Members Mr_GoodBomb Posted May 20, 2010 Members Share Posted May 20, 2010 I am shipping my Parker to a guy who won the auction on Ebay. He got it for $1000, pretty good deal. He's in Switzerland. He said it ship it as cheaply as possible, as he's paying the added shipping costs, he didn't care how long it took. USPS doesn't offer insurance over $650 to Switzerland. They also said delivery confirmation/tracking is sketchy, and it could take forever. The time, I don't mind, but not knowing how it's doing... eh. They also said an insurance claim, if there was in issue, could take months, and since he paid with PayPal, he could easily put a hold on the funds it he claimed there was an issue, and then it'd be me waiting for the claim, and only getting a little over half of it. Sorta sucks. Fedex and UPS only offer expedited shipping services, 2-3 days or a week to get there, and they're $300. This isn't really an "Ebay issue," but it's a shipping problem. What would you do? The buyer wants cheap shipping, I want safe and secure. He's a pretty reasonable guy it seems, and when I said he was limited to $650 insurance, he said "I'll take the risk" for the cheaper shipping cost, but he may sing a different tune if it's lost or damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kulardenu Posted May 20, 2010 Members Share Posted May 20, 2010 Roll the dice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxcarmonument Posted May 20, 2010 Members Share Posted May 20, 2010 Safe and secure win's for me. That way you are both covered. I would almost tell the buyer He should have thought about the shipping before bidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted May 20, 2010 Members Share Posted May 20, 2010 If he paid by PayPal, and if you can't accurately track it, he can file a claim and you're screwed without any recourse. One of the reasons I never ship outside the US when payment is with PayPal. It is almost impossible to meet all of their Seller Protection Policy requirements when shipping abroad, and if you don't follow them all to the letter, you're screwed if there is an issue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jpnyc Posted May 20, 2010 Members Share Posted May 20, 2010 Because you didn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr_GoodBomb Posted May 21, 2010 Author Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 I did block them. I guess he's multinational? I don't know, but I did block them because it'd been a hassle before. I didn't realize he was international until I went to check out his shipping address after he had paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kulardenu Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 If you blocked it then something is fishy. I do not think you are obligated to proceed with this sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ajympt Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 I would cancel and refund- no overseas means no overseas. Sounds like he just used a US account to bypass your rules. This just sounds like something waiting to go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr_GoodBomb Posted May 21, 2010 Author Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Actually, I called Ebay and asked. They said that I did specify "no int. bids" in the AUCTION settings, but they work on a "trust system" (something I said they give their users too much credit to expect not to be exploited), and that it doesn't actually block international bidders, it just tells them "no" but doesn't stop them. You have to go into your account settings to block int. bidders entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steadfastly Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Why don't you tell him you are not willing to ship via the mail because of the insurance problem and will only ship it FedEx but you will split the difference in the shipping costs? That way it should only be about $100.00 extra or 10%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BryanMichael Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Honestly, the mail is pretty safe. Not as secure as UPS/FedEx I guess but I will tell you this- I have shipped lots of gear. I've only had to file insurance claims with stuff I sent UPS. I've never filed an insurance claim with anything USPS or FedEx. UPS is great, but they are the ONLY carrier I've ever had to bother with filing a claim with. Another thing, most foreign folks just post things through their local post office. If you pack it well, it should travel okay. .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A-20 Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 I've done it before to England. The instrument was maybe $850. I informed the buyer and made sure he was willing to take that risk, then proceeded. All went fine.This was USPS - arrived safely. (by far the cheapest too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibebucked Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Refund and relist. If you specified no international bidders or quoted only US shipping then he should have checked first. If he has been buying overseas he knows this is the case. If you didn't specify US only, then explain to him that you made a mistake even if you have to take a hit on your feedback. Look, a close friend of mine lost a $1300 Martin this way exactly. May be legit but I wouldn't chance it...unless you can afford to take the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Nope. No way in hell. I've shipped overseas via USPS and got lucky, but it was after we had discussed the situation before the auction ended and he bid. USPS is absolutely right about you being given the shortend of the stick on tracking, confirmation and insurance because once it enters the other country's system they don't have control of it anymore. It could be frustrated in customs, he could be a dirtbag and rip you off or it could just end up missing. Now if he has a strong reputation on e-Bay than perhaps I'd do it, but you are still taking all the risk here. You aren't an international dealer and you never pretended to be one. I don't know what you put in your auction as terms for the shipping, but I always specify that the item will be insured for the full amount. If USPS can't provide that protection than they don't meet that requirement. He can get all pissy if he wants, but he's not out a dime if something goes wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr_GoodBomb Posted May 21, 2010 Author Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Honestly, the mail is pretty safe. Not as secure as UPS/FedEx I guess but I will tell you this- I have shipped lots of gear. I've only had to file insurance claims with stuff I sent UPS. I've never filed an insurance claim with anything USPS or FedEx. UPS is great, but they are the ONLY carrier I've ever had to bother with filing a claim with. Another thing, most foreign folks just post things through their local post office. If you pack it well, it should travel okay..02 I've shipped a lot of stuff, too, but this is international. Search "USPS parcel post international" and you'll find a lot of horror stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jpnyc Posted May 21, 2010 Members Share Posted May 21, 2010 Refund and relist. If you specified no international bidders or quoted only US shipping then he should have checked first. If he has been buying overseas he knows this is the case. If you didn't specify US only, then explain to him that you made a mistake even if you have to take a hit on your feedback. Look, a close friend of mine lost a $1300 Martin this way exactly. May be legit but I wouldn't chance it...unless you can afford to take the chance. Agreed. You listed no international buyers, it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.