A Nightmare on Elm Street UK quad....

[Test1]

John, what was the quote shipping price for that ONE rolled quad? It should have been minimal, in the scheme of things.

I mailed 3 linen rolled linen backed US OS to the UK from here in LA one time. That cost (and these were quite heavy in a gorilla-proof tube) was only about 50.00 USD.

And they arrived in a week.

I think he said about $100-$150 but, that's because he would have sent it via FedEx or DHL which I asked him to do for me if I was going to have it.

[Test1]

Because people put a value.  Don't put a value.  Value is ZERO.  And then ship it.  Done!

T

This is all well and good if it arrives safely and arrives undamaged, but, if either of these happened then I would have lost £1000 or more, bit to much of a gamble for me personally, it's a lot of money to me.

[erik1925]

I think he said about $100-$150 but, that's because he would have sent it via FedEx or DHL which I asked him to do for me if I was going to have it.

It could also be sent USPS International Priority for MUCH less and be there in 3-4 business days.

$150.00?? 

Ouch x10 

[Test1]

It could also be sent USPS International Priority for MUCH less and be there in 3-4 business days.

$150.00?? 

Ouch x10 

  I'll always pay a bit more for shipping if I feel it's a safer option, anyway Matt told me he had some bother with shipping to the UK on a couple of orders because when it gets to the UK it goes to Parcelforce, and believe me! they are pretty useless most of the time, that's why I was going to go for the Fed Ex or DHL option.

Just to add, in the end the postage & custom charges have not mattered because I decided in the end that the poster itself was to expensive, I feel my poster money would be better off spent on other areas of my collection, I have no doubt someone will buy Matt's NOES at some point though as it's a quality poster, so good luck to them and good luck to Matt in getting what he wants for it

[erik1925]

When Ive sent to the UK, its gone from USPS International and then handed off to Royal Mail (though Ive read some "interesting" stories about them, here on the forum, too).

[Test1]

When Ive sent to the UK, its gone from USPS International and then handed off to Royal Mail (though Ive read some "interesting" stories about them, here on the forum, too).

I bet you have just to risky when your paying £1000 for a poster, well, it is to me anyway.

[erik1925]

But, knock on wood, anything Ive ever sent via USPS International, priority service or otherwise, has always arrived swiftly and safe and sound. No complaints here or those on the receiving end. And just because something is sent FedX or DHL doesnt mean it cant also be roughly handled.

Its all about the folks who are physically handling and carrying the parcel, not the company itself.

[Test1]

But, knock on wood, anything Ive ever sent via USPS International, priority service or otherwise, has always arrived swiftly and safe and sound. No complaints here or those on the receiving end. And just because something is sent FedX or DHL doesnt mean it cant also be roughly handled.

Its all about the folks who are physically handling and carrying the parcel, not the company itself.

Very true.

[marklawd]

In my personal experience of having posters shipped to me from the US to the UK over the last 25 years the choice of carrier is fairly unimportant. The most critical factor is that a strong tube is used and the poster has been packed well.

Mark.

[eatbrie]

In my personal experience of having posters shipped to me from the US to the UK over the last 25 years the choice of carrier is fairly unimportant. The most critical factor is that a strong tube is used and the poster has been packed well.

Mark.

Listen to this guy, he knows what he's talking about, and Matt packs really well.  No insurance needed, imo.

[erik1925]

Listen to this guy, he knows what he's talking about, and Matt packs really well.  No insurance needed, imo.

One might ask for some added insurance with a pricey item but with solid, secure packaging, the $150.00 shipping fee is NOT needed. 

Unless the tube is covered in gold leaf, that is.

[timelessmovieposters]

I wouldn't pay £1000 for a rolled copy even though it's a great poster. You can pay £400 for a decent folded copy and spend that other £600 on something else.

Marc.

[Test1]

I wouldn't pay £1000 for a rolled copy even though it's a great poster. You can pay £400 for a decent folded copy and spend that other £600 on something else.

Marc.

Thanks! Marc, this is very much the conclusion I come to in the end, as you rightly said "great poster" without a doubt, but, just more sensible ways of spending that kind of money while also still improving my collection.

[Harry Caul]

Wow, lots of speculation in this thread regarding shipping!  I think some clarifications are in order.  When shipping to the UK, these are generally your options and approximate costs:

1. USPS First Class (handed off to) Royal Mail ~$25-50 depending on size/weight of tube
2. USPS Priority Intl (handed off to) Royal Mail or ParcelForce UK ~$60-80 depending on size/weight of tube
3. USPS Priority Express Intl (handed off to) ParcelForce UK ~$75-100 depending on size/weight of tube
4. FedEx/DHL/UPS (no handoffs) ~$80-120+ depending on size/weight of tube

Keep in mind we are not talking about one collector sending something to another collector here.  I am a dealer and I run a business that I must keep in good standing — both with my name and reputation in general and with my payment processing gateway, PayPal.  To meet those obligations I have to make sure the following happens:

A. Item must arrive to buyer.
B. Item must arrive to buyer in stated condition.

As everyone who has sold using eBay/PayPal before, to meet (A) you have to have tracking.  Right off the bat that eliminates shipping options (1) & (2) above.  There is no tracking what so ever on first class mail (1).  Option (2) has tracking on the US side, but you loose it when it arrives in the UK. It doesn’t matter if the package doesn’t arrive or if the buyer simply states that it never arrived — I’m responsible.  PayPal will refund the payment to the buyer regardless of any protest on my part.  Using an end-to-end traceable service is my only option to be fully protected.

To meet (B), I have to package the item well — which is not a problem if you know what you are doing.  Still, forklifts happen (as T can attest!). Insurance is admittedly costly, but even if the buyer says they don’t want to pay for insurance and that they will accept liability — PayPal doesn’t care.  If the item arrives damaged, I, me the seller, am responsible and they will refund my payment back to the buyer regardless of any protest.  Using insurance is my only option to be fully protected. 

So as a seller, not only do I need to use shipping option (3) or (4), but I also have to use some sort of insurance to be fully protected in the transaction.  However, insurance will not pay out for damages if you declare the customs value as something low or a gift.  The two declarations of value — insurance value and customs value — must match to be fully protected.

Also please keep in mind some of my recent experiences selling three different $1000+ posters to three different buyers in the UK.  The first two were sent via option (3) — fully insured, tracked, and matching declared values for customs.  USPS Priority Express Intl should have arrived in 4-5 days.  Even with all those supposed protections ParcelForce caused huge delays both times.  In one case, it took 3 weeks to finally get the poster delivered.  In the second case, ParcelForce literally LOST the tube for 3+ weeks (with a VERY nervous buyer during that time!) before it magically reappeared in their system.  It was finally delivered after 5+ weeks total.  Ugh.  The third poster I send was via FedEx (option 4) and so far so good, although it hasn’t arrived yet. 

How does this all change when sending from one collector to another?  In that case, it is possible to shift all the risk to the buyer. You can use PayPal gift payment, any shipping option you want including basic first class postage (1), use no insurance and send as a gift.

Hope that helps clear things up a bit.  If anyone knows of cheaper, equally safe options that are PayPal compliant... please let me know!

[erik1925]

Thanks! Marc, this is very much the conclusion I come to in the end, as you rightly said "great poster" without a doubt, but, just more sensible ways of spending that kind of money while also still improving my collection.

Sounds the most sensible and the best way of getting more "poster bang for your buck," John.

I agree wholeheartedly and would do the same. 

[originalcinemaposters]

Yeah $1800 amongst collectors is a lot. As for a retail price it is not off base at all. It allows shops to hold onto more inventory and you can always lower the price but can't raise it. And ofcourse everyone that would be interested is going to make a lower offer than asking price.
Matt has the only one for sale besides the palace cinemas copy mounted on foamboard
I paid well enough that... first, I wouldn't part with it for unless $1,800 OBO and that this quad would be tough to let go. And secondly and more important is the time it took to find one. I was persistent and asked many many people if they wanted to sell theirs. At one point I gave up on rolled after being the underbidder on a folded one at over $600. (They weren't showing up then as often as this past year then)

Mine is the Palace  Pictures version that hung in their office, its not on foam board. its printed directly to card measuring 30 x 40

[jedgerley]

My bad. I couldnt remember "card"
It was printed on card? I thought it was mounted on card?

[originalcinemaposters]

 

[Tang Lung in Rome]

I've used registered mail for 15 yrs , nothing was lost and arrived just fine. Always get tracking for really expensive stuff though

[erik1925]

I've used registered mail for 15 yrs , nothing was lost and arrived just fine. Always get tracking for really expensive stuff though

Im a huge fan of tracking, regardless of value. That number makes the journey less blind for me.

[Test1]

Im a huge fan of tracking, regardless of value. That number makes the journey less blind for me.

Agree 100% with this, I hate it if anything I order can't be tracked right up until it reaches my doorstep, some sort of tracking is always No.1 priority for me whenever I order any item.

[CJ138]

Yes, sending money as a gift leaves you virtually no recourse if something goes wrong.

[eatbrie]

I don't care about tracking.  Things always get to me one way or the other.  Sometimes it takes a couple of days, sometimes it takes a couple of months...  I'm patient.  The ONLY country I've had problems with, and multiple times, is Italy.  Bad hombres there.  So I'm being super cautious when it comes to that place, but for the rest of the world, all good,

T

[Tang Lung in Rome]

I will not send un-registered to France either after one episode where postal employee stole items (its happened to parcels from US too or items from "rich" countries)

[Test1]

Hi! to all,

Hope everyone on these forums is doing well

Not been around much in recent times but just picked up my first poster in about year and a half.

Finally come across the NOES UK Quad in rolled condition and totally thrilled about that, attached a couple of pics (front & back).