[rescue] cheap intl. shipping?

[William Enestvedt]

> Anybody know a *cheap* way to get a desktop-sized system from 
> the US to the UK (London, specifically)? 
>
   Look in the Yellow Pages under "Freight Forwarders." These are the guys
that figure out how to assemble a bunch of small pieces into a larger unit
to get better rates, ship the bloc somewhere, and then break it out again
for local delivery. (My dad & brother do this for a living.)
   London is a high-traffic area and you're also in a good place, so it
should be a pretty straightforward deal: everybody and their dog flies in
and out of Heathrow, so they should be able to cram a cardboard box full o'
Suns onto a plane without much sweat. (Did you know that all the passenger
carriers have space for freight in order to subsidize your cheap fares?
Sure: you never have to feed them or handle their suitcases or fix their
headsets! My friend used to be a waitress in the sky for NorthWorst, and a
few years ago he was on a flight to Amsterdam where they offloaded
passengers in order to carry a full load of freight! They also carry mail,
too, and my last flight was delayed because they needed to repack the hold:
there was so much mail already packed that when the kids flying out to
college -- we went into Boston around Labor Day weekend-- checked in, all
their luggage overfilled the plane.)
   One point is that you may need help with the paperwork when your do Real
Shipping,  like preparing customs declarations and stuff, but any forwarder
can help. (Whether they do it for free may be something else...)
-wde
--
Will Enestvedt
UNIX System Administrator
Johnson & Wales University -- Providence, RI