Why is there a reluctance to ship outside of CONUS?

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Wonky_dialup

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I just joined up here recently to get in on the fun. Any attempts I've made to purchase have been rebuffed with "sorry conus only" even if I'm paying for the difference in shipping on top of the knife.

No love for an international knife brother?
 
Wonky_dialup said:
I just joined up here recently to get in on the fun. Any attempts I've made to purchase have been rebuffed with "sorry conus only" even if I'm paying for the difference in shipping on top of the knife.

No love for an international knife brother?
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I imagine the cost is only one small aspect. You also have to consider potential tracking problems not to mention potential custom issues depending upon the country you maybe shipping items too especially when it comes to things like knives. All in all more potential hassles which could become very problematic.
 
I was wondering the same thing. I heard in some countries there are issues with border, who might seize the shipment. But why you wouldn't ship to EU, or other countries without the mentioned problems, I have no clue.
 
Arviee said:
I was wondering the same thing. I heard in some countries there are issues with border, who might seize the shipment. But why you wouldn't ship to EU, or other countries without the mentioned problems, I have no clue.
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Having no experience how am I supposed to know which countries are less problematic than others and when various rules may or may not change at any given point. Here again potentially more problematic than it's worth.
 
Don't ask and don't wonder. This is a us forum and nothing good will come out of this question / discussion. It has been asked before.
 
This isn't really knife discussion so off to Feedback we go....


This has been discussed many times before but it really boils down to international sales not being worth the effort for many people. With plenty of buyers in country, many don't want the headaches international sales/shipping can bring on.
 
I can't speak for anyone else but here are my reasons:

1. My unfamiliarity with knife laws in other countries
2. My unfamiliarity with the reliability of postal and shipping services in other countries
3. My perception is that there is additional risk of losing my money and/or 100% feedback rating with international transactions
4. I try to go by the rule of "Keep It Simple" - international sales and shipments seem to violate that rule for me
 
I've dealt with shipping things to/from Germany, Russia, and the U.K..

-A shipment to me from Germany had a normal shipping charge, but a month after my package came, I recieved a $30+ fee that had to be paid to customs. "Taxes & Duties" or something like that...

-I shipped something to Germany, and shipping was nearly $50. It was a small item and was less that 1/4lb.

-A package coming to me from Russia was held up in customs and it took me about 2-3 months to get the package.

-A package coming from the U.K. not only had a $50+ shipping charge, but I was hit (again) with a "Taxes & Duties" charge of $30+.

These situations were not the end of the world, but they were not something I was expecting to happen. It was mainly an inconvenience.
 
Ok thanks for the responses guys, it's good to get some feedback. It's just been a rather disheartening week after making a couple of offers this week and being universally and often very curtly rejected. I do understand the worry of a bad shipment so I've got no hard feelings on my part.

So here's a follow up anyway, if say I did the research before and state that my country is reliable for post and my customs are knife friendly would that budge a friendly seller? Just trying to see if I should keep trying.

Sorry for the wrong section post.
 
The postage cost is the least of the concerns. Customs inspections, delivery delays, tracking unavailability, confusing knife laws and inconsistent enforcement, confiscations...
 
Wonky_dialup said:
Ok thanks for the responses guys, it's good to get some feedback. It's just been a rather disheartening week after making a couple of offers this week and being universally and often very curtly rejected. I do understand the worry of a bad shipment so I've got no hard feelings on my part.

So here's a follow up anyway, if say I did the research before and state that my country is reliable for post and my customs are knife friendly would that budge a friendly seller? Just trying to see if I should keep trying.

Sorry for the wrong section post.
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Perhaps discuss a "Hold Harmless" agreement? It's a little extreme, but if it's a high-dollar knife it might not be a bad idea.
 
Blues Bender said:
I've dealt with shipping things to/from Germany, Russia, and the U.K..

-A shipment to me from Germany had a normal shipping charge, but a month after my package came, I recieved a $30+ fee that had to be paid to customs. "Taxes & Duties" or something like that...

-I shipped something to Germany, and shipping was nearly $50. It was a small item and was less that 1/4lb.

-A package coming to me from Russia was held up in customs and it took me about 2-3 months to get the package.

-A package coming from the U.K. not only had a $50+ shipping charge, but I was hit (again) with a "Taxes & Duties" charge of $30+.

These situations were not the end of the world, but they were not something I was expecting to happen. It was mainly an inconvenience.
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Holy cow that sounds like a nightmare sorry to hear that man. I've got it pretty easy here since customs rarely if ever checks the package.

Btw what does hold harmless mean?
 
I would absolutely keep trying, if your country allows the importation of the items you collect and use as tools , etc. why not keep trying. There are many people that will ship overseas, almost as many as those that won't.

Morrow said:
This isn't really knife discussion so off to Feedback we go....


This has been discussed many times before but it really boils down to international sales not being worth the effort for many people. With plenty of buyers in country, many don't want the headaches international sales/shipping can bring on.
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The headaches range from dishonest buyers, saying they never got the item and then filing a claim. So the seller is out not only the item, but the money as well. The buyer may not really understand and incorrectly understands the laws that govern what is and is not allowable for importation. This makes it possible for the customs agents in the buyers country to seize the item and the buyer may not even be informed of the customs actions. The laws can vary wildly from one country to another and in the end a seller really have little if any recourse if the item should suddenly be reported as not having arrived.
 
Arviee said:
I was wondering the same thing. I heard in some countries there are issues with border, who might seize the shipment. But why you wouldn't ship to EU, or other countries without the mentioned problems, I have no clue.
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Plenty people have reported customs and legal problems when shipping to the EU, and even to Canada or Australia.
 
For some people, it's likely a matter of convenience. It really isn't that much extra effort/time; and it gets easier once you've done it a few times...but it only takes one issue to make one think twice about the prospect. (I've had two; which is why I stopped shipping internationally.)
 
Wonky_dialup said:
Btw what does hold harmless mean?
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"A Hold Harmless Agreement is a contract between two parties designed to release one or both parties from legal claims. Most often, one party agrees not to sue the other party for any expenses, damages, or losses arising from a transaction or activity between the two parties."

I doubt someone would sue over a knife, but the agreement would alleviate both parties from any troubles that arises from said transaction. Basically, if something happens to the package (extra customs fees, loss, damage etc.) then you are solely responsible, and the seller is not.
 
The simplest way to resolve any international shipping concerns of the seller is to have a contact \ shipping address in the USA that you trust and will work with you reshipping the item overseas. Have your purchase shipped to the USA address for reshipment to you. This doesn't really add much to the cost.

This lets you the buyer assume all risk.
 
I've shipped/received many knives to and from other countries, no problem. Never had an issue with a knives getting to me. That said, I understand why someone would be reluctant, so it's fine. Many people will still ship if you look around.
 
Some folks do not want to bother to fill out customs forms. Some do not want the hassle of the package being held up in customs, and the buyer threatening to file a claim with Paypal. I have shipped to many different countries, and the only issue I had was with Russia.
 
braillediver said:
The simplest way to resolve any international shipping concerns of the seller is to have a contact \ shipping address in the USA that you trust and will work with you reshipping the item overseas. Have your purchase shipped to the USA address for reshipment to you. This doesn't really add much to the cost.

This lets you the buyer assume all risk.
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This is how I conducted a sale once and this is the ideal way to do it in my mind. It meant that I could meet the obligation of shipping to a verified PayPal address and I didn't have to worry about shipping overseas or coming up with any extra precautions which would place extra burdens on me or potentially be more problematic.
 
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