I ship international all the time, partly selling on here, and every day at my job.
We rely on regular post and rarely are there any issues. There is an odd misunderstanding that most people have and that is that the post in countries is really bad. But it is not - for the most part, it is good. For example, you might think Russia would have a bad postal system, but theirs is excellent, though can be a bit tardy. France, conversely, has problems with mail theft and lazy postmen. Johannesburg... well good luck sending anything there and having it arrive at your intended address. Italy has some crazy customs and stuff from abroad can take up to a month to clear.
Generally speaking, though, countries have good postal systems. Sending special courier like FedEx / DHL is great and all, but if you're looking for a more cost effective way, the local post is always a good bet. Just buy tracking, and insurance if you want it, and the local post will do what they can to help you in the unlikely event something bad will happen.
USPS is generally excellent to work with in my experience, as are Russian post. DHL local in Germany are hit and miss, but mostly good.
As to the pricing discrepancy - think bulk
USPS probably rent space on planes where as UPS own their own planes. Big cost differential.
With graphics cards, my advice is to bubble wrap and double box (manu box inside cardboard box). They almost always survive the trip. I had a motherboard sent to me just in the manu box wrapped up in paper. That didn't work well, it was DOA and I never got a refund
Bookmarks