This is all about the fulfillment company called Send from China. We describe this service from a first-hand perspective covering these topics:
– What is Send from China?
– Why might I use it?
– What are some potential pitfalls?
– Timelines
– User Interface
– Costs
– Payment Options
– Shipping Calculator
– Currency Conversion
– Packaging Options
– EU/AU/CA Friendly
– Customer Service
Podcast Version: http://traffic.libsyn.com/theforbiddenlimb/FLP028.mp3
Resources
http://www.sendfromchina.com/ – The SFC website.
Board Game Business 
This was great thanks guys.
SFC is not specifically a game fulfillment company – they ship out a huge range of different product types with a wide range of packaging requirements. The onus is definitely on the customer / creator to arrange the ideal packaging. So as Brian suggested its critically important for you to be 100% specific about your packaging requirements for your game when sending via SFC.
SFC will basically do whatever you like, and we have been working with them to widen the range of packaging options for game fulfillment. They now offer a mix of bubble wrap envelopes, foam sheet / additional bubblewrap fill, box sends and plastic corner protectors. You can mix and match the solution to fit the needs of your box send and how robust it is.
see more info on this and rough cost estimates http://secretbasegames.com/secret-blog/28-packaging-your-game-when-using-send-from-china
Also there is no such thing as ‘Australia friendly’… There is no VAT or other tax applicable for items mailed into Australia under a value of AU$1000. I believe what people usually vaguely mean by ‘Australia shipping friendly’ is that the creator is simply using a very affordable shipping / fulfillment option (such as SFC) to send here.
Kim
Secret Base Games
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Thanks for stopping by, Kim! I can’t wait to get my games into those new packaging options. I asked a couple weeks ago if I could start shipping with them now, but they said they’re not ready yet. I’ll excitedly jump on it whenever it’s available!
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Great stuff as always, guys, thanks!
A (possibly) silly question: I’m trying to validate our account with SFC and I’m not sure what they mean when they ask for “A copy of Business License”. Perhaps a photo of our incorporation documents…? I’m not getting any replies from SFC on this. What did you send them?
Thanks!
Eddy
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Thanks Eddy. They’re just looking for something official that says you’re a real company. I believe I just sent them a copy of the document I received from the IRS when they granted me an EIN for my LLC.
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