of the price they're sold for here ($US44.99 at Office Depot), to name just a couple of examples.
Trouble is, many US-based retailers won't ship to an Australian address.
Mail forwarding services provide you with an address in the US that you can have your goods shipped to and, for a fee, they will post them on to you in Australia.
However, there are many services available that demand a monthly or annual subscription fees, which makes the whole thing less attractive.
For example, Access USA, based in Florida, charges a one-off set up fee of $US35, plus a $US15 monthly fee or annual membership of $US132. On top of that there's a $US29 postage fee for a 1kg parcel to be forwarded to Australia, along with an $8 "commercial invoice" fee.
Another firm, USA Box, doesn't have ongoing fees but charges charges a one-off $US35 joining-fee, with hefty postage ($US35.95 for 450g, plus $US5.95 per 450g after that.)
There is a simpler option though: eBay members that are starting to pop up offering ad-hoc mail forwarding services.
One we found was Massachusets-based QuickEnterprises, which sells one-off mail forwarding services for on eBay $US4.95 each plus postage. (It also has a dodgy-looking website at http://quickenterpriseinc.com).
We anonymously tested their service and received our item promptly (an external 2.5" drive case ordered through an online vendor) with a reasonable postage fee of $US23.25 (we were given various postage options and this was the the cheapest.)
Of course, that postage is on top of the cost of postage from the online store to the mail forwarder, however, we cunningly found an online shop with free shipping within the USA.
Australian credit cards not accepted?
Once you have a mail forwarding account set up, you can add your new US address to your credit card as a secondary ship-to or secondary billing address. This way when you make purchases from US retailers, your shipping address will match your records on file with the credit card company.
If the website you want to buy from blocks Australian banks' credit card number ranges altogether, there are also mail forwarding companies that offer shopping services. You pay them, and they make the purchases for you.
Since you'll be parting with a larger chunk of cash than just postage, we'd recommend using a credit card to pay in this instance, because it provides you with the protection of being able to file a charge-back claim with your bank if the goods never arrive.
There may be some paperwork to establish a mail forwarding account in the US. Under US federal law, you must provide your mail forwarding company with a completed USPS Form 1583 (which can typically be downloaded from the mail forwarding company website) and at least one form of photo identification, such as a driver’s license. In reality, though, many smaller firms don't require this.
Parcel repacking
If you’re a frequent online shopper, you can minimise mailing costs by electing to have your mail forwarding company hold your mail and consolidate all your parcels into one larger parcel. You can nominate how often you want your mail sent out, or you can get each item shipped immediately if you prefer.
Look for a mail forwarding company that gives you shipping options. US Global Mail offers 12 shipping options via four carriers (UPS, DHL, FedEx, and USPS) so you can choose the best value shipping method for the particular parcel. They charge a flat repackaging fee of $US3 for packages - but make sure you read the fine print because some mail forwarding services charge per item.
Another money saving option if you have a company or some friends who are also interested in purchasing from overseas is to add additional names to your mail forwarding account. Each person must complete the USPS Form 1583 and provide at least one form of photo identification. Be aware that some companies charge to add people to your account. Access USA charges $20 per name per year, while US Global provides it as a free service.
Remember to factor in hidden costs such as the transaction charge your bank charges for international credit card payments, and import duties. Access USA offers the option to declare the Wholesale Value of your shipment. The wholesale value is usually 50-60 percent less than the retail value, thus minimising any duty payable.
Caveat emptor
As always, do your research before you buy, especially when buying from overseas. The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) has an online shopping checklist.
The ACCC offers protection to consumers who have purchased in Australia, but doesn’t cover consumers who have bought from overseas, says Lin Enright, public relations director for the ACCC.
“If someone buys and there’s a failure to deliver, we’d pass that on to our sister agency in the States, the Department of Justice if not the Federal Trade Commission,” says Enright.
The ACCC’s website directs consumers to the international site for cross-border e-commerce complaints for over twenty countries including Australia and the US. The econsumer.gov complaint database is hosted by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The website offers several tips for avoiding e-commerce problems, including the use of Trust Seals and escrow services, and the use of payment cards which offer online shopping protections.
With additional reporting by Dan Warne