There’s a chin-up bar that I’d like to get, which is in the US. It’s
at:

http://www.easychin.com/

They only deliver to within the US, but I live in Australia. When I
sent an email asking about it, they replied that I should get a third
party to pass it on to me. However, I know nobody in America.

Are there any companies in the US that provide a service where they
will on send the product to me? I’m only looking for long-established
companies that have a reputation for ripping off people.

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Request for Question Clarification by byrd-ga on 02 Jul 2003 19:57 PDT

Here's a link to a forwarding service that will provide you a U.S.
street address in Florida to use for ordering merchandise online and
from U.S. catalogs.  They will then ship to you at your address
outside the U.S. You can check out their site here:
http://www.myus.com/about/  If this service provides an acceptable
solution to your problem, please let me know and I will post it as the
answer to your question.  Best of luck,

Byrd

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Clarification of Question by markabe-ga on 03 Jul 2003 01:23 PDT

nelson,

Oops, there's an embarassing typo. I must've been drunk at the time.

Yes, I've changed my mind: giving my money to a company with a
reputation for ripping off people would probably not be a good idea.

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Clarification of Question by markabe-ga on 14 Jul 2003 01:35 PDT

byrd,

http://www.myus.com/faq/#20
20. What does it cost to signup?
There is a one time setup fee of $35 US, and a annual membership fee
of $132 per year. Also if you wish you can signup for our website
access for an additional $20 US per year.

Seeing as I will only be using the forwarding service for one item, is
there another more, um, economical service?

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Request for Question Clarification by byrd-ga on 14 Jul 2003 07:58 PDT

Dear Markabe,

I certainly understand your desire to find the most economical
service.  I did do some more checking and came up with a site that has
reviewed five of the more popular mail forwarding services and posted
a comparison online for you to evaluate.

I can provide you with a direct link not only to the advice site, but
also to the service they recommend most highly, which offers the most
complete service, and a basic  account, available in Australia, for a
$25 setup fee, no annual or monthly charges, and $35.95 shipping for
the first pound, with an additional $5.95 per pound thereafter. These
rates are for a customer from Australia.  Therefore, assuming your
chin-up bar weighs approximately 5 pounds, your total cost to receive
this item using this service would be US$84.75, not including any
Australian duties/taxes you might need to pay.

Just for comparison's sake, if the company you wanted to order your
merchandise from did ship directly to Australia, using the U.S. Postal
Service, your raw shipping cost, less any handling charges, would be
US$32.75 for standard air mail parcel post (4-10 days), or US$73.00
for global priority post (2-3 days).

If you feel the above information would be an acceptable answer to
your question, and the rates quoted are satisfactory, please let me
know and I'll be glad to supply the links mentioned.  This was the
most economical service I was able to locate.

Regards,
--Byrd

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Clarification of Question by markabe-ga on 21 Jul 2003 19:45 PDT

byrd,

Well sure, why not?

Ok Markabe,

Then let’s go ahead with the information and perhaps you can get that
chinup bar on its way to you at last.  I hope you enjoy it fully once
it arrives, as well as any of the other many things you will now be
able to order with no more barriers on shipping due to where you live!

The site which provides the comparison between the five forwarding
services is located here: http://www.mail-forwarding-advisor.com/

The one they recommend most highly is “USA Box.”  You can read their
review here: http://www.mail-forwarding-advisor.com/mail-forwarding-services-page2.htm
and see their comparison chart here:
http://www.mail-forwarding-advisor.com/mail-forwarding-services-page7.htm
 Their site is easy to navigate, so be sure to have a look around, as
they have some good advice for persons in  your position.

The site for USA Box is here: http://www.usabox.com/  and here is the
page with a listing of their plans and rates for Australian customers:
http://www.usabox.com/rates_NN.asp  As you’ll see, the “Basic” plan is
probably the one you will want, since you are looking at a one-time
shipment and this has no ongoing monthly fee.  However, bear in mind
that once you have the account set up, you can continue to use it if
you wish.

There are a couple of other hoops you will have to jump through before
you can use the service, however.  The main thing is the U.S. law
requiring you to file a postal form with the forwarding service, which
they must have in their posession before they can legally send your
package on.  Be sure to read all the FAQs to ensure you understand all
the requirements, and your responsibilities, as well as what they can
and cannot do.

The forms are available on the Mail Forwarding Advisor page as well as
at USA Box.  Here are the links: MailForwarding Advisor: 
http://www.mail-forwarding-advisor.com/mail-forwarding-services-form-1583.htm
 or USA Box: http://www.usabox.com/requirements.asp    They also have
links in case you need to download a reader to display the forms, etc.
 You shouldn’t have any trouble navigating either of these sites, but
if  you have any other questions, please be sure to use the “Request
Clarification” feature before rating and closing the question.  I wish
you best of luck in negotiating your purchase and enjoying your
shipment!

Regards,
--Byrd 
 
Search terms used:

mail forwarding
forwarding services comparison
forwarding package OR mail
international forwarding service

If that's how I gotta do it, then that's how I'll do it. Many thanks for the help.

Rebel Sport used to do a very good chin-up bar that fits across a
doorway. We've got one.

If you order a wall mounted chin up bar from www.jayebe.com they
deliver to Australia and in my opinion it is a better product as it is
more versatile.