I see that shipping within the united states is free but i have to contact you for shipping outside the US. is international shipping expensive?

There are over 200 countries around the world and each have different shipping and postal regulations.  For Canada and the UK, for example, we can usually ship for free as well.  For other countries different fees are required by the destination countries and we are required to charge those fees. 
Shortest answer, No, international shipping overall is NOT expensive and in many cases is free as well.  Please use the Form on our Contact Page to inquire and we'll quote the lowest price possible.