Advice to new customers in the US: Pay for faster shipping!

[Alan]

I went with the SF Express shipping because the nice discount on shipping from Conductive Labs covered nearly the entire cost of shipping. Take my advice: Don't do this.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have no doubts that SF Express as a shipping company will deliver when they said they would. But that's the problem: I am going nuts with anticipation over how long it takes. 

If you're like me, which is to say it is difficult for you to be patient once you've decided you need the NDLR, spring for the extra shipping costs. 

I've waited two weeks already, and there is another two weeks to go. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[Darryl]

Update: we closed the HK warehouse and everything is shipping from our USA warehouse now (since about July 2024). We also offer free shipping to USA continental destinations which typically ship by USPS (2-5 days). There is also good news for international shipments from USA; FedEx has added a service called International Connect Plus (3-6 days) which offers discounted shipping to popular destinations around the world. It's been really great to have this reliable, fast and low-cost option (cheaper than pre-pandemic prices). So far, we have not had a single issue with delivery using this service. If you don't get the FedEx option when ordering on our site for a European destination, it might be worth looking into ordering with a bigger international seller such as Thomann.de.

Old reply...
Shipping prices have gone up so much in the past year, sometimes there's little choice but to choose the cheapest option. However, Alan has a good point, and choosing an express carrier like DHL Express is usually a faster and more reliable option. They tend to handle getting the package through customs easier than less established carriers. Hong Kong post is often the cheapest, but they just pass your parcel to customs, then to your local postal service, so tracking is not very good and it will take a lot longer.

[Alan]

23 days of agony (I don't wait well) come to an end!

[Thark]

In Canada, DHL has been accused of overcharging customers with a hidden processing fee. In fact, there is currently a class action being pursued against them: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/dhl-cla...-1.5987195.

On the other hand, importing via the postal system results in no extra fees, not even duty. I have never had to pay any extra money when having items sent via the postal system. The big courier companies, on the other hand all seem to charge brokerage or processing fees. Sometimes a lot. My best experience has been with Fedex ... usually about 10% of the cost of the shipped item and they're pretty fast. Worst experience has been with UPS. Always 25% of the cost of the item. A complete ripoff. If I'm shopping online at a US or European website and the shipping options are UPS or postal, I'll always select postal. It may be slower but it sure is a lot cheaper.

Keith

[Jesse Johannesen]

The issue with not getting a courier for some orders is that IF there is a customs issue, some the budget couriers will not communicate that to the customer, potentially resulting in a returned parcel. DHL will intervene on the behalf of the customer and help navigate those sorts of hangups. I like using USPS of local delivery, (and incidentally I have had nothing but bad experiences with FedEx). DHL is my go to for international, always early and never made a mistake with me yet.

[ggiavelli]

i used dhl. got it in 5 days. and good communication with them - emails and msging on progress.

[Pop Alexandra]

It really depends on the shipping service used. I would pay more if the package would arrive fast and safe.