Hi all,

Bought a brick of black pu-erh from imperialteagarden on Ebay. They sent it
by China Post (which maybe is China's version of USPS, for all I know), and
the ship time is 4 weeks for my area. That's a little long, isn't it? Their
record on Ebay was 100% positive, dating back to '03, but usually mentioned
fast shipment; anyone else on the group deal with them and have similar
delivery times? Would appreciate any advice or feedback.

Ozzy

That seems typical. I think it is also a function of Where in China.
There are still rural parts. Did you notice a postmark date? Maybe
they were slow in getting it out of the door. I had one shipment
languish in China Post for nearly seven weeks, probably at Customs,
when it arrived with the one behind it sent four weeks earlier. It is
probably sent by default as Sea,Air,Surface(SAS). The slow boat from
China doesn't leave everyday of the week. I've seen indications of
once a week or maybe every two. The fastest I've seen is two weeks and
that seller probably has an export license so doesn't worry about China
Post clearing customs. I also get the feeling Big Brother is watching
so maybe things speed up after a couple of shipments. Someone is
attaching my Zipcode as a barcode. Anything from Hong Kong or Taiwan
is lickety split.

Jim

Ozzy wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Bought a brick of black pu-erh from imperialteagarden on Ebay. They sent it
> by China Post (which maybe is China's version of USPS, for all I know), and
> the ship time is 4 weeks for my area. That's a little long, isn't it? Their
> record on Ebay was 100% positive, dating back to '03, but usually mentioned
> fast shipment; anyone else on the group deal with them and have similar
> delivery times? Would appreciate any advice or feedback.
>
> Ozzy

"Space Cowboy" > wrote in
oups.com:

> That seems typical. I think it is also a function of Where in China.
> There are still rural parts. Did you notice a postmark date? Maybe
> they were slow in getting it out of the door. I had one shipment
> languish in China Post for nearly seven weeks, probably at Customs,
> when it arrived with the one behind it sent four weeks earlier. It is
> probably sent by default as Sea,Air,Surface(SAS). The slow boat from
> China doesn't leave everyday of the week. I've seen indications of
> once a week or maybe every two. The fastest I've seen is two weeks and
> that seller probably has an export license so doesn't worry about China
> Post clearing customs. I also get the feeling Big Brother is watching
> so maybe things speed up after a couple of shipments. Someone is
> attaching my Zipcode as a barcode. Anything from Hong Kong or Taiwan
> is lickety split.
>
> Jim

Thanks Jim for sharing your experience. BTW, the 4 weeks is an estimate
gotten from coresponding with the seller on Ebay; it was shipped last Thurs.
or Fri. The next time I order direct (if there is one) I'll remember what
you said about HK or Taiwan.

Ozzy

Ozzy wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Bought a brick of black pu-erh from imperialteagarden on Ebay. They sent it
> by China Post (which maybe is China's version of USPS, for all I know), and
> the ship time is 4 weeks for my area. That's a little long, isn't it? Their
> record on Ebay was 100% positive, dating back to '03, but usually mentioned
> fast shipment; anyone else on the group deal with them and have similar
> delivery times? Would appreciate any advice or feedback.
>
> Ozzy

Hi Ozzy,

I order from China at least every month. How long it takes greatly
depends on what shipping method was used.

Airmail = 2-3 weeks
SAL (Sea, Air, Land) = 3-6 weeks
Surface = 6-8 weeks

Judging by that site's shipping charges they are indeed quoting US
Priority mail prices NOT China Post. I am betting that they ran out of
whatever you ordered and had your tea drop shipped from China. Trust me
that there is no way they shipped anything from China for as little as
$3.85 for a single tuocha or bingcha. They probably used SAL and 4
weeks is within the normal range.

All of that being said, it is my opinion that there are better choices
on Ebay for puerh. Try http://stores.ebay.com/Yunnan-Sourcing-LLC if
you are looking for puerh. Or look at my website for a bunch of other
choices outside of ebay as I list just about every vendor out that
stocks any serious selections.

Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net

"Mike Petro" > wrote in
ups.com:

> Hi Ozzy,
>
> I order from China at least every month. How long it takes greatly
> depends on what shipping method was used.
>
> Airmail = 2-3 weeks
> SAL (Sea, Air, Land) = 3-6 weeks
> Surface = 6-8 weeks
>
> Judging by that site's shipping charges they are indeed quoting US
> Priority mail prices NOT China Post. I am betting that they ran out of
> whatever you ordered and had your tea drop shipped from China. Trust me
> that there is no way they shipped anything from China for as little as
> $3.85 for a single tuocha or bingcha. They probably used SAL and 4
> weeks is within the normal range.
>
> All of that being said, it is my opinion that there are better choices
> on Ebay for puerh. Try http://stores.ebay.com/Yunnan-Sourcing-LLC if
> you are looking for puerh. Or look at my website for a bunch of other
> choices outside of ebay as I list just about every vendor out that
> stocks any serious selections.
>
> Mike
> http://www.pu-erh.net

Hi Nike, and thanks for sharing your experience & the URL.

Ah well, Yunnan (I naively assume that's where it starts from, since it's
a kilo+ brick of black pu-erh) is about half a world away from New York,
so what do I expect? Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

Ozzy

"Mike Petro" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> I order from China at least every month. How long it takes greatly
> depends on what shipping method was used.
>
> Airmail = 2-3 weeks
> SAL (Sea, Air, Land) = 3-6 weeks
> Surface = 6-8 weeks
>
> Judging by that site's shipping charges they are indeed quoting US
> Priority mail prices NOT China Post. I am betting that they ran out of
> whatever you ordered and had your tea drop shipped from China. Trust me
> that there is no way they shipped anything from China for as little as
> $3.85 for a single tuocha or bingcha. They probably used SAL and 4
> weeks is within the normal range.
>
Mike,

I ordered from Teaspring a month or two ago. They advertise US$3.80
shipping, and I got my tea (200 grams) in under two weeks direct from China
(the box was covered with PRC postage). Did I just get lucky, or does
Teaspring know something others don't?

Regards,
Dean

> Mike,
>
> I ordered from Teaspring a month or two ago. They advertise US$3.80
> shipping, and I got my tea (200 grams) in under two weeks direct from China
> (the box was covered with PRC postage). Did I just get lucky, or does
> Teaspring know something others don't?
>
> Regards,
> Dean

Ahh, Teaspring, Jing Teashop, and M and J's, are a different business
model. They are all located in China but cater almost exclusively to
the Western market. Since they are competing in the Western market they
also try to compete with Western shipping prices. In reality they are
paying $15 or more to ship the average package so, in order to compete
with the shipping charges of most other Western vendors, they embed
most of that cost in the price of the tea itself.

It's all about perception. The average Western vendor charges US Postal
rates, these outfits in China don't want to scare the Western
consumer with the high rates charged by China Post so they hide the
shipping cost in the price of their teas. I am not sure what 200g would
cost via airmail but I would assume around $8. I do know for a fact
that to send two 357g bingcha so that they would arrive in 2 weeks
actually costs around $20. To ship 7 bingchas this way would cost
around $44. Many Western consumers are shocked by this reality and
think the vendor is trying to profit on shipping. That's why many of
these vendors simply figure the cost of shipping into their tea prices;
it is easier than trying to explain all of this to their customer. The
$3.80 they charge covers the packing materials and that's about all,
it doesn't even put a dent in the actual shipping.

That's one of the reasons I like the Yunnan Sourcing LLC. They charge
the actual price for their tea and then also charge the actual shipping
price. I greatly prefer this method as it makes it a lot easier for me
to compare prices from one vendor to the next. It also means that large
orders get very cheap, especially if you choose Surface shipping.

The reason I said that imperialteagarden drop shipped their tea is
because the price they are charging for the tea combined with the $3.80
they charged for shipping would not have even covered the price of SAL
shipping. They broke even or lost money on that deal. The fact that so
many people commented on fast shipping also confirms that they normally
don't ship directly from China.

Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net

I'm curious did you notice the Yuan price of the postage? In this case
you would be paying for 32y. In two weeks I guess it came by air. My
SAL kilo price from Kunming is $15 which reflects the actual postage.
I've gotten a kilo shipment from a vendor on a China port for $10.
There is no reason a China vendor couldn't charge for actual postage
but like the US there is usually a minimum.

Jim

DPM wrote:
> I ordered from Teaspring a month or two ago. They advertise US$3.80
> shipping, and I got my tea (200 grams) in under two weeks direct from China
> (the box was covered with PRC postage). Did I just get lucky, or does
> Teaspring know something others don't?
>
> Regards,
> Dean

Jim,

I didn't at the time, but I'll check tonight to see if I saved the box.

Dean

"Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm curious did you notice the Yuan price of the postage? In this case
> you would be paying for 32y. In two weeks I guess it came by air. My
> SAL kilo price from Kunming is $15 which reflects the actual postage.
> I've gotten a kilo shipment from a vendor on a China port for $10.
> There is no reason a China vendor couldn't charge for actual postage
> but like the US there is usually a minimum.
>
> Jim
>
> DPM wrote:
> > I ordered from Teaspring a month or two ago. They advertise US$3.80
> > shipping, and I got my tea (200 grams) in under two weeks direct from
China
> > (the box was covered with PRC postage). Did I just get lucky, or does
> > Teaspring know something others don't?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Dean
>

Jim,

Sorry - my wife was overcome with a desire to clean out our breezeway, and
the box is gone.

Dean

"DPM" > wrote in message news:ac8Ie.12613$Bx5.3210@trnddc09...
> Jim,
>
> I didn't at the time, but I'll check tonight to see if I saved the box.
>
> Dean
>
> "Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > I'm curious did you notice the Yuan price of the postage? In this case
> > you would be paying for 32y. In two weeks I guess it came by air. My
> > SAL kilo price from Kunming is $15 which reflects the actual postage.
> > I've gotten a kilo shipment from a vendor on a China port for $10.
> > There is no reason a China vendor couldn't charge for actual postage
> > but like the US there is usually a minimum.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > DPM wrote:
> > > I ordered from Teaspring a month or two ago. They advertise US$3.80
> > > shipping, and I got my tea (200 grams) in under two weeks direct from
> China
> > > (the box was covered with PRC postage). Did I just get lucky, or does
> > > Teaspring know something others don't?
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Dean
> >
>
>

I saved my stamps from my Teaspring shipments (they're pretty) and the one
have here, assuming the numbers are the number of yuan, totals 863.

Melinda

"Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm curious did you notice the Yuan price of the postage? In this case
> you would be paying for 32y. In two weeks I guess it came by air. My
> SAL kilo price from Kunming is $15 which reflects the actual postage.
> I've gotten a kilo shipment from a vendor on a China port for $10.
> There is no reason a China vendor couldn't charge for actual postage
> but like the US there is usually a minimum.
>
> Jim
>
> DPM wrote:
>> I ordered from Teaspring a month or two ago. They advertise US$3.80
>> shipping, and I got my tea (200 grams) in under two weeks direct from
>> China
>> (the box was covered with PRC postage). Did I just get lucky, or does
>> Teaspring know something others don't?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Dean
>