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Archive for March, 2010

Why using Citibox makes sense for courier and parcels from Spain to Ireland

Friday, March 26th, 2010

I have been posting some really boring notices from FedEx recently. Boring to the people who don’t need to know the information but really important to those that send or import to and from Spain.

Best Value FedEx to the Emerald Isle

So let’s lighten up a little and tell a true story about a recent cusomer who went into Citibox Diana Parc (Estepona, Malaga) office with three boxes weighing 15kg to send from Spain to the Emerald Isle of Ireland. They insisted on sending through UPS as this was the only delivery service they trusted. The UPS price was a tad under €300 for the “Standard” rate which means road transport so we offered them a generous 20% discount from the price they would have to pay if they went direct to UPS.

Citibox can discount the rates to their customers because we get discounts for the volumes that we put through. However, on learning that they could ship with FedEx Economy Service to Ireland through Citibox for only €55, the customer dropped his insistence on UPS and allowed Citibox to choose FedEx. The parcels were sent last Wednesday, 24 March and were out for delivery today, Friday 26 March. So that’s an Economy service that gets there in two days. No wonder that the customer is delighted and sending all his parcels Citibox from now on. We got another two yesterday.

Citibox just can’t be beaten on price or performance for parcels and courier from Spain so please check our prices before you send elsewhere.

Tags: 15kg to send from Spain to the Emerald Isle of Ireland, Citibox Diana Parc (Estepona, courier parcels Spain to Ireland, using Citibox makes sense, value economy parcel service, value Economy parcel service that gets there in two days
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Important notice concerning courier parcel shipments from Spain to Russia

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

There are two points of entry for FedEx in Russia, Moscow (routed via London Heathrow) and St Petersburg (Routed via Bucharest). Moscow is only for documents and items of “Low Value”, St Petersburg is for documents AND items of high value.

Russian Customs determine “Low Value” as the worth of the contents plus the cost of shipping = less than 5,000 Roubles (approx. €125). Shipping is calculated at €2.25 / kg. Therefore if something is valued at €100 and weighs 20kg the value for customs purposes is €145 and it is not a “Low Value” item. The definition of value is in Roubles and therefore depends on the exchange rate. Russian Customs determine the value of the contents, no matter what accompanying documentation.

If a parcel is declared to be worth less than 5,000 Roubles, including shipping, and, when it arrives at Moscow, Customs determine that it is worth more than 5,000 Roubles, they will not process the parcel they will return it to the sender AT THE SENDER’S EXPENSE which means full price FedEx and that will cost far more than the value of the package (around €350 for 20kg).

Therefore, if there is ANY chance that a parcel could be valued anywhere close to €100, it is far better to declare it at more than 5,000 Roubles whereupon it will be routed via St Petersburg where it will clear customs in the normal manner with tax, duties and charges payable by the recipient. You can tell whether it is being routed via Moscow or St Petersburg by the coding on the waybill. Moscow is coded MOW, AAQ or DME and the code entry route for St. Petersburg is LED.

The 3 letter code showing a Moscow entry point

The 3 letter code showing a St Petersburg entry point

Tags: courier from Spain, courier parcel, courier parcel shipments, FedEx Spain, shipments from Spain, Spain to Russia
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How to find a reliable PHP programmer

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

When Richard from Modsnet designed this website last year, I think he made a pretty good job of it and it has done the company well. I have to say that Richard was incredibly good value and the cost of everything to date has been under €500. And this is, presumably, why he is too busy to make the few alterations that I think we need.

So, how do you find someone who, for a reasonable price, will finish off the website? Well, the standard method must be to Google and see what comes up. Of course, the actual search terms are going to affect the links that come up but any good website designer should have a reasonable knowledge of SEO (search engine optimisation) and therefore be able to get themselves somewhere on the first few Google pages.

That’s the easy bit. Then I needed to write down the required changes in the form of an email that could be sent to those that responded from my contacts. OK, that took a lot of thinking about but, essentially, I want the search engines to find this website in response to some keywords like Cheap Discount Courier Parcels to from Spain Mailboxes UK Addresses UK Shopping .

Then I specified how I want the changes to look and added “please don’t come back to me and tell me it is going to cost thousands” because I have a fair idea of the actual time that it will take to make these changes, a matter of hours not days. And the results so far? One quote of €4,000. One quote of €75 – this one I persued (stupidly) and it took most of a day travelling to meet them – 10 days later they admitted they could not program in PHP. I have just tried one last time as I want a safe and reliable developer with whom to form a long-term relationship. OK, they’re not going to get rich on day one but nor do Citibox turn away a customer who just wants to send one parcel.

I would seriously be grateful for any feedback left in the form below.

The first serious offer I’ve received has been from London www.artdriver.co.uk very quick response, good value, have all the necessary expertise.

Tags: Cheap Discount Courier, find reliable php programmer, Mailboxes, Parcels to from Spain, UK Addresses, UK shopping
Posted in Citibox Information, Edmund's Grumbles | No Comments »

Selling on eBay and the Internet from Spain

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

It is a long time since I read the sales tips on eBay and I arrogantly imagine that I know it all by now as I have been a member for over nine years but I recently sold an item which I reckon only went for 65% of its value (20% of it’s new cost instead of 30%) because I got the wording in the headline slightly wrong. That has cost me €150 so I should learn not to be so careless.

eBay UK works but not ebay.es

However, there was a similar object on eBay that was worth far less than what I was selling (a solar power inverter that turns battery power into mains voltage) which was attracting far more bids and, ultimately, sold for around 70% of its new price rather than my 20% (which could have made me €1,000). My mistake was putting 24 v and not 24 volts, or was it?

There was no interest whatsoever from Spain, although I had put a Spanish translation below my English eBay offer. Have a look at the Spanish eBay website, more is done for a local listing than a global one which means it will be ages before eBay.es is worth while. There is an identical inverter on offer on eBay.es as a classified ad for €900 (mine made €333), which has been going for months, and the new price is €1450.

So the questions is this. Is the fact that I advertised the location as eBay Spain what put bidders off? Obviously, I can send it anywhere in Europe really cheaply with FedEx from Spain so I quoted €40 (and €15 within Spain) for a 30kg parcel. Would Free Delivery help me on eBay? Should I have pretended that the item was in the UK?

My conclusion is that you should offer free UK and European delivery to get maximum interest in the product that you are sending from Spain. I had interest from Austria as well as the UK and France but I’m sure that many people ignored the listing because they thought that the transport cost would be too high.

Moral, book your transport through Citibox and you can increase your revenue from eBay sales in Spain by giving free transport at the lowest possible cost to yourself. Citibox is cheaper than anybody from Spain. Any feedback really appreciated on maximising profits from eBay in Spain.

Tags: anywhere in Europe really cheaply with FedEx, citibox is cheaper than anybody from spain, eBay Spain, FedEx from Spain, free UK and European delivery, internet from spain, maximising profits from eBay in Spain, selling on ebay, sending from spain, Would Free Delivery help me on eBay?
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Important FedEx Information regarding IVA on imports into Spain

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

This information about a change in the IVA law has just come through from FedEx and will affect many people who shop on eBay in Spain or even receive gifts to Spain from outside the EU.

Please forgive any inaccuracies in my translation.

Please note the change that has happened to the VAT (IVA) Law 37/1992, regarding the exemption of payment of VAT on imported goods of “low value” for Spain.

To date, Article 34 of the Act, granted an exemption to shipments whose value is less than 150 € which were not subject to import duties.

This exemption has been reduced to only 22 € in the new law 2 / 2010 which was published in the Official Gazette on 2 March.

With effect from March 2, 2010 shipments from third countries shall be subject to import clearance with DUA and wil pay VAT in the following cases:

1 .- Shipping to or from a business involving either origin or destination, where the value exceeds €22 .

2 .- Shipping from one private individual to another, involving a commercial transaction or where the value exceeds € 45 .

3 .- Shipping of any item of greater value than €150 in which case Customs Duty is payable as well as VAT .

Tags: FedEx, gifts to Spain, Import to Spain, Important FedEx Information, IVA on imports, shop on eBay in Spain
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Update on Courier Shipment of Suitcases outside the EU

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Below, you can see a news item from FedEx which affects shipping suitcases to Australia from Spain. Basically, Australian customs wants to go through your suitcase to ensure that you are not bringing in something illegal or something which attracts duty hidden among your old clothes. This means that the suitcase has to be personally cleared through customs before it can be delivered on to the final address, or you need to collect it from customs in which case FedEx, a door to door service, is not applicable. FedEx are suggesting that you send it as a commercial consignment of second-hand clothes or that you appoint a customs agent in Australia and send your suitcase via FedEx to them to clear it for you. If you do neither, FedEx will either refuse to collect the suitcase OR charge a $99 customs clearence fee.

Problems with Personal Effects by Courier

As this is something that Citibox knows about, we suggest that you value your clothes at $100 and send them re-packed in cardboard boxes marked as a gift for the recipient. In our experience this has avoided customs charges but please do not use this method for anything but worthless (to anyone else) previously worn clothing. If you have a valuable item, you should declare it and Citibox will help you pass it through Australian customs.

The same applies to other countries, among them Brazil. Bolivia have just issued a regulation requiring every importer / addressee to have an import license number. Please contact us if you need to send Personal Effects outside the EU for the latest information concerning your destination.

Effective from November 1, 2009 FedEx has to charge an extra $99.00 for items sent to Autralia described as “Personal Effects”. Background Australia FedEx have classified the shipment of personal effects as prohibited articles for several years. This was done because of the extensive process required to facilitate customs clearance of these shipments through three separate authorities involved, Australian Customs Service, Border Protection Service (ACBPS) and Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS). Personal Effects Shipments are defined as those containing items that have been owned and used by the owner for twelve months or more and for which the owner wants to import free of import duties and taxes in Australia. If the item is described as “personal effects, personal belongings or Used Articles” on dispatch, it will be treated as shipments of personal effects, and in most cases will be rejected by FedEx at pick-up. If the shipment of personal effects is not declared as above and the packet is recorded in the FedEx system without proper documentation, then customs delays will inevitably arise. In all these cases and to ensure the appropriate customs procedure, FedEx offers customers the opportunity to a) present the shipment as commercial items, b) dispatch them without additional charges, or c) the appointment of a shipping broker separately to facilitate clearance. Please check either of these options but if you still want your shipment described as personal effects, then FedEx apply additional handling fee of $ 99.00 to clear them.

Tags: courier from Spain, Courier Spain, Export Spain to Bolivia, Export Spain to Brazil, FedEx Spain, send luggage from spain, suitcase from Spain, suitcase spain to australia, unaccompanied luggage
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Renewable Energy Solar, PV, Wind in Spain. How to save money on an inverter / charger.

Friday, March 5th, 2010

One of the problems with installing Green Energy, be it PhotoVoltaic, Solar Thermal or Biomass is that there are all these experts who want to make money from your installation. Everyone needs to make a living but consider this.

We have a 5kw, 48v Inverter / Charger that has gone wrong and been sent back to Holland for repair. It cost €5,750, one of the most expensive parts of our off-grid electricity system. The sun and wind charge the batteries but the inverter converts the battery power into normal mains electricity to power the TV, fridge etc. No inverter means no electricity in the house, the freezer is defrosting, the boiler won’t work so no hot water, chaos and discomfort in every way.

The only thing you can do when your solar PV system goes down in Spain is connect a generator. Noise, pollution and smell, huge petrol costs and the fridge won’t run anyway because the power is too “dirty”. But now I have a solution!

Using a UPS as an Inverter / Charger

Although the inverter will be away for some weeks being repaired (hopefully under warranty) I found an excellent eBay seller called ups-trader http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/UPS-Trader__W0QQ_armrsZ1 . He has sold me a UPS (uninteruptable power supply) for £90 + p&p and leads which can manage a constant load of 2.25kw. Let’s just think about this, £90 is replacing €5,750. Everything in the house is working. There is no generator dirtying the atmosphere.

A second hand UPS is, in effect, a very clean inverter/charger. It is designed to keep computers going if the mains cuts out. This one takes a 48v input from its integral batteries or, in our case, our solar and wind system batteries, and gives out a perfect mains voltage. The fridge now works, we have 24 hour light and power, it’s really good. And it cost £90 not €5,750. OK, it works the water pump and the swimming pool pump but it won’t work the iron, the clothes washer or the dishwasher becaue they all require 3kw. No problem for us as our inverter will return but ups-trader sells much more powerful units and this could save you thousands off the price of your installation. If they’re good enough to back-up computers they’re good enough for you!

Is there a catch? These things weigh between 30kg and 80kg and they have to be handled with care as they contain sophisticated electronics. Buy from the UK and ship with Citibox and you can be sure that your inverter / charger / UPS will arrive with you in good condition.

Next week I will tell you about the Solar hot water installation at a quarter of the price of Spain.

Tags: Battery Spain, Charge controller Spain, Courier Spain, delivery UK Spain, eBay, Inverter Spain, Parcel Spain, PV Spain, renewable energy Spain. FedEx Spain, Solar Spain, Spain, UPS Spain, wind spain
Posted in Citibox Information, UK Address | No Comments »

Buying and selling on eBay from Spain

Monday, March 1st, 2010

It used to be a little dangerous buying on eBay when I first joined 9 years ago although I have only been ‘stung’ once in over 500 transactions and that was in the early days. Now it is an experience that is a joy and, because both buyers and sellers value their feedback so much, you are more likely to have a satisfactory outcome on eBay than buying from your local shop in Spain (just try taking something back because it doesn’t work).

eBay is now virtually completely safe

I never buy any expensive item without checking the ‘going price’ on eBay first. Not everything is a bargain and new users can get carried away and overbid, however the choice is phenomenal and, with a little care, you can save substantial amounts of money. You can also get items that are not available here in Spain (anyone seen a battery powered reciprocating saw out here?) mine came from Argos Clearance on eBay.

The problem is, of course, getting delivery. It is no good trying to buy from eBay.es, you simply won’t find what you are looking for (and it’s in Spanish, French or German). Nokia 7900 brings up 757 results on the UK site including 14 actual phones, only 113 on the Spanish site and not a single phone.

The answer of course is to have your eBay purchases sent to Citibox’s UK Address from where they will be transported to Spain for you. This week we are delivering a 70kg treadmill to one customer of our Nerja office!

And to end on a lovely note, I just bought a solid silver bookmark from Fiona Butler’s Silver http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/fiona3895-Butlers-Silver__W0QQ_armrsZ1 . Fee runs this eBay shop and has a massive 100% feedback. I was not entirely happy with the purchase so Fee sent me money back – how fair can you get?

Tags: Argos Spain, courier from Spain, Courier Spain, delivery to Spain, eBay Spain, eBay UK to Spain, FedEx Spain, UK shopping
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