The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum

johnreid · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:45 am Post subject:

OK, some of my questions have been answered as I sit here with 5 copies of the Customs form in my hand.
First, I had to put an actual phone number down for me, and when I just skipped the other parties phone number, it came back with a error message so I just put NA for the recipients phone number and ir went through. One does not have to pay online but you do need to know the postage amount, I had added a few ounces to be safe on the weight so I will see if the Post office doesnt charge me a penny or two less when I post it.
Another odd thing is that they want to know what the contents weigh, I put the same weight as the whole package and it came back as an error, so I just guessed and put a little lower weight in and it went fine. I guess that from here on out I will need to weigh each item before packing it.
I also went to Ebay and bought an inexpensive Postal Scale, I paid $19.46 for the scale including shipping and it weighs up to 50 Pounds ( 22.6 kilograms ) so I am going to be ready and able to provide freight and forwarding for my forum friends in foreign Lands

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350275481928
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IndianaRog · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:27 am Post subject:

One more annoying "feature" of this new system...you can only fill out and complete the online form ON THE DAY IT ACTUALLY SHIPS.

For example, I can't fill the form out tonite for something I plan to ship Monday...I can only do it Monday.

I guess my 83 year old mother from Exeter, England is going to face a new hurdle this year for Christmas, mailing gifts to the relatives back home, as she is computer illiterate.

If you have ever heard the expression: "A camel is a horse designed by a committee"...it seems to apply here....what a pain in the ass!

Rog
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johnreid · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:37 am Post subject:

I never entered a date on mine, I think that is only if you pay the postage online. I probably should have paid online, but did not this time. I do have to date and sign all of the copies.
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Wallace · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:30 am Post subject:

IndianaRog · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:32 am Post subject:

Yes, I did pay for mine online, so maybe that's why it says only good for that day (why??? who knows??) ...small advantage of a couple of dollars savings for online with credit card vs. at the postal counter.

I will be interested to know how you like that postal scale you won on eBay earlier tonite...I do enough eBay and other system sales as does my wife that maybe such a scale would be worth it.
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johnreid · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:38 am Post subject:

I have enjoyed helping my forum friends out with the Ebay forwarding, and the rewards far exceed the hassle as I have good friends,
For a little more you can get scales with a USB attachment that hooks up to your PC, however I have bought too many things in the past that are no longer any useful due to operating system changes etc.
I assume the Postage bit is that if you pay online and the rates go up tomorrow they want the extra money.
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redryder · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:56 am Post subject:

That scale sure looked like a bargain !!!

I have found that when I sell something on ebay out of the country or if I direct sell (such as Jensen Steam Engines) and send a paypal invoice, I can go right too PayPal Shipping tab, click it and it fills in 80 percent of it for me. Then just click pay and it lets me print the completed customs forms. (And yes my Adobe was already upgraded). This won't slow many down. The way I do this it is much easier than filling out the entire form by hand.

I will add that our local post office employees (all 2 of them) are not liking these changes much. They received no training or instruction and feel a bit up against the wall. They still accept the old hand written forms if you have them and they have to stand there redoing everything you provided into their work station. They even have to do this with priority mail international that was already done on a computer at someones home. For express mail international, they were not prompted to fill in anything. They told me I didn't hand them enough forms (3 copies) and I had to explain the 4th copy was for me and was and would remain at my home.

It is supposed to increase security but I'm not sure how. I would think they would be more concerned about what gets shipped into our country than what goes out. This program will not likely stop anyone from shipping sensitive or classified items via the US Post office.

Gil
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Les · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:38 am Post subject:

johnreid · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:58 am Post subject:

Gil, they usually stamp the copy you keep, thus proving it is in the system
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johnreid · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:25 pm Post subject:

I just posted Bugsys Jensen this morning and asked a few questions, I was at the areas Hub Post Office so they provide more services than the others in the area.

You need to bring the copy of the form that you keep as they stamp it with a ribber stamp and if there was an incident where you wanted to try and claim on the $65 insurance built into Priority International, you would need the stamped form as one could forge an unstamped one.

As far as having to post the same day you buy Postage online goes, when they first started accepting payment online, people would buy the postage and then wait indefinite periods of time before posting, For some reason a delay in posting the parcel causes problems with the computer tracking and sorting that the Post Office uses. From what I understand there were a few cases where this became a HUGE problem regarding people claiming that Priority Mail was taking weeks etc plus insurance claims for lost mail. Thus they now require that you post it the same day you buy postage online.

At that Post Office they still had both the small and large forms left in stock, but once they are gone, they will no longer have them available.

If Grandma doesnt have a computer, they are advising that she either contact a neighbor who does, or she can go the the Library as most Libraries have Internet access and will print, for a fee.

I thought that the guy who was waiting in line behind me was going to get upset as I took so long asking questions, but as I finished he thanked me for asking as he want to know the same information too,
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redryder · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject:

I had thought that the mere fact that I did it on line allows for proof that is already in their system. When they scanned my printed barcode they knew instantly that postage was paid, insurance was paid and all the other details. I am quite sure that if I went back without the stamp, they would be able to scan my barcode again and know exactly how much insurance I purchased and for which package. No one can forge what they already have in their system.

It's good you got the guy behind you wanting the same info. Just wait until the holidays' shipping rushes. There will be gridlock at these post offices when most packages require a lot of extra work by the p.o.ed p.o. employees. Then the line that is only 10 people long takes 30-40 minutes. I'm not saying this will happen but if it's at all like when I went there a couple days back, it will be a bit brutal.

Gil
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