I believe the difference is that USPS will not do a location pick up with international shipments like UPS or FedEx will do. So somebody would have to actually take the international orders to the post office and declare each and every one of them, one at a time, and with filling out a US customs form for each.

That could be, but how many non-US customers are for the Vader Legend helmets? I doubt there are more than 15-20. Exactly because of these prohibitive costs. I could have had the MR AT-AT shipped from US 3 years ago with $350. And that is a HUGE heavy box.

Anyone know of the actual size and weight of the box in question?

Bryan's reply to my message on Rebelscum: http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1067374-18/#post18821678, quite confusing...

Hi Sergiu!

Actually, you may the wrong information for the quote that you got! If you used the X-wing helmet box, it is too SMALL! The size of the box is 31" X 20" X 17", the actual weight is 23 lbs, but that is irrelevant, since they are charging dimensional weight.

Thanks!

Bryan

What the hell is dimensional weight and how does it differ from actual weight?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=dimensional+weight

Now that brightened up an otherwise dull day at work!

Not only was I too lazy to google search, I still didn't understand a goddamned thing that the links tried to explain. So... it's it's just a clever way to charge more for less or something?

I'm going back to bed.

"Dimensional weight" is the actual weight, plus a "balloon charge" for over size packages. I once asked my post master about this and the best way that he could describe it to me was heavy or not, the box will take up a large space on an aircraft displacing other parcels that could have shipped.

You got that right!! Wish Vlad the Impaler would be around, he would take care of greedy people like these FedEx guys...

LOL... what-if charges for could-have, would-have, not-have reasoning. Usually frowned upon in most respected company. It's a load of bollocks.

I understand the concept of paying pr weight and volume... but that explanation by the post master is just beyond stupid.


Doubtful, he'd probably run FedEx and kill the competition in the most brutal way.

Don't think so. In Romanian stories he was very cruel but not with honest people.

Well... I like my version better.

Just now I brightened Gino's photo noticed this. Please note the color in the eyes:



In the (wearer's) left eye, the red doesn't go down to the bottom of the lens. I figure it was reflecting the lower inner eyelid but it's picking up the lighter color of the floor but not showing that as red.

If I turn up the red tones in the eyes, it gets a little weirder.



Thoughts?

Well may he used photoshop for the eyes as he has done it often before with his pics?

Cause of the shipping:
Well that prices are so high, maybe you get a second helmet in a plastic bag onby lol.
As i remember right the MR RotS Vader helmet was also in a big parcel( a very big one) but that shipping was not as high at this time as for the efx helmet now.
That's strange.