Why does every shock I post or buy from overseas get lost?

[Betsy]

I've got 3 German friends, one lives in Berlin, one in Singen and one in Schutterwald, we ship things to each other almost weekly, albeit more comes in than goes out.. maybe there's a metaphor in there? i ship out using RM International Signed For and they ship in using Päckchen M, only minimum value is ever declared (i wouldn't recommend this approach for folks you don't consider friends) but the tracking works every step of the way door to door with proof of sig online, so there's still hope. Keep the faith people!

Please remember Euro-peeps, only 51% of us Brits voted for this nonsense

 

[Betsy]

I'd like to see European bike shops change their approach from 'No UK Shipping/Min Order Value' to fast-tracking UK orders..

..but only for remoaners.. y'know, just as a 'thanks for trying'

 

[ishaw]

I'd like to see European bike shops change their approach from 'No UK Shipping/Min Order Value' to fast-tracking UK orders..

..but only for remoaners.. y'know, just as a 'thanks for trying'

Sadly, the best you are going to get is higher and higher prices from UK bike shops as a thank you to the wonderful brexiteers who believed everything they saw written on the side of a bus, or came out of the mouths of our amazing PM and his cronies.

Anyway, back on topic.

Declaring a nominal value is useless if you want to insure the item in case it is lost, which for me has been 100% of the time (shipping to Germany, France, Switzerland and Sweden so far) Thankfully I've had the cover and jumped through the pain and hoops to get it.

The point being, it should not be like this, you should not have to lie about value, only post to friends. Stuff you post should get to its final destination.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Please remember Euro-peeps, only 51% of us Brits voted for this nonsense

Actually it wasn't 51% (51.9 %), it was:
~37% voted lets fúck things up
~35% voted Farage is a nob
~28% couldn't be arsed, couldn't make it or forgot.
of us Brits...

and it was just an opinion poll of sorts ;-)

The Government then went and fucked it right up by thinking that was a major majority, with shitty media pressure etc.

 

[Peachy!]

Actually it wasn't 51%, it was:
~37% voted lets fúck things up
~35% voted Farage is a nob
~28% couldn't be arsed, couldn't make it or forgot.

and it was just an opinion poll ;-)

The Government then went and fucked it right up by thinking that was a major majority, with shitty media pressure etc.

And that’s 37% of the voting public so that (I think) was something like only 21% of the Nation! FFS!

 

[FluffyChicken]

It was 5 years ago now, wonder what it would be like if they hadn't hidden a lot of it as Covid logistic problems (which some/most obviously is)

 

[Craigmount]

Query: Given the problems with overseas tracking and deliveries, is it a much safer option to use the Global Shipping Programme if selling abroad on EBay?
That way you only need to track it to the GPS service destination in the UK. After that, the responsibility shifts. So then it becomes as safe/secure as selling to a UK buyer?

 

[ishaw]

Query: Given the problems with overseas tracking and deliveries, is it a much safer option to use the Global Shipping Programme if selling abroad on EBay?
That way you only need to track it to the GPS service destination in the UK. After that, the responsibility shifts. So then it becomes as safe/secure as selling to a UK buyer?

No. eBay GSP is even worse. Everything I've sent via that has been lost, eBay are little to no help and don't have an escalation point with their provider (Pitney Bowes) other than email, wait 72 hours, then email again until the end of time. You can't talk to piney Bowes direct either. I had to threaten legal action to get my money back for a lost set of forks. The shock I bought from the USA was also via GSP and that was lost too.

I trust eBay GSP even less than other couriers based on my own experience and the many many others who have suffered because of it (search online, soooo many examples).

As for eBay itself, it's fees are now stupidly high, their payment method for sellers takes too long and leaves you exposed, having to post an item before you've received payment. I've not sold on their for some time now, won't until they see sense and sort themselves out and become viable again.

 

[d8mok]

Issue with that is that the buyer then says item isn’t as described and you have to pay the silly cost of getting it back and they know this.

Let’s be clear - the postage situation is a minor problem which unscrupulous buyers use as a lever. Once that item has left the Uk so has 99% of your control. Selling abroad now is a mugs game that’s stacked against you.

I’d say if i sold 100 items to the UK I’d maybe have a issue with 1 or mostly 0. This could be it being lost,delayed or a awkward buyer. It’s so rare now. I’m super honest and have very little issues.

Sell 10 items abroad and 8 will have issues with the buyer or tracking. Usually made up issues too. Or they want a refund for something you stated i the advert or something else irrelevant.

 

[ishaw]

In my cases it is not the buyer, it is the postal service. Investigations highlight parcel as lost, buyers aren't unscrupulous, just shoddy postal service/customs.

Agree that I have barely have any issues with UK postage in decades.