Hi, to start I’d like that I find this project very interesting and it’s clear you’ve put much effort and time on it. I am interested in Classic Style F104 Model F.
Since I am located in Spain, I’d like to ask some questions about international shipping.
In the Shop page, there is this info:
Rest of World: $74.69 (…) International: email me for a shipping quote.
I’d like to know if there a fixed shipping cost or it depends on the destination. Both statements look contradictory. Because 74.69 $ seems pretty high to me. Also It would good to know which company you use to send the orders.
I comment this in relation to the next question. About customs, I know that is the buyer’s responsibility to pay for all the import tax and VAT. However, from personal experience, I know that some companies also bill you extra amount for “processing” or “paperwork” related to customs clearance (for example DHL). The extra customs procedures also add chances of damaging the products or loosing parts of the order.
Do you have any feedback from orders sent to Europe about customs ?
To finish, after reading the terms and conditions I found this statement:
Refunds are not offered for damaged goods; instead, exchanges of defective parts require an RMA and are subject to approval.
Are there any shipping costs for this? I wouldn’t like to find myself in a situation where I have to pay again shipping or import taxes.
Thank you.
It is a fixed shipping cost to mail any keyboard internationally.
“Email me for a quote” is for non-keyboard, low weight orders which will have a lower shipping cost.
I do not normally use DHL. Normally I use Asendia which works with your country’s postal service. Any extra fees should be low to minimal.
I have mailed out thousands of keyboards worldwide over the years, and there are not many reported issues with customs.
Yes, you may have to pay import fees on replacement goods but they are marked as such on the customs form. The fees depend on your customs office. Normally I will cover shipping charges within the first year, or ship a replacement part with your next order.
Thank you for your reply.
I had never heard of Asendia. If they use regular postal service on my side (“Correos” in case of Spain) I wouldn’t feel too confident on them.
Last time I ordered something from overseas it was stuck for 1 month in customs and they charged me whatever they felt like.
I am tempted to place an order but I think I don’t want to figth with customs if there is any problem. I will think about it…
Anyway I will calculate how much it would cost me in total to get a keyboard from you.
And keep working on this project ! Your keyboards look great.
I have delivered many shipments to Spain without issue, so I would not worry, but I also offer UPS shipping which may add a small additional shipping charge.
I am also happy to work with US-based freight forwarders – you can just put them as the shipping address when placing your order, after you have arranged the forwarding with them.
Thank you for your reply.
I had never heard about Asendia, I will try to find out which company they would use on my side to deliver. Because if they use regular postal service ( “Correos” in the case of Spain) I think I wouldn’t risk with such a high value order.
Last time I ordered something from overseas, it stayed in customs processing for about 1 month and they charged an arbitrary value for the custom process (no detailed invoice).
Anyway I will sort out the numbers to have an idea of how much I’d have to spend in total. I am tempted to place an order but I am not feel like having to deal with customs and such if a problem arises. I will think about it…
And keep working on this, your keyboards look great !