Tschapka for sale in the USA only...
- Thread starter JR92
- Start date
ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
I still ship to Canada with no worries. But even to Europe, or Australia, and NZ, I'm getting more and more nervous. I'm holding my breath, expecting to get scammed or have an item not show up to the customer one day. I've been lucky thus far in my overseas sales.
But to explain why more and more sellers on USA eBay are not shipping overseas:
1.) Because if there is a claim against the item, PayPal refuses to cover the seller if they do not have full insurance on the package. This will be explained more below, in #3.
2.) Many (but not all) foreign buyers fuss and complain that they will have to pay very expensive customs fees if the seller lists the full auction price of the helmet on the customs form.
3.) See #1 & #2 Above to understand this part: A U.S.A. based seller who ships overseas is required by PayPal, to buy full insurance coverage on the package, to ensure that if there is a loss, that the seller will be covered. (So let's say the seller does indeed put full insurance coverage on the package). So figure that the package is safely and fully insured: the Customs Valuation must match the amount of insurance on the package. So who does the seller keep happy, PayPal (and themself, if there is a loss claim), or keep the customer happy by listing the Customs Value at a Low Value??? What I hear from other sellers what often happens is that the buyer either refuses the package, or leaves negative feedback for the seller because they refused to list the item as $75 or less on the customs paperwork.
4.) It is illegal for a US Citizen to cheat on a customs form, and lie about the value of an item. Some of you reading this may get a big laugh out of this statement. I'd hate to suffer the consequences of lying on a customs form.
5.) Unfortunately when shipping to some countries, one can only insure a package for a certain maximum amount of money. Often times if one has a $1,000.00 or more value helmet, it can't be insured when shipped to some countries in the world. Believe it or not, I've shipped to some European countries where there is a limit of $400 or $500 of insurance value that can be purchased on a package. I wonder how many bidders are aware of that fact? And what if the value of the helmet is $1,500.00, and the seller gets a PayPal claim on the helmet? The seller gets to "eat" the $1,000.00 that was not covered by insurance. That sucks, right?
6.) Is there any wonder that with all the hassles, and confusion with U.S. Postal regulations, the hassles with PayPal, the scams of sellers getting ripped off via PayPal claims with unscrupulous buyers who claim that they didn't receive an item, and with all the notorious customs and postal agents in other countries outside the USA who pilfer and steal from packages (like in Italy, to name one country that is notorious to ship to), is it any wonder that there are getting to be more USA sellers who don't want to ship something out of the USA???
I can only suggest what some buyers do: have the helmet shipped to a friend in the USA who is willing to cover the liability for you if there are problems with shipping the helmet outside the USA, or have them keep the helmet for you until you can meet them at a collector show, such as the S.O.S., or the MAX Show.
I wish you all the best in your buying endeavors.
All the Best,
Alan
But to explain why more and more sellers on USA eBay are not shipping overseas:
1.) Because if there is a claim against the item, PayPal refuses to cover the seller if they do not have full insurance on the package. This will be explained more below, in #3.
2.) Many (but not all) foreign buyers fuss and complain that they will have to pay very expensive customs fees if the seller lists the full auction price of the helmet on the customs form.
3.) See #1 & #2 Above to understand this part: A U.S.A. based seller who ships overseas is required by PayPal, to buy full insurance coverage on the package, to ensure that if there is a loss, that the seller will be covered. (So let's say the seller does indeed put full insurance coverage on the package). So figure that the package is safely and fully insured: the Customs Valuation must match the amount of insurance on the package. So who does the seller keep happy, PayPal (and themself, if there is a loss claim), or keep the customer happy by listing the Customs Value at a Low Value??? What I hear from other sellers what often happens is that the buyer either refuses the package, or leaves negative feedback for the seller because they refused to list the item as $75 or less on the customs paperwork.
4.) It is illegal for a US Citizen to cheat on a customs form, and lie about the value of an item. Some of you reading this may get a big laugh out of this statement. I'd hate to suffer the consequences of lying on a customs form.
5.) Unfortunately when shipping to some countries, one can only insure a package for a certain maximum amount of money. Often times if one has a $1,000.00 or more value helmet, it can't be insured when shipped to some countries in the world. Believe it or not, I've shipped to some European countries where there is a limit of $400 or $500 of insurance value that can be purchased on a package. I wonder how many bidders are aware of that fact? And what if the value of the helmet is $1,500.00, and the seller gets a PayPal claim on the helmet? The seller gets to "eat" the $1,000.00 that was not covered by insurance. That sucks, right?
6.) Is there any wonder that with all the hassles, and confusion with U.S. Postal regulations, the hassles with PayPal, the scams of sellers getting ripped off via PayPal claims with unscrupulous buyers who claim that they didn't receive an item, and with all the notorious customs and postal agents in other countries outside the USA who pilfer and steal from packages (like in Italy, to name one country that is notorious to ship to), is it any wonder that there are getting to be more USA sellers who don't want to ship something out of the USA???
I can only suggest what some buyers do: have the helmet shipped to a friend in the USA who is willing to cover the liability for you if there are problems with shipping the helmet outside the USA, or have them keep the helmet for you until you can meet them at a collector show, such as the S.O.S., or the MAX Show.
I wish you all the best in your buying endeavors.
All the Best,
Alan
it is getting harder to get packages from overseas as well.
My last helmet which I paid Air Frieght on, was held up in US customs for 60 day quarentine becuase of size of package, now it was one helmet, the package was not that big???
Had International tracking numbers, and sure enough, took 5 days to get it from France to USA, then 60 days just sitting there. Contacted customs and they told me I could speed up the process for a $100 fee.......
James
My last helmet which I paid Air Frieght on, was held up in US customs for 60 day quarentine becuase of size of package, now it was one helmet, the package was not that big???
Had International tracking numbers, and sure enough, took 5 days to get it from France to USA, then 60 days just sitting there. Contacted customs and they told me I could speed up the process for a $100 fee.......
James
ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
It was sure nice to meet you, Badener, at the S.O.S. a few weeks ago! It was amazing how we ran into eachother at Lance's offerings of Imperial German books. I hope things are going well for you with your injury recovery, and that you're back on your route now!
Yes, I can sympathize with your bad experience James. Sorry to hear that.
The minty Saxon M15 I purchased back the end of January got waylaid somewhere in our US Postal system for almost 3-weeks, simply coming from California to Iowa. It was supposed to be a 3-business day delivery, but turned into just shy of 3-weeks time. And to make matters worse: when the seller shipped it from their local post office, the postal person breeched protocol by not scanning in the tracking bar code on the package when the seller paid for delivery services, so there was absolutely no way to track the package. I was pretty upset, and furious about the whole situation, wondering if the helmet had been stolen, needless to say. When the box arrived, the seller had an old United Parcel Service label on the bottom of the box that she forgot to remove or deface, and another huge barcode label with only her name on the side of the box. That wasn't very smart on her part, as that was most likely the reason why the parcel was waylaid, due to confusion as to where it was supposed to actually go.
I can say that eBay's "monopolistic system" of using PayPal, and all the multitude of rules associated with the seller accepting payment and shipping, has ruined a lot of the business with overseas transactions for U.S. sellers.
As a side note, I still ship to France, Germany, England, Australia and New Zealand without much of a fear of loosing anything. I had a bad experience once shipping to ?Singapore once. It took about 45 days for customs to release a helmet to a buyer there. That was frustrating, as I was being accused of not shipping it, and it was not my fault. Customs agents can sure be jerks sometimes, even here in the U.S. from what James is stating, and what I've heard from others who import things as well.
All the Best,
Alan
Yes, I can sympathize with your bad experience James. Sorry to hear that.
The minty Saxon M15 I purchased back the end of January got waylaid somewhere in our US Postal system for almost 3-weeks, simply coming from California to Iowa. It was supposed to be a 3-business day delivery, but turned into just shy of 3-weeks time. And to make matters worse: when the seller shipped it from their local post office, the postal person breeched protocol by not scanning in the tracking bar code on the package when the seller paid for delivery services, so there was absolutely no way to track the package. I was pretty upset, and furious about the whole situation, wondering if the helmet had been stolen, needless to say. When the box arrived, the seller had an old United Parcel Service label on the bottom of the box that she forgot to remove or deface, and another huge barcode label with only her name on the side of the box. That wasn't very smart on her part, as that was most likely the reason why the parcel was waylaid, due to confusion as to where it was supposed to actually go.
I can say that eBay's "monopolistic system" of using PayPal, and all the multitude of rules associated with the seller accepting payment and shipping, has ruined a lot of the business with overseas transactions for U.S. sellers.
As a side note, I still ship to France, Germany, England, Australia and New Zealand without much of a fear of loosing anything. I had a bad experience once shipping to ?Singapore once. It took about 45 days for customs to release a helmet to a buyer there. That was frustrating, as I was being accused of not shipping it, and it was not my fault. Customs agents can sure be jerks sometimes, even here in the U.S. from what James is stating, and what I've heard from others who import things as well.
All the Best,
Alan
Hey Alan,
You mean the US postal system has a protocol that allows a package to be tracked? This is new to me, as every package I have paid tracking for, wether it was coming to me or out bound, could not be tracked, I usually ship with UPS in the US and the cheapest shipping includes tracking that is great. The best I have had on USPS tracking was when I was able to find out it was delivered. Fed Ex has gotten pretty good, way better than the beginning when they figured that if they were in the right county, they could just leave it on the closest door step.
Best
Gus
You mean the US postal system has a protocol that allows a package to be tracked? This is new to me, as every package I have paid tracking for, wether it was coming to me or out bound, could not be tracked, I usually ship with UPS in the US and the cheapest shipping includes tracking that is great. The best I have had on USPS tracking was when I was able to find out it was delivered. Fed Ex has gotten pretty good, way better than the beginning when they figured that if they were in the right county, they could just leave it on the closest door step.
Best
Gus
RON
Well-known member
Guys, I've experienced pretty much all postal systems in the world since I also collect stamps that I usually buy off eBay (these hobbies are ruining me!). So far the best tracking system I've experienced is CanadaPost and this isn't only cause I'm biased! They actually allow the tracking of foreign (inbound) registered packs as well; which isn't the case with USPS for instance. You also have access to the recipient's confirmation signature! (ideal for subsequent forgeries 
)
As I'm currently working in Lebanon (no not Lebanon PA; The Lebanon in the Middle East where all the world's action seems to happen) and often travel back to Canada where I used to live, I get all the big stuff (militaria) shipped to my address in Montreal and the stamps to Lebanon. So for those of you who've seen my Most Wanted List here on the Forum and are reluctant to approach me still, rest assured the militaria goes to Canada!
Lebanon has a very slow mail delivery system yet very safe especially when registered (inbound or outbound). I've never ever lost a single mail if registered. However Customs are quite greedy and try to rip you off whenever they see a big package arriving even if declared value is low. They end-up doing their own assessments which are usually inflated, not to mention the damage risks upon inspection. This is why I usually get all my fairly large militaria packs shipped to Montreal.
Enjoy your weekend!
)As I'm currently working in Lebanon (no not Lebanon PA; The Lebanon in the Middle East where all the world's action seems to happen) and often travel back to Canada where I used to live, I get all the big stuff (militaria) shipped to my address in Montreal and the stamps to Lebanon. So for those of you who've seen my Most Wanted List here on the Forum and are reluctant to approach me still, rest assured the militaria goes to Canada!
Lebanon has a very slow mail delivery system yet very safe especially when registered (inbound or outbound). I've never ever lost a single mail if registered. However Customs are quite greedy and try to rip you off whenever they see a big package arriving even if declared value is low. They end-up doing their own assessments which are usually inflated, not to mention the damage risks upon inspection. This is why I usually get all my fairly large militaria packs shipped to Montreal.
Enjoy your weekend!
pointystuff
Active member
On April 19 eBay will begin using the price of an item plus shipping to calculate final value fees. This is supposed to encourage sellers to give buyers a break on postage. 
Thank you Alan, that explains a great deal. I had expresed my frustration over this on a previous post, now I understand. However, as I said I have not had a refusal from a US seller to deliver to Canada when I contacted them. The frustration does occur when the US seller refuses all questions about the item and "is not available" so you can not even ask. How can Ebay justify charging fees on postage costs when they have nothing to do with shipping??? What a money grab!! Almost as bad as Ontarios' infamous HST tax. I would also remind everyone of our For Sale section on the forum. We don't charge fees and you certainly have access to over 700 collector/members.
b.loree said:
I have. Several times. We Canuks are scary foreigners (pronounced fur-iners) to some people. (insert bango twang here)
joerookery
Well-known member
I am not a big shipper. When I ship something expensive I prefer to use Federal Express or United Parcel Service. They are extremely expensive but fairly certain.
I receive a great deal of mail from Germany. I cannot speak about France, England, Italy or other areas. However, as a receiver in the United States my observations are two-fold. DHL works in Europe but does not work in the United States. DHL packages enter into the United States post office system. Expectations that they can be tracked fall by the wayside. I really dislike DHL as they seem to be slower, cost more, and are no different than any other package.
Registered mail in general is a pain in the rear. Apparently this offers some sort of security in Europe. However, it just means that it will be handled in United States. You have a higher chance of getting the material in the United States if it is not a registered letter. Therefore, if you are at home when the mailman brings the letter you must sign for it before you receive it. If you are not at home the mailman leaves you a little pink slip. At least she does In theory. So if you are not at home when the mailman arrives you could get a pink slip or not. If you do receive a pink slip you must travel from your home to the post office to collect the letter. Once you have arrived at the post office you must wait in line and hope that the letter can be located. If it can be located you will receive it. If it cannot be located or if you have come to the post office after some time the letter will either disappear into the atmosphere or be returned to sender. You cannot–cannot locate the letter based on the registration number. The post office will go through several motions but you will never see that letter again.
I have had several German sellers send me registered letters that disappear. The seller sends receipts and information about the registration number. If the seller starts an inquiry through the German Post Office you will at least hear about a search however, the letter will not be recovered.
I no longer claim any sort of PayPal collection with people I deal with regularly I just urge them not to use registered mail. If normal mail is used the letter is just left in your mailbox. The chances of it getting there are very good.
These experiences referred to both books and postcards. I have not bought a helmet without Federal Express that I can remember. :laughing2: :laughing2:
Everyone should watch the movie "Strange Brew" It is a great study of the Canadian, and proves that they live up to the Hitch Hiker's Guide and being mostly harmless.
Hey Joe, I am lucky to live in an area where the mailmen (who are mostly women except for Carl Malone who runs route 4) are contract workers, and not postal emploies. We do not often have to wait in line at the post office either. It is more fun when we do, and I usually complain to the girl behind the counter that she is so slow that there is always a line, once the was a cop in the line (about 6 people at Christmas rush) and she hollered back to him, this is the one you are looking for as she pointed at me.
Banks are another thing that are noce here, Mark G once kidded me because I have never used an ATM, I pointed out that we have one in town, but it does not give you candy when you cash a check. And not many areas can you walk into a bank with a shotgun with out causing a stir. People often ask why I would carry a shot gun into a bank, and the simple answer is that it was safer than leaving it in the scabbard on my jeep, heck, we have criminals here too. It is not like we are in the boon tules out here.
Best
Gsu
Hey Joe, I am lucky to live in an area where the mailmen (who are mostly women except for Carl Malone who runs route 4) are contract workers, and not postal emploies. We do not often have to wait in line at the post office either. It is more fun when we do, and I usually complain to the girl behind the counter that she is so slow that there is always a line, once the was a cop in the line (about 6 people at Christmas rush) and she hollered back to him, this is the one you are looking for as she pointed at me.
Banks are another thing that are noce here, Mark G once kidded me because I have never used an ATM, I pointed out that we have one in town, but it does not give you candy when you cash a check. And not many areas can you walk into a bank with a shotgun with out causing a stir. People often ask why I would carry a shot gun into a bank, and the simple answer is that it was safer than leaving it in the scabbard on my jeep, heck, we have criminals here too. It is not like we are in the boon tules out here.
Best
Gsu
joerookery
Well-known member
Yes well when Moses wandered in the desert for 40 years he was looking for your house.
stephane_avesnes
New member
Interesting topic
I bought certainly 2 or 300 items in the US over the last 10 years and had no problem with parcels, just one or two difficulties with customs, the parcel went back to the US and I paid a second time the shipping, once the seller paid and refused my refund, a very nice guy !
Buying in the US is less risky than in other countries in Europe (Germany for instance), since sellers are almost always honest and reliable, I have to say that,
next year I come to the SoS hopeffuly and will ask you guys to bring my purchases of the year in your luggage :lol:
have a nice week end
Steve
I bought certainly 2 or 300 items in the US over the last 10 years and had no problem with parcels, just one or two difficulties with customs, the parcel went back to the US and I paid a second time the shipping, once the seller paid and refused my refund, a very nice guy
!Buying in the US is less risky than in other countries in Europe (Germany for instance), since sellers are almost always honest and reliable, I have to say that,
next year I come to the SoS hopeffuly and will ask you guys to bring my purchases of the year in your luggage :lol:
have a nice week end
Steve