Postage Cost

[Dolly13]

Can someone tell me how much it is to send a 45 to the US registered please.

Thanks in advance

[Pete S]

It'll be around £9, send it by Airsure not International Signed For though...safer

[Dolly13]

cheers Pete

[NEV]

It'll be around £9, send it by Airsure not International Signed For though...safer

But no signature or proof of posting ??

[Pete S]

But no signature or proof of posting ??

Airsure gets you a signature at the door - but International Signed For only gets a signature from the airport to say it arrived in the country...

[NEV]

Was'nt sure Pete ,I remember being offered the airsure once and was of the understanding that it was a faster ,more secure service but didn't require a signature .

The international signed for only tracks to UK airport but deffo requires a signature at the other end or else it wouldn't be called " international signed for "

[Mace]

Think Nev is right Pete.....my understanding is that Int Signed for requires signature at delivery whereas Airsure doesn't.

[Pete S]

Think Nev is right Pete.....my understanding is that Int Signed for requires signature at delivery whereas Airsure doesn't.

No it doesn't Mace, international signed for just gets it to the airport - trust me, I've sent hundreds like this.

Airsure:

Visible - Royal Mail Track & Trace provides peace of mind by tracking the item up to the point of delivery and providing delivery confirmation online.

[NEV]

Pete ,I sent a record to Portugal international signed for and was able to track it to the door .

I've sent to Oz before and the buyer has told me he had to sign for it .

[NEV]

https://www.royalmail.com/print/delivery/delivery-options-international/international-signed

[Sebastian]

It's strange, but Airsure doesn't require a signature when sent to Sweden. The packages just gets slipped through the door.

Edited December 20, 2012 by Sebastian

[NEV]

Airsure doesn't state signature in its full description just a definite tracking confirmation ,which I suppose could be technically the same ?

https://www.royalmail.com/delivery/delivery-options-international/airsure

[Chalky]

I've just posted one "Internationally Signed For" to Norway and it cost £8.08 for one 45 in standard mailer. I was told that was the best method as tracking and signatures all the way.

[Pete S]

Well I'm telling you that ISF only gets it to the airport, thats why it costs less than airsure. Either that, or at least 2 dozen postal staff have been lying to me for 10 years

Even paypal recommend not using ISF.

Airsure is tracked all the way to delivery, but no signature is taken.ISF is signed-for but only tracked until leaving UK

Edited December 20, 2012 by Pete S

[Tiberius]

Well I'm telling you that ISF only gets it to the airport, thats why it costs less than airsure. Either that, or at least 2 dozen postal staff have been lying to me for 10 years

Even paypal recommend not using ISF.

Airsure is tracked all the way to delivery, but no signature is taken.ISF is signed-for but only tracked until leaving UK

Airsure costs more as it's supposedly the premium service & receives "priority handling", so in theory is faster and safer.

On the Royal Mail site there is no mention of a signature ever being obtained when using Airsure, however, according to the blurb, "Airsure items are scanned at 6 different points from collection to delivery overseas." The 6 points are listed, the last tracking point is listed as the "Delivery Office overseas" not the actual delivery address. International Signed For though states "Signature on delivery" as one of the customer benefits, adding "You can be sure that the item will be handed over only after it is signed for", so, again in theory, the item should always be signed for upon delivery wherever in the world it is sent, but then goes on to say "please be aware that a copy of the signature is not currently part of this service". This is where it gets messy as it could be that Paypal may require a copy of the signature in the event of a claim/chargeback for loss.

Where it gets more confusing is that for both services there's a relatively small list of destinations which provide overseas tracking, in the case of this thread USA is included in the list of countries which do provide track and trace information, but for some destinations you could pay the extra for either one of these services and find the item can't be tracked online. Also according to the blurb, perhaps worryingly, "Airsure is not a guaranteed service" (whatever that means), don't know if that's also true of ISF.

Paypal seller protection policy requires "You must obtain proof of delivery that can be tracked on line", so in actual fact neither service 100% fits the bill, but many people will never have a paypal chargeback/claim against them for lost mail and, in my limited experience, RM would pay compensation pretty sharpish if the lost item had been sent Airsure or ISF.

I wouldn't advocate 1 service over the other. Perhaps International Signed For, which provides a limited amount of tracking along with a signature, appears to fit Paypal's spec a bit better but Airsure should be faster and safer so yer pays yer money takes yer choice.

Finally, the only thing I would stress to anyone is that maximum compensation with each service is £50, regular Airmail is £46 max, so always pay the additional premium for enhanced compensation covering up to £500 if sending something valuable.

[Kjw]

I've used both ISF and Airsure - both have been okay but I'm aware that the cover only allows the same as UK recorded

If I wanted to send a record to the US using 'signed for' postage with a cover up to the value of £500, how much would it cost

Also, would I have to show the true value on the customs slip - if I didn't (say I only recorded a value of £10) and the package was lost or damaged would it invalidate my claim

[Tiberius]

I've used both ISF and Airsure - both have been okay but I'm aware that the cover only allows the same as UK recorded

If I wanted to send a record to the US using 'signed for' postage with a cover up to the value of £500, how much would it cost

Also, would I have to show the true value on the customs slip - if I didn't (say I only recorded a value of £10) and the package was lost or damaged would it invalidate my claim

Obviously cost depends mainly on the weight of the item. Here's the link to the Airsure prices (where you will note it mentions additional cover up to £500 costs an extra £2.60 on top) - https://www.royalmail.com/delivery/delivery-options-international/airsure/prices

International Signed For prices are Airmail price + £5.15, where, as above, an extra £2.60 has then to be added to the total for additional compensation up to £500.

Pretty sure vinyl records are duty free into the US, I think there may be a very low "processing fee" in some cases, maybe one of the US forum members will clarify, so you can put full value on the customs form. There's a good calculator to play around with here - https://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

In any event Royal Mail only need proof of value in the event of a claim, as much as you can provide, eg. printout of paypal transaction &/or copy of ebay listing after end of auction, or similar. They don't need to know the value on the customs form in my experience but it won't hurt your case if the true value is on the customs form.

[Pilgrimsoul]

Any international service is not universal therefore the receiving country has no obligation to provide the service which you may have paid for in the uk.When a registered item arrives in the uk it goes into the normal mail stream as the barcode is not recognized on the scanners.You used to be able to get a card that attached to the parcel and the recipient signed it and sent it back but not sure if you can any more.

Edited December 22, 2012 by pilgrimsoul