International Buyers

Hello everyone,

yes america first, we got it. But as your stable genius said, america first does not mean america only :slight_smile: So i ve got some questions. Maybe @Dan is so nice and can give some answers.

  1. Is CE certification done?
  2. Can we order proofgrade material in advance and spend our 20$ vouchers in your shop so the material can be be shipped with our glowforge?
  3. Is proofgrade and glowforge one parcel?
  4. When does international shipping start?
  5. Wich country is the first?
  6. Do you ship with UPS? Does it make sense to also make an Account in order to track the shipping?

Best wishes from Germany

13 Likes

Not sure if youā€™ll get any answers to your other questions beyond ā€œwe have nothing to announce at this timeā€. But these two have been answered before.

The first has always been ā€œnoā€ because they come from different places a couple of thousand miles apart.

The second has also been ā€œnoā€ because of the same.

The GF comes from the factory in California and the Proofgrade materials come from the distributor in Tennessee.

1 Like

As the company rarely, if ever, answers these questions Iā€™ll chime in with what Iā€™ve learned over two years.

  1. I believe Dan has stated theyā€™ll announce certifications once they are done and provide no guidance on timelines. So probably no. However, there are some threads on the forum where international customers post their anticipated ā€œshipā€ date and their country of residence. This is the best estimate for when certifications will be done.
  2. To date the proofgrade shop has not been opened to customers until they accept the email saying their glowforge is ready. Dan has said that they want to open the shop to glowforge and non-glowforge customers at some time in the future, but currently it is only open to people with units. That said, I believe once you say yes, ship me my glowforge, you could order from the shop. If your goal is to save on shipping, I would be surprised if they will bundle orders. The proofgrade isnā€™t shipped from the glowforge basement in Seattle, but instead from an order fulfillment company in Tennessee. Generally, they operate on the concept of here is an order, pick it and ship it. Also, Iā€™ve had a single order of proofgrade come in two boxes, so even if they did consolidate your order youā€™d probably get it in two boxes.
  3. The glowforge comes in two boxes and the proofgrade comes in a third box.
  4. I saw a post from a UK customer that their date was in early March. That is the date of the email, so the actual shipment may not be until early April. Assuming that date hasnā€™t slipped. Also, it would mean CE certification.
  5. Based on what Iā€™ve seen someone in the UK may be first. I donā€™t know the rules for laser cutters, but if your EU country requires local language instructions, non-English speaking EU countries could see shipments delayed because their translator had the flu. But presumably, it would be a minor delay.
  6. I believe UPS is the only shipper for glowforge. UPS MyChoice is available in the US, I donā€™t know about Germany or outside the US in general. If it is available in Germany, Iā€™d sign up, although based on my companyā€™s experience with UPS in Germany I wouldnā€™t have high expectations.
5 Likes

Thank you for your response!

1 Like

Hi,

my date is March 5th (UK) and hasnā€™t changed in a while. I am aware of at least 1 person in the UK with a date earlier than mine. I would imagine that the EU will be treated as a whole as we have the same rules (at the moment - stupid brexit!) and regulations across the EU.

We do have UPS mychoice in the UK which I am signed up to although my experience thus far has been suboptimal. The delivery guys are fine but the back end is rubbish.

3 Likes

Hey glen, March is not too far away :slight_smile: When did you order? Pro or Basic?

I ordered Pro (cos Iā€™d kick myself if I wanted to upgrade later) with Air Filter. I ordered pretty early on in the campaign (28th Sept 15).

Itā€™s been a bit of a roller coaster getting to this point but Iā€™m still here, still hanging on. This feels like the closest Iā€™ve been to actually getting a glowforge but Iā€™m still very wary. The lack of a January Update from @dan makes me even more nervous. I fear another ā€˜slipā€™ might be coming. The last slip involved no information as to why it occurred (it happened for all International Customers as far as I can tell) and that would be terrible if it happened again.

It has been very frustrating watching people in the US that I referred playing with their Glowforges and my date still going in the wrong direction. Every day that I get closer to the email makes me more excited and more worried. I wonā€™t be truly happy until I have printed out a successful ownerā€™s ruler.

5 Likes

More or less i ve got the same mindset like youā€¦ i can remember that there was a header like ā€œinternational shipping soonā€ a few months agoā€¦ we just can hope the best and expect the worst or? :slight_smile:

1 Like

I am also from germany. Actually I am also afraid of the ā€œno news this monthā€ā€¦ Hopefully they can keep the schedule.
As of now, there is approx. one month left for me. Pro unit is set for marchā€¦

I know there are a lot of US customers that fervently hope you OS customers get your units soon. I feel a little guilty having fun while knowing you are still waiting, and you folks have so much to offer in terms of helpful insight, design, etc. Fingers crossed for you!

4 Likes

Zero guilt here. No customer should feel even a little guilty. Completely out of your control. Of course hoping International shipping starts immediately.

3 Likes