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ADVERTISING FEATURE
SHOP. CONSOLIDATE. SHIP.
Shopping Online in the US Made Simple
O
n l i n e s h opp i n g a n d
international shipping go
hand-in-hand. While there
are numerous companies
that will consolidate and post your
purchases to you, PacMe has gone one
step further and will repack your items,
not just put your incoming boxes into
another box. This saves on shipping.
It’s not double handling, but common
sense, especially considering the cost
of shipping multiple items individually
in oversized boxes.
Half of the team behind PacMe is
American Ken Crouse who, for the past
five years, shipped an average of 300
packages from the US to Singapore
each year. These were not one-offs,
but boxes full of items from different
retailers cheerfully consolidated by
his obliging friend Randy. Randy is
the second half of the team. The pair
combined their skills and know-how
to build shipping service PacMe from
scratch. Here, Ken explains what
makes PacMe different.
Why were you frustrated by the
existing international shippers?
After a year of sending packages
through many other services, it was
apparent the difficulties lay in the lack
of thought that went into the packing,
and the limited functionality of the
websites. It didn’t seem like humans
were involved in either aspect. In
our business, the actual value to
the customer is in the consolidation
of items, thoughtful packing and
meaningful communications.
Why use PacMe?
* It provides a US mailing
address, consolidates all
packages and loose items
and ships them in one box to
an international address.
* Pricing is simple; you just
pay a fixed fee for each
incoming box, a flat fee for
consolidation and preparation
of the outgoing box, plus
international shipping charges.
* It’s based in Oregon, which is
sales-tax free, so you save five
to 10 percent on purchases.
* The website is full of good
ideas and hints about the
use of shipping addresses,
different credit cards and
VPNs (virtual private networks)
to help you shop.
What is dimensional weight?
The scourge of international shipping,
this is when a box is too big in relation
to its weight. You are charged for
volume, not weight. While a fluffy pink
unicorn may weigh half a kilogram, you
might actually pay for a box “weighing”
5kg because the box is so big. Avoiding
this can save a fortune.
What if an item is not delivered?
It’s advisable to buy from reputable
sources that provide invoices or
packing lists in their shipments. We
have 24/7 surveillance cameras inside
the warehouse that videotape the
critical step – that is, when the package
is opened – to prove what is actually
in the box and what is not. If there are
any problems or discrepancies (such
as a damaged or missing item), we
will note them in the chat box, so the
customer has all the information and
we can discuss it. Likewise, when
we consolidate packages into the
outgoing box, we take a photograph
and will notice if something is missing
or broken. Generally, it’s best to avoid
buying fragile items. Once all the items
are accounted for, we pack them.
How is PacMe different?
When we receive a package, we
scan the invoice and photograph
the contents, then upload this to
your account. If you’ve ordered ten
packages from Amazon, you can
tell them apart and see exactly what
has arrived and what hasn’t. You can
add notes or ask us questions – our
website was designed expressly to
reduce miscommunications. We store
packages for 60 days and when you’re
ready to consolidate, you just click
PacMe, and choose either to ship all
the items or a selection of them. We are
meticulous, expert packers. Shipping is
the easy part.
pacme.com
What is your background?
Designing customer service systems
and building websites from scratch is
my expertise. Randy has run warehouse
logistics operations for most of his
working life. We knew we could work
together, so we pooled our talents;
we’re involved in the business day-
to-day, doing everything from packing
boxes and answering customer service
chats to managing technology.