aintrichyet
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posted on May 12, 2003 01:23:59 PM new
/?@#*^@!! Just had an auction end that we specifically state U.S./Canada only, yet the high bidder is United Kingdom?!!!, and i don't get to even KNOW that until the auction ends!!! we really DO hope ebay changes this allowing of bids in from places other than what is stated.
Also, remember when ebay started putting the 'zip code' of high bidder not only up top at auction end, but also on the bidding history page while the auction was ongoing. [we could see the zip codes, etc. of the bidders during the auction process] ... WHY did they quit putting them on the bidding history page? ...
Marcia AintRichYet in Ohio
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dadofstickboy
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posted on May 12, 2003 01:28:00 PM new
I had an item up one time that I stated:
Will Not Ship, Customer pickup only!
Who do you think the winning bidder was?
Someone from: London,England!
What a pain in the Butt!
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aintrichyet
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posted on May 12, 2003 02:26:52 PM new
ROFL!!! ... ok, ya got one-up on me there.
Did they come and pick it up nicely?
 lol ...............
Marcia AintRichYet in Ohio
[ edited by aintrichyet on May 12, 2003 02:28 PM ]
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zircon4
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posted on May 12, 2003 02:29:53 PM new
Hi All,
I often bid on items that say US only in the 'ship to' section. However. I always email and ask the permission of the seller to bid beforehand. 9 times out 10 it is simply that the seller has never thought of shipping outside the US. The only time that I do not bother to ask or bid is if the seller specifically states 'US only' in the description. I think a lot of sellers miss out on good customers because they leave the default setting of 'US only' in the shipping section. I will also say that most sellers are very polite even if they decline to ship to me in Australia. We do not have anywhere near the variety of items for sale on Ebay Australia that you folks in the US have, so we have to look outside our own country for the things we want. Thanks for listening to an outside POV,
Cheers,
Adrian
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msincognito
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posted on May 12, 2003 02:34:57 PM new
I only lock out international bidders when an item is too low-value or too bulky to reasonably ship. And (knock wood) all my international bidders have been cheerful, reasonable and easy-to-deal with guys like Adrian.
On the other hand, I firmly believe anyone has a right to set their own terms of service. If eBay won't restrict bidders from bidding on auctions where they're not allowed, they should at the very least give them a heads-up. One way to do it is to kick them to a warning splash screen.... That way a bidder who'd legitimately asked and recieved permission to bid could click through, but no bidder could claim that they didn't realize that international bids were not accepted.
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auctionace
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posted on May 12, 2003 04:12:54 PM new
If you decide to send the item to the UK here's my list of the best to the worst international bidders
1) Japan - the most polite and sincere bidders in the world
2) United Kingdom - never a problem
3) Germany - very good bidders
4) Netherlands - cheaper than a Dutch Uncle
5) Canada - 50% of transaction are pure trouble
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aintrichyet
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posted on May 12, 2003 04:55:44 PM new
Well, we do not keep a "default" number of countries in each and every auction ... there are *some* items we WANT to open to international .......... although i feel i have to tell you what my problem is with UK... high percentage of items we end up sending to uk, the freakin' postage rate is ALWAYS different when we get to our Post Office, than what the Post office website said it would be!!!!! .... and most of those times, we end up eating a big loss on the charges ...
I *do* wonder though, which are the ebay's "Asia" countries included if we say, 'we accept U.S., Canada, Asia' ... we also have no problems and great input from Japan buyers for our antiques, so we've been thinking that 'Asia' will help Japan buyers see our things ..... is Australia listed separate? [can't find that ebay page right now since i'm not typing up a listing, sorry ] .......... Australia goes 'pretty well' for us ... have shipped there maybe a dozen times over the years, and only 2 items were lost in transit ... ummm.. wait a minute... that's not good odds at all, is it?! LOL ....
~ Marcia AintRichYet in Ohio
[ edited by aintrichyet on May 12, 2003 05:08 PM ]
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Libra63
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posted on May 12, 2003 07:14:04 PM new
I put in my auctions that Canadian and International bidders email me before bidding. I will send to them but I don't want a surprise at the end of the auction when it says UK. When they email me where they live it will give me a chance to check on how much the postage will be if they should win and then it won't be a big surprise when it is time for me to send my WBN.
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sapington
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posted on May 12, 2003 07:29:21 PM new
If the postage doesen't match the online quote then either you are looking it up wrong or they are charging you the wrong rate at the post office.
Are you requesting insurance at the post office? If so, they have to switch to parcel post which is much higher sometimes.
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trai
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posted on May 12, 2003 08:45:33 PM new
This is what I find in my dealings with out of country buyers.
)" Japan - the most polite and sincere bidders in the world " Agree
2)" United Kingdom - never a problem" - 50/50 I find they ask about the gift thing very often or ask to have the price marked down on the custom slip..
3)" Germany - very good bidders" Agree, Very good!
4)" Netherlands - cheaper than a Dutch Uncle"
I find them to be no problem at all. If they want my items they bid and pay fast
Most of the problem bidders come right from the good ole U.S.A.
5)" Canada - 50% of transaction are pure trouble"
Just what do you have so much trouble with here? I find 98% to be just great, no problem at any time.
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neonmania
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posted on May 12, 2003 09:24:49 PM new
Ace...
::4) Netherlands - cheaper than a Dutch Uncle ::
I am SO glad I'm not the only one to notice this. I am about to add a ban on the Netherlands to my auctions but it won't do a damn bit of good. I have one account that dictates PayPal only - last three weeks - four buyers from Netherlands - none with PayPal. But it gets better... in the past three months that account has had 5 deadbeats.... every one of them from the Netherlands.
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toasted36
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posted on May 12, 2003 09:40:25 PM new
I have a dead beat from the UK right now ....I don't think it matters where they come from they all speak the same dead beat language.
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sapington
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posted on May 12, 2003 10:58:43 PM new
I think the reason that a lot of UK buyers try to get you to mark it as gift is the VAT tax they have. I just sold a $103 item to a buyer there and I checked the customs through Fedex. The VAT is $50 and the duties are $10.50
So the $100 item is now $160 (no this buyer didn't ever ask to mark gift, he is one of the best international bidders I ever had)
I only ever shipped one thing to Germany but it was the worst international transaction I ever had. I would rather ship to Hong Kong or Taiwan than Germany.
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auctionace
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posted on May 13, 2003 12:08:27 AM new
If they are nice in their emails and pay quickly I usually mark the gift box on the customs slip. I have only had one or two ever ask that I do that for them anyway. Most of these countries are screwing their citizens with have duty taxes so they won't buy in the USA or other countries. Pre-emptive screw to them.
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aintrichyet
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posted on May 13, 2003 03:23:22 AM new
sapington: [inre England shipments]
"If the postage doesn't match the online quote then either you are looking it up wrong or they are charging you the wrong rate at the post office.
Are you requesting insurance at the post office? If so, they have to switch to parcel post which is much higher sometimes."
Well that is my problem, ...every time I *do* look it up online, by the time i get to whichever post office I go to on that given day, I'll get a clerk that [I'll say] "handles it differently" than another clerk would have ... and they each stick to their guns as to what the rules are for figuring the postage ... sure i can debate with them as to the amount the USPS website shows vs. what they're coming up with. ... and THAT is my only problem with England parcels .... I run into this problem with nearly every UK shipment, more-so than the other countries. ... so, my beef is with our Postal Service, not with the UK citizenry. ... yeah I *could* package it, get it rated at post office, come home, THEN invoice the customer, but that just has us putting too much time into how we need the flow of the biz to run, especially when it's not a bigger ticket item. Who needs the aggravation? ... not me.
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aintrichyet
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posted on May 13, 2003 05:10:29 AM new
Oh brother! .. husband was just telling me that even UK has their anal rules/regs inre the packaging TAPE used in shipping that they will accept ... he said our postal clerks have told him that for UK, he is not allowed to use the 'shiny surface' brown packing tape [has to be the dull matte surface] ................ so if we don't have enough of that specific kind of tape left on had, we gotta go buy more. ... ... ... and sure as shootin', I bet you are all going to tell me that YOUR post office would say hogwash to that! ... I'm sure this boils down to the practically-each-and-every-p.o. clerk-has-their-own-'ways'-that-they-swear-is-the-Bible-Truth-in-correctness. ...
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capotasto
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posted on May 13, 2003 05:15:24 AM new
aintrich, there are no "rules" for figuring postage, its cut and dried.
Under 4 pounds I ship air letter post (yes you can ship a box by letter post). I weigh it on my scale and look it up in my internationalpostal rates booklet (publication 51, Jan 2001).
I mark the box "air letter post" and when I get to the PO the charge is just what the booklet said.
Vinnie
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tomwiii
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posted on May 13, 2003 06:02:30 AM new
aintrichyet: are they on a terminal?? EVERYtime I do an international shipping, the web-quote ALWAYS matches my counter cost!
Ralphie loves Mr Blonde:
"Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"
http://tinyurl.com/5duz
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fleecies
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posted on May 13, 2003 07:52:35 AM new
Aintrich, could be you've got a couple of postal clerks taking a little cut for themselves by overcharging you for international postage. You might take it up with your postmaster.
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sapington
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posted on May 13, 2003 08:33:11 AM new
If it is costing that much extra, why don't you signup for Endicia? You can put the postage on it and they don't have any say in the cost. I have been doing it this way for the last 7 months and never had a problem.
[ edited by sapington on May 13, 2003 08:33 AM ]
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auctionace
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posted on May 13, 2003 08:37:24 AM new
You mean the butcher-with-the-thumb-on-the-scale syndrome? In the Postal Service? The printed postage amount sticker matches the computer so that'd be a neat trick if they could pull it off.
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ahc3
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posted on May 13, 2003 04:40:41 PM new
The majority of my Canadian transactions have been trouble free. The few issues I have had are customs and shipping charges. For some reason, when it comes to shipping, some feel they are the 51 state. Yes, it costs more to ship to Canada. Yes, I have to use a customs form and I WILL mark the correct value, and NO, I will not mark it as a gift.
I've had a few lots recently that were very heavy and media mail lots. To discourage international bidding, I posted a REALLY high shipping quote, $100 international shipping. I learned that from someone here, if you want to discourage international bidders, don't just say no international bidders, just quote them a shipping price that will make them not want to bid.
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aintrichyet
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posted on May 14, 2003 03:12:31 AM new
fleecies says: ... overcharging you for international postage. You might take it up with your postmaster.
<b> what i was TRYING to avoid for my shipper/husband, is the extra time/aggravation/time spent on completing a transaction ...
I do all the computer 'stuff', he does the packaging/shipping and the bookkeeping [and antique mall sales booth] ... I can't figure out WHY my UK postage estimates rarely come out even near what the postal clerk wants to charge him ... </b>
sapington: ... If it is costing that much extra, why don't you signup for Endicia?
<b> because, at this point in time, pre-doing up our postage 'ain't my job, man' ... </b>
ahc3: ..., I posted a REALLY high shipping quote, $100 international shipping
<b>Now THIS idea I LIKE! ...
Have any of you ever tried to send a pkg. to UK with shiny/glossy tape and have it rejected by your U.S. postal clerk for the reason that UK postals supposedly won't accept it?
And why oh why did ebay discontinue putting the zip codes on the bid history page during the auction? .... better yet, to prevent intl. bid-snipers, would be if the Cyclopean ebay could change their codes to disallow intl. members on our "no" list from placing bids.</b>
Have a nice day!
AintRichYet...but maybe some day.
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capotasto
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posted on May 14, 2003 04:27:00 AM new
"If it is costing that much extra, why don't you signup for Endicia? You can put the postage on it and they don't have any say in the cost."
What if your postage is wrong?
I always wondered about that -- won't I still have to stand in line at the PO to have the clerk check that I used the correct postage?
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tomwiii
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posted on May 14, 2003 04:55:40 AM new
YES...for dutiable packies, ye still have to stand in line for the customs form to be scanned.
HOWEVER, since you already have the CORRECT postage & forms affixed, it eliminates the clerk-is-a-schmuck syndrome & ye be out in a flash!
I'm sure Harry, et al, are busily working for a super work-around for this one snag in their WUNDERFUUUUL Dazzle software!
REMEMBER: Ralphie says...My Daddy is eine goody bloke! FEED ME:
http://tinyurl.com/299k
Ralphie loves Mr Blonde:
"Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"
http://tinyurl.com/5duz
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seyms
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posted on May 15, 2003 03:24:06 AM new
Trai-the Canadian transactions seem to be more generally prone to postal/customs delays
than most. Payment by MO has more than once been a serious hassle. In apx 1200 auctions I have had the most trouble with the Australian market followed by the Canadian market. The Australian-American customs/postal seem seriously incompatible-I dread any Australian transaction and actively discourage them. Done maybe 15 Aussie transactions and 5 or 6 had VERY bad problems.
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Twelvepole
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posted on May 15, 2003 05:41:05 AM new
By not selling international, you are missing out on some easy money...
1. quote the highest possible price in shipping and ship at the lowest
2. All my sales to international winners are "ship it and forget it" I state in my auctions that international winners are final, no returns or exchanges. I also don't take cc for any international winner, US currency only.
3. Mark the customs forms with an actual retail price and "merchandise"
Ahhhhh love those international winners....
AIN'T LIFE GRAND... 
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lilacflair
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posted on May 15, 2003 06:39:41 AM new
I had an interesting international shipping problem that is not yet solved. You guys will love this one. I had a guy from Canada purchase a 2lb item. I figured up the shipping and it came to like $4. Immediately, I get a email from the guy that he just got another similar package that only cost $2.50 to ship and he doesnt want to pay more than this.
Well, I checked out the other item since it was all he had bought in the last 6months. It is probably under a pound and says right in the auction that they will ship in an envelope. I ship in a box and mine even though almost the same weighs much more. So I email him back and trying to keep my patience explain nicely to him the difference.
I have never heard back from him or received the payment, so he is probably not going to bother. It bugs me sometime because my TOS says international bidders should email me for a quote. The ones that actually do usually turn out to be gems. The ones that dont act like I slapped them in the face when I give them a quote.
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norbertsdragon
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posted on May 15, 2003 06:59:10 AM new
I recently sold 17 items to a bidder in France. He's a real nice guy in fact asked me if he could bid first and stuff. The only problem we have had is for anything international over $20 I wont take PayPal. Only an international money order. He is using a translator with my emails. It has been so hard to make him understand how to make payment. First he tried to paypal me but I reminded him that I needed the money order. Then he needed my info because he wanted to do a wire transfer.
I think I finally have him understanding what I need and he has sent it out. But he sent me a number supposedly from the money order and asked me to ship now. I explained as soon as it arrives I will. He says the number is all I need. I can call his bank and verify it with them and ship now. He is eager to receive his items.
And just think all of this conversation took place in ONLY 27 emails of back and forth misunderstanding.
I would never turn away money from bidders like 12pole says. But.... it becoming a large headache.
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trai
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posted on May 15, 2003 08:37:01 AM new
norbertsdragon
In your case just have them pay you via bidpay as your butt is covered. Its fast and easy for your buyer also.
Trai-the Canadian transactions seem to be more generally prone to postal/customs delays than most.
I just can not see why they would be more prone to this than anyone else. Most parcels never get held up as the sheer volume of mail would not make it possible for anybody's custom to check every single item.
I find that pretty much of any shipment gets there in good order and time. I have shipped to Africa, asia, south america , europe etc. and for the most part there never is a problem.
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