Shipping items in the physical world sometimes feels more difficult than it really should be. You'd think that in the day and age that we can deliver videos at the speed of light, that sending your family something special from abroad would be simple; and turns out it really can be if you know how to do it.
As many of you have discovered, shipping packages back to Australia can be expensive and somewhat confusing when it comes to all the package shipping options there are!
But there are tools available that allow you to ship things more conveniently and easily
How does PirateShip work?
So basically the long and short of how PirateShip works is that the big shipping companies like USPS and UPS offer discounted rates to individuals and companies who ship things all the time, and for those companies that they have relationships with.
I'm someone who only ships a couple of packages per year (if that!), and so this obviously doesn't apply to me, but PirateShip joins me together with all the other Josh-like-senders in the world and makes us look like one mega-sender!
They also have a long and existing relationship with these sending companies, so they can therefore work with them more closely to offer better and better deals.
How much does it cost to send a package to Australia with PirateShip?
My advice is generally: Always go to the source. Whether it's the information I post about immigration, or in this case, when a third party is involved in a transaction, it's always good to find a point of reference. PirateShip don't have an affiliate or referral code that I can give you, so know that this is just coming from me trying to find good options!
So I decided to send my Mum and Dad something nice in Australia, for a package totaling 3 pounds, and with dimensions of 20in x16in x16in from 10065 (New York, USA) to 5066 (South Australia).
So, using this package that I sent the other day to South Australia, here's how the pricing compared:
Through PirateShip the cheapest total cost to ship with UPS Worldwide Expedited was $49.68. There were also options for USPS which started at $76.85 and UPS Worldwide Saver which was $263.99.
The quote I got for the same service (UPS Worldwide Expedited) directly through UPS was $1,010.26 (!?) which was somehow cheaper than UPS Worldwide Saver which was $1,116.81 (not really sure what we're “saving”)
Obviously, this is a massive difference and the other thing that's worth mentioning, as you can see above, is that you're getting the premium service in terms of speed, while still saving money.
How to ship something with PirateShip (e.g. Shipping gifts to Australia for Christmas and the Holidays)
So here's how to do it, here's how to ship your items back to Australia (or anywhere in the world):
- First things first, check that all the items you want to ship are not restricted or prohibited
- Assuming you're all good, get all your items together, find a scale, and weigh each of them separately, and then weight them together, noting everything (as you're going to want this later). While you're at it, it's also worth taking a photo of each, and finding the value for each item as you're going to need each of those later too.
- Find a box that is as small as possible but will fit everything in and put all your items in the box. Be sure that the box doesn't have other stickers on it, or other barcodes or anything, and be sure to pack it so things don't bounce around too much.
- Don't seal the box just yet!
- Find a scale whether it be a kitchen scale or a bathroom scale and weigh the box to the nearest pound or kilogram, write it down, which will be the combined and final weight of what you're shipping. Ultimately, this one is the most important.
- Find a tape measure and measure the box you're shipping in, write that down too
- Now you need a link: https://www.pirateship.com/
- Click through the Create a FREE Account link and create an account
- Enter shipping FROM and TO and enter all the information from above. Give a reason for shipping and detail carefully what exactly you're shipping, and be sure to be accurate (this changes customs rules)
- Describe what's in the box and the value of every item
- Enter the box measurements you recorded before
- Go through the options to pick the best solution for you (sometimes the first selected isn't ideal for shipping times, or insurance, or something else, so read through your options by pushing the down arrow on the right)
- Proceed to payment and pay
- Now, you will need to print out a whole stack (five of them!) of customs declerations and a shipping label (if you don't have a printer, that's fine, you get details on how to send it to the local UPS or USPS and they can print it for you as a label!)
- You put four of them (who knows why) inside the box, and keep one at hand
- If you do have a printer and everything is done, seal the box to make sure all your things stay safely inside (if you don't have a printer, take the open box with you)
- Cut out your shipping label, and stick it on the side
- Carry the box to the USPS or UPS location closest to you (they tell you how to find one), and get a customs sticker folder (they'll help you put it on)
- Hand it over, and wait!
You'll get a tracking number handed to you when it's all finalized, and you're good to go. PirateShip also allows you to login to their service and track everything in one place, in addition to doing bulk shipping and secret shipping services.
How to get a discount with PirateShip
You can't! There's really no spot to put in a discount, and I'll let you know if I find anything different.
How long does PirateShip take to ship
The times vary depending on which of the services you select. You can see in the screenshot above that I had the options of UPS Worldwide Expedited (about 8 days), USPS Priority Mail International (6-10 days), Priority Mail Express International (3-5 days), and UPS Worldwide Saver (somehow faster than Expedited and 6 days).
My package took 3 business days to get from the drop-off point in New York City to my parents' front door in Adelaide, South Australia, which honestly still feels like magic.
My experience is only one, and if there are customs issues or just general logistical issues, it may take much longer so be prepared!
Why am I recommending PirateShip?
Because they're the most widely used and highly reviewed. I get nothing from them!
They do not seem to service Australia anymore.
Does anybody know of a different service (happy for it to be via a ship – i.e., slower) to assist with a relocation (LA -> Australia)?
Cheers!
Hi James, did you find an alternative? They are still not shipping to Aus 🙁
Hello! Also looking for alternatives, I’m waiting to hear back from Package Hopper about this – but currently am not seeing Australia in the country pull-down menu option! Do they not ship to Australia anymore?
They still do, it’s just that they’re resolving an issue with their partner which I’m told should be back online properly very shortly!
Hmmm…. I have to say packagehopper is remarkably uncommunicative. It’s really annoying and frustrating that they cannot simply be upfront with what on earth is going on. I’ve been waiting weeks now for a problem that will be “resolved shortly”. And isn’t. The site appeared to have been up very briefly but as another says is no longer showing Australia as a shipping option. For weeks it went to an error message, Now the option is simply gone. Why can’t they tell us what is going on? Is this simply a programming error? It sounds to me is if they are now feuding with their carriers, FedEx and perhaps others? If that’s the case then it seems the likelihood of resolution is dim. If it’s just a programming error that should be relatively straightforward, and shouldn’t have been ongoing for weeks now. This is all really frustrating and annoying.
Any alternatives available?
packagehopper’s fedex is not working now, urgently need to use
After using the discount code, a situation arises
Code: 2209 Message: Inactive customer account
Let me look into it! Do you already have an account?
yes
The packagehopper site was hacked in March 2022, but appears to be back up now. Your coupon appears still to work. Thank you.
Any sense of whether “package protection” is worth it? It’s relatively expensive for insurance, and it’s not clear what it actually provides – if your package is lost do they give you replacement cost up to $500? Why is their insurance so much more than FedEx which is the shipper they’re using?
TIA.
Great to hear it’s back up and running! All I know about Package Protect is here: https://packagehopper.myus.com/faq/protecting-your-shipment/
The website has been down for more than a week!! Any alternatives available?
Hi there! The site seems to be online but the discount code has expired. Can you get it activated again?
Have a good day !
Thanks David! I’ve got them onto it.
Hi Josh- I’m trying to send something pretty urgent to Australia and my luck, package hopper is down online since Wednesday. Is there a phone-in options or an email connect?
Yeah super unfortunate timing, Cat! But no, there’s nothing until it comes online, unfortunately. Hopefully very soon.
Is there a company that helps ship items from Australia to US? For Aussie stores that don’t ship internationally?
Not that I know of, but looking into it!
I used package hopper for the first time and my package did make it to where I was sending it, but I received a huge huge bill from FedEx. Others have had this happen to them recently as well. Package hopper says they will fix the issue with billing, but we are all waiting and it’s getting close to the bills due date. It makes for a very stressful situation. I understand their site was hacked, but I don’t understand why they can just call fedex and fix the problem by giving them their FedEx account number and our FedEx invoice numbers to fix the issues. FedEx says that package hopper/myus was unable to be billed and so they are billing the senders. I hope that this issue gets fixed soon. Any info you can offer me on this would be a great help. Thanks
Hey Richard thanks for the information!! They definitely got thrown for a loop when they got hacked so everything of the last couple of weeks is definitely out of the ordinary. If it’s not sorted out tomorrow, please email me!
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re very upfront with the actual cost. I had a shipment and had entered everything correctly. I paid ~$60 and dropped off at FedEx. They confirmed the weight I entered was correct. A day later, I got an additional charge from PackageHopper for another $70 because of inaccurate weight and dimensions (which is untrue). While I don’t think $130 is unreasonable, but I just wish they’d advertise the actual cost.
Hey PS! I’m really sorry to hear you had a bad experience! If you want to send your details to me at [email protected] I can have someone look into what happened?
The vast majority (including myself) don’t pay anything extra on top of what the cost was online!
Thank you. I sent you an email last night. Appreciate the help!
PackageHopper Customers,
First and foremost, we deeply apologize for the disruption to our website. We can now share that the PackageHopper website is up and running. You may resume using our services now.
Unfortunately, unrelated billing issues occurred during the same period of time our site was down. Due to this, some customers may have been billed erroneously or received a bill/been charged directly from a carrier. We have resolved the billing issues so that it will not impact any labels created on or after March 10th.
Here’s how we are resolving these issues:
If you were charged a secondary amount by PackageHopper that exceeded your original order total, please contact us at [email protected] so that we can issue a refund of the erroneous charge to the original method of payment.
If you were already charged by a carrier, we are working to have those charges refunded. Please contact us at [email protected] to ensure you are properly refunded.
Provide current contact information
We also experienced an issue where some customers may not have been able to print their labels or proformas, we expect to resolve this issue shortly.
Again, we sincerely apologize for these billing discrepancies and understand the frustration this has caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to ultimately resolve these issues for all impacted customers.
The MyUS Executive Team