International Shopping
At Wingdow, we are both pleased and privileged to count many international customers among our ranks. It’s proof to us that love of birds is universal--and that appreciation for quality products like Wingdow®--transcends borders.
But overseas shopping can often be an expensive proposition—not only because of the customs process and duties assessed upon a product’s arrival in the country—but because the cost to ship the product to its overseas destination can add greatly to the cost of the product itself. At Wingdow®, we can’t do much about customs. That’s beyond our control. However, we can do our best to minimize the impact of shipping costs on the amount our international customers pay for the product.
Whenever possible, we use the US Postal Service (USPS) to ship to countries outside the United States. USPS is by far the least expensive way to ship internationally because it offers the cheapest rates and avoids costly broker fees typically charged by FedEx and UPS. In most cases, we are able to ship our Wingdow® Seats overseas by cost-efficient USPS Priority Mail International and our smaller, lightweight Wingdow® Lite by USPS First Class Mail International. Notable exceptions are countries in South America, Africa, the Middle East, and a few countries outside the European Union (EU) that have restrictions on the size of the box their postal service will handle. These countries do not accept box sizes as large as the one needed to ship a Large Wingdow® Seat, so in these few cases, we have to use a more expensive FedEx Economy International to ship that size Wingdow® Seat to its destination. The chart below provides a rough estimate of the cost to ship the various size Wingdow® Seats to selected countries. These international USPS rates change frequently and are not always shown accurately in our shipping estimator, so please email us for an exact quote if you are interested in purchasing a Wingdow® Seat or Wingdow® Lite for your bird.
Our playstands are heavier than Wingdow® Seat and must be shipped in larger boxes—which precludes our use of cost-efficient US Postal Service for shipping these items. In this case, we use the next best option, which is FedEx Economy International. We get very discounted rates from FedEx on international shipments, and these rates change weekly. As such, the shipping estimator on our site is unable to calculate accurate rates for shipping our playstands abroad, and you will see a shipping cost of $0.00 upon checkout. If you are interested in purchasing one of our playstands, please email us for a shipping quote, and we will get back to you within one business day with an estimate. We are usually able to get significantly discounted rates on FedEx Economy International, given a bit of negotiation and flexibility on shipping dates.
As noted above, international shipping is not cheap--regardless of which shipping method is used. We much prefer that our overseas customers spend their limited funds on wonderful products for their birds than on shipping for those items--so we are always looking for ways for them to save shipping costs.
One suggestion we have is to check with other bird-loving friends about items they might want--and then consolidate those orders into one shipment. This works particularly well if the item of interest is Wingdow® Seat. Wingdows® nest--one inside the other--so we can ship 2 (or more) Wingdows® in the same box for pretty much the same cost as shipping a single unit, essentially halving the cost per unit to ship.
If you are ordering items from other US-based websites (in addition to Wingdow.com), you might also want to consider using a shipping consolidator (also known as freight forwarder). Shipping consolidators provide customers with a single US address for all their shipping--and are able to offer customers volume discounts and better rates by consolidating several smaller shipments into one. If you are interested in shipping your Wingdow® purchases through a consolidator, contact us—and we will be happy to work with you in finding an appropriate shipper for your needs.
Finally, many of our international customers tell us that it’s hard to find quality items for their birds in their country—which is why they often turn to the US for their playstands, toys, and other items. At Wingdow®, we know of—and in some cases have formed relationships with—many other small US-based businesses whose bird-related products we respect—and we are more than happy to recommend these fine products to our international customers. These companies are not business partners. Rather, they are companies we know share our commitment to quality and making products that are safe for our birds—and often, companies whose products we use ourselves. So if you’re shopping Stateside for a cage, playstand, toy, or other item for your bird, feel free to ask us for some product suggestions—even if it’s not a Wingdow® product. We are more than happy to point you toward other products you and your bird will love. It’s our way of raising awareness of other fine products for birds—and helping our international customers get the most value from their US product purchases.