Semi-OT: Folks in the US shipping stuff internationally. Or not.

[Goodyear]

Sorry if I'm being dumb here, but...

Why are so mnay US-based users unwilling/unable to ship internationally?

Is it so different there to here (UK)?

If I want to ship a parcel, I have to walk down to the post office with it, regardless of whether it's going to Glasgow or Dubai. The only difference is what kind of sticker the man behind the counter puts on it. If it's going outside the EU, I have to fill in a customs declaration, which take maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Sure, it costs a bit more, but if it's something I've sold then the buyer pays a bit more: so no big.

Customs issues, duties, etc, all come in at the receiving end.

So what's the big deal?

 

[back alley]

as near as i can figure, they are too lazy to wait in line and fill out a form.
many use a service that pick up and they never have to leave the building.

customer service is NOT their motto.

joe

 

[Goodyear]

Hmm. I was mainly thinking of private sellers (eBay, here, etc). Still picked up from home?

That would rock...

 

[ch1]

Sorry if I'm being dumb here, but...

Why are so mnay US-based users unwilling/unable to ship internationally?

Is it so different there to here (UK)?

If I want to ship a parcel, I have to walk down to the post office with it, regardless of whether it's going to Glasgow or Dubai. The only difference is what kind of sticker the man behind the counter puts on it. If it's going outside the EU, I have to fill in a customs declaration, which take maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Sure, it costs a bit more, but if it's something I've sold then the buyer pays a bit more: so no big.

Customs issues, duties, etc, all come in at the receiving end.

So what's the big deal?

Goodyear:

I used to refuse to ship internationally but have come around to doing so.

Let me tell you why I first refused. I used....

UPS. This company seems to enjoy zapping US shippers with a post-delivery brokerage charge that they never reveal when you arrange for shipment. They are b-tards!

Why I now will ship internationally:

Good old United States Post Office (USPS)

While the international customs forms can be a bit of a pain (espescially for items over $100) there are no hidden charges or post-sale brokerage fees. You pay the freight up front and that's it. Any customs issues are the receipient's to deal with (so long as you don't commit fraud by seriously undervaluing an item on the customs declaration form).

So these days, as a seller I will ship to most places [but NOT NIGERIA! 😉 ] - provided, of course, I get cleared funds before shipment.

As an aside, I would also point out that the US is a huge, continent-wide marketplace. As such, there is less imperative to have to seek international buyers of goods. So for a lot of US sellers it becomes a simple matter of why deal with even the slightest bit of extra work?

 

[Goodyear]

Aha. It becomes clearer: actually it is remarkably[/i] different to sending from here in the UK.

Cheers, folks.

 

[taffer]

Just a question regarding USPS. I seem to notice that Global Priority is usually cheaper and faster than EMS, yet they both offer (IIRC) an insurance option.

What's the difference then ? 😕

As for shipping from Spain, things have become (even) worse since January, as the insured mail agreements with some countries (Canada among them) are no longer active, hence the only way you can send insured things from here is Express Mail, which runs about $50 for a kg. of package 😱

Filling the forms for declared value parcels takes longer as there's more to fill, but apart from that, it has never been a problem 🙂

Oscar

 

[ray_g]

I have no problem shipping internationally by USPS. The only concern I can think of is if, for any unforseen reason, the buyer is unhappy with the item and sends it back, there is a significant amount of money lost. Depending on whether the shipping charges are refunded, this will affect the seller, buyer or both. On ebay this is not a problem, as non-refundable shipping charges are the norm, but on a more personal forum as this, the situation may be different.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Add to this: Paypal takes a little extra out of the payments for receiving foreign payments, and some banks will hold payment from foreign Money Orders until they clear, which can be three weeks. The latter was added by my credit union because of fraud.

I ship out of the country, but it is not as straight forward as selling domestically. I have had problems with fraudulent buyers from Indonesia using phony payments. Then I sold an item to a collector in Indonesia using Western Union. I try to size them up, be wary enough, but not carte blanche cut out entire areas of the world. I always add "Reserve right to ship after payment clears". I would be wary of payments made using Paypal credit cards from that area of the world.

But after being burned, or hearing horror stories, a number of sellers stick to "US Only".

 

[ch1]

Actually it is quite easy to ship worldwide with USPS. I can make a call and my mailman will bring all the forms, stickers, and boxes I want, free.
I then have everything ready, all forms fiiled out, all I have to do is pay the postage and off it goes.
I guess alot of folks just don't want to walk into a post office.

I think you have a good point here G-man.

Although I spend weekdays in NYC where it once seemed as if going to the PO was sometimes a fate worse than death - I spend weekends in the country. There I have a small town PO that is a joy to work with. They don't see a lot of international shipments so probably give them a little extra attention etc.

But, even in NYC I've been pleasantly surprised by their efficiency - espescially if I go to one of the business-oriented large POs early in the AM which are geared to getting people in and out and, given NYC's large international populations , used to seeing all kinds of stuff go everywhere.

 

[Bobbo]

I don't ship internationaly for a number of reasons. I have had bad luck with it. It took 6 weeks for a ball head to go from Rochester, NY to Toronto (right across Lake Ontario) via USPS, and I paid extra for faster shipping. The extra $50 to the sale price also makes it not really worth it for either party. There are 300 million perspecitve sellers in my country, so it isn't like I can't find anyone here.

I don't buy internationally for the same reasons. Everytime I search eBay, I go to advanced search and I select US only.

Bob

P.S: I forgot to add the employees at my hometown PO are idiots and they have no idea what the hell they are supposed to do. I'd rather get a root canal and get my wisdom teeth put back in and taken out again...

 

[back alley]

if you send by usps into canada the tracking number is passed on to the canadian post office website.
i tracked the zi from l.a. to edm. on both sites.

 

[taffer]

I'm lucky in that regard, one of the three window employees at my post office knows me pretty well already and he always goes the extra mile if possible to try to find me the best shipping option available.

Now I only have to teach him to substract 40 or 50 grams when the weight puts the parcel on the next price scale 😀

Btw, a regular uninsured padded envelope I sent to G'man a while ago took only 1 week to get there. The more expensive certified parcels are still on transit :bang:

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I think many US sellers say 'US only' out of habit.

If you send a polite mail saying you want their item and are prepared to pay for shipping to Europe they always always agree to it.

 

[David Goldfarb]

I live and work in NYC, so a trip to the post office is usually a 1-2 hour obligation. Still, I would do it for international purchasers, as long as they didn't mind waiting until I had a free day.

Online shipping has made this easier through USPS, UPS and other services, so now I only use online shipping. Both will pick up packages from my building. That said, still there are hassles. The first time I did this, I had three separate packages to ship to South Korea. I had to use official regulation customs envelopes that took about two weeks to obtain through the USPS website. The mail carrier, it turned out, couldn't take all of them, so I had to arrange for a special pickup. Now I know, so I order a pickup when I order the postage, but it wasn't obvious, and probably isn't necessary in most parts of the US.

Other issues have to do with US currency. If the customer can't pay by PayPal or in US dollars with a check or money order drawn on a US bank, there is likely to be a substantial bank fee (usually $25 from major New York banks, but it varies by bank and by state).

 

[flashover]

I don't ship internationaly for a number of reasons. I have had bad luck with it. It took 6 weeks for a ball head to go from Rochester, NY to Toronto (right across Lake Ontario) via USPS, and I paid extra for faster shipping. The extra $50 to the sale price also makes it not really worth it for either party. There are 300 million perspecitve sellers in my country, so it isn't like I can't find anyone here.

I don't buy internationally for the same reasons. Everytime I search eBay, I go to advanced search and I select US only.

Bob

P.S: I forgot to add the employees at my hometown PO are idiots and they have no idea what the hell they are supposed to do. I'd rather get a root canal and get my wisdom teeth put back in and taken out again...

Ah Free Trade lives

extra fifty what you do get a Post office employee to presonaly drive it their. I ship to the US all the time with few problems and find shipping in Canada cost more and takes longer. In fact I shipped 5 cameras to the G'man surface package insured and it cost 17 buck CND for 7-10 day service. Oh my Lecia was shipped from the east coast US Mon. morning and was here Fri. Morning and cost was about 8.00 USD and customs even opened it to have a look.

 

[enochRoot]

i honestly am surprised that no one has questioned this being "us centric". i find that a bit prejudiced against the us (and believe me...i'm not some "go usa" kinda guy). i think the reasons are universal, but if you check ebay uk or ebay germany for example...the precentage is just as high as it is on the main ebay (usa) site for people refusing to send internationally. although probably 75% of the time...if asked nicely, people will ship internationally (even if the auction states they won't). when that fails, i have friends in other countries that help me take care of transactions (and i do the same for them here).

a lot of people do it to protect themselves from someone winning the auction, and then refusing to complete the deal saying that shipping is too high. this way, it forces a potential buyer to email them first to ask if they would ship out of the country. in that discussion, the seller can say "you realize it will cost x dollars to ship...are you ok with that?". that said...i have always shipped internationally. not a big deal to me. the larger customs form is a bit of a pain in the ass, but not that bad. one thing i want to know is how there can be such variance in shipping prices?! shipping from the uk is probably the most expensive i have encountered. europe seems fairly high too (compared with japan). i thought things in japan were way more expensive in general, but having items shipped from there is not that bad at all (seeing as the uk is a lot closer to me than europe or japan).

 

[ch1]

I live and work in NYC, so a trip to the post office is usually a 1-2 hour obligation. Still, I would do it for international purchasers, as long as they didn't mind waiting until I had a free day.

Online shipping has made this easier through USPS, UPS and other services, so now I only use online shipping. Both will pick up packages from my building. That said, still there are hassles. The first time I did this, I had three separate packages to ship to South Korea. I had to use official regulation customs envelopes that took about two weeks to obtain through the USPS website. The mail carrier, it turned out, couldn't take all of them, so I had to arrange for a special pickup. Now I know, so I order a pickup when I order the postage, but it wasn't obvious, and probably isn't necessary in most parts of the US.

Other issues have to do with US currency. If the customer can't pay by PayPal or in US dollars with a check or money order drawn on a US bank, there is likely to be a substantial bank fee (usually $25 from major New York banks, but it varies by bank and by state).

You might want to try the PO at Grand Central - entrance on Lex @ 45th St. They open early (at least by 8AM) and have a lot of window manned. In addition, they have a "line walker" who has a cart with all kinds of forms etc. to give you so you can fill out stuff while on the line!

US shipping is even easier as they have automated the domestic package shipping process (for those willing to "learn the D-I-Y machines) with an attendant to help if you have any questions. Kind of like the self-checkout at Home Depot etc.

And NO I do not work for the PO - just willing to tip my hat to how improved they've become.

 

[Poptart]

Sorry if I'm being dumb here, but...

Why are so mnay US-based users unwilling/unable to ship internationally?

Is it so different there to here (UK)?

So what's the big deal?

There are a couple of issues with international shipping. One is that insuring a parcel is more difficult--and unavailable to some destinations, eg, Thailand. The other is that some sellers feel that a buyer will be unwilling to pay more for the shipping on an item than for the item itself. Also, people are too dumb/lazy here to fill out the customs forms. And some of us are ethnocentric. The only other thing that really figures is that some items may be restricted in other countries but not in the USA.

 

[RJBender]

There are a couple of issues with international shipping. One is that insuring a parcel is more difficult--and unavailable to some destinations, eg, Thailand. The other is that some sellers feel that a buyer will be unwilling to pay more for the shipping on an item than for the item itself. Also, people are too dumb/lazy here to fill out the customs forms. And some of us are ethnocentric. The only other thing that really figures is that some items may be restricted in other countries but not in the USA.

Pop is correct. Do you want to send some printed material to United Arab Emirates? You can't send it if it's "offensive to Arabs and Muslims." How about a radio receiver? Nope. You'll need a permit first.
How about sending a deck of used playing cards to Germany? Prohibited.
Or a bloody HORROR COMIC BOOK to the UK and some walkie talkie transceivers? Prohibited. If you're planning on selling worldwide, you'll need to check HERE before you ship.

R.J.

 

[David Goldfarb]

You might want to try the PO at Grand Central - entrance on Lex @ 45th St. They open early (at least by 8AM) and have a lot of window manned. In addition, they have a "line walker" who has a cart with all kinds of forms etc. to give you so you can fill out stuff while on the line!

US shipping is even easier as they have automated the domestic package shipping process (for those willing to "learn the D-I-Y machines) with an attendant to help if you have any questions. Kind of like the self-checkout at Home Depot etc.

And NO I do not work for the PO - just willing to tip my hat to how improved they've become.

Thanks for the suggestion, but adding about thirty minutes travel time each way to get to a more efficient post office in a different part of Manhattan doesn't really save much time. Most anywhere else in the US, even in many moderate sized cities, this isn't a problem.

The DIY machines are great for domestic packages when they're working. Often they aren't, so it's back to the line.

The most ridiculous postal situation I've experienced is waiting the usual 40 minutes or so in line to mail packages and purchase stamps, and then discovering that the clerk was out of stamps in the denomination I needed, so he had to go over to the postage vending machines and purchase them with cash from his drawer. Often the machines in that post office take the cash without dispensing the stamps, so I figured, better he risk his cash than I mine. The clerk did acknowledge how absurd this all was.