Ordering US products

Just read a couple of posts on the FW3A thread about the cost of shipping from the U.S.
This has been bothering me for a while, I just can’t bring myself to pay the inflated costs.

A typical example:-

For such a small item the shipping and $2 handling fee on top of that at local post offices makes the price double, since it is often available for $16.
Does anyone know of a cost-effective way of handling this sort of thing? Are there dealers that operate from other countries and stock warehouses cost effectively by buying bulk, then ship U.S. made items worldwide with realistic postage? Any other suggestions?

For small components it is just unthinkable to look at U.S. sources.

If shipping, handling, tax, import is handled by the seller the fee is higher. This is comparable to other large scale platforms (ie ebay). You could try finding a seller or platform that ships at the cheapest rate and do the tax declaration, import, and taxation yourself. In many countries this can be done via the customs office.

I’ve sent many Reylight flashlights to all over Europe. Averages around $13 for First Class International which includes a tracking number, and usually takes around 5 to 7 days for delivery. There are cheaper methods, but you probably won’t find a vendor willing to risk losing the product which happens too often.

Ask U.S sellers if they are willing to mark the declared value to less than your countries import threshold. (Within reason) :wink:

For my work at school I need a extra piece of vintage pre-war fiesta-red Fiestaware (it makes a nice demonstration with a Geiger counter). This is an original american product and can only be found in the US, there is a lively trade of them on Ebay because vintage Fiestaware is highly collectable. But the already high price because it happens to be collectable even doubles because of the shipping costs, so for a small plate in average condition I pay between 40 and 50 dollar to get it here in Amsterdam. I even actually did that once but I’m extremely hesitant to do that again.