Refusal to sell...

Originally Posted by CharlieAngel

Click to expand...

You know you still have to fill out the customs forms, right? It's still more hassle than it's worth, unless the recipient, as someone else noted, is more accomodating.

I am able to do the customs forms electronically through paypal. Never had an issue and no handwriting involved.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Click to expand...

As a seller, international shipping is frustrating because it's so expensive. People don't want to pay the price for the shipping with insurance, and I'm not about to send a pricey item overseas without insurance. Can't tell you how many people have backed out on a sale after they found out how much shipping would be.
As well they should. For you to insist on insurance is guaranteed to turn anyone off your product unless the item being bought is a $20 tie. When it's no longer a bargain, there's no point. You can't blame the buyer for that. No regular and reputed international seller, e.g. Angelicboris, FStyles, SpooPoker, etc. insists on insurance for overseas buyers. I have never insisted on insurance for any of my SF purchases and have not had an incident since moving abroad last year. Tracking information is included on all airmail and it's more than sufficient to resolve any disputes if ever an item fails to arrive. I'm sorry, but being a seller requires being willing to take risk for profit.

Also, international shipping requires waiting in line at the post office. That has to be done during business hours and can take an hour or more, if I arrive at a bad time. Domestic stuff I can drop off 24 hours a day, no waiting.

Click to expand...

If you don't feel it's worth your time and effort, that's fine. But that's no reason to be leery of international buyers. They're doing you a favour by taking your product off your hands, especially if they offer to cover the extra shipping (which I assuming most do; I do, anyway).

Originally Posted by CharlieAngel

Click to expand...

Also, due to many many many Americans being targeted by Nigerian scammers, it's not worth the risk for a lot of them.
Nigerian scammers?? You seriously think Nigerian scammers have 1000+ posts on a fashion forum and want to scam you out of your Neiman Marcus last call pocket squares?

Originally Posted by holymadness

Click to expand...

Nigerian scammers?? You seriously think Nigerian scammers have 1000+ posts on a fashion forum and want to scam you out of your Neiman Marcus last call pocket squares?
Why not? You have a point with 1000+ post people, but there's a lot of shady 1 posters or guys who just "lurk" that send me offers for **** when I post stuff on other forums, not to mention what kind of responses I get from my Craigslist stuff. I think what's really needed, then, is a beerology/heatwave site for fashion shoppers... Also, not sure what you're talking about in regards to profit? I don't sell to make money, I sell to unload **** I no longer need/want vs throwing it out. If I make money on it (it happens.. I used to buy lots of games that I would never open/play for years and find them worth much more than I paid for them), that's a plus.

Originally Posted by holymadness

Click to expand...

As well they should. For you to insist on insurance is guaranteed to turn anyone off your product unless the item being bought is a $20 tie. When it's no longer a bargain, there's no point. You can't blame the buyer for that. No regular and reputed international seller, e.g. Angelicboris, FStyles, cksnipe, etc. insists on insurance for overseas buyers. I have never insisted on insurance for any of my SF purchases and have not had an incident since moving abroad last year. Tracking information is included on all airmail and it's more than sufficient to resolve any disputes if ever an item fails to arrive. I'm sorry, but being a seller requires being willing to take risk for profit.

This is not necessarily true. If someone pays by Paypal (as the majority of buyers do), then Paypal requires sellers to do several things. Paypal requires that you prove delivery of the item (which only certain expensive USPS shipping methods will do), and if the payment is over $250, Paypal requires that the seller insure the item. If you don't do these things, and the buyer claims they didn't receive the item, you've lost your money.

You seem to have been lucky. I used to be more lax with international shipping until I got burned for more than $1000 on 2 transactions.

Yes, being a seller requires taking a risk. That risk involves paying money up front for an item without knowing for sure that you will find a buyer willing to pay enough to make you a profit. It does not involve throwing packages into the void with no protection and simply trusting that they'll get there.

Originally Posted by tonio028

Click to expand...

I am able to do the customs forms electronically through paypal. Never had an issue and no handwriting involved.

Whether you fill out a form electronically or by hand, you're still filling out more forms. The time-sink is non-negligible (maybe it is for you, but I've got better things to do), and most often is not worth the effort for me.

Jeez customs forms, guys it takes less then 5mins. I usually fill it out in line which normally takes longer then 5mins. And unless you're sending priority or it's over 5lbs in that case you have to send priority anyways you don't have to fill out the long form. I'm sure someone already mentioned that you can track with the customs declaration number, so the only excuse for not wanting to ship overseas is "I'm lazy", nothing wrong with that.

Originally Posted by thats.mana

Click to expand...

Jeez customs forms, guys it takes less then 5mins. I usually fill it out in line which normally takes longer then 5mins. And unless you're sending priority or it's over 5lbs in that case you have to send priority anyways you don't have to fill out the long form. I'm sure someone already mentioned that you can track with the customs declaration number, so the only excuse for not wanting to ship overseas is "I'm lazy", nothing wrong with that.

Or "I have buyers here domestically, why bother with international?" The only time I even *consider* international is if I can't unload it locally/domestically (in that order). And if you're international, I have to know you through some medium or another (like through a forum, or through someone I know, etc). It saves on potential headaches further down the line. But again, that's just me. Your mileage may vary. You think "Oh, it's just another 5 minutes!" well, **** you. I can rub one out in 5 minutes if I'm determined and that's a more entertaining 5 minutes than filling out customs forms (it took me about 15 minutes, btw, but like I mentioned, that was unfamiliarity of the forms, reading every section to figure out what applied, what didn't, etc and I'm sure done frequently would reduce the time expenditure). That's a mighty broad brush you're painting with.

^^Do you sell often and in high volume? Only domestic transactions are ideal but if you want it and are willing to pay for it, it's yours. Waiting in line and filling out forms, I consider apart of the transaction.

Originally Posted by g transistor

Click to expand...

I've never refused, but I'm more wary of international shipping now. It just gets really annoying.

I do let people have some time to ship it though, because I understand that sometimes life just gets a bit too hectic. For myself, sometimes I ship stuff next day or sometimes it takes me a week, it really depends on my schedule at school and how soon I can get home. I always, always try to let the buyer know what's going on though, I'd hate to be left hanging like that.

International shipping can be a PITA, I sold a new member in Indonesia an NDG shirt I had back in December, around the 15th of 2008. I shipped the thing priority mail and a month later he still did not receive the goods. Drove me crazy because I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am trying to rip them off. Thankfully it arrived around the end of January 2009. Whenever I received payment, the buyers item is always sent out within 2 days, and so far no problems. I treat everyone as I would liked to be treated if the positions were reversed. So far, I have not encountered any scammers on SF, but sufu I shall avoid since a guy took my money for a bag 2 years ago and never delivered. Back then I was new there so nobody cared, the guy was on a rampage and scammed a couple other established members, most of whom he refunded, but me being a noob was never re compensated. This is why I don't venture on that site anymore.

PS. I appreciate buyers who let me know when the merchandise have arrived, there are some here who refuse to relay such minor details even after I requested it as part of the buyer/seller terms of agreement.

Originally Posted by sjmin209

Click to expand...

This is not necessarily true. If someone pays by Paypal (as the majority of buyers do), then Paypal requires sellers to do several things. Paypal requires that you prove delivery of the item (which only certain expensive USPS shipping methods will do), and if the payment is over $250, Paypal requires that the seller insure the item. If you don't do these things, and the buyer claims they didn't receive the item, you've lost your money.

You seem to have been lucky. I used to be more lax with international shipping until I got burned for more than $1000 on 2 transactions.

Yeah, I was a lot more lax until I ended up eating the price of a $350 coat. And that was lost within the U.S., which has a mail system far more reliable than those of many countries.

Beyond that, it's naive to assume that just because someone's an SFer, he's honest. Anyone can sign up for an account here.

You live overseas, you want my item, you pay for insurance. That simple, and it's disclosed in every one of my listings.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Click to expand...

Yeah, I was a lot more lax until I ended up eating the price of a $350 coat. And that was lost within the U.S., which has a mail system far more reliable than those of many countries. Beyond that, it's naive to assume that just because someone's an SFer, he's honest. Anyone can sign up for an account here. You live overseas, you want my item, you pay for insurance. That simple, and it's disclosed in every one of my listings.
Fair enough and that's your right. But your mistrust comes off as combative and your high prices will not only cost you sales, but force you to drop your prices. You may have 100% peace of mind every time you sell, but your margins will be tiny and you won't shift the stuff that's been sitting in your closet for years. Again, nothing wrong with that; different strokes for different folks. But please don't act as if: a) sellers are performing some sort of public service for buyers b) SF members are as inherently untrustworthy as the rest; people with thousands of posts, hundreds of purchases, and dozens of glowing recommendations in the B&S feedback thread can generally be counted on for more than assholery when things go south No need to create an ambiance of paranoia. The best sellers know that and are accordingly rewarded by the market.

Originally Posted by CharlieAngel

Click to expand...

Whether you fill out a form electronically or by hand, you're still filling out more forms. The time-sink is non-negligible (maybe it is for you, but I've got better things to do), and most often is not worth the effort for me.

It takes me no longer to do a domestic transaction online as it does an international one. Transactions take time and I am fully aware of that or I wouldn't be listing my items in the first place, it's just part of the game. But in the end, we all have our preferences and tolerances as long as there is full disclosure, it's all good to me.

The most annoying thing for me is low ballers. I mean hey we all want a deal in the B&S, but I think if we're all fairly knowledgeable around here, we all know what is a fair offer. When I list 3 things for a total of $100 for cheap and I get "I'll do those 3 plus this other item for $50", that's downright offensive. I've actually put users in "ignore" after that.

Originally Posted by holymadness

Click to expand...

Fair enough and that's your right. But your mistrust comes off as combative and your high prices will not only cost you sales, but force you to drop your prices. You may have 100% peace of mind every time you sell, but your margins will be tiny and you won't shift the stuff that's been sitting in your closet for years.

Again, nothing wrong with that; different strokes for different folks. But please don't act as if:

a) sellers are performing some sort of public service for buyers
b) SF members are as inherently untrustworthy as the rest; people with thousands of posts, hundreds of purchases, and dozens of glowing recommendations in the B&S feedback thread can generally be counted on for more than assholery when things go south

No need to create an ambiance of paranoia. The best sellers know that and are accordingly rewarded by the market.

This seems like a huge overreaction. "An ambience of paranoia" just because I require international insurance? What are you talking about?

The problem for international buyers, as has been asserted by others in this thread, is that a well-priced item tends to sell domestically. If you have that much trouble finding buyers in the U.S., you're doing something wrong.

Most of the stuff I sell is new, not stuff I've had sitting in my closet for years. Used stuff -- well, whatever. If it doesn't move, I'll donate it to Goodwill. But if I'm shipping a $300-$1,000 item overseas, especially to a country with a mail service known to be unreliable, I'd be a fool to cross my fingers and hope for the best.

I do take umbrage when sellers pre-emptively refuse to sell overseas. Here's how I respond to their reasons for doing so: 1. Sellers think it's more expensive. But no reasonable international buyer is going to ask you to eat a shipping surcharge. I always offer to pay the difference in shipping, upfront. 2. Sellers think it's less reliable/more likely to get lost. I would like to see some evidence of this. When a package goes awry in the states, it's bad luck and USPS' crummy service. But if it goes awry overseas, it must be because international shipping is untrustworthy. I don't see any logical causation in that. In my experience, the UK's royal mail and the French la poste are two of the most reliable postal services in the world. I've never had any trouble with Australian mail, either. I do admit there seems to be a pattern of products shipped to Canada getting lost/stuck indefinitely at customs, but that's one country. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. 3. Sellers think it's more hassle. Well, no one can tell you what your time is worth, but this is pretty feeble entrepreneurship in my opinion. However, I acknowledge that few people are trying to make a living on B&S so if it's not worth it, it's not worth it. I just think the possibility of a sale is not worth discarding because you dislike taking 5 minutes to fill in a customs form. And yes, it does create an atmosphere of paranoia. It broadcasts to others that the international buying/selling process is inherently less reliable than the domestic. I have yet to see any proof that this is so. It not only leaves in the cold a large number of SF members, but it cuts off sellers from a significant market. It makes B&S a little worse for everyone.

Originally Posted by CharlieAngel

Click to expand...

You know you still have to fill out the customs forms, right? It's still more hassle than it's worth, unless the recipient, as someone else noted, is more accomodating.
Customs can be done online and it's part of the printed label

Originally Posted by CharlieAngel

Click to expand...

Whether you fill out a form electronically or by hand, you're still filling out more forms. The time-sink is non-negligible (maybe it is for you, but I've got better things to do), and most often is not worth the effort for me.
You act as if it's some monumental task, it takes 5min to fill out the form in person and 30sec online

Originally Posted by rocks

Click to expand...

PS. I appreciate buyers who let me know when the merchandise have arrived, there are some here who refuse to relay such minor details even after I requested it as part of the buyer/seller terms of agreement.
Yeah, I normally ask if the item's arrived in about a week, don't want to forget about it and then have someone freak out at me 5months down the road for an item not showing up Many of my items sell overseas, and I've never had any problems (knock on wood), I've shipped to South Korea, Singapore, France, Canada, and a few other places I can't remember