Online shopping from NZ - Overseas/USA websites shipping reliability help

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snowkiwi

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#89143 26-Aug-2011 10:09

I am looking at a couple of outdoor solar products from a USA store, REI. But shipping is like Amazon - expensive.

OK first off I try to support NZ sites/companies when products are available and reasonably priced. Taking into account their cost to import, product support, need for profit etc - and how much that would cost me if the overseas sourced product went pear shaped on me.

I've give-up trying to by things from places like amazon and some others that try to charge high shipping prices. My last attempt was a sub $10 item with a $60 shipping price!! They never used to be that expensive from memory with book purchases 10 years ago.

A couple of sites do free shipping - Totally transparent pricing - That works for me. But not all.

Q1 - Has anyone found a truly reliable forwarding company from the US. The prices are easy to review but not the reliability/service as almost every positive and some negative review I've seen stinks of viral/fake postings.

Q2 - Any other helpful thoughts on this subject

Q3 - Lastly just on the off chance someone else loves rope:) - Anyone know of an Auckland store (or NZ site with low freight costs) that sells decent paracord (5mm dia nylon braided rope with 5-7 internal twisted strands
My old roll I acquired when I was in, is almost gone... I miss it:(

Cheers guys and girls.

"Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see"-Edgar Allan Poe...and my Dad (Words I live by).
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"-Many...and my Dad (Words I should live by ;) )
If it ain't broke, fiddle with it ... till its broke! (Words I should really not live by)

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#512316 26-Aug-2011 10:29

I have a package coming to me from the US through BuyUSA at this time. They're a bit slow on responding emails, but price wise they seem to be on par with straight international shipping.

Still waiting to see how well it works, though.

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads." - Doc Emmet Brown

dontpanic42

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#512328 26-Aug-2011 10:49

It wouldn't happen to be one of these would it? ;-)

I ordered one from the states about a week ago and it has arrived today.

And by the way, if that is what you are ordering, the product is absolutely amazing!! Works brilliantly so far.

snowkiwi

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#512349 26-Aug-2011 11:21

dontpanic42: It wouldn't happen to be one of these would it? ;-)

I ordered one from the states about a week ago and it has arrived today.

And by the way, if that is what you are ordering, the product is absolutely amazing!! Works brilliantly so far.

Damn good guess 42. looks like a top product. I almost went for one of a generic power pack and a power film foldable e.g. F15 – 300N, till I spotted this config.

Did you do the REI $60 shipping?

snowkiwi

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#512356 26-Aug-2011 11:32

magu: I have a package coming to me from the US through BuyUSA at this time. They're a bit slow on responding emails, but price wise they seem to be on par with straight international shipping.

Still waiting to see how well it works, though.

Let me know how that works out.

Im trying and still looking for some free shipping US sites.

I've just ordered on Tuesday an H51 torch direct from Zebralight.com - free shipping -good prices. Also looked at 4Seven torches and Dealextreme for free shipping. Will see how that goes.

Bug'd if I know how some can do competitive pricing and free delivery and others charge $60 freight??

dontpanic42

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#512373 26-Aug-2011 11:48

lol :-)

You will not be disappointed.
I actually went with a few different suppliers as I firstly had trouble with no-one being able to ship a full Nomad 7 - Guide 10 Adventure unit with the power pack included (shipping/NZ import restrictions or something). And secondly, I actually wanted to get the AA batteries separately from a seller off Trade me - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Batteries/Rechargeable/AA/auction-402139296.htm

In the end I went with Amazon for the Nomad 7 solar panel unit by itself - http://amzn.com/B00452EO7Y , and then greenbatteries.com for the Guide 10 power pack without batteries, but with a set of 4xAAAs as the power pack unit doesn't come with the AAA insert adapter anymore. You have to buy 4x Goal Zero AAA batteries to get the adapter. However I think the full Guide 10 adventure kit with the power pack still includes the AAA adapter.
All very confusing really.

If you are going down the forwarding company route, surely amazon could ship it to them for free?
I was considering using a forwarding company, but hadn't had any experience with using them before, so decided to play it safe.

All up I got:
1 x Nomad 7 solar panel
1 x Guide 10 power pack unit (without batteries)
4 x AAA batteries (with AAA insert)
4 x AA batteries

for a grand total of NZ$210. Not too bad I though, but I had to shop around a bit.

Still in the testing phase at the moment, but yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and I charged my 1/4 full Kindle directly from the sun in about 3 hours. So maybe 4-5 hours for a completely drained Kindle (Kindle 3 battery is 1750mAH).

The 12volt output seems to put out about 14.9volts open circuit, and 650mA at short circuit.

richms

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#512377 26-Aug-2011 11:53

Free freight will generally ship out of asia where the mail is cheap. $60 would be fedex or UPS which will get there really fast and be tracked and cost you for the benifit of that

Richard rich.ms

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snowkiwi

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#512389 26-Aug-2011 12:12

richms: Free freight will generally ship out of asia where the mail is cheap. $60 would be fedex or UPS which will get there really fast and be tracked and cost you for the benifit of that

Ah makes sense. Pay for what you get. Ta

snowkiwi

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#512418 26-Aug-2011 12:36

Dontpanic42 -

You've done the hard research yards.

Just trial ordered (from your amazon link) the Nomad 7 - shipping NZ$21 which is heaps better than the adventure kit for NZ$60 shipping from REI. I may use your order path for all the products as it seamed to work for you.

Question - Why didn't you just buy both from green batteries? Or was it simply because the Guide 10 was purchased after you had already bought the nomad 7 ?

I was also looking at the La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power - mains input 4 channel Battery Charger which has good reviews

kobiak

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#512426 26-Aug-2011 12:44

any good computer parts store to ship to new zealand cheap of free?

helping others at evgenyk.nz

snowkiwi

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#512433 26-Aug-2011 12:49

try Dealextreme http://www.dealextreme.com/ not sure of quality tho. I have a few things in their shopping cart at present - may buy soon.

kobiak

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#512437 26-Aug-2011 12:53

@snowkiwi I know them. but I'm more after motherboard and case... cost heaps here :(

helping others at evgenyk.nz

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snowkiwi

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#512449 26-Aug-2011 13:04

kobiak: @snowkiwi I know them. but I'm more after motherboard and case... cost heaps here :(

I know they only seam to do a couple of MBs - Sorry I don't buy PC parts overseas... yet

dontpanic42

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#512460 26-Aug-2011 13:14

snowkiwi:
Question - Why didn't you just buy both from green batteries? Or was it simply because the Guide 10 was purchased after you had already bought the nomad 7 ?

Honestly, it was an issue of trust. I trusted Amazon, and because they were able to ship the Nomad 7 solar panel to NZ for a reasonable price, I went with that. I still find it odd that they couldn't ship the Guide 10 adventure kit to NZ (the difference being the power pack is included), but I guess the manufacturer has control over that area, or maybe it was NZ import restrictions of some kind... who knows.

I probably could have ordered the whole Guide 10 adventure kit all through greenbatteries.com, but just felt safer splitting the cost between a known, and an unknown. And in fact, I think the shipping was going to be similar anyway.

dontpanic42

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#512462 26-Aug-2011 13:16

Also, let me know if you have any queries about the product and I can do my best to answer them for you.

snowkiwi

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#512466 26-Aug-2011 13:30

Honestly, it was an issue of trust. I trusted Amazon, and because they were able to ship the Nomad 7 solar panel to NZ for a reasonable price, I went with that. I still find it odd that they couldn't ship the Guide 10 adventure kit to NZ (the difference being the power pack is included), but I guess the manufacturer has control over that area, or maybe it was NZ import restrictions of some kind... who knows.

I probably could have ordered the whole Guide 10 adventure kit all through greenbatteries.com, but just felt safer splitting the cost between a known, and an unknown. And in fact, I think the shipping was going to be similar anyway.

Makes sense . Customs NZ says nothing about batteries as restricted. And some other companies ship things Amazon won't. Amazon wouldn't let me buy nylon rope! They seems to have a special list of things you need that you can't have... just because!

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