Postby Terran » December 8th, 2009, 9:59 pm
I use both Trincargo International (Transexpress.com) and Ezone. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Trincargo does not have a minimum charge and there are no annual fees. They operate as efficiently as Ezone during off-peak seasons and are best for packages below 4 lbs. They can generally deliver packages within 2 days of arrival in Miami, but times like now (Christmas time), they simply don't deliver any sooner than 3 days after arrival in Miami. The inconvenience about them is that if your package arrives in Miami without an invoice, they will notify you, but they charge an additional US$1 for that and will not ship to Trinidad until you declare a value. So as long as it takes for you to receive and respond to that email, your package remains in Miami, only causing further delays. When the package is delivered to you, you must settle the duty and VAT in cash. Freight is charged up front on your credit card upon its arrival in Miami, and again, the package will be delayed if your credit card is not processing or can't absorb the freight charge. They also do repackaging from Miami if they consider there is a high risk of damage during transport to your item.
Ezone is religiously on time with delivery - 2 days after your item is received in Miami. They charge an annual fee of US$30. Their freight charge is comparable to Trincargo, but they have a minimum charge of US$12 once your item weighs 4 lbs or less. They do no delay trans-shipment to Trinidad if your package arrives without an invoice. They will alert you of such and do not charge extra like Trincargo for that. If you do not respond to their email, they will assume a market value when clearing your item from customs, and when it can not be easily determined, they'll call you to inquire. They're very friendly, and depending on the time of day, you may be lucky to get your item the following day after its arrival in Miami. Call them - they might satisfy your request. All charges - freight, duty, insurance and VAT are charged to your credit card AFTER it has cleared customs, or you can pay in cash - which they'd prefer you not do.
Bottomline:
Trincargo for packages weighing less than 4 lbs.
Ezone for packages weighing more than 4 lbs and for speed and efficiency.
Both courier services charge freight based on the greater of the dimensional weight vs the actual weight. One courier service I know of, UPXpress, charges freight based on the actual weight of your item. They are a good choice for bulky items. Never had experience with them - this is just based on what people I know who do business with them have to say.