plz..need a big big help..

[Nilanka Sampath]

This has been an interesting thread. I have only ordered once on the web from Dick Blick. They send UPS I believe and when the goods arrived, they were in perfect condition but they were accompanied by a brokerage fee that nearly doubled the cost of the supplies. I understand that brokerage fees are only part of doing business when it comes via an express parcel service. If it comes via the US mail, there are no brokerage fees into Canada. We may pay the federal tax but that should be all…anyone with any similar experiences?
It has stopped me from ordering on the web because all savings are lost then,

Gail

brokerage fees “nearly doubled the cost of the supplies”

[M.L. Schaefer]

If this is a “brokerage” fee rather than a custom’s fee, I would consider canceling my order. When I shipped to Canada, Europe, UK, I had to fill out a short little form to attach to the package. A bit of a pain (I had to acquaint myself to what the codes are), I filled it out, and mailed the package. So, if this is a fee charged by Dick Blick, then that is bad news! There are not a LOT of codes (even this dummy could figure them out), and only took a few minutes, which would mean Blick’s made an extreme profit from filling out a short form. If they outsource their international shipping to a brokerage firm, that is a dummy move by Blick, and a disservice to Blick’s customers. A big ole dummy move by Blick! (Sorry, Blick’s, I buy your paints, I love your site, but have some heart already!)

Of course, I did all this with United States Postal Service (USPS)! Blick’s and Jerry’s, all the big internet suppliers just DO NOT use USPS. They would rather spend a huge amount in packing supplies and charge customers an arm and a leg for shipping, than pack a simple USPS Priority Box!

I would e-mail different internet suppliers in the UK, Europe and U.S. to ask what, if any, brokerage fees they charge?

Kiwi

When he, the Spirit of truth is come...he will be your Guide... Holy Bible (Old and New Testament)
Under the Concrete are Flowers Yet to be Born...from a Chilean Poem

[Cyntada]

Actually, there may be good reason for that. I also have an online business (nothing to do with art) and ship almost exclusively UPS ground. Why? Because the moment your box size exceeds 12″ square, or the equivalent, or gets heavier than 2 lbs at any size, the prices go sky-high. Plus, resolving a lost-package or breakage claim with them is a complete joke.

Thus, when one of my customers orders something small that is not likely to break, I do use Priority Mail with satisfaction that they’ll get their order faster, for less. Sadly, the vast majority of my product line is not small, light, and unlikely to break. UPS also has regulations about how much padding should be included to protect any item you’re shipping with them, and blowing off those regs could result in your breakage claim being denied. Honestly, I ship very delicate things all the time, and (knock wood) rarely have damage claims. I also pad things generously and double-box, because if anything doesn’t survive the trip, they will collect my boxes and peanuts from the recipient and use this when deciding whether to pay the claim!

That said, if we’re talking about 6 little tubes of watercolor paint and a couple dozen empty pans, there’s no reason you can’t pop that into a #4 Priority box with a bit of wadded-up paper, and get it on its way At that point, the carriers probably just find it too crazy to manage which order went with what carrier, and just stick to one – to their benefit but not ours!

CK =)
I take great comfort in knowing that my genuine typos will probably be blamed on some device's autocorrect.
DIY art supplies, sketches, and more: cyntada.com / @cyntada

[Nilanka Sampath]

i am going to order from dickblicks tommorow..(total amount wil b like $ 140 or 150 )// before i order, can anyone tel me again to make sure,,are they charge huge amount of brokerage fees ??how they are chaege that?? is there anyone have that experience ?? //i live in srilanka ..

plz,. reply me quick…
thank you..

[M.L. Schaefer]

I’ve never bought internationally from Dick Blick. I thought you had already bought the items…But, if not, you should email Blick’s and ask what the brokerage fees may be. Blick’s is very helpful and quick to respond. You should also contact Utrechts to see what their fees are…or Cheap Joe’s.

Kiwi

When he, the Spirit of truth is come...he will be your Guide... Holy Bible (Old and New Testament)
Under the Concrete are Flowers Yet to be Born...from a Chilean Poem

[Nilanka Sampath]

I’ve never bought internationally from Dick Blick. I thought you had already bought the items…But, if not, you should email Blick’s and ask what the brokerage fees may be. Blick’s is very helpful and quick to respond. You should also contact Utrechts to see what their fees are…or Cheap Joe’s.

Kiwi

hmm,.they said that they are not charging brokerage fees.. :confused:

[MC_Ginny]

The way I read it, the brookerage fees came from the parcel service and not the sender. And I know that one from experience :crying:. I once had a parcel send to me from the US to Europe: cost of contents & shipping was around a hunderd dollars. The parcel service added handling fees (bureaucracy and paperwork fees), import duties and VAT: 40-50 dollars. That brought tears to my eyes.

I don’t see why we can import 400 dollars worth of goods without import duties if we come back from holiday, yet only 25 dollars worth if we have it send to us?

[Dragoon]

Oh, geez! Wish I had read this thread a couple of days ago!

Nilanka, don’t worry!
Blick does NOT charge brokerage fees, and they do not charge you twice!

I am in Canada, and have ordered many times from Blick. (and many other places, including the excellent Bromley’s in the UK. )

Blick sends the first email to authorize the payment (I think its just to see if you have the enough money to cover the purchase?), but they do not take any money yet.

(*just remembered* I have ordered recently from a different US company, and they did charge me separately. One time just for the order, then a separate charge for the shipping only. )

It takes a day or two to calculate your shipping (there are many other orders ahead of yours; its a really big company!) Then the packers must gather all your stuff, find the right containers and packing for it, then weigh it, then look up the prices for the shipping, and email you. You get to choose which company you want to use.

Its the shipping company that charges the brokerage fees. Since you are overseas, I have no idea what your options are…but for Canadians ordering from the US, there are two.
USPS is slightly more expensive (a few dollars), but they do not charge brokerage fees.
UPS seems cheaper, but then charge brokerage fees when it gets to your door!! No warning! An order I made for $120 (not from Blick, someone else, but they only offered me UPS), charged me another $60!! And I had to pay it, because he had my stuff hostage.
So now I simply do not order from places that don’t give me USPS option.

Nilanka, Blick has a very good reputation! They will treat you right. If you end up not happy with your shipping fees, I don’t think it would be their fault…just the unfortunate cost of living so far away…
When I ordered from the UK, it did seem costly, but then, I got some stuff that I could not get here at all. So it was worth it to me…
Good luck!
D.

[Nilanka Sampath]

Oh, geez! Wish I had read this thread a couple of days ago!

Nilanka, don’t worry!
Blick does NOT charge brokerage fees, and they do not charge you twice!

I am in Canada, and have ordered many times from Blick. (and many other places, including the excellent Bromley’s in the UK. )

Blick sends the first email to authorize the payment (I think its just to see if you have the enough money to cover the purchase?), but they do not take any money yet.

(*just remembered* I have ordered recently from a different US company, and they did charge me separately. One time just for the order, then a separate charge for the shipping only. )

It takes a day or two to calculate your shipping (there are many other orders ahead of yours; its a really big company!) Then the packers must gather all your stuff, find the right containers and packing for it, then weigh it, then look up the prices for the shipping, and email you. You get to choose which company you want to use.

Its the shipping company that charges the brokerage fees. Since you are overseas, I have no idea what your options are…but for Canadians ordering from the US, there are two.
USPS is slightly more expensive (a few dollars), but they do not charge brokerage fees.
UPS seems cheaper, but then charge brokerage fees when it gets to your door!! No warning! An order I made for $120 (not from Blick, someone else, but they only offered me UPS), charged me another $60!! And I had to pay it, because he had my stuff hostage.
So now I simply do not order from places that don’t give me USPS option.

Nilanka, Blick has a very good reputation! They will treat you right. If you end up not happy with your shipping fees, I don’t think it would be their fault…just the unfortunate cost of living so far away…
When I ordered from the UK, it did seem costly, but then, I got some stuff that I could not get here at all. So it was worth it to me…
Good luck!
D.

thank you sir.. its very helpful.. i ordered yesterday from blick..now i am waiting to recieve second email (confirmation with shipping charges)..i hope there will be USPS :thumbsup:

[Nilanka Sampath]

i have a serious problem at my hand right now,, .. i was ordered from dickblick worth $ 123 of tubes..but when they mailed me the shipping options .. (which is so high like 54$ in FedEx and 75$in USPS) ..i do not confirm the order..
then i found a good deal on ebay m graham tubes.. so when i try to pay… it doesn’t complete due to insufficient balance in my paypal account..so i double check by calling my bank (issuer of the card which linked to Paypal) and they said exact time and date and transaction details.. will dickblick refund it ??? i send couple of mails to them just a few minutes ago.. asking for details about that..

[Nilanka Sampath]

.. i received a reply from dickblick and now i can breath again

“Thank you for contacting us in regards to being charged for an order. The order was canceled as requested. We do not charge until an order ships. What you are seeing is an authorization that the card is valid. This will fall off in 1-2 business days. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
“

[indraneel]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. As a potential buyer, this was all very helpful. Nevertheless, the exorbitant shipping cost from the US is to be expected, tubes weigh a lot. One of the reasons why I’m asking about dry pigments in my other thread.

[Dragoon]

I’m very glad to hear that your order was resolved sucessfully!

Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m sure it would be a big help to others that wish to purchase supplies overseas…perhaps the mods can change the title of the thread to make it easier for others to find?

Best of luck getting the art supplies you want!
Cheers,
D.

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