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I was wondering from my friends stateside, what is the best way to ship records, let's say to the UK.
Cheapest, reliable, speed.

USPS
Fed Ex
UPS

USPS is going to be cheaper than the others but there is no "cheap" option any more. Somewhere between $20 and $25 for a single LP to the UK depending on weight, packaging etc.

Seconding Ben's sentiments.

With UPS and FedEx, you're also practically guaranteed to be caught for import duties (not sure this applies for the UK, but it does in a lot of the EU). With USPS, there's at least a chance you won't, especially for smaller packages.

Fucking USPS just charged me $42 to ship 5 records in a box to Canada. Bastards

Sounds about right. International shipping is very expensive from the US. Not to get too political, but thanks to Congress USPS already has to pre-pay future benefits for future employees that haven't even been born yet--the only entity, public or private, with such an asinine requirement.

Rather than dramatically increase domestic rates, USPS leadership has chosen to try to patch up their balance sheet by increasing international package rates. This is why it is currently so expensive to ship international packages from the US.

Congress is burying USPS in red ink so they then point to it as another example of a failed government service that would be 'more efficiently' served by the private sector. Meanwhile these moves are forcing the USPS to sell off its physical assets (buildings and real estate holdings) which is yet another avenue for shady deals to politically-connected real estate developers. Crushing the USPS work force as a democratically-inclined pro-labor demographic is another goal.

The really frustrating thing is that the logistics infrastructure of the USPS is a modern marvel. People are going to be pissed when USPS is no longer an option and they have to pay through the nose for shipping via UPS/Fedex...do you think FedEx is going to let you mail a letter for 50 cents or ship a box of records 'media mail' for $3.17? Not to mention these private companies won't be keen on spending money to ensure their infrastructure adequately covers rural/remote areas. Of course, by then it will be too late to go back.

But I digress. $42 to ship 5 records to Canada sounds par for the course these days. And when you go over 4 lbs the First Class International rates are generally uanvailable which kicks the shipping cost into really eye-popping territory.

I love the USPS and I completely concur that folks will truly miss it if it goes. So foolish.