International Shipping causes more problems....

[GoldenEraMTB]

Updated timeline...

11/17, auction closes
11/19, no word from buyer so I send the first invoice...no big deal. Buyer does not respond to my invoice.
11/23, buyer pays for item...again, no big deal, I'm not on fire to get a whopping 15 bucks. He paid within a week, OK I suppose, if not a wee slow. HOWEVER, November 23 was the wednesday before the US holiday weekend for Thanksgiving. No post on Thanksgiving.
11/28, Monday morning, I ship the item. It is the third weekday after the payment was made, and in spite of the holiday, within the three business days shipping window identified in the auction. I send buyer a note letting him know it shipped. And Thanks! Buyer does not respond to my note.
12/3, buyer sends me an inquiry about the item, concerned that he has not seen the package. It has only been 5 days! And oops...I am on holiday.
12/5, Buyer opens dispute with fleabay, complaining that he has no money, no part, and despite my contacting him with info about the transaction, twice to this point, he complains that I don't communicate. It has only been 7 calendar days since I told him it shipped. Someone, it seems, has an itchy trigger finger...
12/9, I get back from my weekend trip, see his premature concern, and again send him a note explaining that it is on the way, shipped on 11/28, and as its going from the states to Denmark, to give it some time. I also explain to him, through the ebay dispute console, all of the above listed items. Buyer does not respond to my direct note, OR to my response to the dispute.
12/11, Today, still no response from buyer to anything I've ever said regarding the status of the transaction. :shock: :cry: What gives?
12/17, Nothing from buyer...no return comments from my dispute response, so I sent him a direct question..."Did you get hub?"

And another week rolls on by...:roll:

he'll probably end up being one of those buyers that leaves nothing in terms of feedback. Sucks cause it keeps you thinking that he'll sneak a negative fb in the last minute. Don't stress it, as you can't make him leave you feedback...just assume it all went well...I guess

I must admit it is sometimes sad that certain sellers (on the bay) will not ship international as availibility on french market is thinner than UK or States.
but its getting rarer now

I believe int shipping just increases the audience so it should increase the price !

Appreciate that the vast majority of retrobikers accept to ship to France
when the item is of little value I always say Ill take the risk of non insurance.
I have bought quite a few things from international and has experienced a couple of mishaps only but seller was very nice and refunded.

Hate that german take only bank transfer as you can't do it by internet yet with french banks, and they charge you a fee

An anecdote : it took more than two month to get an item from New Zealand to France but I was cool as it was a retrobiker
Well when it arrived, the parcel was showing a first shipment to Malaysia !!!!! (even with my clear french address on it - drunken postman maybe )

so international shipping has its drawbacks
but it is a big plus overall - the world is much smaller now

Now all we need is a star trek transporter for out parts, and the world will be tiny

 

[T'boo Ted]

In over 250 ebay transactions only every had 1 problem (both buyer and seller, even sent 1 to Iran few months ago, that was a 1st)... and that was from the netherlands, $300 item never showed up, seller wouldnt reply...

Post to australia is funny though, I can get stuff sent from hong kong faster than sysdney (to hobart). and some of the box sizes they won't let in is silly. frames and wheels are bad, but huge aircraft carrier size boxes are fine??

 

[canuckinboston]

Well, I must say that I've been on both ends of the problem. I've had issues getting a pair of skewers from the UK (they showed up back at the seller's and are being re-sent) and I just was informed that a pair of Race Face cranks that I mailed via Canada Post to the UK about 3 weeks ago has disappeared into the transatlantic ether. If its not received I will have to refund the buyer. however, the cost of a tracking # in Canada would have made postage costs almost as much as the cost of the item! :x

 

[SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum]

Have sent hundreds of items overseas and never had any real issues. Had one buyer contact me three months after I shipped and it turned out he still had an old address on his paypal account but he was able to retrieve the parcel. I always ask the buyer to confirm their shipping address after they pay on every transaction now.

 

[DM]

More tales of German approaches to business:

I bought 2 items on Ebay.DE on the same day - both from business sellers.

The first item arrived the next morning, shortly after they sent me a confirmation email.
I was like "WHAT? HOW? :shock: Does the guy have a time-machine?".
Very impressed with the seller AND the mail service.

The second item?
I got a tracking number yesterday. The item was in-stock when I ordered it. So 7 days to just take the parcel to the post office.

I was HOPING to get the item before Christmas. But was EXPECTING it to be delayed in the mail = no problem.
I was NOT expecting the seller to sit on their arsch for a week, doing nothing.

I don't care if private sellers can't send items immediately - Because we all have jobs and other important commitments. But for business sellers, that IS their job....
[yeah, moan, moan, moan... ]

Some sellers refuse to send stuff to Italy.
Can they REALLY be worse at business than Germans?

 

[utahdog2003]

Buyer responded to my direct question, says he does not yet have the hub... :roll:

I will now clutch my shipping paperwork tightly with one hand and grab my ankles with the other, and hope for the best.

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

Buyer responded to my direct question, says he does not yet have the hub... :roll:

I will now clutch my shipping paperwork tightly with one hand and grab my ankles with the other, and hope for the best.

That's not a pretty picture

Best of luck, man. I hope this clown comes to his senses.

 

[obi-wan-mtb]

I will now clutch my shipping paperwork tightly with one hand and grab my ankles with the other, and hope for the best.

You always have to fill in a CN22 or CP72 form to ship abroad, right?
Do you get copies of that?
I think there is a number on there, although it is not "track/trace" service the postal service should somehow see in their system where the package is, I suppose....?

 

[utahdog2003]

I will now clutch my shipping paperwork tightly with one hand and grab my ankles with the other, and hope for the best.

You always have to fill in a CN22 or CP72 form to ship abroad, right?
Do you get copies of that?
I think there is a number on there, although it is not "track/trace" service the postal service should somehow see in their system where the package is, I suppose....?

CN22, yes, but there isn't a copy for me. :cry:

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

I will now clutch my shipping paperwork tightly with one hand and grab my ankles with the other, and hope for the best.

You always have to fill in a CN22 or CP72 form to ship abroad, right?
Do you get copies of that?
I think there is a number on there, although it is not "track/trace" service the postal service should somehow see in their system where the package is, I suppose....?

CN22, yes, but there isn't a copy for me. :cry:

They revised that form, and updated it so now there's a copy for the shipper, but that was introduced a week or two ago.