International Shipment Terms/Costs

Updated Sept. 15, 2021

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new international shipping terms/options

Due to many issues currently plaguing the USPS, I have been having LOTS of issues with international shipments. So much so that I've calculated that in the past 3 months, 1 in every 7 international shipments has had some sort of issue that I truly have no good way to fix. Almost all First Class international packages have been taking a very long time to arrive, and quite a few have been "lost in transit". Others are marked as delivered and never show up, and more still are returned to sender (which takes close to a month to get back to me usually). Many of you have contacted me recently with one of these issues, and I am doing my best to try to fix the issue, but truly I have no control over the packages or what happens to them once I drop them off at the post office, and once the packages leave the USA, then USPS doesn't really have any control over what happens to them either, and won't help me in any way. Simply put, I cannot afford to just keep issuing refunds for lost/misplaced/MIA packages, as I then lose out the money for the keycap and the shipping cost.

So going forward I'm changing my shipping options and terms for international customers:

  • From now on, all international shipments are considered F.O.B. Origin, which means that you as the buyer assume all risk of loss in shipping and all liability for loss or damage, whether direct, indirect, consequential or otherwise, once the product(s) have been delivered to the carrier. This means that once I drop packages off at the post, I am not liable for lost packages, nor will I issue any form of refund for lost/misplaced packages.

  • With that being said, I'll offer a couple of new options for international shipping. The new options, and their costs/risks are below:

  1. Use a US-based proxy service. This means I ship to a service on your behalf that is in the USA, using insured priority mail, and then the proxy service ships to you. This is my recommended option for anyone outside of the USA right now. (low risk, $9+proxy fees)

  2. Use UPS Worldwide Express or USPS Priority international shipping service. These are both relatively quick, and quite reliable. However, they are pricey, so balance that in your choice. (low-medium risk, $44 for UPS Worldwide, $52 for USPS Priority)

  3. Use the same standard USPS First-Class shipping service I've offered before, and assume any and all risk yourself. I would not recommend this option, unless absolutely necessary. (high risk, $16) .(edited)

Update for my friends in Austrailia:

You may have heard that USPS has suspended First Class shipments from the USA to Australia. What this means for you is that if you are currently waiting for a shipment from me, it will most likely be marked to be returned to sender. In that case, it will take a few weeks (usually) to return to me, at which point I can do one of a couple things:

  • Ship back to you with a different shipping service (USPS Priority is supposed to still ship there, but will be about $52. Or UPS Express Worldwide is reliable and costs $44)

  • I can hold it for you for however long I need to. No idea how long that will take.

  • You can use a US-based proxy shipping service. (see above for details).

If you live in AUS and are planning on entering any of my sales (or any by any US-based makers), then you should plan on trying to use a US-based proxy shipping service, or paying for the upgraded international shipping option (UPS, $44 or USPS Priority, $52). If you are concerned about this, or have any questions, please reach out to me here, or by email at hobie@fraktaldesigns.com and I'll do my best to answer your questions.