Amazon in the USA - shipping query

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

First off, yes I should have asked here first!

Recently I wanted to buy an old UK published book, quite rare and too expensive for me with UK booksellers.  However, I found a copy in New Hampshire, USA which was cheap and had everything going for it.  The only snag is that the seller does not ship abroad. 

Looking on the internet I found that I could use a proxy mailbox in the USA and get it shipped from there after notarising it with form 1583.  So I paid a few dollars for the mailbox and a few dollars more for notarisation, bought book, and it duly arrived in my proxy mailbox.

Now I discover in the details that this particular mailbox only ships documents internationally.  Although it could be said that a book is a document!  I know, I should have read the small print..

If I have to send the book on to a different US box under the same service provider but which does allow international shipping, will I need to get it notarised all over again?  The extra costs will of course make my bargain book as expensive as the UK offerings although it is in better condition.

Why is it so difficult to buy stuff from the USA?

[Cudzoziemiec]

I don't know about the notary, you'll probably need to ask a Usanian lawyer. But for future use, there are package-forwarding services like Stackry to deal with this and reduce import duties too (by sending in bulk). I've never used them but have heard okay things about them.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I have quite a few book-loving colleagues in the USA.

If you are really stuck, let me know and I'll ask one of them to facilitate this.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

I have quite a few book-loving colleagues in the USA.

If you are really stuck, let me know and I'll ask one of them to facilitate this.

Thanks. I am just waiting for the mailbox facility to get back to me on it.

[ian]

If you have a mailbox in the US, you need a notary to prove your identity. It's per mailbox, not per item. Bound items are, alas, not considered documents as you have discovered.


The US loves paperwork, they have forms for everything, and forms about forms (literally, there's a form you have to fill out when creating a form as part of the Paperwork Reduction Act, and trust me, anyone who says Americans don't do irony is lying). Even shipping across State borders is complicated. Weirdly, Americans don't trust anything that doesn't come with a significant form to fill in.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Finally got this sorted.  It was an experience and I am pleased to have got the book in the end. Thanks mrCharly for the offer.

Everything Ian said is confirmed, although the help facility did its best and the people I spoke to were very pleasant.  I had to pay considerably more than I expected, partly my fault, partly because the only international postage on offer was expensive, but it was very efficient and much quicker than expected. 

Trying to fix my own postage is something I will only try once, I think.