Not sure where to ask this so I stuck it here.

Anyone have recent experience/suggestions on how to ship to/from Europe ?

Engine, trans, etc.

No panic on time, just want to keep expenses as low as possible.

Looked at a few companies but looking for someone that has used a carrier they can suggest.

With my international shipping of larger stuff , bonnet S60 bumper bars .
I used DB Schenker . An international freight/customs broker .
They were very easy to deal with . But there is no real "cheap" options if you want a good/best result

Tex

I agree, no one will be cheap, just looking for something more reasonable than what I have found so far.
Thanks.

Easy to ship worldwide through eBay Global Shipping Program. You ship the item domestically to the USA eBay forwarder in Erlanger, KY, the item is forwarded internationally by them, and the customer pays all international fees and international shipping.

For a one time sale, you simply make an eBay for-sale listing, under "International Shipping" check box for "Global Shipping Program", send the buyer a link to the new listing, the customer buys it, and you ship to KY. Done.

But you will pay their commission, about 16%.

And now Ebay charges both seller and buyer sales tax on the total price, including shipping......................
Ebay used to be good, but last item I sold, I ended up paying almost 25% in fees and tax, not worth IMO anymore.

I doubt that Ebay charges the seller sales tax fees. Buyer yes, as it gets passed on to their state taxing authority, but seller, not likely. Ebay may start reporting your sales and sending you a 1099K tax form, but they are not yet collecting sales tax from sellers, at least from the messages I get from them. I've only been a buyer on Ebay for the last two years, since I don't have anything left of value to sell, but I'd rather sell something online than have to haul a load to a swap meet, or have the inconvenience of multiple Craigslist sales or a yard sale.

You are correct, what they do is take the selling price along with shipping fees, charge the buyer sales tax, then base seller fee on the total sales price + shipping + tax.
So you get charged eBay fees on an inflated sales price that includes shipping and tax rolled in.

I can't offer any suggestions on container-style shipping. For the larger items that I sell, most have made shipping arrangements from other carriers or on-line services. As for smaller stuff, eBay Global really is the easiest way to go. And, for all the fees that eBay DOES charge the seller (it adds up fast - 20-25% overall), their Global is simply the best. Whereas USPS tracks only to where it leaves the US, eBay tracks right to the point of delivery, and sends a note saying it's arrived at it's destination. For smaller packages that can be shipped USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc it really is the way to go.

Speaking of fees - one other thing that I DO like about eBay is their domestic shipping discounts. Honestly, shipping rates were what killed a lot of sales (much of my stuff goes to CA, NV, AZ) and cross-country shipping is expensive. Now, eBay gets you a discount price - typically 40-55% over the FedEx counter rate, and 15-50% for USPS based on weight/location. MANY more sales. So, as awful as eBay has become, it does offer some really good services. AND a truly global market.

eBay charges their commission against sales based on a delivered price. If the seller pays shipping (free shipping), their calculation of the shipping cost seems to be based on an undiscernible algorithm that is not actual shipping cost, but is somewhat close. If the buyer pays shipping, it's also difficult to figure eBay's algorithm, but it is close and reasonable. And again, eBay will charge the seller a fee based on a delivered price, meaning, yes, the seller is charged a selling fee on the shipping even when the buyer paid for shipping, because the seller pays all fees and the buyer pays none other than selling price delivered plus tax. Texas sales tax law requires sales tax on delivered price.

As an eBay seller with a sale almost every day, I can say for certain that their fees have been 16.4% of my selling prices delivered for the last 12 months. That 16.4% covers all fees, including some extra ad fees that many sellers don't pay. As far as I know I have never paid a sales tax as a seller. As to whether eBay charges the seller a commission on the customer's sales tax, I have no idea, but see the first sentence of this paragraph.

Bottom line, I find it impossible to know and keep up precisely with how eBay charges fees, but I can say my fees have been precisely 16.4% of all delivered sales since Jan 1, about 300 sales of car parts and similar industrial items.