Jump to content

Frustrated with eBay sellers!


1canpara
 Share

Recommended Posts

I know this has been discussed before, so this is basically just a vent because I am extremely frustrated after bidding on some items....

 

I'm still very perplexed why sellers refuse to ship outside the USA when they could sometimes possibly double the bids if they'd just take the extra effort to fill out a simple form or two. :think:

 

I just bid on two items, that had no mention of not shipping outside the US, until the bid was placed seconds before the end of the auction, then they tell me they won't ship outside the US! If I at least had some prior notice, I have a couple of forum buddies who I know would bid on my behalf, but of course I'm reluctant to take advantage of those favors too much.

 

I understand the risk of losing items being shipped to certain countries where corrupt postal workers and customs officials steal stuff, but I live in Canada, and despite being considered by some to be an exotic, faraway, mythical land, we are actually quite a modern place with a postal system and everything....and we share a 9000 mile common border with the US!

 

Anyway, end of rant, it just chokes me when I miss out on a nice item because some sellers believe the world ends at their borders! :pinch:

 

Rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I sold on ebay many moons ago I had horrible experiences shipping overseas but not to Canada. I don't even consider Canada overseas. I guess it doesn't makes sense to me either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I sold on ebay many moons ago I had horrible experiences shipping overseas but not to Canada. I don't even consider Canada overseas. I guess it doesn't makes sense to me either.

 

Thanks OFG...I guess I find it incredible because we aren't "overseas" and when I walk to the end of my driveway, I'm looking across 23 miles of pacific ocean at downtown Port Angeles, Washington! (so I guess I am actually "overseas" ;) )

 

I think I'm going to go and get myself a postal box down there, but of course that doesn't really solve the problem because these sellers won't even accept a bid from a Canadian based eBay account!

 

Rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm still very perplexed why sellers refuse to ship outside the USA ...

 

As has been noted before (and before, and before...) it's mostly ignorance. I have shipped what must be by now over a thousands items to countries outside the USA and between PayPal and online customs forms, it's such an easy process and I've had problems with maybe two shipments.

 

Now as for Canada.... well, I saw Canadian Bacon, and my wife is Canado-American so I tend to make all Canadian buyers get US dollars and then my personal courier will meet them mid-span on the Ambassador Bridge to exchange the goods for cash (I also require them to bring a cup of coffee from Tim Hortons).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

bunkerhillburning

Search terms ' no shipping to italy ' in ebay all categories.

 

results: 1,320,640 items.

 

I'm not kidding.

 

Now, many of these will be due to customs restrictions but many of these are just based on previous experience.

 

And yes, OP I know you are in Canada.

 

A lot of people either do not want to get involved with potential shipping losses which result in chargebacks. Shipping outside the US with protection requires online signature verification which is done with express mail. Its not cheap and any number of international buyers do not want to pay for such a service.

 

I've any number of 5.00 per items just vanish in the mail headed to Europe. Granted, most things arrive but its frustrating as hell when things just vanish - especially when sent to Italy - ans paypal asks for proof of shipment. A scan of the official USPO customs form with postal cancellation is not eneough. And I've yet to meet anypne who is interested in express mail international for a 5.00 item - and nor should they. Its just idiotic.

 

Some buyers may be simply fed up with the avalache of ' please write 3.00 on the customs form ' rather than the 85.00 or 850.00 the item sold for. Dont want to write 3.00 on the customs form? well, look for some payback in your DSR. You won't know who did it of course, but its a fine bet the totally ticked off buyer who had to pay a hefty customs tax isn't too happy with you.

 

still, I ship items outside the US and have done so for my 14 years on ebay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Give them my address.....I'll ship them to you!! :thumbsup: SERIOUSLY!! :w00t:

 

Thanks JS, much appreciated! ...and as mentioned it isn't even so much the shipping issue as some will consider it if contacted and asked, it's the ones who won't even accept a bid from Canada and I can't even contact them to ask because of the non-US bidder block on the item. My in-laws live in Seattle and are very gracious in accepting parcels for me, that is when I can get a bid in on an item.

 

Anyway, it's just a fact of the collecting life that I guess I'm just going to have to get used to, but again, I am very grateful to my forum friends who have offered assistance in this issue.

 

Regards, from 'overseas' up here in Canada,

 

Rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

bunkerhillburning said it best when dealing with people outside the US. At the front also rants on this subject as well.

Therefore, I don't ship to anyone outside the US, except for APO addresses for US servicepeople.

It's simply easier that way. It's not meant to be mean to our Canadian friends (I live about 5 hours south of the border myself), it's just easier to say nobody outside the US period. Frankly, it's simply not worth dealing with all the hassels of customs forms and such, and I find bidders within the US easily on my listings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyway, it's just a fact of the collecting life that I guess I'm just going to have to get used to, but again, I am very grateful to my forum friends who have offered assistance in this issue.

Regards, from 'overseas' up here in Canada,

Rick

Rick ,

Believe me, I understand!!

My friends in the Southern U.S. don't even recognize California as part on the Union!!

Even when I reassure then that I live in SOUTHERN California!!! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rick ,

Believe me, I understand!!

My friends in the Southern U.S. don't even recognize California as part on the Union!!

Even when I reassure then that I live in SOUTHERN California!!! :lol:

 

 

Same here JS, no one in eastern Canada recognizes anything west of Toronto....and it's a little known fact that we actually owned the land (Washington and Oregon) all along the west coast all the way to the California border until one of our brainiac politicians forgot to sign a piece of paper during treaty talks and you guys took it back.... It's hard to believe sometimes that we have these crazy border issues like insane postage rates and customs limits after all we've been through together! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WWII Parachutist

I don't see why people don't ship overseas..... it really isn't that hard at all.

You can fill out a customs form online in a matter of seconds, print it off and the post office carrier will come and pick it up for you. Not tough at all.

I've sold thousands of dollars of stuff overseas with only one problem, which was a first class package going to Italy.

Other than that everything has been great. Most overseas buyers I have dealt with have been quite polite and friendly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ship items overseas almost everyday and have never had a problem. I have however had problems receiving items from other countries. I purchased an item from Thailand one time years ago, never got it. I purchased an item from England two years ago, never got it. However, I can buy an item from Germany and it's here in less than a week! I don't understand that. Anyway, many sellers are just lazy and think it's a hassle to ship outside the US when it really is no different. You don't even have to fill out customs forms anymore, ebay/paypal do that for you. Print a label, tape it on and there you go. You don't have to go to the post office either, just schedule a pickup on USPS.com and your mail carrier will pick up your packages the next day. It's a free service, I don't know why many sellers think they can only ship once or twice a week, there is no need to go to the post office!

 

Yeah, what WWII Parachutist said! I just realized he pretty much said what I just typed. :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As FS said, this is an old chestnut we keep visiting and re-visiting on the forum. I think we need to be very careful when citing a particular country for being an unreliable/dishonest (whatever?) destination. This is a global forum with contributing members from many countries. For example, I live in the United Kingdom and if I was to read a comment about my country being on some sort of metaphorical "black list" as far as shipping goes without any hard evidence, other than anecdotal, to back it up, I think I'd be justifiably offended. Canada, US, UK, France etc., all have efficient, modern postal services...but none of them are perfect. Occasionally there might be problems, but I would venture to suggest that they constitute a minority and can usually be resolved satisfactorily. I ship things to and from the US regularly...have done so for more than 10 years...and have never lost a single item. Yes...sometimes deliveries may take a little longer than they should, or the Customs Service intervenes in some capacity...but that's life! As for the "inconvenience" of shipping overseas...I'm inclined to ask "What inconvenience?" If I sell an M1 helmet to a guy in the Scottish Highlands (far north of the UK) the process of packing it, taking it to the Post Office etc., is little or no different from sending the same helmet to Arizona, but for telling the clerk what to write on the customs label. Just my take on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glenn_Janssens

It happens here on this forum also.

There were occasions where i would have paid the top price in the first post.

Much more than it eventually was sold to a fellow countryman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

88thcollector

Guess what, many European and Canadian dealers refuse to ship internationally also. I see lots of stuff on ebay Germany and France but a lot of the time, maybe even a majority of the time, they do not ship internationally. It is not an American ebay issue.

 

I have always shipped anywhere but have been a little more reluctant since the damned stars system started. Bidders from other countries don't seem to realize that international shipping costs more and takes longer and punish the seller for it. Without singling out any country, the fact is that many postal systems suck but sellers are held 100% responsible for bad postal service. People that only buy on ebay and have never sold on ebay have no idea how anti-seller ebay is these days. The seller has to guarantee that an item arrives and arrives intact. All a buyer has to do is claim the package did not arrive and paypal will refund the purchase price and shipping. Unless you use a premium service, a package cannot be tracked outside the US. Proof of shipping does not protect you. Unless something has changed, overseas shipments cannot be insured against loss or damage so if something happens, the seller has no protection. It has nothing to do with xenophobia, overseas shipping is inherently more risky and the seller has to bear all the risks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its not just things that disappear overseas.I bought a uniform from a forum member back in November and its still lost.Was only two states away and all that turned up was the partial shipping lable.

 

I have done bussiness with several members abroad based solely on the number of posts they have here and have not had issues.They are great members.

 

I dont do this for a living so Im not real concerned if I ship abroad or not.Anything I have for sale I really dont need to sell so if it sells fine if not it goes back in the tombs or in the trash.I guess Im jus t "ignorant or lazy"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only collect knives. A few years ago I "donated" an expensive knife to UK Customs, then about 3 months later "donated" another one to Italian Customs. In both cases the buyers said there wouldnt be any problem and that they would assume all the risk, of course when they lost the knives I had to pay a Paypal claim to reBay them. After donating those 2 knives I stopped shipping outside the US. Wish it didnt have to be that way, but its too expensive to lose a high priced item to foreign customs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only collect knives. A few years ago I "donated" an expensive knife to UK Customs, then about 3 months later "donated" another one to Italian Customs. In both cases the buyers said there wouldnt be any problem and that they would assume all the risk, of course when they lost the knives I had to pay a Paypal claim to reBay them. After donating those 2 knives I stopped shipping outside the US. Wish it didnt have to be that way, but its too expensive to lose a high priced item to foreign customs.

 

To be honest...as a UK resident, I wouldn't even attempt to import a knife...from anywhere! Laws governing ownership of knives are very strict in a drive to cut down on potential knife crime. Add to that the anti-terrorist measures and it makes importing weapons/weapons parts highly risky to say the least. Anyone who attempts to do this risks confiscation by customs. Most sensible collectors will be well aware of such restrictions, but I suppose there will always be some who will be prepared to chance it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friends in the Southern U.S. don't even recognize California as part on the Union!!

California is part of the Union?... when did this happen?

 

Guess what, many European and Canadian dealers refuse to ship internationally also. I see lots of stuff on ebay Germany and France but a lot of the time, maybe even a majority of the time, they do not ship internationally. It is not an American ebay issue.

Thank you for pointing this out, I've been locked out of bidding on helmets in Belgium, Germany and the UK because I lived "overseas"! So, yes, this is not just a U.S. specific issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest...as a UK resident, I wouldn't even attempt to import a knife...from anywhere! Laws governing ownership of knives are very strict in a drive to cut down on potential knife crime. Add to that the anti-terrorist measures and it makes importing weapons/weapons parts highly risky to say the least. Anyone who attempts to do this risks confiscation by customs. Most sensible collectors will be well aware of such restrictions, but I suppose there will always be some who will be prepared to chance it!

Ian, I had a buddy send me a 1918 repro trench knife, he wrote on the customs form "multi tool", and it worked, needless to say, VERY illegal over here.

I joined in on a Thread back in 09', also did a little ranting about postal prices too. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...=34899&st=0

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ian, I had a buddy send me a 1918 repro trench knife, he wrote on the customs form "multi tool", and it worked, needless to say, VERY illegal over here.

I joined in on a Thread back in 09', also did a little ranting about postal prices too. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...=34899&st=0

 

What goes round comes round, Pat. I suppose describing a blade as a "multi-tool" is just bending the truth enough to satisfy the Customs people. I recently sent a very valuable WW2 airborne liner to the States. I described it as a "plastic helmet"...technically correct!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest...as a UK resident, I wouldn't even attempt to import a knife...from anywhere! Laws governing ownership of knives are very strict in a drive to cut down on potential knife crime. Add to that the anti-terrorist measures and it makes importing weapons/weapons parts highly risky to say the least. Anyone who attempts to do this risks confiscation by customs. Most sensible collectors will be well aware of such restrictions, but I suppose there will always be some who will be prepared to chance it!
In my opinion, this reinforces why I don’t ship to other countries. I have no idea what’s legal and what isn’t in other nations, so I won’t risk it. I know a guy who sold a NASA item to someone in Germany (which was legal in the US) and it got confiscated under ITAR concerns nobody knew would be an issue. This was an item well into 4-digits and the seller lost the item AND the money (naturally, the buyer filed a pay pal claim immediately even though they swore they’d accept any risk). Who can blame people for not wanting to risk that happening to them?

It’s already been pointed out how tough it is to get tracking confirmation for pay pal outside of the US. It isn’t as easy to mail something to another country than it is within your own. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

I don’t understand why people outside the US get so offended when American sellers won’t ship overseas. I have no problems when I can’t bid on something in another country when they won’t ship abroad (which is more common that many people would think). It’s the seller’s choice on where they want something to go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

88thcollector

I have found that I can also use the bad reputation of some nations' postal systems to my advantage. I have taken chances buying stuff on ebay from the same countries many people refuse to ship to and have done well. The bad reputation scares off bidders, I think. I just bought what I think is a pretty rare Mexican helmet on Mexican ebay and was the only bidder, perhaps because others were leery of sending money south and don't trust customs and the PO. Or maybe no one else wanted a red and black spotted Adrian shell. I have bought stuff from Italy and eastern Europe with no issues so far.

 

I think using "obsolete insignia" or "obsolete tool" helps get stuff through customs. It is true and customs agents don't seem to be concerned about obsolete items.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

frederik.geudens
In my opinion, this reinforces why I don’t ship to other countries. I have no idea what’s legal and what isn’t in other nations, so I won’t risk it. I know a guy who sold a NASA item to someone in Germany (which was legal in the US) and it got confiscated under ITAR concerns nobody knew would be an issue. This was an item well into 4-digits and the seller lost the item AND the money (naturally, the buyer filed a pay pal claim immediately even though they swore they’d accept any risk). Who can blame people for not wanting to risk that happening to them?

It’s already been pointed out how tough it is to get tracking confirmation for pay pal outside of the US. It isn’t as easy to mail something to another country than it is within your own. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

I don’t understand why people outside the US get so offended when American sellers won’t ship overseas. I have no problems when I can’t bid on something in another country when they won’t ship abroad (which is more common that many people would think). It’s the seller’s choice on where they want something to go.

 

Being one of them, I do understand why people from outside the US feel offended. Not only on eBay but even more so when it's a fellow US Militaria Forum member that does not want to deal with you because you happen to live abroad. We're all into the same hobby here: collecting US militaria. And coincidence or not, it just happens to be that the US is the biggest source of the stuff you and I, and all the other forum members here are collecting. If all American forum members who have things up for sale would follow the same logic of not selling abroad, it would soon be game over for us foreigners. Luckily there are still many American sellers (on and off the Forum) who do appreciate our business. And that appreciation is mutual!

 

I have been buying dozens (if not hundreds) of military collectibles from the US via the internet for over ten years now and not once did I not receive the goods. I admit, they occasionally take a bit longer to arrive than one would expect (on avarage within two weeks) and sometimes I have to pay customs (about once every ten packages) but that's all in the game. Frankly, I sometimes have the feeling that people tend to confuse patriotism with chauvinism and that the entire "overseas mailing problem" is just an excuse. But that's just my opinion. To those who feel called upon I can only say: Be happy that there are also people outside the USA who are willing to spend their time and money to honour the memory of those Americans who gave all for the free world.

 

Don't get me wrong, I do understand that people are reluctant of sending restricted items (weapons, ammunition, military tranceivers, current body armour,...) to other countries. But we're mainly talking about patches, pouches and uniforms here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ww2reproductions

When an American seller will not ship to Australia (a first world nation with great beer) and I remind them that we have been fighting side by side for over 100 years as allies!

And end it with God Bless America!

By the way I ship worldwide...

Leo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...