Why do so many of the US Guys don't sell to Europe?

morrowj_98 said:
I don't have trouble selling knives when my sale is marked "U.S. Only." If I can sell knives without trouble, why should I take on the extra hassle and risk shipping to overseas or to Canada? I gain nothing but the potential for future problems. It is an unfortunate reality.
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Correction... It is a perceived reality. In the end your perogative though a little narrow in vision on your part.;)
 
Tony8179 said:
I don't ship overseas because I had knife "disappear" once it reached customs. I received about 20 emails accusing me of being a thief, a liar, and an overall piece of garbage. Then the threats started about him telling anyone who was interested in my sales threads that I was a scammer, a liar, and a thief. This continued until I told the guy that I would refund his $425.00 back to him. So I was out the knife and the $425.00. I can't tell you how many times I apologized and even before I shipped it, how many times I told him that I wasn't responsible for the package once it left the US.

That's the last time I shipped overseas. It's just something I won't do anymore unless I've dealt with the person before. I will usually ship to Canada if the buyer pays the extra fees because I've never had an issue besides a couple things taking a little too long to get there.
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That is out of order on his part, some people are way more up tight and quick to jump to conclusions that are unjust than others. I personally would prefer to pay for insured shipping and tracking that would cover both of us in the event of a disaster. If I am "flexing the law" then I personally would take that loss on the chin, if not then I would let the insurance claim run it's course and accept what ever the out come would be.

Having had the pleasure of traveling the world and meeting many people I have realise that knife people are some of the best there are, regardless of their county of origin. That dosn't mean were all good but try and not let one worm in an apple put you off apples. :):thumbup:
 
tendy said:
Correction... It is a perceived reality. In the end your perogative though a little narrow in vision on your part.;)
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The nonsense Canadian customs puts it citizens through is well documented on this very site. There is nothing perceived or narrow in my vision. You got the prerogative part right.
 
Luckily for me there are still some well enough-priced and highly-rated ebay vendors who do ship abroad.
Whenever possible I ask for an USPS Global Priority envelope. They are not too slow (usually between 1 and 2 weeks), not too expensive (vendors ask max $15), can be used to ship 2 Spyderco knives to give you an idea about the inner space, and I have perfect reliability experience with them. I've had a few issues with amazon deliveries but never with USPS Global Priority envelopes.
Now Belgian customs do not confiscate knives (but to be a bit more sure, I often ask to write "camping tool" on the envelope - which is not stretching the reality too much), I can imagine that they would not arrive in the UK.
There is also a reasonable chance that these envelopes simply bypass my local customs, so I have noticed, which never happened with signed-for-receipt boxes.
Meanwhile I almost always order Spydercos (and a handful of other American brands) through the same 2 or 3 ebay dealers with whom I have perfect experience, and they know I am a trusted customer.
 
I shipped a knife to Antwerp, Belgium this spring. Customs held on to the knife for over two months. I felt so bad for the fellow I traded with. He was a good sport and all but very frustrated.
 
Reasons: Hassles in sending, sometimes getting stuck with the "short end of the stick" when estimating postage, customs, less recourse if something goes wrong, etc. All that said, I have sold outside CONUS a few times and it's always worked out OK, so either I'm lucky, or maybe it's not really as bad as I think. :D

- Mark
 
morrowj_98 said:
The nonsense Canadian customs puts it citizens through is well documented on this very site. There is nothing perceived or narrow in my vision. You got the prerogative part right.
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I am acutely aware of Canada Customs idiosyncrasies, I live here. That said I have bought over 300 knives from the USA and the world. Yet I have only experienced two major problems, and those were both tax issues, not a bad average. It is easy to pinpoint the negative but the reality is it is not that bad. You just need to be patient and have a sense of humour. My rules for purchasing "Internationally" 1. When buying a folding knife, have the seller tighten the pivot, if the the knife can be flicked open with one hand, try to buy local. 2. Always pay and offer to pay additional shipping costs. 3. Never ask a seller to fudge customs documents. 4. Be patient, the seller has no control over how long a knife will take to be delivered once it leaves his hands. 5. When possible pay for insurance and tracking. 6. Be polite and have a sense of humour

I am just saying that knife collectors worldwide are a small segment of the population, and we are often vilified just for pursuing our passion. It would benefit us all to be open to all knife enthusiasts and "potential enthusiasts" to help our numbers grow. I still feel that we are a community and in that we all have a responsibility to help it grow. I just do not think that we encourage others by closing doors. IMO
 
tendy said:
I am acutely aware of Canada Customs idiosyncrasies, I live here. That said I have bought over 300 knives from the USA and the world. Yet I have only experienced two major problems, and those were both tax issues, not a bad average. It is easy to pinpoint the negative but the reality is it is not that bad. You just need to be patient and have a sense of humour. My rules for purchasing "Internationally" 1. When buying a folding knife, have the seller tighten the pivot, if the the knife can be flicked open with one hand, try to buy local. 2. Always pay and offer to pay additional shipping costs. 3. Never ask a seller to fudge customs documents. 4. Be patient, the seller has no control over how long a knife will take to be delivered once it leaves his hands. 5. When possible pay for insurance and tracking. 6. Be polite and have a sense of humour

I am just saying that knife collectors worldwide are a small segment of the population, and we are often vilified just for pursuing our passion. It would benefit us all to be open to all knife enthusiasts and "potential enthusiasts" to help our numbers grow. I still feel that we are a community and in that we all have a responsibility to help it grow. I just do not think that we encourage others by closing doors. IMO
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You seem to be very reasonable about dealing with the customs issues. I like that you don't approve of asking the seller to fudge custom forms.

Here is a point I should have made earlier. I'm a firm believer that the deal isn't done until both parties are happy. If I sell a knife and something bad happens....no matter what I'm not going to feel right about it. If I'm the seller, the worst situation would be the knife never arrives and is lost...never to be seen again. I would feel compelled to refund the buyer's money even though they would have assumed all risk. Now I'm out a knife. This obviously can happen even shipping only CONUS but I always ship with delivery confirmation and insurance to reduce the risk of loss as much as possible. In many cases, shipping internationally denies me the chance to reduce the risk of loss.
 
The reason is risk vs. reward. You have to understand that, in the first place, selling knives is a very low margin activity. There isn't enough profit it in to take too many risks. Overseas shipments have a higher rate of credit card chargeback than domestic ones. One of the major reasons is delays in customs. That's basically the reason.
 
Too much hassle. I do PP/USPS Click 'n Ship but customs forms take extra time and International parcels need to be dropped off in person. Not worth it to me. Even Canada is too big a deal.

Why is this even an issue? I can sell/trade with whomever I want. It's my stuff...

Then you get the overseas buyers that will "take it" for your shipped selling price if you'll ship overseas. Come on....
 
When I started my business I was given this list (below) for items that can't be shipped Internationally.
International Restricted Brands

5.11 Tactical – (Prohibited Spain & Korea only)
Essential Gear - Australia
ASP
Bianchi
Casco
Fenix Watches
Hatch
Hiatt
Highgear
Insight
Leatherman
Luminox
Maglite
Monadnock
Original Swat
Pelican
Pentagon
S&W handcuffs
Safariland
Streamlight
Taser
UK
Zippo
all handcuffs require a export license

Sabre Self Defense are not allowed to ship to the following states
Hawaii
Massachusetts
Michigan
New York
Wisconsin

Cold Steel Pepper Sprays are not allowed to ship to the following states
Massachusetts
Michigan
New York
Wisconsin
 
morrowj_98 said:
You seem to be very reasonable about dealing with the customs issues. I like that you don't approve of asking the seller to fudge custom forms.

Here is a point I should have made earlier. I'm a firm believer that the deal isn't done until both parties are happy. If I sell a knife and something bad happens....no matter what I'm not going to feel right about it. If I'm the seller, the worst situation would be the knife never arrives and is lost...never to be seen again. I would feel compelled to refund the buyer's money even though they would have assumed all risk. Now I'm out a knife. This obviously can happen even shipping only CONUS but I always ship with delivery confirmation and insurance to reduce the risk of loss as much as possible. In many cases, shipping internationally denies me the chance to reduce the risk of loss.
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mollyssurvival.com said:
I have no problem shipping abroad but my biggest fear is the buyer not getting the knife and now what.
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I feel the same.:thumbup:
 
I recently purchased a knife from a real gentlemen. The seller was willing to ship CONUS for no charge. I inquired about shipping here in Canada, and after he located the price, I don't remember excatly how much let's say $20.00, he knocked off what it would have cost him to ship in the US .So I ended up paying around $14.00. A class act all the way. There has never been an issue in getting fixed blades here, like someone said it sometimes takes time. I hope that all you lucky guys in the USA keep shipping us your goods. :thumbup:
Now unfortunately I look at are the awesome firearm sales you have and cry. Man I'd love to have a derringer in 45/70:D
 
Eh, for a while I thought only us Asians are being snubbed. There has been a few sellers who did sell to me here but in general most would rather not. It's your sale. I'm not going to beg you to take my money.

Overseas tracking and delivery confirmation is available in a lot of countries now, Singapore included. I guess a lot of Americans are not aware of it. USPS Priority International Envelope has worked fine for me and unless it's a large item or a particularly expensive one I'm not going to want to upgrade to Express. I don't mind someone not wanting to deal because of the shipping issues but from my correspondence with some members here it is painfully obvious that some of them assume that I'm going to rip them off just because I'm from a foreign land.

There's always eBay. It's been a while since I've bought from here because I'm seeing "CONUS only" far too often. Selling wise, I've shipped overseas 3 times with no hassle (1 sale and 2 giveaways).
 
When I started my business I was given this list (below) for items that can't be shipped Internationally.
International Restricted Brands

...
Leatherman
...
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Actually I bought Leatherman from an USA ebay dealer, to be shipped to Europe.
There is a difference between the brand not liking grey imports and it being illegal.

Furthermore I'm pretty sure I will be able to buy Luminox watches should I want to (actually I don't).
 
I shipped an ebay item to France once many years ago. It went over without a hitch. I did have to slog through the paperwork. It is interesting to hear this is a wide open market. Glad to read this thread.
 
I've bought from this site many times from a CONUS only thread. I just ask that if they ever reconsider selling outside of US I would be interested. 9/10 times I get a quick reply affirming the sale. A bit of negotiation over shipping and maybe a deal for multiple purchases and I'm good to go. I've only ever had one problem and that was when only 3/4 knives came in the box. It was sealed and not opened by customs here. The seller and I worked an arrangement as the letter he shipped was also missing. I gave him photos of the box as I received it, and he shipped me a different item and put forward an insurance claim. He never responded to what the final outcome was, but I hope everything turned out well.

I find it funny that some that won't sell out of the US have approached me on possible sales to them. Their right but interesting that they will ask somebody to do what they will not.
 
I won't sell to europeans if the knives are illegal in their country. Too much liability, and I never advocate breaking the law, regardless of how stupid they may seem. I don't want to deal with insurance and customs if something is seized or lost. It's not europeans only tho, I don't like shipping out of the country period. Gives me ulcers.
 
FriskyDingo said:
I won't sell to europeans if the knives are illegal in their country. Too much liability, and I never advocate breaking the law, regardless of how stupid they may seem. I don't want to deal with insurance and customs if something is seized or lost. It's not europeans only tho, I don't like shipping out of the country period. Gives me ulcers.
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That is something I can entirely understand. Still it's incredibly annoying that I see CONUS only in nearly every sale/giveaway topic there is. I've NEVER, , EVER ran into troubles shipping worldwide whether it was receiving or sending. I had to pay import taxes though a few times. Sure, it'll take longer than normal but if I want to buy something in the US that's my choice isn't it.
 
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