Overseas Shipping Question

[Klattsy]

Hi All,

I am a baseball fan/memorabilia collector from Australia. I have recently taken an interest in GU items. So far my baseball collection is limited to baseball cards, but I have an extensive Australian sport memorabilia collection.

I have been hunting down ways of obtain MLB memorabilia and have stumbled across your site. It certainly seems like a wealth of knowledge and I hope to be able to tap into it.

I have been trying to convince myself that eBay is an OK place to by GU/AU memorabilia, but have decided against it as I just cannot trust resellers. Some of the COA's look to easy to fake and some COA's just don't look right. I am talking about the Steiner items here.

These are some of the items I am interested in, but without MLB Authentication, it's hard to trust them...
Craig Shipley Bat
Justin Huber Bat
Trent Oeltjen Jersey
Luke Hughes Glove

My last resort is mlb.com auctions or buying off the authenticator (Steiner/UDA) directly (which frankly I can't afford). I don't even think I trust Mounted Memories? Or am I just being paranoid! Surely ANY item that is for sale on mlb.com HAS to be genuine...or is this me being ignorant? Regardless, I have perused the Collector to Collector forum and there seems to be some great items here, but am concerned about postage for bats especially.

My first question for this great forum is does anyone know exact shipping costs for shipping items such as bats, balls, jersey's, caps internationally? I see prices up to $300 on mlb.com auctions...any ballpark figure I should be factoring into costs? I know I can't negotiate with mlb.com but maybe if I was to buy here, what I would be up for?

Thanks again,
Mark.

[Fnazxc0114]

Welcome to the forum. I too found the forum much like you did. I spent more time reading the archives, and basically learning what to look for when it comes to buying g/u stuff than i did anything else when i joined this site. The archives are a wealth of knowledge, as well as one of the other sections of this forum which basically tells you what to look for on jerseys. Good luck in your search. As far as shipping is concerned try looking at the usps website. They usually can give you a round about idea on how much shipping cost. Sorry i couldnt help you more in that regard.

[perlman9]

I believe when I sold a bat to Japan it was over $100 to ship. Crazy expensive and that was through Fed Ex I believe. I am sure MLB charges much more do to all the paperwork that needs filled out, etc plus they may have more forms to deal with than a normal seller. But unfortunately, shipping overseas for bats is extremely high. I believe jerseys are less than half that.

[spartakid]

I shipped a few jerseys to japan a while back for $45 or so. Not too bad. Hope this helps and welcome to the forum.

Ricardo

[Mark17]

As was mentioned in a previous post, you can go to some websites like fedex.com and the US postal service usps.com and check out rates.

If I was in your place, I would try to find someone in the USA, like a family member or very close friend you could trust, and have them receive packages. Then every so often have them put together one large shipment and send it overseas. Better yet, if they periodically travel to Australia, maybe they could bring your stuff over as checked baggage.

Here's another thought. I just sent 2 bats to a US military serviceman in the middle east, and with $500 insurance and priority mail service, it only cost $20.00. The reason is, I only had to pay postage to get it into the hands of the military, and they delivered it from there. So, do you happen to know any US servicemen stationed near you, and would they be willing to help you out?

I wouldn't do anything like that unless I 100% trusted the person and they 100% trust you. And, there can be complications if items arrive that are misrepresented or damaged, or if you order something that never arrives. However, if you do know the right person, and if by chance they share your hobby interests, some kind of arrangement like that might save you a bundle in shipping costs.

Good luck, and welcome,
Mark

[BULBUS]

My first question for this great forum is does anyone know exact shipping costs for shipping items such as bats, balls, jersey's, caps internationally?

A bat shipped from the states to Australia via US International Priority Mail, with $500 insurance, is about $50.

-Chris

[Klattsy]

BULBUS - Thanks very much for that. It's good to know.

I have an auntie in New York City (they where at the HOF Induction weekend - they are good friends with Jon Miller). But i'd hate to impose on her as they travel alot. But it's an option. Worst bit is I wouldn't see the item for so long!

No servicemen nearby that I know of.

If I can keep shipping to around $50 an item it should be OK.

Look forward to flicking through the archives this weekend. Jealous of some of the stuff that has sold on here!

Thanks for the welcomes!

Mark.
(Australia)

[lakeerie92]

The Trent Oeltjen jersey is MLB Authenticated, the hologram is on the cool base tag at the bottom. Mounted Memories is good in my book. I was the same way at first about not buying anything unless it was MLB authenticated. I use the forum now to make my determinations and it allows me to collect more and feel comfortable about it.

[Tedw9]

Welcome to the board Mark!

Let me see if I can answer a couple of more questions for you.

First, you mention you don't think you can trust Mounted Memories. I can safely say that Mounted Memories is a 100% legit autograph company. They do not sell game used that I know of, but they are very legit when it comes to autographs. Make sure the item you are looking at has the Mounted Memories hologram on the item.

And I looked at the list of Ebay items you listed. There are only 2 I can comfortably speak to, the first one is the Justin Huber bat. I would avoid that seller just on feedback rating alone. I find if a seller is below 99%, you are playing with fire. That is just my experience, others may say otherwise. And being where you are, fighting an issue would be a real pain in the butt!

The second one is the Trent Oeltjen jersey. I would have no issue with that because it has the MLB hologram attached, your safe with that one and the seller has great feedback.

Of course, as you mentioned, the BST forum on here is a fantastic place to buy game used items. There are some really smart guys on here who know their stuff. These boards are a treasure trove of information and cool stuff for sale or trade.

Either way, I hope to see you post often, sharing your new pick ups with the rest of us.

Cheers!

[joelsabi]

As was mentioned in a previous post, you can go to some websites like fedex.com and the US postal service usps.com and check out rates.

If I was in your place, I would try to find someone in the USA, like a family member or very close friend you could trust, and have them receive packages. Then every so often have them put together one large shipment and send it overseas. Better yet, if they periodically travel to Australia, maybe they could bring your stuff over as checked baggage.

Here's another thought. I just sent 2 bats to a US military serviceman in the middle east, and with $500 insurance and priority mail service, it only cost $20.00. The reason is, I only had to pay postage to get it into the hands of the military, and they delivered it from there. So, do you happen to know any US servicemen stationed near you, and would they be willing to help you out?

I wouldn't do anything like that unless I 100% trusted the person and they 100% trust you. And, there can be complications if items arrive that are misrepresented or damaged, or if you order something that never arrives. However, if you do know the right person, and if by chance they share your hobby interests, some kind of arrangement like that might save you a bundle in shipping costs.

Good luck, and welcome,
Mark

Mark17,
Nice suggestions.


Mark,

if you want to go the direct route I would email the seller on ebay and ask for the exact price for shipping going to Australia. I notice one of the seller posted $35 shipping just inside the USA.

Also you need a seller willing to mail to Australia. I once sent a package to Australia and the shipping was steep, I think around $50 for a medium package. I used USPS "Priority Mail - Internal Medium/Large Parcel Flat Rate Box" plus tracking. You need someone willing to fill out the forms in the post office so I would ask the seller if they have experience shipping to Australia and how much.