A: The charges now reflect actual USPS rates to the destination country, based on the weight and destination country. For countries where USPS Global Priority is offered, which is most of the countries we ship to, the base rate is $10.50 to $12.75. That charge is then modified by the weight of the package in excess of 1lb.

A: If you tend to purchase lightweight items, such as pipes, shipping will now be much cheaper for you compared to our old flat rates. If you tend to purchase heavier items, such as pipe racks or bulk pipe tobacco, shipping will be more expensive. For the vast majority of customers, shipping will now be cheaper.

A: Three related reasons:

• We were consistently overcharging for lightweight packages, which constitute most of our overseas orders. For example, we used to charge $14.99 and $17.99 to ship to the UK and Japan, respectively, regardless of weight. Now an order with a pipe or two would ship for $10.50 and $11.75 to those countries, our actual cost for a 1lb package by USPS Global Priority.


• On a small handful of orders overseas, we were undercharging pretty dramatically. If a customer selected, for example, 10lbs of bulk pipe tobacco, we used to charge (using the same examples) $14.99 and $17.99 to the UK and Japan. But, those packages cost us $59.80 and $60.75, respectively, to ship by Global Express.


• So, effectively, under the old system, the majority of customers were subsidizing shipping for a minority of customers. It wasn't fair to most customers.

A: Now that's a great question! Seriously, we couldn't figure out an expedient way to do so. We had to charge something for shipping to international customers and it was the simplest way to solve the problem at the time.

A: Yes. Well, sort of. If you need the package shipped by courier, we're happy to ship by UPS and bill the difference. You'll have to contact us when you place your order, though. In future, this will be integrated and you'll be able to select it during checkout.