Ebay Shipping to Canada

stevethebassguy · #1 02-09-2010, 11:08 PM

Ok...i gotta ask...Why is it that so many American's selling on Ebay aren't willing to ship out of the country? i've been looking for a specific amp, found a few for sale, and i'm willing to deal with the shipping/ dutie costs, but no one will ship it out of the States....What Gives??
If there is a legit reason, can someone shed some light??

bongomania · #2 02-09-2010, 11:21 PM

The "most legit" reason I know of is that handling returns or grievances with somebody in another country can be very expensive. Also if the buyer files a chargeback on their credit card but keeps the goods, it can be very difficult to get cops/agencies in another country to work on your behalf to get what you're owed.

Jim Campbell · #3 02-10-2010, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevethebassguy

Ok...i gotta ask...Why is it that so many American's selling on Ebay aren't willing to ship out of the country? i've been looking for a specific amp, found a few for sale, and i'm willing to deal with the shipping/ dutie costs, but no one will ship it out of the States....What Gives??
If there is a legit reason, can someone shed some light??

a big part of it is the brokerage fees upsfedexius dhlius tack on.....i've had it happen to me,and unless you are on top of it you can get billed 35 dollar fees for thirty dollar items,plus prov/fed tax......the buyer then refuses the item and the us seller ends up losing his sale....canada customs can be the worst dicks at times,and i know from experience

the carriers are also known to force shippers into paying for ups/fedex to pack goods or risk not being paid on a claim,and they seem to break way more stuff than you would think is reasonable,or even possible..they actually broke a shock mount rack case i bought..i recently received a small 8 pound item that was packed by ups in a box so big it was billed by volume,and the packing fees ate up any value due the seller

there used to be all kinds of ltl..(less than carload) carriers,but they're mostly gone now,leaving upfex et al with a virtual monopoly

there are also a few us sellers that just don't like canooks in general,or in some cases in particular.....but the ones i have dealt with have been top shelf

i have been lobbying for some kind of sticky to address this as there have been lots of items i would have liked,but could not convince us sellers to ship here.....and given what i've seen from carriers and customs who could blame them

Jonyak · #4 02-10-2010, 11:34 AM

alot of that can be remedied by the american just shipping it with USPS.

I have received multiple basses and pedals from people on here and as far as I know not a single one has had problems.

I get slapped with a little bit of duties sometimes, but I am willing to accept that.

Jim Campbell · #5 02-10-2010, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonyak

alot of that can be remedied by the american just shipping it with USPS.

I have received multiple basses and pedals from people on here and as far as I know not a single one has had problems.

I get slapped with a little bit of duties sometimes, but I am willing to accept that.

there should be no duty from any gear made in nafta countries....you probably mean the fed/prov tax...im not certain if usps has a brokerage fee,and if so starting at what dollar amount.....

usps seems like a better deal all around.....the last item i got was actually in one piece and even the box was undamaged

stevethebassguy · #6 02-10-2010, 03:21 PM

yeah.......i still don't get it. I mean, if i'm willing and upfront about accepting the extra costs, why not??...

Jim Campbell · #7 02-10-2010, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevethebassguy

yeah.......i still don't get it. I mean, if i'm willing and upfront about accepting the extra costs, why not??...

well for one thing there are 300 million potential customers in america and if you can sell with less potential risk why not.....lots of guys won't go outside the lower 48,and often refuse to ship larger items at all..

..every time you place an item in the hands of a carrier there is a potential for loss or damage,and the inevitable run around of claims....add in more people handling the stuff,like customs guys who think the shoe bomber is in every box.....or at least the french connection....

you may be the best buyer ever but the seller does not know,unless you have a track record.....best to try to build up positive feed back....a good rep will go a long way to convince reluctant shippers to trust you

bongomania · #8 02-10-2010, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevethebassguy

yeah.......i still don't get it. I mean, if i'm willing and upfront about accepting the extra costs, why not??...

I guess all I can say is, you must never have been ripped off by someone in another country. It's not about whether you will pay the duties on your end--why would any seller ever care about that? It's not like they have to pay those fees.