A funny thing happened on the way to a fabric order....

Have you ever ordered from Virginia Quilter? They are fast and efficient and carry a huge selection. I know they ship internationlly.

L> Well I have my order finally. It is been so frustrating, I may as

Ouch! Didn't they explain anything at all about the charges? I've never ordered from them, so I can't say anything either way about their service, but it does seem a tad high.... :(

There are dozens of places that ship internationally, but be careful that they use Global Priority. Some (fabric.com springs to mind) insist on using Air Mail because it is easier for them to throw everything into one big box. The Air Mail cost can be really scary.

Most places manage to get about 5 yards into a GP envelope. Equilter once crammed in 6 yards but the envelope split and I got a note that next time I would be charged extra postage. I usually assume 5 yds for about US$9-50 (or about US$2 per yard) to Australia. For books and patterns some places use the GP boxes (4lbs for US$20) but this is not usually the best option for fabric.

I know not to order more than a certain amount so I do not attract the attention of the kindly Customs Officer. I know the limit on this for UK is very low so that's why you got hit with duty. You need to find out what the max value is before duty applies (I remember Pat telling me a while ago and while I don't remember the amount I do recall it was VERY low). For Aust it is about AUS$200 I think - could be more - so I keep my orders below US$150 plus shipping to be safe.

I found out the hard way about all this. A few years ago I ordered for a group and the AUS$500 worth of goods was shipped surface mail for almost the same cost as multiple GP packs, took three and a half months to get to me, and was held at the PO until I paid over AUS$150 in duty.

BTW - I have bought from Bear Paw with no problems in the past and would deal with them again.

From what I can work out, I was charged twice for the shipping. This (wrong) amount was put in the "value" box and then UK customs took account of that number + shipping. So I was slammed for customs because of *three* times the amount of shipping. Other places are more sensible and write the value of the fabric in the value box. The stickers from the post office, etc are clearly visible for UK customs to then work it all out. Fabric.com is one I don't deal with anymore because they won't ship via Global Priority, and now it will be a very cold day in hell before I deal with Bear Paw Quilting. They have said they will refund the $27.90 overcharge - that doesn't help the customs fee I just paid to get the fabric, does it? Nowhere in this process have they realized that it wasn't just the overcharge, it was the way everything was written on the parcel that made me get an enormous customs fee. I get more sense out of my cat.

-- Jo in Scotland

Have you tried arguing with the customs office? I've done this successfully (in Denmark I admit). You certainly have a valid case! Write them a letter with copies of all the relevant documents and see what happens. Roberta in D

"Johanna Gibs>

Howdy!

Funny? I ain't laughing.

Ya' know, Jo, and many of you others across the ponds/borders, quite a few of us US-ans would be happy to shop for you, send the pkg thru' regular over-seas mail and trust you to repay us. Like Cat wanting this fabulous Nancy J Martin book (Make Room for Quilts) that I mentioned, and if Sandy F had not stepped up to say "I'll help!", this Sandy would have. 'Cause that's part of the fun of being w/ this crazy RCTQ bunch. When we planned our Germany trip a year ago (already a year ago?!!!??) the first person I contacted was RobertaZ, then I asked, "What can I bring you?" and she asked for some seasoning mix that's sold just up the road from me; I was happy to oblige. And what a wonderful pay-back we got for that! Lunch, tour guides, a sense of security that "we have friends over here!" so we felt more comfortable traveling over there. And chocolate. And lebkuchen!!! In the RCTQ Secret Swap we're doing now (thanks, Larisa!) we have lists of what our pals want and w/ the overseas group we can send what they miss/want/can't find at home. Easily.

So, anyway, I'm sorry your experience w/ this company sucks. You know I had only grief when dealing w/ Han-of-Pad online (walk-in store was just fine and I met a "neighbor" from Tx for the first time ), won't deal with them again, refused to even accept their catalogs in the mail, because despite others citing wonderful success dealing with them, as far as I'm concerned they suck & I'm done w/ that. ;-D This shipping charge against you is ridiculous. Maybe some stores just don't want to put that much time & effort into shipping and make the customer pay for their perceived inconvenience. Whatever, sounds like you've been had. For those who like to keep lists perhaps a list of feedback for who does good biz or not could be added to the FAQs, like the eBay feedback. Your experience isn't the same as everyone else's, but it's relevant and worth noting, esp. for overseas shipping.

Better luck next time!

Ragmop/Sandy--sizzling in n.Tx.

Dear Jo,

Some places do this when shipping from the US to Canada. Depends on how many brain cells firing together in the shipping department...and there are places that I won't order from as they gouged me like this once.

USPS has a Global Flat Rate for $9.00 that is a small box, not the Global Priority envelope. There is also a Flat Rate box for more weight for about $16.00. Boxes are free, but they do not sit out, you have to ask for one when you go to mail stuff.

Too bad the shipping staff didn't know this. Maybe some quilting people are more able to ask for the best deal for foreign places. Also, when you go to quiltshops.com you can sort of estimate the size of the business on the FAQ pages before you order from them. It does make a difference.

Irene (who has ceased to travel for a while) > Well I have my order finally.

The next time I get a whiff of any funny business or the refusal to use methods I know exist, I will say the magic word. "No". "No thank you, you can cancel my order". It's getting easier to say, the older I get! And then if I really can't find it anywhere else, I'll ask my RCTQ pals to help out. By the way, one of the fabrics is flannel and the other is seersucker. I didn't see any mention of this on the website, nor is it mentioned on my printed order form. This just gets better and better...

-- Jo in Scotland

Yikes, that's terrible! So sorry this happened to you Johanna :-(

Karen

I completely agree!!! I'd be happy to do this for any of ya'll overseas.

I recently sent a couple of squishees to Canada and Australia and I declared $0 and a gift hoping that would keep anyone from paying customs fees. I hope it worked.

Add me to the list of those who would order for you and ship for cheaper.

Tricia

Sandy Ellis> Howdy!

Johanna Gibson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

THat's what I do... I'm quite thorough (and probably a bit paranoid!) about questioning companies when I try to order online. If I get the slightest sense they don't ship overseas very often, I don't go through with the order. Which is really a shame as some of the more special fabrics & smaller companies just can't have that much experience. And of course, it's really my loss. :o( When I see the gorgeousness that is fabric, that belongs to other people, I just want to cry!! :o(

Our RCTQ pals are wonderful! Someone has always come to my aid. I'm just hoping one day someone will need my help so I can give back a bit.

THAT really sucks!

"Estelle Gallagher" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@bt.com:

Oh, that sounds great! I went straight to the site, but it's not coming up. :o(

ellis snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com: Ok. I have a question about his Global Mail thing.... I was in the US in April & wanted to ship stuff back for myself. I asked about this type of option & they told me "no such thing".

Does this in fact still exist?

I've shipped stuff overseas for years, since my DT has lived abroad for about 30 years now. Then I started doing the same thing for a couple of RCTQers, so what's a few more?

Check out the USPS website.....it's listed under international mailing.

Betty in WI

"Betty in Wi" wrote in news:d70Dg.7557$ snipped-for-privacy@news01.roc.ny:

They lied to me & I hate them! They said my package would be weighed & that I would pay for the weight. I asked about this flat rate package & they said no such thing. Oh, well... It all came with me in the baggage. But now I know to insist next time.

Thanks.

They didn't lie.

I don't see anything on that page that's flat rate. They all say "...and up."

Clicking on "Global Priority Mail" gives you

where the only flatrates mentioned are the two envelopes. The rate calculator also doesnot offer any flat rate options other than the envelopes. JA

John A. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

If you click on Global Priority Mail® you get to a pages that says: -- Flat Rate Shipping ? Small and Large flat rate envelopes available for GPM shipments.