I live in Slovakia, part of EU. My last two shipments were dispatched from Miami International USPS facility. Both were in our customs within 5 days. I use cheapest USPS first class mail international - both fully tracked outside USA and also on slovak post webpage.
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International shipping
- Thread starter Chris*33
- Start date
I live in Slovakia, part of EU. My last two shipments were dispatched from Miami International USPS facility. Both were in our customs within 5 days. I use cheapest USPS first class mail international - both fully tracked outside USA and also on slovak post webpage.
As Peter mentioned earlier, I feel the biggest risk in selling internationally is that even if the buyer is willing to accept the risk (they usually are, I find) you do have to trust them to keep to their word if something does go wrong. People are generally trustworthy, but if a US$1000+ knife goes missing, the buyer would really need to be a man of their word to not file a PayPal dispute.
I have asked international buyers to explicitly state in the notes when sending money that they accept the risk of any loss once the package leaves the US, but I have no idea if PayPal would honor that if something did go very wrong.
Beyond that, there is also inherent risk simply in the fact that shipping is more complicated - it's going through more hands, so more chances of something going wrong. There was a thread here recently where a package from (I believe) the US to Australia ended up in Russia. Similarly, I sent a package to Sweden, where the postal code in Sweden happened to be the same as a US ZIP code in Arizona. That completely screwed up USPS's tracking systems. The package arrived, but the only way I knew that is the buyer told me - USPS tracking still says it's on it's way to Arizona (after ~6 months). If it had gotten lost, I'd have to eat the cost as I'd have no way of knowing if it got lost in the US or in Sweden.
Customs can also be finicky, even when the knives are technically legal to import. Canada has their thing going on right now, but I still here from Canadian buyers that they've had knives get through since the CBSA changes without problems. Likewise, I've sent a few knives to a guy in Denmark without issues, while Giant Mouse's website specifically says they won't ship to Denmark due to customs issues.
Regarding freight forwarders, there was a thread here a while back about issues with that. A US seller sent a knife to a freight forwarder, and when it eventually arrived abroad, it was poorly packaged and damaged. The buyer wanted their money back, but the US seller claims he packaged it correctly, and the forwarder screwed it up. Given the amount of positive feedback the seller had, I believe him, but how do you prove it? That thread basically acted as a warning to US sellers to not ship to forwarders.
I have asked international buyers to explicitly state in the notes when sending money that they accept the risk of any loss once the package leaves the US, but I have no idea if PayPal would honor that if something did go very wrong.
Beyond that, there is also inherent risk simply in the fact that shipping is more complicated - it's going through more hands, so more chances of something going wrong. There was a thread here recently where a package from (I believe) the US to Australia ended up in Russia. Similarly, I sent a package to Sweden, where the postal code in Sweden happened to be the same as a US ZIP code in Arizona. That completely screwed up USPS's tracking systems. The package arrived, but the only way I knew that is the buyer told me - USPS tracking still says it's on it's way to Arizona (after ~6 months). If it had gotten lost, I'd have to eat the cost as I'd have no way of knowing if it got lost in the US or in Sweden.
Customs can also be finicky, even when the knives are technically legal to import. Canada has their thing going on right now, but I still here from Canadian buyers that they've had knives get through since the CBSA changes without problems. Likewise, I've sent a few knives to a guy in Denmark without issues, while Giant Mouse's website specifically says they won't ship to Denmark due to customs issues.
Regarding freight forwarders, there was a thread here a while back about issues with that. A US seller sent a knife to a freight forwarder, and when it eventually arrived abroad, it was poorly packaged and damaged. The buyer wanted their money back, but the US seller claims he packaged it correctly, and the forwarder screwed it up. Given the amount of positive feedback the seller had, I believe him, but how do you prove it? That thread basically acted as a warning to US sellers to not ship to forwarders.
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Glad someone started this thread. I live in Australia, and often strike the "no shipping outside CONUS" wall too. Buying from
Australian sellers tends to be around 20-30% more expensive. I like to buy European knives from a European company like Lamnia or ColtelleriaCollini, and US knives from US stores. But sometimes the postage is exorbitant. Like, $70 for a few small knives. I'd recommend USPS Priority - full tracking, reasonable speed and price. It's really not much effort to send something this way. But just make sure you go crazy with the tape before you send it. The last thing a buyer wants to receive is a mangled empty envelope. And yeah, buyers, don't ask the seller to low-ball the value for Customs. That's a dick move.
As far as freight forwarders go, it's a great idea. I'd recommend UStoOz, ComGateway or MyUS. I used to use Shipito, but after years of great service and then a few recent years of god-awful in-the-toilet customer service, I just cancelled with them last week. I would avoid them like syphilis. In fact, I've been thinking of writing up a dedicated Shipito GBU post...
I would really encourage sellers here to consider shipping overseas. Please please please. There's so much we'd love to get, but can't. As long as the buyer takes full responsibility, doesn't insist on a lower declared value, and pays extra for full tracking and maybe insurance, I don't see that it's a huge hassle.
Australian sellers tends to be around 20-30% more expensive. I like to buy European knives from a European company like Lamnia or ColtelleriaCollini, and US knives from US stores. But sometimes the postage is exorbitant. Like, $70 for a few small knives. I'd recommend USPS Priority - full tracking, reasonable speed and price. It's really not much effort to send something this way. But just make sure you go crazy with the tape before you send it. The last thing a buyer wants to receive is a mangled empty envelope. And yeah, buyers, don't ask the seller to low-ball the value for Customs. That's a dick move.
As far as freight forwarders go, it's a great idea. I'd recommend UStoOz, ComGateway or MyUS. I used to use Shipito, but after years of great service and then a few recent years of god-awful in-the-toilet customer service, I just cancelled with them last week. I would avoid them like syphilis. In fact, I've been thinking of writing up a dedicated Shipito GBU post...
I would really encourage sellers here to consider shipping overseas. Please please please. There's so much we'd love to get, but can't. As long as the buyer takes full responsibility, doesn't insist on a lower declared value, and pays extra for full tracking and maybe insurance, I don't see that it's a huge hassle.
Peter Hartwig
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I'll just add a couple things to my original post
1. Buyer assuming risk-I have not had any members that didn't keep to their word, though of course they were not happy with the loss. This in turn makes me unhappy also. I don't feel right taking someone's money and them getting nothing or my knives disappearing.
2. I am much more likely to agree to send international if I can insure and get tracking. USPS doesn't insure and offer tracking everywhere, and I ship so infrequently that I am not sure of their rules -which leads to 3.
3. It would be extremely helpful if the buyer knew and could convey the proper procedure to ship to them. As I said I ship very infrequently internationally and rarely have to the same country. So each event requires me to do research on costs, methods, if I can insure and get tracking(not always available) and what that costs. Taking that extra work out of the equation, would make me more agreeable-though I still would rather the buyer had a US address to send to-that I know how to do properly
1. Buyer assuming risk-I have not had any members that didn't keep to their word, though of course they were not happy with the loss. This in turn makes me unhappy also. I don't feel right taking someone's money and them getting nothing or my knives disappearing.
2. I am much more likely to agree to send international if I can insure and get tracking. USPS doesn't insure and offer tracking everywhere, and I ship so infrequently that I am not sure of their rules -which leads to 3.
3. It would be extremely helpful if the buyer knew and could convey the proper procedure to ship to them. As I said I ship very infrequently internationally and rarely have to the same country. So each event requires me to do research on costs, methods, if I can insure and get tracking(not always available) and what that costs. Taking that extra work out of the equation, would make me more agreeable-though I still would rather the buyer had a US address to send to-that I know how to do properly
Railsplitter
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Very good question. I have no idea what the answer is.
Peter Hartwig
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Credit card company would likely be the more problematic.
It would be best if the address shipped to was listed on the PP account to avoid problems with them
Again a lot of this comes down to how much you can count on the buyers word & honesty. They really shouldn't file a claim if it got to the forwarding co.
It's not just international shipments that depend on ones word & honesty-the whole exchange works on it.
Regarding freight forwarders, there was a thread here a while back about issues with that. A US seller sent a knife to a freight forwarder, and when it eventually arrived abroad, it was poorly packaged and damaged. The buyer wanted their money back, but the US seller claims he packaged it correctly, and the forwarder screwed it up. Given the amount of positive feedback the seller had, I believe him, but how do you prove it? That thread basically acted as a warning to US sellers to not ship to forwarders.[/QUOTE]
Good to know
Good to know
Ahoj from Slovenia! I actually had a knife I bought off BladeForums mistakenly send to Slovakia by the seller once.
It turned up eventually. Luckily that happened to me only once so far. I too would have bought many more a knife in the past if it wasn't for 'CONUS only' as you really can get good deals here on the exchange. I'm thankful to everyone here that was willing and trustful enough to sell and ship to me. I also understand some of the concerns US sellers have, especially in my case. I don't have a paid membership, I don't post all that much to be well known in the community and I live in a country many haven't even heard about (Slovenia), so I always explain that it's part of the EU in case someone thinks it's some godforsaken third world hellhole.
Afterall people can't know whether or not you're trustworthy and stick to your end of the deal. So far I was able to buy or even trade knives with some members here and I must say all deals were satisfactory. My experience with USPS is quite good so far and many other foreign postal services also (German, Lithuanian, British, South African etc). I've heard about the Italian one really taking its time. I stick to our Slovene Post when shipping abroad and there have been no complaints. Gets to the US quicker than the other way around.
From my perspective (as an American living in the Netherlands), a few simple rules make overseas shipments work well. The first is to always declare the true sale price as the customs value of the shipment (I actually think that it is kind of wrong for a buyer to even ask otherwise). The buyer knows how much will be tacked on at import and should account for that when making the purchase. The second is to always use tracked shipping with full insurance and signature. Many countries have very good postal services with good hand-offs from USPS (meaning no drop-out of tracking). When in doubt, go FedEx or UPS. And goods and services, of course. These things will generally protect both buyer and seller.
As I am in the US a couple of times a year, I can generally circumvent all of the hassles, but, when I want something right away, I just bite the bullet and pay for it...
As I am in the US a couple of times a year, I can generally circumvent all of the hassles, but, when I want something right away, I just bite the bullet and pay for it...
knifeswapper
Knife Peddler
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The reason sellers love freight forwarders is that once it is delivered to the buyers ship-to address, the sellers responsibility ends. No worrying about customs paperwork, loss in another countries postal system, etc. The reason buyers love freight forwarders is that they can hold orders for combining from several sellers; fill out there own paperwork however they wish; and have it shipped via whatever method they prefer.
Crooks also like freight forwarders because they can steal a foreign credit card, go on a buying spree, and have the knives forwarded before the credit card companies figure it out. So I would recommend requiring that anyone using a forwarder pay via paypal - even if they still pay with a credit card. Fraud protection is just much better.
Also, one thing not discussed much are the materials that should be labeled for U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspection. Stag, pearl, abalone, buffalo horn, most ebony and rosewood should be shipped from a seller with an export license and be declared on the label. It will require a $95 inspection fee, per box, and the fines if caught without the declaration can get fairly steep. Sting operations are fairly simple as you just have a foreign buyer purchase a stag handled knife then send FWS (Fish and Wildlife) the tracking number. If the seller doesn't properly declare and pay the fees, they can fine them for that package and all previous packages.
Alot of good information. I can see why sellers are reluctant to ship overseas. I didn't even realize about stag,abalone etc being an export issue. We also arent fluent in other Countries laws with customs etc. The other thing is I'm sure tracking can be more of an issue once in hands of foreign shippers. Then if you can even insure the parcel, whats the chances of a courier, like USPS paying for a loss outside of the USA? Especially when they aren't even directly responsible handling the parcel anymore. I'd be very surprised they would pay a claim once it leaves the USA. It's one thing paying insurance and another trying to collect bon a claim
Will Power
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Of course it's every seller's right to decide whom they are going to sell . I don't mind American members saying they opt out of overseas deals provided they are polite about it. Sometimes I've had boorish responses about overseas thieves and 3rd world-sink holes- is it?
In such cases I know I'm dealing with the ignorant and that's a poor basis of trust
My way has been to establish respectful contacts and friendships with people here who are willing to send on a knife from the USA if they seller refuses to counternance the ordeal of international postage. It works well although I am reluctant to bother people too much with this, however, from the p.o.v. of legal dealing to my country such a transfer is a gift as no money has changed hands between me and the sender on, bar postage costs.
I've never had any packets go missing and I do prefer to deal direct with the seller. Some people have talked about 1000 USD knives, well in such cases they must be properly insured and sign on delivery, otherwise both parties are acting wrecklessly-pretty obvious really. it can go both ways, somebody might send a substandard knife or not fully disclosed to an non US address reasoning that the trouble of sending it back to get a refund (or not...) will protect their scam. That can happen.
But, so far, all my dealings including the 'dreaded' Bay have been really OK, that's what all knife enthusiasts want, worldwide.
Regards, Will
In such cases I know I'm dealing with the ignorant and that's a poor basis of trustMy way has been to establish respectful contacts and friendships with people here who are willing to send on a knife from the USA if they seller refuses to counternance the ordeal of international postage. It works well although I am reluctant to bother people too much with this, however, from the p.o.v. of legal dealing to my country such a transfer is a gift as no money has changed hands between me and the sender on, bar postage costs.
I've never had any packets go missing and I do prefer to deal direct with the seller. Some people have talked about 1000 USD knives, well in such cases they must be properly insured and sign on delivery, otherwise both parties are acting wrecklessly-pretty obvious really. it can go both ways, somebody might send a substandard knife or not fully disclosed to an non US address reasoning that the trouble of sending it back to get a refund (or not...) will protect their scam. That can happen.
But, so far, all my dealings including the 'dreaded' Bay have been really OK, that's what all knife enthusiasts want, worldwide.
Regards, Will
The common problems associated with international selling/shipping seem pretty well covered.
There is another form of payment that I have found European buyers comfortable with , and it eliminates the PAyPal dispute: direct bank transfer.
The buyer can assume all fees (my bank and his), and PayPal will not be able to come after the seller up
to 6 months later.
This doesn’t eliminate possible communication errors, but serious buyers have not balked at this: in fact the have suggested and requested bank transfer.
There is another form of payment that I have found European buyers comfortable with , and it eliminates the PAyPal dispute: direct bank transfer.
The buyer can assume all fees (my bank and his), and PayPal will not be able to come after the seller up
to 6 months later.
This doesn’t eliminate possible communication errors, but serious buyers have not balked at this: in fact the have suggested and requested bank transfer.
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Last parcel from Poland circled over the Atlantic for nine days - per USPS Tracking. We seem to be behind in aircraft tech compared to the Poles. 
Or it sat at JFK for some days.
Or it sat at JFK for some days.
Peter Hartwig
Gold Member
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Not sure about scam, but it could happen. Though if I were an international buyer, I would certainly go over the description and condition very closely to make sure I would be getting what I thought I was getting. Costs of returning and expenses incurred in getting it could make it unreasonable to return. Some are a little weak on disclosure or could just miss something. This isn't the transaction you want the seller to miss something on.