Brooklin's website and the choice of the carriers.

In fact have you a preference for the transportor who send your parcel from overseas? Did you have already a bad experience with one?

Michel, I have sympathy for your plight as a serious collector and what you have to through to stay in the hobby. In my limited experience of receiving packages from Europe, I have found that the packages shipped by DHL have always been expedited and received much more quickly than those shipped via others.

I think part of the problem is the ever-changing landscape in Europe. Since Brexit, the UK has had monumental challenges in shipping products to Europe. Customs in each member country in the EU seems capricious and maddeningly slow. Customs fees can be vastly different for similar packages, apparently at the whim of whoever examines a package. About the only things you can count on is that sending a package into the EU will take a lot of time and patience and will be very expensive.

We had a chance to see that here in the USA when we sent the NABCC models into Europe. Crazily, we found that it was less expensive to ship the models over here from the UK, then send them back to Europe, than it was to send them across the Channel from the UK to Europe. Still, it was more expensive than we anticipated. In some cases, it was double what we expected and in return for all those charges, rather than being expedited, we watched our packages linger in customs.  

With the ever-changing nature of how parcels move about overseas, I'll bet Brooklin is constantly monitoring the various carriers and trying to ensure that there's a balance between packages getting where they're going and how much a customer pays for shipping. To try and get around long delays and high shipping fees, they're trying to establish distribution centers in the EU. Even at that, if a particular model has not yet arrived at a remote shipping center, it has to come from Bath. Likewise, Allentown will become another shipping center. But Allentown can only ship what they have in inventory. 

One thing I am acutely aware of is that delays occur far more frequently at the point of destination in Europe than they do at the point of origin. I have personally sent several packages to France and Italy that have taken weeks to complete delivery after arriving in that country in a matter of days. Last year, I sent a magazine to a friend in Italy. After checking with several carriers, all of whom claimed they could get it there in about 10 days, It cost me $35 and took 6 weeks! So, to summarize, there doesn't seem to be a particular carrier that gets this done quickly and efficiently.  A shipper has to stay on top of things and may find itself changing carriers frequently.

The great irony in all this is that I usually get packages from the UK in about two days, never more than three for about $25. Just to put a coda in things, it costs about $20 to ship from Canada to the US or vice-versa and can take 10 days to two weeks. 

I've gotten to the point that I just wait as long as it takes and I'm just happy I get my packages. 😊

@jkuvakas I think BRK might look at smuggling through the chunnel for the EU customers!  

@mg-harv, it certainly would be easier and cheaper. Any volunteers to be mules??

Thanks Bob and everyone, It is really a special experience each time that i order. With a budget to respect, I must say that it is now stressfull for me to order since the pandemie. Since a lost my older cat of 17 years old, i feel more stressfull it is like if the cat absorbed my stress. I received my BRK 1941 Pontiac Streamliner Torpedo Sedan Black this morning. It was the last one available on the BRK website. I have remarked the sender was Nicola Bulgari and the parcel was been send from Rome. I can,t believe that The owner has packaged the model himself? Lol. I received in 5 days. Unfortunately my Pontiac is damaged a bit inside. The steering wheel is broken and the dashboard damaged also as well as the front banch. I tried without difficulties to stick the steering wheel to the dashboard but it is not evident. I sent an email to Amanda and hope to receive a new dashboard. My box was a bit damaged as well i even wonder if someone has taken the box for a football baloon.

My last purchase as been buy on the Brooklin's site February, 19. My model has been send by Fedex for the first time from Rome. Is there a distribution center also in Italia? My model has made the world tour after. The Charles de Gaule Aeroport in France, after another transit by Newark N.J. another stop in New York to finally arrived at the Mirabel Airport in Quebec, Canada and delivered at home February 24. I don't know what happened on the long road but i have never received a Brooklin models with so much broken parts. I can't believe that my 1941 Pontiac has not been examinated before to be send. That just some opinions reading in french but a lot of peopes in Europe had been bad experience with Fedex and they will never make affair with her after these experience. But how to know in advance with which carrier the parcel will be send? I think next time i will ask to the sellers the cie of my choice if not i will past my turn and i will stay very quiet by hoping a better stability. Hopefully, Amanda will send me all these parts to be able to fix them and be able to do it myself. Too much problem to return the model since Quebec with all these sanitary restrictions here. Just waiting and make the line up with a mask in my face at the Post office bother me. They decided to close my Post Office near home and i must go farther. But i say to myself relax is it nothing all that. It is just a little model and during this time Ukrainiens received bombs on their country. That makes me reflect. Looks and take the time to admire what you already have without espered to have always more and more.

My Pontiac were out of stock in Bath. So Amanda asked to Rome warehouse to ship the model. When the model is ship from the Rome warehouse, they send with Fedex i think they have not more choice but when the model is ship from Bath they normally ship with UPS or DHL. All my parts broken 5 in all during the shipment will be send to me without charge. Fortunately that they have a excellent service after sale and Amanda is there. Steve brought all the parts to Amanda and all will be shipped today. Hope i will be able to fix and stick everything correctly.

Amanda provides an awesome and valuable service to us and does so very efficiently.

Every business needs an Amanda...she's the best.

I will have all three body styles of the 1941 Pontiac. I look forward to receive parts.

Another shipping horror story:  Bought on Ebay two Austin Montegos from a seller in Greece,  deal closed Sept 28 and items shipped with tracking number,   watched tracking number for 30 days as it moved toward me,  Arrived at my local post office Oct 29,  Never moved to "out for delivery"  waited 3 days and inquired at the PO, Was advised that due to a misspelling in the  street name they had deemed it undeliverable and immediately turned it around to Greece.  Advised seller of this.  Communicated with him multiple times over a 60 day period, never received back.  Inquired at my local PO and was advised that internal tracking showed the last scan at a nearby bulk mail facility, no further scans.  PO deem item "lost".  Requested refund from seller,  he refused,  requested Ebay get involved,  they denied any liability as the sale date was over 30 days past.  Then took the matter up with Paypal and amazingly they made good and within a week i had a full refund of purchase price and shipping amount.   Meanwhile I obtained those models from a different European seller which are now in hand.   Because my PO delivery route has not had a permanent route person in over 2 years, all are temporary substitutes with no route or street knowledge they could not figure out a one letter misspelling in the street name,   The use of the 9 digit zip code (only 20 houses have that exact code) apparently not utilized.   No note put in tracking system such as "incorrect address, held for review" which would have alerted me to the issue.   Letter with these facts now pending with Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General,  Washington DC with a cc to my Congressman.   Similar situation occurred in 2020 with a parcel from Canada but after 60 days that return was received by sender.