Trading/buying/selling are, by definition, voluntary activities. You are well within your rights to refuse such activity with anyone for any reason or no reason for that matter. If, for whatever reason, the guy was a twat to you in the past then that's just the consequence of his actions.
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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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International trading: How warped can it get
- Thread starter philwar
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2010
- Messages
- 9,851
I am pretty new here but have recently bought several knives from the predominantly good folks here. I have made HUNDREDS of purchases and sales to/from the US over the past 10 years or so and anyone who recognizes my user name from other forums I frequent will know of the reputation I believe I hold. Many folks I have bought/sold/hog traded with or plain old gifted or been gifted, I have gone on to meet in person on one of my many trips around the US. On a number of occasions I have shipped before my payment has arrived as the people buying from me have a similar reputation as I.
I guess what I am saying is that more than a "virtual identity". I also understand that some folks in the US do not want to ship here but I am lucky enough to have a couple of open shipping addresses available to me in the US (my friends think this is great as it gives THEM a level of alibi with their wives... you know how that goes... "mine....heck no...that is Andy shopping again"....I also understand that some may not be comfortable with this and so we can all part ways happily. I have also encountered a couple of cases of just plain ignorant/rude/churlish behaviour here and like the poster I have a long memory and will not find it in my heart to EVER sell to them no matter what the profit to me. That is my choice as it was to them to treat me so.
I would also like to OPENLY thank those members here who while I am new have done business with me without hesitation.
Andy
I guess what I am saying is that more than a "virtual identity". I also understand that some folks in the US do not want to ship here but I am lucky enough to have a couple of open shipping addresses available to me in the US (my friends think this is great as it gives THEM a level of alibi with their wives... you know how that goes... "mine....heck no...that is Andy shopping again"....I also understand that some may not be comfortable with this and so we can all part ways happily. I have also encountered a couple of cases of just plain ignorant/rude/churlish behaviour here and like the poster I have a long memory and will not find it in my heart to EVER sell to them no matter what the profit to me. That is my choice as it was to them to treat me so.
I would also like to OPENLY thank those members here who while I am new have done business with me without hesitation.
Andy
I live in Israel, and so far I had only one miss, a trade I did never went through because the package that was sent from the U.S was lost, this was while the package I sent myself got to the U.S quickly and safely.
The seller being an honest man returned my knife, but I can understand the reluctance of some people to sell outside the U.S.
It all boils down to shipping costs, the same knife you could ship safely for $13 in the U.S, you will need to ship for $ 50 internationally.
If you are willing (or if the buyer is willing to pay more) then a trade or a sale can be safe .
The seller being an honest man returned my knife, but I can understand the reluctance of some people to sell outside the U.S.
It all boils down to shipping costs, the same knife you could ship safely for $13 in the U.S, you will need to ship for $ 50 internationally.
If you are willing (or if the buyer is willing to pay more) then a trade or a sale can be safe .
There is one specific reason that I refuse to ship outside the USA.
No matter how clearly, even if I put it in 72pt. bold allcaps in the middle of the sale ad, and I thoroughly explain to the buyer via PM that sometimes international shipments take longer than a couple weeks due to customs and other delays, I STILL end up getting a dispute filed on my paypal account because the buyer is pissed off that their package is taking longer than two weeks, because they were too damn cheap to pay for decent shipping.
When I was doing a lot of online sales, it got to the point where I would make the buyers sign an online disclaimer stating that I would not be held responsible for any delays once the package left my hands, and if they were too cheap to purchase appropriate shipping that included tracking and insurance (example: Global express mail), they would agree to not hold me financially responsible for their shipping method choice. Even after doing that, I still ended up eating over $100 due to a buyer that wasn't able to cope with his own stupidy, and felt that I should have to pay the consequences for him being a cheapskate.
Anyways, I don't have anything personal against international buyers, but every time I hear the same old line, "Yeah, it's totally cool, I won't flip out if there's a delay", I end up waking up in the morning to find a paypal dispute notice in my inbox.
No matter how clearly, even if I put it in 72pt. bold allcaps in the middle of the sale ad, and I thoroughly explain to the buyer via PM that sometimes international shipments take longer than a couple weeks due to customs and other delays, I STILL end up getting a dispute filed on my paypal account because the buyer is pissed off that their package is taking longer than two weeks, because they were too damn cheap to pay for decent shipping.
When I was doing a lot of online sales, it got to the point where I would make the buyers sign an online disclaimer stating that I would not be held responsible for any delays once the package left my hands, and if they were too cheap to purchase appropriate shipping that included tracking and insurance (example: Global express mail), they would agree to not hold me financially responsible for their shipping method choice. Even after doing that, I still ended up eating over $100 due to a buyer that wasn't able to cope with his own stupidy, and felt that I should have to pay the consequences for him being a cheapskate.
Anyways, I don't have anything personal against international buyers, but every time I hear the same old line, "Yeah, it's totally cool, I won't flip out if there's a delay", I end up waking up in the morning to find a paypal dispute notice in my inbox.
As the seller it's on you to get the item there safely and in a timely manner, if the person doesn't want to pay any extra for faster shipping, insurance etc. don't deal with them. If you ship an item with zero tracking or even proof of postage is it any wonder people file a dispute when stuff doesn't turn up ?
I have had items posted literally all over the world from all over the world and the longest I have had to wait was about 3 weeks, still well with in PP dispute time limits.
You are calling people "stupid" and "cheapskates" yet you are the one going through with these deals and posting the items on those terms on numerous occasions by your own admission........
I have had items posted literally all over the world from all over the world and the longest I have had to wait was about 3 weeks, still well with in PP dispute time limits.
You are calling people "stupid" and "cheapskates" yet you are the one going through with these deals and posting the items on those terms on numerous occasions by your own admission........
Strong words, but maybe appropriate if someone freaked out even after he was duly warned.
I rarely sell Internationally for the very reasons iandh describes. If the shipment can't be tracked, forget it. If the buyer won't pay for trackable shipping, forget it.
I empathize with buyers who have to pay customs on top of everything else, but that doesn't mean that I will (a) send with bottom rate shipping or (b) claim the package is a gift or (c) misrepresent value.
I've had international buyers ask for all of the above.
Perhaps strong words are the order of the day, but how many times does something have to go wrong before one realises there is a problem that needs addressed ? Posting items time and again with out even trying to remedy the expected problem reminds me stongly of a particular quote with regards to stupidity. 
I agree with all the points you bring up though. I don't ask people to misrepresent anything on customs forms and I will happily pay the extra for insurance, tracking and possibly a shorter delivery time. I actually just bought a knife yesterday from a member that stated CONUS only but they were happy to sent it to me because I was fine about paying my way. I suppose he was probably familour with me from our time here on the forum as well so had a better feeling that I was "safe".
I agree with all the points you bring up though. I don't ask people to misrepresent anything on customs forms and I will happily pay the extra for insurance, tracking and possibly a shorter delivery time. I actually just bought a knife yesterday from a member that stated CONUS only but they were happy to sent it to me because I was fine about paying my way. I suppose he was probably familour with me from our time here on the forum as well so had a better feeling that I was "safe".
I am not a Dealer. I do, however, sell and trade a bit. 3-4 a month on an average.
It's MY knife, or it's MY money.Simple as that.
And I don't need an excuse for who to sell to.
And the reverse is true. That's how I was raised.
I have sold Internationally, 8 different items just this year.
Four of them were real hassles and two of those were real nightmares. And these are NOT the only times I have shipped overseas (from the US). In my experience, it's more likely than not to go South. Sorry, it is what it is.
And, as far as how "simple" it is to ship Internationally, uh uh.
I live 11 miles round trip from a Post Office. International costs me money and time over simply buying/printing labels on line, and having them picked up from my mail box.
So please, don't say it's a simple process, it's not for some of us.
And I have had that same problem with being hounded about delivery times. Most of the time it's delivered with in 2 weeks.
However, I had one package sent to NZ take 2 MONTHS. I had an email from the buyer EVERY DAY. And they got worse every day. I didn't get a charge back, but the buyer was just adamant that I was screwing him, altho the Customs tracking was showing the item had hit Customs.
And I had one item take 5 weeks just to get delivered in Canada. Same thing, an angry email nearly every day.
Then I had a buyer in Taiwan that started hounding me the day it hit customs. Luckily, that one was delivered in 11 business days. Who knows where it would have gone if it had taken 2 months.
And I ALWAYS get Confirmation, or use the Customs # to track. Some buyers still blame the seller if things get tied up.
Some people, that are shipped to Internationally, just don't get what "Customs" means for their Country. Nor can they get that I cannot control Customs.
Places like Saudi Arabia and some other Countries that "police" their citizens can get real sticky, real fast. It's just not worth the worry.
At this point, I really have to get a few conditions before I will ship.
I sent an item to HI recently (eBay sale). It took 22 days to be delivered. the tracking stopped in WA State and nothing changed for 13 days. The buyer was knowledgeable and didn't worry as much as I did. But, still, 22 days for the US mail to deliver.
Note: I have never bought from an International seller because I don't want the hassles. 2 weeks to 2 months, to 2 years is not acceptable to me. I know it's not the sellers fault, however. It's the delivery systems fault. So, I don't even do the deal, no matter how bad I want the knife.
It's MY knife, or it's MY money.Simple as that.
And I don't need an excuse for who to sell to.
And the reverse is true. That's how I was raised.
I have sold Internationally, 8 different items just this year.
Four of them were real hassles and two of those were real nightmares. And these are NOT the only times I have shipped overseas (from the US). In my experience, it's more likely than not to go South. Sorry, it is what it is.
And, as far as how "simple" it is to ship Internationally, uh uh.
I live 11 miles round trip from a Post Office. International costs me money and time over simply buying/printing labels on line, and having them picked up from my mail box.
So please, don't say it's a simple process, it's not for some of us.
And I have had that same problem with being hounded about delivery times. Most of the time it's delivered with in 2 weeks.
However, I had one package sent to NZ take 2 MONTHS. I had an email from the buyer EVERY DAY. And they got worse every day. I didn't get a charge back, but the buyer was just adamant that I was screwing him, altho the Customs tracking was showing the item had hit Customs.
And I had one item take 5 weeks just to get delivered in Canada. Same thing, an angry email nearly every day.
Then I had a buyer in Taiwan that started hounding me the day it hit customs. Luckily, that one was delivered in 11 business days. Who knows where it would have gone if it had taken 2 months.
And I ALWAYS get Confirmation, or use the Customs # to track. Some buyers still blame the seller if things get tied up.
Some people, that are shipped to Internationally, just don't get what "Customs" means for their Country. Nor can they get that I cannot control Customs.
Places like Saudi Arabia and some other Countries that "police" their citizens can get real sticky, real fast. It's just not worth the worry.
At this point, I really have to get a few conditions before I will ship.
I sent an item to HI recently (eBay sale). It took 22 days to be delivered. the tracking stopped in WA State and nothing changed for 13 days. The buyer was knowledgeable and didn't worry as much as I did. But, still, 22 days for the US mail to deliver.
Note: I have never bought from an International seller because I don't want the hassles. 2 weeks to 2 months, to 2 years is not acceptable to me. I know it's not the sellers fault, however. It's the delivery systems fault. So, I don't even do the deal, no matter how bad I want the knife.