Whats the deal with CONUS only?

[KenD]

My listing offered three shipping alternatives including USPS, UPS and FedEx. None priced to a number the seller was accepting and I was at a price that was not able to be adjusted without loss.

Then your buyer had unresolved "issues".

 

[rojo412]

Personally, what I run into more for shipping out of the US is size restrictions (mainly for full basses). I remember having to reduce a box size repeatedly once, since it couldn't conform to their standard, which seemed to be an odd floating target.

Aside from that, there have been times where the shipping was so much more than the value of item, it was just insane. And despite it being a case of "the buyer is interested in paying the fee, why resist that?!", when you have to do all the legwork to find out what the process will be and then it becomes moot, you're doing work that takes time and yields nothing.

So for me personally, if I offer something CONUS only, it's because I know that its crossing borders is an exercise in futility. It's not fear of the outside world. And when teleportation becomes a thing, I'll ship wherever! But until then...

 

[Bass Viking]

Hmm, I might ask what's the deal with Long & McQuade refusing to ship to the States.

What does Long & McQuade carry that you can’t find in the USA?

 

[Discount Bassy]

Then your buyer had unresolved "issues".

His issue was not being interested in paying an additional 40% shipping to have the package cross the border.

In the end, it is anecdote versus anecdote in a court of opinion, and therefore of little consequence.

 

[s_wood]

Every single time I've sold to someone in a different country they've asked me to say I sold it for a much lower price than I actually did. Every. Single. Time. I'm not 100% comfortable with that and since selling is such a PITA anyway.....

I’ve sold basses outside of CONUS on multiple occasions because my ads say that I will. As a result, I have often been asked to lie about the sales price on the custom dec forms. I always refuse, and I’ve even lost deals because of it. It amazes me that someone I don’t know thinks it’s ok to ask me to commit a Federal felony (yes, it is) while they get all of the benefit. [Insert profane characterization of those people here].

 

[Bass Viking]

If I lived in the US I probably wouldn’t ship internationally. Why bother when there’s such a large customer base at home?

 

[Waltsdog]

I get it, mailing a rather expensive piece of gear across a border may seem intimidating to a degree. But if a buyer is willing to pay the shipping and obviously accepts duties, why are so many reluctant? The buyer accepts all the risk and Im just in CANADA haha

I inquired on a bass on Reverb and they stated CONUS only, only to further drop the price a few days later. Even still, they said no dice when i followed up. It’s dropped 30% since it went up originally so i assume they want it offloaded.

anyway, just venting haha. Is there like an extra charge or some kind of additional liability Americans take on when shipping to another country?

i just want to give you money for your bass, but you would rather drop the price than ship within the same continent?
View attachment 5444265

Use a shipping forwarder, problem solved.

 

[ardgedee]

I was in negotiations for a sale to a customer in last summer. The shipping to just inside the US border was about half of what it was to 50 miles further, just across the border in Canada. We opted to ship to an intermediary in the US who was willing to drive 45 minutes for a meal with a friend. This was not a large or expensive item. The shipping price to Canada was initially a deal breaker.

I have always found USPS costs to be reasonable and would specify them for smaller, less expensive items.

When I lived in Michigan I would occasionally (like, once every few years) drive to Windsor to ship a package with Canada Post from any convenient People's Drug. Even taking the cost of gas into account it was cheaper than using USPS or UPS, and while Windsor isn't exactly a tourist destination it was a nice break in routine to go there.

These days, I live considerably farther away from any international border so that isn't an option any more, and the cost of shipping in both countries has escalated so much I'm not sure it would be worth the bother even if I still lived in Michigan.

 

[Drop1]

I'll ship overseas. Done it several times. Heck I shipped a fancy BMX flatland bike and a huge pile of parts including 3 frames to Australia lol. $$$ money but he wanted the stuff so he paid the price. Oddly enough my overseas people often get there stuff faster than locals.
I think it's it winds up going though DHS.

 

[ardgedee]

Hmm, I might ask what's the deal with Long & McQuade refusing to ship to the States.

L&M is constrained by their contract with certain vendors or distributors to sell only within their designated region. In addition they probably don't want to deal with the hassle and expense of handling international customers, which extends far beyond simply the added costs of shipping.

What does Long & McQuade carry that you can’t find in the USA?

Traynor amps, for one. Not impossible to find in the US but there are a limited number of dealers and none of them are the major US stores that sell online.

 

[Killing Floor]

For me it’s an irrational concern that Canadian money is not real, is in fact just colored Monopoly money, and I will only be able to spend it on hockey equipment, Rush tickets and Poutine.

Poutine is pretty dang good though. I’d sell gear for poutine credits.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

Poutine is pretty dang good though. I’d sell gear for poutine credits.

haha same here! If paid in poutine and Rush tickets, I’d be happy.

 

[elkkid2]

A solution to your immediate problem is a company called BonVu (Bonvu.com). They specialize in exactly what you are asking for: Handling shipment of individual items overseas. They built up their business to help Europeans buy items on US Ebay. But now they provide the service almost worldwide, either direction.

It works like this: They are in Austin, TX. When you buy the bass, you have the Seller ship the bass to BonVu in Texas, which they should be willing to do. BonVu checks the packaging, does all the Customs paperwork, and books it on a plane to your country. At your end, you can pick it up at the airport, or they will have your local delivery service take it to your door. You pay BonVu for the whole deal, including any Customs or Import Fees. They will tell you the total price up front, before it ships, and you can do quick estimates right on their web site.

This service sounds expensive, but amazingly enough, it's usually less expensive overall than if you process the shipment yourself directly through one of the shippers (UPS, FedEx, DHL). They work with all the shippers, and have good rates with them.

And, most important, they know what they are doing handling all the paperwork through Customs. They do it all electronically, and it's all cleared through Customs at the other end, before your shipment leaves Austin. If there's some hangup, your bass sits in BonVu's warehouse while they clear it up. It doesn't disappear into a Customs dept forever. They ship a lot of individual musical instruments, and are completely familiar with all the rules and laws and import fees, etc. You'll get a straight answer up front from them on the total cost.

I've used BonVu's service maybe ten times to ship basses to England, Germany, Spain and Japan. Very simple and trouble-free, and not expensive.

Also, if you are selling a Bass in the US, and get an inquiry from a potential buyer in Europe, you can quickly get a quote on the full price to ship it to Europe. Let the buyer make the arrangements with BonVu and pay for it. Then you just ship the bass to Austin.

Awesome info, thanks! I ship everywhere, almost, but this could help a lot.

 

[franklindayala]

A solution to your immediate problem is a company called BonVu (Bonvu.com). They specialize in exactly what you are asking for: Handling shipment of individual items overseas. They built up their business to help Europeans buy items on US Ebay. But now they provide the service almost worldwide, either direction.

It works like this: They are in Austin, TX. When you buy the bass, you have the Seller ship the bass to BonVu in Texas, which they should be willing to do. BonVu checks the packaging, does all the Customs paperwork, and books it on a plane to your country. At your end, you can pick it up at the airport, or they will have your local delivery service take it to your door. You pay BonVu for the whole deal, including any Customs or Import Fees. They will tell you the total price up front, before it ships, and you can do quick estimates right on their web site.

This service sounds expensive, but amazingly enough, it's usually less expensive overall than if you process the shipment yourself directly through one of the shippers (UPS, FedEx, DHL). They work with all the shippers, and have good rates with them.

And, most important, they know what they are doing handling all the paperwork through Customs. They do it all electronically, and it's all cleared through Customs at the other end, before your shipment leaves Austin. If there's some hangup, your bass sits in BonVu's warehouse while they clear it up. It doesn't disappear into a Customs dept forever. They ship a lot of individual musical instruments, and are completely familiar with all the rules and laws and import fees, etc. You'll get a straight answer up front from them on the total cost.

I've used BonVu's service maybe ten times to ship basses to England, Germany, Spain and Japan. Very simple and trouble-free, and not expensive.

Also, if you are selling a Bass in the US, and get an inquiry from a potential buyer in Europe, you can quickly get a quote on the full price to ship it to Europe. Let the buyer make the arrangements with BonVu and pay for it. Then you just ship the bass to Austin.

This is gold.

 

[jd56hawk]

What does Long & McQuade carry that you can’t find in the USA?

Really wanted one of these when they were available.

 

[brianrost]

Usually all that is involved for the shipper is providing a little more info about what is being shipped and its value.

It’s the additional paperwork that puts me off from shipping to Canada. I’d also have to go with “no returns” so I don't end up dealing with customs if the item is sent back. CONUS also implies Alaska and Hawaii are not included. In all cases, the shipping cost are higher and since I usually sell with shipping included, I would have to charge the buyer more.

If a buyer from Canada, Alaska or Hawaii contacts me and offers to pay all additional costs of shipping, I’d consider it but if I had two buyers interested, one for US and one not, I'd go with the US buyer.

I’ve only sold to a Canadian once. He told me he had a friend who was engaged to an American woman who lived within an hour of my house. He offered to have this woman pay me cash, the fiancee would get the bass the next time he came to visit and bring it back to Canada. So I took him up on the offer.

 

[stringthrough]

The answer to your last question is, yes.

 

[Jefenator]

Growing up in Canada, I have empathy for those who are "trapped" in smaller markets; folks born & raised in CONUS don't realize just how good they have it.
OTOH as a longtime seller, international transactions always make me cringe a little; IME the extra complications & risks are not entirely imaginary.
Stressful & laborious as it can be sometimes, selling to Canada & overseas has been worth it for me over the long haul. Like the OP says, sometimes the best buyer just happens to live across a border.
Extra diligence is definitely recommended - in both directions. I can vouch from experience that the United States does NOT have a world monopoly on nincompoops.

 

[steelbed45]

I shipped an amp to Canada once here on TB. The amp was held up in customs for several days. The Buyer went from a stance of understanding to one that blamed me to just ranting at me. I wouldn't ship a stick of gum to Canada now.

The system is fine. As with most things, it's the people.

 

[taliesin]

For me it’s an irrational concern that Canadian money is not real, is in fact just colored Monopoly money, and I will only be able to spend it on hockey equipment, Rush tickets and Poutine.

I'm not clear what the problem is here.