Trying to order a book from Germany for shipping to the US

August 23, 2021 7:44 PM

I would like to order a book that was recently published in Germany, but there doesn't seem to be any way to ship it to me in the US. The book is about a post WW II refugee camp where my mother and my late grandmother lived for a few years. My mother really wants this book, and I promised I'd try to get it for her.

The book was published in Russian. It's called, "ШЛЯЙСХАЙМ / S C H L E I S S H E I M - лагерь русских «перемещённых лиц» вблизи Мюнхена, 1946 – 1953 годы" (In English: SCHLEISSHEIM - camp of Russian "displaced persons" near Munich, 1946 - 1953). It's available from Lehmann's here, and from the German branch of Amazon here. Google Books has a listing here. As near as I can tell, Lehmann's and Amazon are the only two outlets selling the book, and neither one of them will ship it to the US.

Is there some German organization that will accept delivery of the book and then re-ship it to me? Any other ideas on how I can get my hands on this book?

posted by alex1965 to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Response by poster: Follow up: I tried to order directly from the publisher (epubli), but their online ordering system doesn't accept credit cards. They seem to require a German bank account, instead.
posted by alex1965 at 8:11 PM on August 23, 2021

Best answer: There's lots.

Googling "amazon.de package forwarding service" finds shipping and fulfillment companies that will do what you need. Synonyms include "parcel forwarding", "freight forwarding", and "amazon forwarding".

I can't actually recommend any; I've used similar services but for japanese online auctions and shopping.

I'd probably do a quick check on reddit to see what people think of individual services.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:11 PM on August 23, 2021

I don't have any experience with any german-specific companies, but "forward shipping" outfits what you'll want to be wanting to search for.

I have used Reship before. but they're primarily UK/US I think, and this was a ways back. They might be able to ship to the UK where you can get it forwarded. I'm sure there are German forward shipping services too. Just a heads up, it is quite possible to spend as much as the cost of the book in shipping fees.

You may want to reach out directly to the publisher; someone at the publishing house might be willing to ship you a copy directly. I would honestly try getting them on the phone, see if you can send them a money order.
posted by furnace.heart at 8:13 PM on August 23, 2021

See this recent question for some recommendations of forwarding services.
posted by goingonit at 9:07 PM on August 23, 2021

Also: this book seems to be self-published, and the author has been doing this research on her own for the past four years. Try your best to track her down. If you can send her an email I am certain she will find a way to send you a copy. (Try getting in touch with these people who have published her articles)
posted by goingonit at 9:13 PM on August 23, 2021 [3 favorites]

You could post this on MeFi Jobs for someone in Germany to assist you if other options don't work.
posted by theora55 at 10:00 PM on August 23, 2021

I am in the Netherlands. If Amazon.DE ships to me, and I believe they do, I'd be happy to forward it on to you. I have sent you a mefi mail as well.
posted by vacapinta at 12:18 AM on August 24, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks for all the tips. I didn't realize that such forwarding services existed. Thank you to vacapinta for the kind offer, but I ended up using mygermany.com. Their website is slightly confusing, and my Visa card kept getting declined (the bank apparently thought it was a fraudulent transaction), but I was eventually able to place the order through them. If and when I receive the book, I'll post another update here. Thanks again.
posted by alex1965 at 7:00 AM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

There appears to be an ebook version available through several sites: epubli.de, buecher.de, kobo.com.
posted by Syllepsis at 11:10 PM on August 24, 2021

Response by poster: I wanted to provide an update. I did receive the book via mygermany.com. It took 24 days from the time I first placed the order, although I lost about a week because all of the notifications from mygermany.com would end up in my spam folder (until I created an appropriate email filter).

I'm not sure I can recommend their service. Their website is poorly translated from German, it's confusing, and it's just generally hard to use.

Also noteworthy is that I had trouble using my Visa credit card, because Chase kept blocking the charges (even after I specifically authorized them). I had to use my Capital One card, instead -- not that any of this is the fault of mygermany.com.
posted by alex1965 at 6:33 AM on September 19, 2021 [1 favorite]