Things to avoid

Avoid… calling Ulisse to resolve an issue with UPS of FEDEX

To this date, international express transporters FEDEX and UPS do not hold government contracts with Ulisse.

When a package is sent to you through them (usually when you purchase from a supplier), you may be asked to pay customs clearance fees (VAT + clearance + transport) despite the fact that you are in no position to do so… and neither is Ulisse!

Admittedly, we can take action, but not with them directly: we will have to transfer the goods to our contractor which will be long and costly.

To prevent these inconveniences (waste of time, additional fees…), we can take care of this service right from the start, on the supplier’s premises. This allows you to receive your equipment directly to your unit with transportation, fees and taxes taken care of. To do this: file a service request on our website.

Learn more: we ship your non-EU purchases

Avoid… shipping your experiment equipment right before you go on a mission

Be careful, packages do not follow you as quickly as your luggage!
Remember to schedule their shipping with enough leeway to handle logistical contingencies (delayed shipping, delayed flight because of bad weather…) or customs formalities which may delay things several more days.

For international shipping, the minimum delay – before the health crisis which has greatly restricted air traffic – was around 7 business days. This can take longer for very “exotic” destinations. Reduced scheduled freight traffic causes cargo capacity to decrease which leads to cargo filling up very quickly.

Avoid… receiving a damaged or incomplete package without expressing reservations

Despite our contractors’ professionalism, you might receive a damaged or incomplete package (for example: 9 parcels instead of 10…). Please note that thanks to the care given to packaging selection, goods are very rarely damaged (only 5 complaints out of 13,500 shippings in 2019). Nevertheless, in the event that they are, it is absolutely necessary to have written reservations on the delivery note at the time of package receipt.

Without express reservations on the delivery note, we will not be able to call upon our insurance! This is a precautionary measure protecting you.

It is best to be prepared, because expressing reservations upon receiving your package isn’t always the easiest thing to do: transporter in a hurry dissuading you from writing on the delivery note, internal organization not having the package be directly delivered into the final recipient’s hands…

Visit our page on how to receive a package to learn good practice before, during and after the delivery.