Last month I posted about how I was going to be switching to MyUS from Posta Plus’s MyBox service because based on the MyUS online rate calculator, I would be saving a ton of money.
Spoiler: That didn’t happen.
In fact not only did I not save any money by switching (I ended up paying a lot more), but the whole experience has caused me a lot of frustration. Not even sure where to begin because I’ve basically had issues and unexplained costs with 4 out the 5 packages I’ve shipped with them. Firstly for those of you who don’t know what MyUS or MyBox is, they’re both US mail forwarding companies. This means they provide you with a US mailbox and you can ship stuff to it and they’ll then ship the items to you here in Kuwait.
Since the start of the month, I’ve used MyUS five times. The service has been pretty quick, the package would arrive to the MyUS facilities in the States and then within a day it’s shipped to me in Kuwait. The problem is with all the hidden costs, the inaccurate “Shipping Rate Calculator” and how all my packages were being repackaged into heavier boxes to increase their shipping weight.
According to MyUS, when a package first arrives they weigh it and list the weight in your account. Then before shipping, they re-weigh the package and then charge you for that weight. This is where the problem occurs.
Weight According to UPS: 1.1 lbs.
Weight According to MyUS on Arrival: 1.3 lbs.
Weight According to MyUS on Departure: 2.5 lbs.
I confronted MyUS about this. How did my 1.1 lbs. package go from weighing 1.1 to 2.5. They denied any wrongdoing and sent me a photo of the shipping label from UPS which states it weighs 2 lbs (pic below).
I was like ok great so will you be refunding me the 0.5 lbs. difference I was charged? They responded with the following:
Thank you for contacting us. It is not an error. If you see the photos the indicated weight of your package with UPS Tracking #: 1ZE617090393761544 is 2 lbs when we received it from your merchant. And all packages arrives in our facility undergo re-weigh. So the final weight for this package with AWB# 100044466726 is 2.50 lb.
That email actually contradicts them because inside my account it shows that when they received it from the merchant the package weighed 1.3 lbs. (screenshot below). But in any case, how did a re-weigh increase the package weight? And where did the 1.3 lbs weight come from? Nobody knows…
But that actually summarizes my experience with MyUS. They’re definitely more expensive than MyBox for sure but that’s only half the problem. Their biggest issue is that nothing is ever clear. I had one package that had an unexplained charge of $18.5, when I asked them about it turned out because inside my package was a small bottle of cleaning fluid and that’s considered hazardous and requires special handling. Ok fine at least let me know ahead of time or at least after charging me that amount let me know what it’s for. Why do I have to email and ask about it?
My MacBook Air was shipped with the option “FedEx Economy” instead of “Budget Economy” which is the preference I have in my mailbox settings. When I asked them why they told me any item with a battery can’t be shipped with “Budget Economy”. That would be understandable except the option “Budget Economy” actually uses “FedEx Economy” as the carrier to ship. They’re over-complicated and have a lot of holes in their system.
Overall they just felt sleazy and I really don’t like that. I asked people on Reddit if they faced similar issues and turns out I wasn’t the only.
On a positive note, they seem to be good to use on very heavy packages. The only issue I didn’t have with them was with 1 package and that package weighed 18.48 lbs. It cost me around KD28 to ship with them which was that only time their online shipping calculator had quoted me accurately. That same package would have cost me at least KD35 with PostaPlus.
So would I recommend MyUS? For regular shipments no I would not. I faced an issue with every single package except for one and four out of my five packages would have cost me less to ship with MyBox. The only time I’d recommend MyUS is if you have a really heavy shipment but other than that I’m personally heading back to MyBox for my day to day purchases and I’m going to continue to recommend them.
Update: Just got a shipment from MyUS today and it’s a total disaster. Firstly they charged me $18.50 extra for the shipment because they said my shipment contained flammable liquid, turns out the liquid isn’t flammable. Then they ripped open one of the packages inside and completely damaged one of the sleeves from a vinyl record. They’re a mess!
78 replies on “MyUS is Expensive”
Fishisfast is awesome, fast (it’s in the name lol), and the most reasonably priced! I love it! Check it out!
Weight According to UPS: 1.1 lbs.
Weight According to MyUS on Arrival: 1.3 lbs.
Weight According to MyUS on Departure: 2.5 lbs.
I got mad reading that, wtf!!
That increase is something like me going to a wedding
😂😂😂
Few days I received package from MYUS,all was ripped and messly packed.was also over charged on one small bottle of camera cleaning liquid which they said was dangerous when not.in so many areas they are a mess and expensive for nothing.why do they open packages and act as if they are customs?they are not constant with weight and charges.Help me connect to mybox
Same here with my liquid! They’re like contact manufacturer and send a list of ingredients, I was like no but here is a video of me putting a flame out with the liquid you marked as flammable https://youtu.be/yjn0TOcaX94
Bahaha! Love that! BOSS move!
Oh man, I just got a bunch of items about to be shipped with them and I hope they won’t screw me over like that.
Any idea how long does it take to receive a package sent from the US by USPS? It was sent out last June 6 but until now im waiting for it. I went to the Post Office in Salmiya and the lady at the desk checked the control number and said that it’s not yet here in Kuwait. Since then i’ve been tracking it everyday.
USPS takes forever! I ordered something on 12/05/19, it was shipped on 15/05/19 & was here in Kuwait 67 days later.
When I used USPS before this, took about 65 days.
So sit back patiently.
Please which of the MYBOX APP do you recommend, came across alot of them. Thanks for the advice I was about shipping in some goods.
MyUS is a big no no. they dont have a hotline that you could directly call someone in case of an issue. the Livechat’s waiting time is usually very long (could take 15-20mins) they also cant really help u with most issues. sending them an email takes at least two business days to get a reply which increases your frustration. And yes the weight they show you does get changed for no reason. the way how they calculate shipping costs is funny
sometimes its cheaper to ship 2 items together or a single item than shipping 3 items together. they have a service which enables u to send ur package back to the shipper or any US address n they say its just 7$ in reality they charge u that plus 1$ per lbs of the package AND they could charge u 7% sales tax on your package for no reason at all. Nearly all their employees are incompetent and slow. on top of that sometimes shipments take 3 working days to show online which is stressful.
How is Aramex Shop & Ship?
I’ve used them twice: Once with items from Amazon (U.S) Ordered some Heavy Books and small products/knick knacks. About 3-4 kgs I think, Was quick and came to about 14 bucks. Not bad at all! Haven’t tried any other though!
$14 to ship 3-4kgs? That can’t be correct.
Generally slightly more expensive than PostaPlus but they now have something called Shop & SHip Flex where you become a member and get cheaper rates. I don’t have experience with that.
Slightly more expensive mark? Have you taken math classes?
Posta is offering 20% discount on all their shipment, its been like this for a year.
To ship a 0.5 KG package with posta is 2.5 KD (-20%) = 2 KD for first 0.5 KG and 1.6 after
TO ship 0.5 KG package with aramex S&S its 3.25KD
Price difference is 1.25KD The mark up is 162%
Simply put it costs more than 1 and a half times to ship using the scammers from S&S rather than posta. Aramex customer care is rubbish and non existent. Posta has an excellent call center and their drivers are competent and deliver in two shifts, so if you miss the morning you can get the operations to go in the afternoon.
To hell with Aramex
Not sure if you know what the definition of slightly more expensive is but 1.25kd is slightly more expensive.
I use both MYBOX and shopandship and MYBOX is slightly cheaper which is why I use them more. If I had a shopandship flex account the prices would be similar.
Also not aware of a 20% discount with MYBOX. Can’t find any info on it on their website nor their app or instagram page so it might have finished.
“Also not aware of a 20% discount with MYBOX. Can’t find any info on it on their website nor their app or instagram page so it might have finished.”
Its not a published discount but they do give that on every shipment. I can confirm as I have been receiving this discount since the last ~5 shipments
just got a package from mybox, it actually says 20% discount after the total. I didn’t even know about this!
its been there for a whole year and after calling them it turns out that the discount is here to stay. so thats a plus.
162% markup to me is not “slightly” its more like “substantially” or even better “significantly” more expensive
a 162% markup from Posta to S&S would mean a shipment that would cost 20KD would cost 32.5 KD on aramex.
Dont know about you. but to me thats a hefty difference.
5KG
MyBox: KD20.500
MyBox with 20% Discount: KD16.4
Shop&Ship: KD28
Shop&Ship Flex: KD19.13
I think the word slightly works but you can keep using “162%” if you like for dramatic effect.
You need math classes.
going from 2 to 3.25 is just 62.5% markup (not 162%).
They only charge you based on the package weight?
I was under the impressions the package dimensions are also taken into account when calculating shipping fees. Like weight + size/shape of the box…
They used to charge based on volumetric weight but a few years ago they changed to actual weight
If I were you, I wouldnt recommend them for anything (including the heavier shipments) based on their unethical/ non transparent practices.
Such businesses should be taught a lesson
Yeah I understand that position but end of the day I also want whats best for me. So if I’m going to save 30KD shipping a heavy package with them I’ll do it, for everything else though they’ve lost me as a customer.
Mark, try Stackry. I told you about last time and I want to remind you again to check it out because I faced these issues with MyUS, and have not faced any of these issues with Stackry, and I have been paying very reasonable shiping costs
It is a free service as in there are no membership fees, so give it a shot
Ordering directly from Amazon is such a piece of mind. I recently ordered some things on Prime day, took 5 days. I even picked the slowest cheapest shipping.
What card do you use for Amazon? I use a credit card and it doesn’t work with Amazon. The order goes through and five minutes later, I get an e-mail saying payment declined and order cancelled. I’ve used this card on many other websites and it works
I use it with Mastercard, American Express, Visa card and my Knet card. All work fine.
Mark, does that mean i can just order from Amazon without actually using a middleman like posta and myus? Like, if i just wanted to order a Beard Brush that costs 18 usd.
Sorry if this has been answered before lol. I have never actually ordered from Amazon unless it was through Mr Babu.
Yes on some items, I remember back in the 90s I used to buy cds and books from amazon and ship them straight to me but now they also ship electronics and other things as well. If you order from Amazon UK they also remove the 20% VAT on items so you end up saving money as well
Fantastic! I can finally get a decent Bead Brush T_T
Thank you for your prompt reply Mark! Have a nice day!
The only middle person between you and seller should be eBay,amazon.direcrly seller can send to you.
I’m using a local VISA card. Maybe you should call your bank?
Cool thanks, i’ll figure it out
I just did that as well! I shipped a radiator for my Datsun.
Item Cost: $243.52
Shipping & Handling: $163.19
Import Fees Deposit $31.83
Grand Total: $438.54
Actually just realized how expensive I paid. According to Amazon the item weighs 5lbs. WIth PostaPlus that would have cost me what? 15KD tops. Shit why did I ship it directly to Kuwait?! I mean I’m in a hurry but not THAT in a hurry 😭😭😭
Well myself being an exclusive amazon buyer (or any website that ships directly to Kuwait), I do need to think about how much I’m paying for shipping compared to the actual price of items I’m paying for. My last order was about 900$ worth of items and the shipping turned out to be around 110$. In my situation I didn’t mind paying let’s say double to get a seamless fast shipping experience, a clear one time payment, save me the effort of dealing with a shipping service and it’s customer service, and the effort of looking for the cheapest shipping. In addition, the savings I’m already making regardless of the shipping price, or the items not being available locally anyway. In your situation I wouldn’t place that order of course, the shipping price compared to the actual price of the item doesn’t make sense to me to place that order, unless there’s no other option for me except to order it that way and I extremely need that item, and I would still be saving a lot of money from not buying it locally. So most of the time it’s about convenience. It’s like getting on the subway or booking a private car, both will get you where you want (or nearly there in case of the subway).
How is the Fluance turntable?
So far pretty good. The price of it was reasonable, has a built-in pre-amp, got good rating and fits with my mid-century decor. setup was also super easy.
I totally agree with everything you wrote in this article. I stopped using MyUS, because there are always hidden charges. I remember I used to pay like crazy for shipping, then pay other charges when the package gets delivered. That’s why I switched to Posta Plus MyBox 2 years ago, because I just pay once shipping + customs + everything. Now I am using PostShipper which I really like, but for small shipments, it is more expensive than MyBox. I use it to consolidate multiple small packages and get great rates.
I’m really sorry you had to face this…This behavior is really disgusting from their side.
I have a question: Regarding buying things like from amazon, with postaplus…Can somebody tell me if I am doing it correctly?
Item price: 15 USD.
Shipping weight: 0.2 kg.
Clearance fees: 1KD.
Customs: 5%
(The cost of the item in KWD. + MYBOX shipping charges) X 5 % = (4.600 + 2) x 5% =(4.600 + 2) x 5%= 0.33
Total: 4.600 (item cost in kwd) + 0.33(custom duty fees 5%) + 1 (clearance fees) + 2 (shipping charges)= 7.93
2.5kd (shipping cost) +1kd (custom clearance fee) + 5% of item value (customs) = total cost
Plus u need to include amazon shipping cost to your US mailbox (if there is a cost) and US taxes
Yep, I understand that. Thanks!
BTW do they take 5% of item value in USD or KWD in customs?
5% of the item value, doesn’t matter if its USD or KWD since they’re both of equal value just in a different currency.
Thank you Mark, always a life saver. <3
BTW I thought that there was some 20% discount and that you have to pay 2 KD and 1.600 for additional 0.5 kg.
its 2.5kd for first half kg and then 2kd for every other half.
I am trying to ship a 46 pound PC for my son to Kuwait, what is the best way to ship it? that would probably cost a fortune to ship. any ideas?
MyUS but it would cost you over $200
Hey remember me? When I commented before that it would be more expensive? lol Funny turn of events MyUS in my case ended up being a lot cheaper than aramex shop and ship but thats only because of my purchase scenario. I tend to buy movies off of amazon and because of the way amazon ships buying 20 to 30 movies end up being shipped as 7 to 8 packages and Aramex charges me for each one.
With my US thanks to consolidation I end up saving a lot of money, plus factor in no need to pay for tax with Amazon as well. I guess each has its own strengths and weaknesses but your situation is fucked up how they increased the weight on you. Really sleazy of them.
yeah well I had to try it myself 😅
So, I just arrived here in Kuwait yesterday (finally) and am interested in why people do this. I understand if things aren’t available in Kuwait but if they are…..?
I only ask because you mentioned a MacBook Air. Having looked in our local Mall today apple stuff is a serious amount cheaper that it is where I used to live (UK). Is it cheaper still to order from Amazon and use one of these shipping services?
I wanted the brand new MacBook Air with a US keyboard. The ones in Kuwait come with an Arabic keyboard.
Oh really? I must admit I didn’t look that closely at them as the kids were with me and they’re suffering from culture shock and behaving like barbarians and embarrassing me at every turn 😀
But that’s good to know.
I need to, if possible, import things like vinyl, CDs, and 4K Blu rays (once I’ve got the hardware setup) so I will need to look more closely into these services. I wonder if there’s anything similar for the UK………..
Yeah there, when u set up with MyBox you get a US address and a UK one. With Aramex’s Shop and Ship you get even more mailboxes all over europe, china, japan etc..
Awesome Mark, thank you! 🙂
The keyboard has both Arabic and English characters on them btw, not only Arabic
Hi Mark, How was your shipment experience with the Macbook Air, I am planning to do a similar purchase but right now considering all my options. Thanks in advance.
MyUS is not honest. They offered membership with free trial. I never used the services. When it ended, I cancelled. But their website is so cleverly configured, it is nice way to fool. Even after cancelled they took out money from my card. I protested and then they repaid partly. MyUS are cheaters.
Mark I see your update and I’ve gotta say that I think they’re really going beyond the limits. I think you should personally take action over what happened and request some sort of compensation. This isn’t acceptable by any means.
I think I’m not going to use MyUS even for large shipments. They might charge extra hidden charges from out of nowhere and it’s like a gamble. I prefer MYBOX PostaPlus.
Yeah already emailed them requesting a refund. I also remembered why I stopped using them a few years ago. I had ordered a limited edition print and they damaged it. I got a refund but it didn’t matter cuz I couldn’t reorder the print again.
Any experience with Post Shipper? I personally didn’t try Shop and Ship or Posta Plus so I can’t form an opinion in their regard, but according to a friend’s experience with them he praised Post Shipper because you get a tax-free mail in the US and receive your shipment without even paying a fils to the customs clearance. That’s why he thought they’re the best service among them and suggested to order using Post Shipper. Maybe next time you should try it and make some kind of comparison between all services you’ve dealt with so far?
Been using it for 6 months now.. Cheaper, specially if you are getting lots of small packages.
How many days does it take to ship from USA to Kuwait using USPS. My cousin shipped ot via his post office at New Jersey. It shows me 6-10 days. Right now it shows arrived at the New York airport and is in transit to the next destination while the Ministry of Communications show they recieved EDI. My tracking number starts with C so I should go to Kaifan, shouldn’t I?
How do you get the EDI? Mine’s been out since June 6, til now it hasn’t arrived
and here i’m still not decided on where i should ship 4 tires from the US which they weigh around 47 KG. i guess that’s the downside of having a Classic Car where you want everything to be authentic as possible even the tires 😀
Ship directly to Kuwait. I was quoted 300$ to ship four wheels for my Datsun to Kuwait by fedex.
I was actually considering switching to MyUS after seeing your last post. Glad that I didn’t 🙂
The crooks have specially designed their system and their website in such way that they can loot your money once you get in their contract.
I wanted to get stuff from Amazon US , and I was contemplating between the different services. MYUS had issues even back 3-4 years, so I decided to go with Stackry.com. They are again a parcel forwarding service, you are given a USA address, (basically a locker) and are allowed to store your shipments for 40 days without incurring any additional charge. You can wait till you receive all your orders and then have it consolidated and sent as one package. Been using them consistently for 3 years now, got my alienware laptop which was stored with them for nearly 3 weeks and no issues. They handle all shipments professionally, plus you are intimated in case your shipment does incur any extra costs.
Their prices are a tad bit expensive, compared to rest, but the service is worth it. My recent order was an Amazon Fire Stick 4k with an Ethernet adapter, shipment cost me 13KD including Kuwait customs charge.
Stackry is awesome
try this one is very good: https://www.stackry.com/en/login
I also use MyUS and have been for a long time. So Iam unaware of the current option on the market. I like the the feature of storing my items and shipping them in one box to save money.
So what do you recommend?
As stated before I usually store my items and ship once to save money. So my package is around 40lbs. According to the people discussing three were recommended:
1-MyBox
2- Fishisfast
3-Stackry
MyBox does not consolidate so I don’t believe Ill be saving.
I know that both 2 & 3 consolidate, but if they are better than MyUS.
When using the shipping Calculator to predict cost for a 50lbs 20x20x20in package.
MyUS came cheapest: $122.62
Fishisfast: $286
Stackry: $303.42
As some mentioned that MyUS calculator is harder accurate. So what are your thoughts and recommendations?
Thanks
I know this post is from last year, but I wanted to thank those that sent their contributions. I am currently in an open war with MyUS and FedEx, as I sent some ‘completely legit’ stuff from the US, and it has been 2 months plus and items are up to this date still at large, either by COVID (which I can’t do nothing about), MyUS (with poor customer support and zero accountability of any kind), and FedEx (which I won’t be using ever again for washing their hands).
I will be researching the other sellers you listed and give them a try.
AJ
2nd that.
Hi !
I happened to bump into this thread while searching for a good option to have a single package ( set of 8 books – homeschooling curriculum) shipped from the US to Kuwait. I was wondering what would be the best option for this?
The firm that sells the curriculum usually ships out internationally using the USPS GLOBAL PRIORITY mail which from my understanding is quite likely to get lost in post office as I have had a lot of trouble receiving any kind of post or mail via the post offices here in Kuwait.
What would be an economical option to ship this to kuwait as I have already spent a considerable amount on the curriculum itself. Also would I have to pay customs for the books? If so, how much?
Also, while we’re at this, I’d like to know if there are customs applied to books brought in large quantities?
A group of families that I know of are trying to acquire these set of 20 books from Saudi Arabia. There are around 11 families so – 220 books? They are already paying shipping to the publishers that are sending these books through, but would they have to pay more out here once the packages have arrived?
Thanks in advance for any assistance that you maybe able to provide n this regard.