<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Shipping Internationally?"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/7.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Shipping Internationally?
I live in the United States and have several Canadian gamers interested in some of my items for sell/trade. I'd like to continue with these deals, but recently I have heard several horror stories when it comes to International Shipping and hollow Paypal policy in regards to Selling/Buying/Trading outside the Country.

Does anyone have any advice or additional horror stories to add to this?

Is International Shipping safe or is it best to wait and not risk it?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2434895.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2434895.page GMT Shipping Internationally? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2434973.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2434973.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
NobleSeven wrote:I live in the United States and have several Canadian gamers interested in some of my items for sell/trade. I'd like to continue with these deals,...

I have been doing eBay for over 10 years and run into this a lot. Its risky!
NobleSeven wrote:Does anyone have any advice or additional horror stories to add to this?

As to Canadian issues and shipping there, yes I have several details.
CUSTOMS DETENTION
I once sold a desktop airbrush compressor on eBay to a Canadian buyer. I marked it gift and mailed itin a little box. The Canadian claimed he never got it after 30 days. I sent him the customs numbers, he filed a paypal complaint, I sent him photos of the receipts and box and he waited. I started a claim at 60 days with the post office and 30 days later it came back voided as it had been delivered. The item had been detained by Canadian custom as industrial equipment and subject to a special excise tax and the buyer had to go down and pay it, and it was more than the auction total value and shipping combined! He eventually got it and I got paid 90 days later.
DAMAGED PARCEL
I bought a toy from a Canadian buyer who had taken a picture of it in good shape in a retail box. He wrapped it in brown paper and shipped it to the US. It got destroyed in the process, it was crushed, mangled and the packaging nearly destroyed. Canadian post rejected my insurance claim on the parcel claiming delivery and responsibility ended when the package crossed the border.
CANADA MILITARY
I shipped to a Canadian Military address once, it took them 60 days to get the parcel to the buyer and he was assured I had never sent him anything.
NobleSeven wrote:Is International Shipping safe or is it best to wait and not risk it?

International shipping is only ever safe if it can be tracked, Unfortunately that costs a fortune, on the order of triple what regular air mail costs in the US, there are 3 options through USPS, 1st class mail international (the cheap one, untraceable for items you can afford to loose to non delivery claims), Priority Mail Intl. (A trackable method that comes with insurance as a default) and Express mail international (Like Priority but Faster, w/ Gauranteed delivery dates). A service called registered mail international can also be added to 1st class mail intl. for some countries, where parcels are kept under lock and key the entire way and signed for by postal staff at every point, this is vital for shipping to any postal theft hotspot.

Having shipped all over the world the worst countries for parcel theft/loss from my experience have been:

Russian Federation
Italy
Ireland
Canada

From the US the most expensive countries have been:

UK
Australia
New Zealand
Russian Federation

OTHER CARRIERS NON USPS?
It is possible to get international parcels shipped through other carriers, in the p[ast when I have gotten estimates from FEDEX, UPS,and DHL they were never even close to the USPS cost. Often they were multiple times more expensive, even for small parcels under 2 pounds. They do have excellent short term options and tracking, but it comes at a heavy price. Never patronize these companies for anything.

SHIPPING COMPANIES
Fight the temptation to EVER use a shipping company, like mail boxes etc. or locally owned Pack N Ship shipping services, all they do is ad a premium cost to shipping, overcharge for the minimal packing materials they keep on hand, and contract the exact same list of above companies you could contact yourself. I have no idea how places like that stay in business. Well, except for the abysmal job they do at Post Office lines, they never have a line at a shipping store, assuming your willing to pay for convenience...

In summary:

It's best to only risk shipping to international bidders if the item value will far exceed shipping costs. Only open up to international markets for things that they cant get. Merchandise that's still made, isn't worth shipping internationally, but rare things are! Also ALWAYS require the traceable methods when shipping internationally. Finally NEVER use independent shipping companies or go to Pack N Ship stores, they are parasitic cost multipliers.

Good luck!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435244.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435244.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
Augustus wrote:I once sold a desktop airbrush compressor on eBay to a Canadian buyer. I marked it gift and mailed itin a little box.

It's possibly worth pointing out here that marking something as a gift (or deliberately declaring a lesser value on the item) in order to try to save the receiver some customs fees is not really the best idea. For starters, it means you're falsifying customs documents, which in this day and age should probably give be enough to make anyone reconsider what they're doing... and isn't necessarily going to actually work anyway since some countries charge customs duty regardless of the item's status as merchandise or gift, and if it doesn't have a marked value or they don't agree with the value you have put on it, they'll just estimate it and charge duty based on their own figure anyway.

Or, like Australia, they have such a high threshold that it doesn't actually make a difference. It makes me chuckle when I receive a $20 package in the mail that has been 'courteously' marked as a gift by the sender, when Oz has a $1000 limit before they start charging duties...

But either way, there's no real good argument for doing it.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435385.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435385.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
With UPS whom I have used MANY times:
Package is automatically insured up to a certain amount, used to be $200.
Free tracking number
They take better care of the package (USPS has damaged 80% of everything I have sent or received)
You're dealing with ONE company, not 2 different post offices.
You can check online who signed the package

All that is rolled into the cost, if you want you can add (For a price)
Delivery confirmation
More insurance
Quantum tracking with constant updates
and more

So while yes USP is more expensive you/your customer are paying for a better service.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435458.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435458.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
insaniak wrote:... in order to try to save the receiver some customs fees is not really the best idea. For starters, it means you're falsifying customs documents, which in this day and age should probably give be enough to make anyone reconsider what they're doing....

I do it because overseas buyers request it.


Shas'O Dorian wrote:Contrary to augustus I DO recomend using UPS.

OK, but...
Shas'O Dorian wrote:Yes the cost will be 2-3 times higher however let's look at the benefits:

There ya go.
Shas'O Dorian wrote:...paying for a better service.

Sure, except you can get all that from USPS too...


OK do an online comparison,

NEWBURGH, 12555, UNITED STATES
to
LONDON, W1A 1AE, UNITED KINGDOM

2 pounds 6x6x6 inch cube, packed by shipper:

UPS
https://wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request
Best price:UPS worldwide Expedited 91.08 USD

USPS
http://ircalc.usps.gov/
Best price: 1st class mail intl. 17.64 USD

$91.08 versus $17.64

Go check it yourself.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435553.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435553.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
Yeah, you can get "cheaper" shipping from USPS, but I can say from experience (LOTS of shipping from the states to ME in canada, including buying/selling 40k stuff around here and other 40k sites) that USPS ends up being a LOT worse for someone like me (who you're shipping to, hypothetically).

For international shipping (again at least in my experience), USPS takes a lot longer for everything....they takes days(!) to update tracking info (UPS does it just about instantly), take longer in customs (UPS seems to somehow get past customs faster, I have no clue how), AND gives "me" less fees (Yes, when I pick up USPS packages, I OFTEN have to pay a fee to get my pacakge....granted UPS sometimes does the same, but it's not nearly as often and not as much money) so it's either pay "less" shipping plus a fee, or pay "more" shipping but no fee and faster/better service.

The best summary I can say in regards to that is: As "I" (international person buying something) will end up paying for shipping either way, I'd MUCH prefer UPS (even if it is a few dollars, and that's usually the difference, in my calculations to canada at least it's never been even close to the "3 times more" that people keep saying) than USPS

Also with Augustus' "Custom Detention" and "Damaged Parcel" stories...those can happen to any country, and (with the damaged one) even within the same country, so it's not fair to judge an entire country's shipping based on a couple bad experiences.


---

As for the, "Is it safe?" question: Again with my own experience to back me up, I personally have had ZERO problems doing any international shipping (to the US, Mexico, Europe, Asia...), but if you're really scared of losing your package or anything like that, just simply get a shipping method with a tracking number (isn't that much more than regular, few dollars depending on the company, and again usually the buyer pays shipping anyways) and keep an eye on the tracking. If anyone complains about "not receiving the item" or anything like that, the tracking number will say exactly where it is, so you have nothing to worry about. Oh, and of course make sure you get paid before shipping it out, and you'll have no issues.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435766.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435766.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
On the subject of getting paid- most people use Paypal. I know I do on most all transactions. However, I have heard that Paypal's protection on international sells are next to nothing. What is to keep someone from disputing a payment and me ending up with no money AND no product?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435863.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435863.page GMT Shipping Internationally? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435929.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435929.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
Having said that, I've had two Paypal claims against me in the 7 or 8 years that I have been selling online, and one of those Paypal covered when I sent them my post office lodgement receipt.

If you're worried about it, only ship by trackable means. For myself, lesser value items I just ship and hope for the best... which has so far resulted in very few problems, as the vast majority of people out there are honest, regardless of how many internet horror stories you might hear.

For anything that's worth more than I could comfortably afford to wear if something goes wrong, I ship with postal insurance... it's not tracked, since the only international options that Australia Post offers with tracking are insanely expensive, but means that even if a Paypal claim goes against me, I can claim the money back on the insurance anyway. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435942.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2435942.page GMT Shipping Internationally?
insaniak wrote:Paypal asks for proof of posting, with online tracking in order to cover international purchases.

Having said that, I've had two Paypal claims against me in the 7 or 8 years that I have been selling online, and one of those Paypal covered when I sent them my post office lodgement receipt.

If you're worried about it, only ship by trackable means. For myself, lesser value items I just ship and hope for the best... which has so far resulted in very few problems, as the vast majority of people out there are honest, regardless of how many internet horror stories you might hear.

For anything that's worth more than I could comfortably afford to wear if something goes wrong, I ship with postal insurance... it's not tracked, since the only international options that Australia Post offers with tracking are insanely expensive, but means that even if a Paypal claim goes against me, I can claim the money back on the insurance anyway.


Yeah, exactly what he said. Obviously you should take precautions (insurance and tracking), but realistically, it's not like you're shipping out $10,000 worth of stuff in one box, and all the stories on the net talk about that like, tenth of a percent chance where things go wrong, obviously no one talks about the other thousands and thousands that go fine.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2436470.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/346111/2436470.page GMT