This problem I meet very often when I want to buy used from the U.S..
New equipment, never problems.
Why? (Buyer pays shipping)
Is there a lot of extra paperwork?
Is it because the seller believes it is much Eksta work?
Is it because the seller will keep the goods in the U.S.?
I thought the U.S. needed all export revenue they can get.
Well, I know how it is possible to get around the problem, but it creates additional costs.
I am not picking on you or attacking you in any way - don't think I've ever had an international offer on any of the small stuff I usually sell.
But from the threads I've read here, at Audiokarma and other audio sites, it seems like its harder to track things once they leave the US and get handed off to overseas delivery services. If things go wrong or they go missing, its harder to file a claim with ebay or Paypal, its harder to resolve disputes that may occur overseas, and it just gets more complicated than stateside sales.
I believe its the potential loss of their money and product that keep many sellers from dealing with Non-CONUS (Non-CONtinental US) sales.
Again, no flames meant to you - when things go well its never a problem - but if things go wrong,
there are more and different ways to deal with it.
Originally Posted by Odd
2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
7: TIVO, Oppo BDP103D, B&K, 2pr UREI 809A, TF600, JBL B460
I used to do a lot of shipping to Europe & OZ , until the PO stopped doing surface service. Now everything has to go air "Priority International" , even to Canada. Very expensive.
Plus there is paperwork in triplicate.
They have small limits on size and weight.
Insurance & tracking are NOT available to outside CONUS packages (except very limited countries) , and if something is lost ...well now you have a big mess.
The bottom line is : the US is a huge market and sellers don't feel a need for potential hassle just to open up to overseas sales.
I sent a pair of ESS AMT's to Hong Kong , where they got skewered by a forklift in the PO ..their response was essentially "too bad for you"
Sea freight is an option , but lots of paperwork and may be required delivery to their dock.
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles
This is usually a deal-maker: https://www.jetcarrier.com
No extra paperwork on us-side.
Johnny
i have bought numerous JBL drivers from US to Europe (i paid for USPS Priority Mail International) without any issue each time the packaging job was extremely well done regarding an overseas shipping process
Two weeks ago I listed some of my accummulated electronical loot on eBay for the first time. In the first batch of 7 items, within a day I had buyers from Australia, Canada, and The UK asking if I'd ship internationally. From their tone I quickly got the impression that U.S. sellers tend not to accommodate international buyers. I told them all I'd be happy to do so, as long as they paid shipping by whatever means they desired.
The UK buyer ended up winning an item, and the only hassle was about 8 messages back-and-forth trying to decide the most economical shipping.
Maybe if I was selling stuff really frequently I'd tire of going through the bit of effort to take on international buyers, but I certainly feel their pain. I live in Alaska and it baffles me why so many sellers refuse to ship outside the lower 48.
I control the treble.
I control the bass.
I recently had my 1st overseas shipping experience. Just a set of vacuum tubes. Small box, almost no weight, I thought what the heck. Sent them to Germany, USPS insured. Customs in Germany apparently felt they were worth much more than my declared/insured value, (actually insured for a little more than they sold for) and they jacked up the VAT. The guy in Germany showed a receipt for how much he paid, but they didn't care. He refused the shipment. From that moment, it took almost 2 months to get them back. Filling out forms with the Postal Service, phone calls, no tracking info. I had $500 worth of tubes just floating around somewhere. When they showed up, it was a miracle the tubes were still in the boxes. My carefully packaged triple boxes had all been opened, (understandable) but barely repackaged. I had to repackage them, and send them for testing, just to be sure they weren't damaged.
If I was someone making a living selling goods over the internet, I'm sure I'd sell to people overseas. It would be worth the occasional hassle to make money the other 95% of the time. But I'm not, and this experience took too much time and energy. I think most sellers that don't ship overseas are part time or occasional sellers.
I just concluded a separate transaction for some tubes that are difficult to find in the US, from a vendor in the Ukraine, via EBay. I had the tubes in about 2 weeks. Sent them out for testing, and they are authentic and good stock. Sometimes it's easy.
Thanks for all the posts.
I understand some of the arguments.
Every year I buy 10-20 used products and parts on eBay and have only positive experiences with American shippers.
Have never lost packages in shipping or received damaged goods.
USPS is good and the packages can be tracked.
UPS is fast and good, but expensive. The packages can be tracked.
The range of vintage HIFI and parts is much greater in U.S. compared to Europe, and the prices are lower. Therefore we can pay higher shipping prices and get what we want.
Those who sell internationally can sometimes achieve better prices.
A while back, I sent 2 PALLETS of audio gear to Sydney via sea freight. It was a big hassle, but worth the effort. Buyer is now a good friend and a member here.
They got there in a timely manor, but sat in the Customs warehouse quite a while . When my buyer was called to collect them , one pallet was intact and fine.
On the second , every individual box was opened, and some pieces thrown back in the boxes without packing, and some pieces missing.
We had a freight manifest , so it was easy to see what wasn't there. They played "Easter Egg Hunt" around the warehouse and did eventually find everything.
My opinion was that Customs was very Unprofessional. I would expect that of a third world country, but not Australia.
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles
I see you hiding in a brown bag after you wrote this post.
I only have experience with shipping to Norway.
There are some sellers resevere against shipping to some countries. Not Australia I think.
There are also some countries I will not buy from.
avatar has nothing to do with posts, and I resent your comment.
not calling Norway 3rd world , and expected better of Oz , maybe read post more carefully.
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles
Noavatar has nothing to do with posts.
totally agree with that
"de vrais sagouins"
(in french = people able to make a complete mess of your package)
Never had any problems. If a seller doesn't want my money then fine, the world is riddled with con artists able to get away with crime too easily so I can appreciate the reluctance-though tbh you are just as likely to be scammed in the US as anywhere else-Nigerian Princes notwithstanding
I've done it a few time USPS. I can't stand the paperwork. Plus its so darn expensive now. Vat is a big steaming pile of horse poop if you ask me.
I'll buy stuff from Russian, tubes. But I won't ship international anymore. Its such a hassle. But ones in a while won't completely kill me, lol.
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