posted on December 5, 2002 12:42:00 PM new
Now it is my turn to vent! WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP BIDDING ON AUCTIONS THAT CLEARLY STATE "No sales outside the USA"????
I am not selling that many items this month and only had 4 listings this week. Sure enough, out of 2 sales one is from Canada!
I have USA only checked everywhere you can check it, and I have "Sorry, but I no longer ship outside the USA" in large bold red letters just above my pictures so it cannot be missed. Still, get a bid.
Of course, the shipping is not enough to cover shipping to Canada. I get an email today that cheerfully says "Your cheque is in the mail and my address is ...... Quebec, CA.
Why do they do that? What can be done to stop them?
Any ideas? I know lots and lots of people ship internationally, but for me, it just isn't worth the bother. I don't know what else I can do to keep them from placing bids.
posted on December 5, 2002 12:49:35 PM new
Lindjean, you are not alone. I sold some pipes last year & I had in my TOS "I ship to USA only" Well some guy in Singapore won the auctio. I advised that I did not ship overseas, & he negged me 2X, one for each pipe.
posted on December 5, 2002 12:52:15 PM new
You have my sympathies. With us, it's a two-fold situation: we get the nitwit Canadians on the one hand, who never EVER ask if it's OK to bid on our U.S.-only auctions...
...then we have the folks in Guam, Puerto Rico and sometimes Hawaii who want to make sure it IS all right for them to bid. (Of course it is!)
The level of arrogance exhibited by Canadians in this regard is beyond the pale.
The solution is simple and I really wish eBay would implement it. It is this: if you have a U.S. zip code, you can bid on a U.S.-only auction. If you don't, you can't.
That would allow for APOs and FPOs, as well as folks living in U.S. territories and possessions.
posted on December 5, 2002 01:00:13 PM new
I for one, LIKE to sell to international bidders and would NOT like limitations placed ie: zip code restrictions! I list variable shipping rates in my listings and don't send the item until the s/h has been paid in the proper amount. Of course, I sell Postcards and it is fairly easy to determine international shipping - would be much harder with a variety of items. Have you thought about adding something like : "s/h amounts quoted apply to US only - international buyers please contact me after the auction closes for the exact shipping amount" Good luck.
posted on December 5, 2002 01:30:21 PM new
Silly me, I guess now I don't understand what they mean when the person says "and my shipping address is...in Quebec, CA." I didn't think to email them back and ask what their USA shipping address was. I'm sure they have one, right?
I don't go in and check to see where people are from before mailing my EOA notices. That is why I use flat rate shipping. It speeds up the whole process. I didn't have a clue they were from Canada until I received their email with shipping information. I'm surprised they didn't wait until the check arrived here for me to find out.
I'm sorry, I am just in a bad mood over the whole deal!
As far as asking them to email me for shipping costs, yes, I did try that before resorting to NO shipping outside USA. And, of course, they didn't read that anymore than they read the No shipping information.
I really do have it in big red bold print and if they look at the photo's they can't miss it as it is just above them.
When I did accept bids from international bidders, I had about a 50% no pay, and 80% of the ones that did pay who requested "gift" be marked and about 75% of them complained about the shipping costs.
Also, all wanted ground shipping, took 3 months for delivery and most emailed me every week wanting to know when they would receive their package.
It was just not worth the trouble so now I limit it to USA only. And, I really hate to have to deal with negs over them not reading my TOS, or ignoring it!
posted on December 5, 2002 02:01:13 PM new
I went in and added a paragraph to me EOA letter stating at the beginning "If your address is within the USA, then please continue below for end of auction information.
If your shipping address is outside the USA this auction is void as I only ship within the United States as stated in the original auction listing."
I hate to make my winning bidders wade through another paragraph of info, but I don't see any other way to get through to everyone. It continues to happen over and over again.
Around the 1st I will go back to listing 200 a week and need to stop this before that time.
posted on December 5, 2002 02:05:09 PM new
I now ship internationally as there are so few bidders but I love fluffythewondercat's zip code idea. If the international bidder has a US address of where the auction item can be mailed then they can write to the seller and get his permission to bid ( a list similar to the 'block bidder' list in reverse perhaps ).
Three Final NPB's and a buyer is booted, too bid retractions and a buyer may be booted, but no provision for botting foreign bidders that bid on USA only auctions?
posted on December 5, 2002 02:28:59 PM newAlso, all wanted ground shipping, took 3 months for delivery and most emailed me every week wanting to know when they would receive their package.
Unless you had your shipments dragged behind a dead horse I can not see it taking this long.
Most of my shipments via surface only take about seven to ten days.
As far as bidders not reading your tos, you find a lot of domestic bidders are just as dense.
They should respect your wishes if you do not want to sell outside of the country.
However, human nature being what it is you will just have to decline them.
...then we have the folks in Guam, Puerto Rico and sometimes Hawaii who want to make sure it IS all right for them to bid. (Of course it is!)
Most have learned to ask because a lot of sellers do not want to ship outside of the continental usa.
Of course there are sellers who do not know that Alaska or Hawaii are part of the usa never mind Guam or Puerto Rico etc.
There was a post here awhile back from a bidder in New Mexico who had trouble with the seller because this clown thought he lived in another country.
posted on December 5, 2002 02:29:29 PM new
ohmslucy: That does help somewhat, but the change I propose would be very simple for eBay to implement, and sellers would not have to constantly monitor their items for "illegal" bids.
Most bidding activity is during, what, the last 60 seconds of an auction anyway.
To be very clear:
I am proposing that for persons who want to run U.S.-only auctions and who check the Ship to the U.S. Only section on the seller form, eBay could screen potential bidders by zip code before they're allowed to bid. Programmatically it's just a matter of turning one bit on that means "U.S. Yes".
For persons who want to sell internationally, the change I propose would not affect them at all.
posted on December 5, 2002 02:44:36 PM new
It seems like it would be VERY easy for ebay to implement some code where a seller can choose if they want to accept out of country bidders. Personally, while I have had a couple of problem transactions (i.e. short on postage) overall I am happy with my international business. However, it should be the SELLER'S CHOICE if they want to do business internationally, and negs should NOT be allowed to stand, that is terrible.
posted on December 5, 2002 02:49:26 PM new
Fluffy, I like your idea.
What good does it do to check a box "will ship to US only" if Ebay isn't going to find a way to stop other bidders?
As far as taking forever. The items I used to sell were usually large that were shipped internationally and they have taken longer than 3 months many times. I used to deal in craft supplies and ceramics.
Canada was never a problem, but Switzerland and Australia were very slow. Singapore took 9 weeks and Germany took 7. I used to do quiet a bit of international sales, but that was when people really bid early and the final price made it worth the hassle!
Also, items I am selling now fit perfectly in one of those nice priority shipping boxes. If I ship internationally I have to figure a way to get a 11 x 14" lobby card into a container that will not break, bend or fall apart enroute!
posted on December 5, 2002 03:09:44 PM new
Fluffy,
I agree - it would be wonderful if eBay did that. Last minute bidders wouldn't be able to get in and blindside an auction.
Have you made a suggestion?
Right now, checking bid history is all I know to do. Takes care of most but not all the unwanted bidders. At least if one does slip in at the last minute I am aware of their location and can respond accordingly.
posted on December 5, 2002 03:20:33 PM new
I asked one seller if they would ship to Hawaii, they replied "Sorry I only ship in the USA, I do not ship internationaly"
Last time I check Hawaii was part if the USA...it is suprising how may Americans dont know this...
posted on December 5, 2002 03:24:00 PM new
that's the truth! I am taking a class at a local college, even though I have a BA I need this class for a prereq for a graduate program I want to get into. Anyway, for some reason, someone asked me how many states there were. I said 50, and they didn't believe me. I told them I was sure there were 50 states, but she knew they added another, but could not name it. Then someone else chimed in and said yeah, Cuba. I said you must be thinking of Puerto Rico, which is not a state, and has never come close to being a state. I said the last state admitted was Hawaii, in 1959...I don't think they believed me. This is a college class, scary!
posted on December 5, 2002 03:42:46 PM new
Okay first let me start by saying I am in Canada but am from the US and to tell you the truth shipping 1st class international from US to canada is usualy cheeper!!!! (yes it does take longer. Second Selling to international buyers really increasses sales believe me when I started selling on ebay I was living in Washington State and would only sell within the US...I sold about 50% of the items I listed but as soon as I opened up to the whole world wide trading my sales increased and I started to sell about 90% of my items! Now I am in Canada and well I have to sell internationaly because the Canadian market is not as big as the US. I find that most people who bid and are from outside the country I am in at the time do understand that fixed rate shipping doesn't include them. When you send your invoices out always put the fixed rate shipping and state *US shipping rate!*
posted on December 5, 2002 03:56:04 PM new
LOWPROFILE: People that ask if the seller will ship to Guam, Puerto Rico and Hawaii do so because shipping to them sometimes does cost more and most of them understand this. A lot of online companies exclude these places for the simple fact that they usually use a mail carrier service that either doesn't ship to the above destinations or can't afford to even SEARS charges more to ship to those areas!
posted on December 5, 2002 04:20:54 PM new
I have in my auction "Please no Canadian or International bidders" I got one last week but since I write my own WBN I can catch that before they pay. I was surprised that I could mail a package to Belgium for what it would cost 1st class in the states, but then they can't have insurance on it. I was also surprised when I mail to Canada it doesn't cost that much and what I sell is a low ticket item they don't pay duty on it also. What I have done is of course if they want to bid and email me I will let them bid if they can give me a ball park price to mail the object. I usually get a quick answer and then it is okay with me.
Lindajean how much more to mail your package to Quebec than in the states? I know that the Canadian Bidders and International bidders expect the postage to be higher so they must wait for your WBN, then again if your WBN is automatic than that is difficult.What I hate is when they ask me to mark the item a gift......
posted on December 5, 2002 05:03:09 PM new
I have a flat rate shipping of $5.00 on my lobby cards. It costs $3.85 and I use the priority boxes which are just the right size and offer plenty of protection.
I know, for those worried about it, that I am "overcharging" for shipping. But, I have NEVER had a complaint and I state it clearly in my TOS S&H $5.00.
Anyway, it is difficult to find a box to fit a lobby card into. I will probably have to roll it up and may leave creases.
The shipping is about the same but I have to watch the size of the box I use and I have to find a box, use my tape, etc. and it is just not worth it to me when I only made a couple of dollars on this particular card anyway.
It does seem like Ebay could fix the search where if a person were looking and had an address outside the US that items marked "for sale within the US only" would not appear in their search.
Those that want to sell internationally would be fine and those of us who do not would be happy as well.
[ edited by lindajean on Dec 5, 2002 05:08 PM ]
posted on December 5, 2002 05:06:48 PM new
The bottom line is, for me anyway, my sales did not increase that much when I sold internationally.
Also, now I am listing record albums and they are heavy. I sell them in groups and if someone outside the US bids on them the difference in shipping will be substantial since I ship these media mail here inside the US.
Luckily, this one item was a piece of paper only and isn't heavy. But, I still do not want to sell internationally. Two people have inquired about my records and if I would ship them to Germany and to Australia and I declined both. (At least they asked).
posted on December 5, 2002 05:24:03 PM new
I agree, no need to justify, the SELLER really gets to decide who to sell to. I would hate for someone to tell me who I could and could not sell to.
Canada part of the US? Well, they certainly like to pay taxes, as long as we don't get a president from Quebec.
posted on December 11, 2002 10:31:56 AM new
Just got an update from the Canadian bidder:
On 12/5 she stated the cheque was in the mail and to let her know when I received it and where to ship the item.
I immediately wrote her back to tell I do not ship outside the USA and did not receive a reply. I kept waiting for a neg or something, but none came.
Then, today (the 11th) I receive an email stating she has received my message and has torn up the cheque on her way to the post office.
What happened to "check's in the mail" 6 days ago? It's a good thing I guess since I was going to return it, but it makes me wonder .... must have been a very very long trip to the post office, and she must have a portable email device and just now received my message, and, and, and....no wait.
Even then, her first email said she had just returned from the post office. Anway, guess all is well that ends well. I'll apply for refund of fees through Ebay as buyer did not follow TOS and see where it goes from there.
posted on December 11, 2002 12:12:52 PM new
lindajean - I completely understand your frustration. Been there, done that.
sanmar - I feel your pain...just happened recently to me too.
fluffy - I totally agree. That would be a great solution.
logansdad - do you stop to think?.... How would a seller know, before the auction's end, that an international buyer had a US address to ship to? When sellers are listing many auction, they can't keep constantly reviewing them to notice if someone is bidding against their wishes....and then email them and ask if they have a US address to ship to. And, of course, there's the snipers...too late to deal with them then. The polite international bidders will email ahead and ask.
I've just recently experienced this. An other-than-US bidder emailed me when I cancelled their bid and said almost that same thing to me. I live in the US 1/2 of the year, and in XXX the other half. I respectfully answered, "And how would I know that, your ebay registered address is in XXXX". I politefully said that if they had emailed and explained the situation, before bidding, I might not have cancelled their bid.
Oh...and lindajean....did you see rarriffle's post in my 'help please' post? Something you might want to think about doing so you don't have to 'watch' the auctions 24/7. Think her/his suggestion might just do the trick.
especially if I have hundreds of listings out there!