A number of years ago, I won an Electrolux Model V that came from the Black Forest in Germany. The shipping cost was far higher than the machine but I was certainly glad to have it; especially since, oddly enough, it's a 110v machine!
It took nearly two months for it to arrive due to getting snagged up in Customs. (And this was pre-9/11... I can only imagine what luck it would take to get any sort of electrical apparatus across international borders nowadays.)
The sender declared its value only at the amount of my winning bid -- at our mutual agreement -- since declaring a higher value for insurance purposes would have meant higher tariff charges. The seller promised he would pack it carefully to ensure save arrival, and he did. It's one of the crown jewels of my collection.
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