OT Why are some unwilling to trade with people out of the US?

[Jay in Tel Aviv]

I have been fairly active on this list since I got my Sam last summer.
I have participated in discussions, bought and sold a few things
(including my Sam, thanks Forrest) and generally tried to be helpful
when I have something to add. I find the people here generally quite
knowledgable and friendly. It is a good groupvand I'm happy to be part
of it.

Once in a while, though, I have experienced something which to be
seems very strange and a bit insulting. A few times people have
refused to complete a transaction with me when they find out I live
overseas. Shipping costs have not been the issue, it seems more loke a
lack of willingness to trust a random foriegner on the internet.

I just lost a sale on another group in circumstances like those. The
buyer got the answeres he was looking for to his questions and then
balked when he saw thay my email wasn't from the US.

I feel like I'm missing something here.

Jay

[Seth Vidal]

I've found it's not about shipping costs it's about shipping pain-in-the-assness. If I ship something in the US I don't have disclose what is in it or worry about customs or anything. If I do the same to overseas I do. Having shipped something to korea once and had to go through a million questions and even THEN have to play whack-a-mole with customs on the other end just to get the goods to the recipient I understand why someone would want to avoid the mess.

It's not about distrust of YOU it's about dealing with irritating officials.

-sv

Jay

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

[dougP]

Jay:

That does seem a bit odd, especially if by "trade" you mean "swap my X for your Y".  OTH, if currency is involved, much of the rest of the world is way ahead of the US in currency conversion.  Going to a US bank with anything other than Yankee bucks gets some pretty strange responses.  That's the only reason I can come up with, and it's not valid if your transactions are in USD.  Don't let our provincial attitudes get you down. 

dougP

[Matthew J]

I don't buy and sell on line as much as I did a few years back. Most of my dealings were with people in the U.S. and Japan, but I had some successful transactions with people in Europe, Israel, Mexico and South America. Probably unfair to paint an entire continent, but I would block Africa from my eBay listings because of some weird communications that came out of Nigeria (in my defense, at the time at least eBay only let you block all of Africa and not individual countries).

The most troublesome international deal I ever did was with an apparently eccentric person out of Canada. His auction was open to the U.S. so I bid and won. But then he did not want paypal, a cashiers check, or credit card. Rather he wanted me to send money via a bank transfer. I took an hour off of work, did a bunch of paper work, followed up and verified the payment went through only to have the guy send me a bunch of angry e mails complaining about some fee HIS bank added on the back end of the transaction.

The transactions with Israel were a walk in the park by comparison.

[cyclotourist]

U.S.A... U.S.A... U.S.A...

I've noticed how a LOT of people don't want to ship intl on ebay. I kinda' like buying stuff from Canada, GB, France, or wherever as I figure there are a lot of people that are scared to buy it. You know, because of terrorists.  When I sell stuff on ebaby, I'm happy to ship internationally as I'm always hoping two Russian oil barons will get into a bidding war and drive the price up!!! I use Paypal and charge extra ($3-$5, depending on my mood) for having to wait in line at the post office, but that's the extent of it.  I'm sure there could be customs issues on the other end, but after it leaves my hands, that's not my problem. Always get an intl tracking number from the customs forms to confirm it's been sent. And US customs has NEVER been a hassle for clearing small items. I did ship some vases from Spain once, and that took a while to clear, but that's the extent of it.

Sounds like you ran into some bad luck, don't give up on us!

U.S.A... U.S.A... U.S.A...

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/wBNiNTB-hHoJ.

To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

--
Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

**
"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it." -Mark Twain

[Ken Mattina]

I always open my ebay auctions up to international bidders. Even if
the goods sell to a US American, foreign bidders can drive the price
way up.

Ken

Where did the spring go?
Where did my hormones go?
Where did my energy go?
Where did my go go?
Where did the pleasure go?
Where did my hair go?

-- Ray Davies

[Robert F. Harrison]

I've never had any trouble purchasing from foreign merchants on Ebay, as long as they are doing business using PayPal. I've gotten cameras from Russia, lots of stuff from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and a few other odds and ends. 

My real problem isn't dealing the folks in foreign countries, it's all the folks only willing to ship to CONUS as I live in Hawaii. I've checked on shipping prices and sometimes it's actually more expensive to ship from the west coast to the east coast than it is to ship to Hawaii - and, at least for small items, priority mail one-price boxes are the same everyone in the US, CONUS or otherwise. I get it with big items but small stuff....sigh.

I've often thought of selling a Brooks saddle I don't need (B-68) but putting non-CONUS only. :-)

Aloha, 

Bob

Jay

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

--
Robert Harrison

Honolulu, HI
rfhar...@gmail.com
statrix.com

[Frank Quan]

On Sunday, November 4, 2012 1:16:54 PM UTC-8, Jay in Tel Aviv wrote:

I have been fairly active on this list since I got my Sam last summer.
I have participated in discussions, bought and sold a few things

<cut>

 

My wife is an ebay seller and is hesitant to sell outside the U.S.  It's not the buyers, it just seems like things go wrong with international shipping.  Once she issued a few refunds, she quit sending items out of the country.

[Jim M.]

There are certainly a number of individual reasons for not wanting to transact informal business across international boundaries, but I'd say the biggest reason is that the USA is full of xenophobes. Heck, there are still plenty of 'Murcans who don't know that Hawaii and New Mexico are states.

I once traded vintage mandolins with an Irish gentleman in China after I got to know him a bit. China Post and USPS International were both amazingly efficient. The mandolins reached their destinations intact and remarkably quickly.

jim m
wc ca

[PATRICK MOORE]

I've had little hassle shipping to Canada apart from having to stand in the usual interminable line at the PO; ditto (at least once) to Australia.

I make one warning: when you post for sale with price including shipping, ***be sure to specify if this is CONUS only***. I once sold a small item with modest shipping attached to the price only to find out after the money arrived that the buyer was in Canada; the additional cost of shipping (western Canada IIRC) just about wiped out any surplus.

For the record, I am willing to ship internationally but for (1) additional shipping and (2) a bit more to add to the hassle of having to stand in line and deal with the PO.

-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
-------------------------

[PATRICK MOORE]

On Sun, Nov 4, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Jim M. <math...@gmail.com> wrote: 

Heck, there are still plenty of 'Murcans who don't know that Hawaii and New Mexico are states.

We are???!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IucBp1yrr7A

[Dave]

Wait a sec... when did ALIENS get their own state?!  Y'know those Hawaiians speak Hawaiian, and you guys have Area 51, so I'm uneasy with all this.  Does anyone even dare ship to NM?

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.2742 / Virus Database: 2617/5872 - Release Date: 11/03/12

[Dave]

This pretty much says it all.

No virus found in this message.

[IanA]

I live in Canada and have bought a number of things on eBay and also this list.  Shipping is always a bit of an issue from the USA.  It is much easier here to deal with Canada Post/USPS than is to deal with the likes of FedEx or perhaps worse still UPS.  UPS, for example, has high brokerage fees for individual consumers, as do all the courier companies.  It's generally easier for people inside the USA just to use UPS, as USPS doesn't pick up.  Also, there are customs forms to complete for export.  These are simple, but I notice people would prefer not to have to deal with these.

Actually, it is often much easier for us in Canada to buy from Europe or the UK.  We can more easily arrange shipping through the Postal Service of whichever country and avoid using couriers. The postal services from Europe tend to be quite efficient.

And interestingly, for new products by Shimano or even Schmidt, it's often cheaper for us to buy from Europe. More choice too.  Shipping is often cheaper and the European suppliers are well prepared for export.  

However, the advances in randonneur or country-bike equipment seems to be made mostly in the US. Places like Compass Cycles, Rivendell, Velo Orange etc., seem to be fairly unique in this day and age, so for us non-CONUS folks, it would be nice to have economical and straight-forward shipping options.

But, at the end of the day, it really is more hassle to ship/receive outside of CONUS than within and so I think in these cases is there is no prejudice against people from outside the USA. In the case of the sale that you lost - the potential buyer was probably concerned about having to arrange customs clearance/pay duties and tax on the items.  I used to work in the freight industry and can tell you that brokerage charges in the US can be very high (even if the item is duty free).  For the most part, it's probably not worth the hassle except on low value items that would not require customs clearance (like $20 items).  

[Jay in Tel Aviv]

Thanks for all the responses, on and off line.
I can only add that I have ordered many bicycle components and
accessories to the US from abroad, usually the UK, and never been
hassled by import regulations. I understand that US sellers may be
exposed to foreign buyers claiming, honestly or not, that goods didn't
arrive. It seems that Paypal protects buyers better than it does
sellers in that case, and that reasonably priced international
shipping from the US does not allow delivery to be confirmed. That was
news to me as I have always felt a bit exposed myself as a buyer and
having to pay in advance.

FWIW, I can ship a package up to 2 lbs to anywhere in the US
registered airmail for about $6 using my local post office. I do have
to go there, wait in line and fill in a short form. But that is my
hassle, not the buyer's.

Happy buying and selling to everyone. And riding.

Jay

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I've shipped a lot outside the US. Interestingly, Canada has been the most troublesome. I hear Canadian customs has a big backlog, and in my experience month-long waits for customs clearance are not uncommon. The biggest hassle is not the USPS paperwork, but the buyer being (rightfully) skeptical that his/her shipment is indeed forthcoming, and me having to urge them to be patient for another week (or two or three).

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

The other issue, of course, is cost. For bulkier items that don't fit in a USPS Priority Mail envelope or small box, the shipping charge can be easily $30-60. I've had numerous international buyers cancel orders based on shipping quotes. I can sort of predict it, so it seems like wasted effort to go through the motions of the calculation.

[Matthew J]

Tip to those of you who experienced customs paper work items - set up a USPS account on line.  USPS has an amazingly easy to use web site that walks you through all the paper work issues. 

 

Some European cyclists being cyclists will try to get you to miscategorize the shipment to avoid the VAT - don't go along.  Find some other way to stick it to the man.

 

Currency conversion is not an issue with Paypal anyway.

 

Re - Jim Thill on the Canadian back log - recently experienced just that.  Not sure what is happening as Canada used to be very quick. 

[PATRICK MOORE]

I shipped an item to Canada not too long ago and was on the point of refunding the buyer's money and giving the sale up as lost because of a long delay; the wait must have been three weeks. It finally arrived and the delay was undoubtedly this customs backlog.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/7nBZmHQDtKMJ.

To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

--

[jimD]

Having lived in New Mexico in the past I might understand the confusion.

It really is the 'Land of Enchantment',  in ways the term was meant and might not have been meant to include.

-JimD

Still working on the plan to retire there.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

[PATRICK MOORE]

For the record, a Burqueno or Burquena is an Albuquerquian; someone from Tierra Amarilla or Carlsbad or Shiprock would certainly not identify with those mannerisms.

[Ron Mc]

I've used International Priority, International Express and less so, International Airmail.  I've posted to Japan, Canada, UK, Australia, South Africa.  

Filling out the customs forms online is pretty much required.  It's automatic with Priority or Express, but you can also find it online for your airmail, but takes a bit of hunting on USPS.  Question?  No, you're exempt for anything with value less than $2500.  I do find for valuable items ($100 and up), Express plus insurance is only $2-3 more than Priority plus insurance