I have experience of doing the opposite to what you are contemplating. I
was living in Australia and bought a 180/2 and had it shipped from the US.
This was several years ago before the OZ$ nosedived to the levels it
currently resides at.
I am not sure if Australia Post would ship something that heavy but you
could do a search for their web site and see if they have an on-line rate
calculator. You will probably have two possible rates, one for shipping
by air and the other for surface. I imagine you would be looking at a
minimum of 3 months for surface going by my experience when a seller in
the US made a mistake and sent me a lens that way 8-(
I imagine various Australian based freight companies probably have
on-line calculators. One carrier I have had a very pleasant experience
with is TNT. They were originally an Australian company and they have an
extensive global network. When I had some stuff shipped from the US to Oz
they were significantly cheaper than UPS or Fedex and were fast and
smooth. I am guessing here but this might be their URL for OZ -
http://www.tnt.com.au
The sellers recommendation of having someone carry it is Ok if such a
person has significantly less than their allotted luggage allowance of 5kg
carry-on and 20kg checked. If someone does agree to carry it, they will
almost certainly have to check it in. Unless you live in LA or SF the
mule is going to have to arrange to ship it to you when they get to the
US. The mule is also going to have to answer that little question "Are
you carrying anything for someone else Sir?" Lets not get into whether
they have to declare it to US customs and pay the dues.
Using a freight company would be my first option.
Giles
james olson wrote:
> So: 1) the price of the lens is good, but it is obviously a long, long way
> away. Does anyone have an idea how expensive shipping would be? Is there a
> Cargo rate that is possible? Or where could I go on the internet for an
> idea of what the cost would be?
> 2) The seller recommended seeing if there was anyone from the U.S. in
> Australia that is going to be coming back here (the U.S.) soon that could
> carry it on. I don't know anyone in Australia, but is there anyone on the
> list travelling in Australia, or does anyone know anybody there that will be
> coming to the Unites States?
>
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