I've had my house for 12 years and I never thought I would see the day when I could go on line and order from Amazon and have it show up at my door but it has happened.
I needed a travel tripod that would fit in my suitcase and not weigh too much. I have a tripod I love but it is too long and too heavy for the current luggage restrictions on airplanes. I was on line looking at tripods, thinking that I'd have to have it shipped to one of the services that brings stuff across the border when I noticed that Amazon said that the tripod was available for global shipping. Whoa! Would this be cheaper and/or faster than the local services I had used in the past? I decided to give it a try.
I placed my order on the afternoon of January 26th
The tripod shipped on January 27
January 28 it arrived in Mexico City
January 29 it left Mexico City
January 30 at 2:30 PM UPS rang my doorbell.
I paid about 10% of the cost of the item for shipping and handling but that will vary based on the size and weight of what you are ordering.
I did not have to pay any sales tax since it was being shipped outside of the USA. That saved me about 8.75% of Texas sales tax which just about did away with the cost of shipping and handling.
And then the cost to clear customs was about 18%. A little more than the usual 16 or 17% but maybe there are brokers involved.
I am amazed. I never thought I would be able to order from Amazon and have it show up at my front door in FOUR days. Besides that I really like this colorful 15" tall tripod. Red is a good color for me.
YOU are blazing trails I never even considered. My neighbor in the guest house is having things sent from the USA to this address frequently and each time they arrive I stand with an open mouth in amazement. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteRED is YOUR color for sure!
What was really shocking to me was how fast it arrived. FOUR days.
DeleteRed is a power color. I'm a powerful woman! LOL Need a tripod that reflects my personality. Besides a thief might think twice about trying to walk off with a red trimmed tripod.
Oh I love this! Please tell us what kind it is! How perfect!
ReplyDeleteThank you in advance.
Barbara
Barbara, It is MeFoto and is called a travel tripod. It comes with a variety of colors. It is 15" tall and weighs a little more than 3 pounds. Also comes with a nice padded case. It will be a little more trouble to open up because it has more leg sections but at least it will fit in a suitcase.
DeleteYou have thrown down the blog gauntlet. I feel a test shipping coming in the future. Of course, with my current travel schedule, I could probably be my own international shipper.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I would have brought it back with me in December and paid no duty but I didn't have room in my suitcase. So if you can bring stuff back when you return from the USA, it will be at least 16-18% cheaper. However it is nice to know that we do have an alternative if we need it.
DeleteI'm always amazed that they allow tripods in checked luggage. In my opinion, a tripod would make a reasonably decent offensive weapon, but I guess TSA doesn't agree. But seriously, would you rather be attacked with a butter knife (banned) or a tripod?
ReplyDeleteI think I'd go for the butter knife any day.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we have one, frequently-used travel tripod, and one sturdy, seldom-used, heavy-duty tripod.
Kim, You are talking about carry-on luggage? I totally agree with you about the butter knife vs. tripod. Do you carry your tripod on or put it in checked luggage. I'm hoping that I can get it in my checked baggage just to keep my carry-on lighter.
DeleteI have a heavier tripod in Houston and also one here but I think I'll find that this lighter one sees more action than either of the other two unless I'm using my LARGE camera. However the weight limit for this small tripod should hold the large camera as well. So who knows. Besides, this one is just so darn cute with the red trip. Very stylish! Always important to look good as a photographer. LOL
Sorry, I mis-wrote. I mean allowing tripods as carry-ons. And yes, I've carried on my lighter Velbon "ultra maxi S" tripod, but it expands to about 5' high, so it's not small.
DeleteThere are a lot of people who think you need a heavy-duty tripod to get clear, vibration-free shots, but I've had pretty good luck with my lighter tripod using a standard DSLR (Canon 30D). To avoid vibrations, I'll often use the self-timer so I'm not jiggling the tripod when I shoot. That, combined with lengthy exposures (>1/2 second) seem to quell any vibration problem.
Of course the self-timer is both my favorite and most hated feature. I love it for the use above, but then ALWAYS forget to turn it off, and of course on the next shot, it drives me nuts.
Saludos,
Kim G
Leaving the self timer on....
DeleteBeen there done that! LOL
Last July picked-up a Velbon Ultra-Maxi in like new condition at a thrift store in Las Vegas for $2 usd. Seemed like a good deal ;-)
DeleteBragging rights on that transaction.
I love thrift stores and re-sale shops. But that was a bargain. Go ahead and brag. LOL
Delete