Why is there a reluctance to ship outside of CONUS?

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I've shipped many knives overseas.
If the buying member is new or has very little feedback I insist on Registered First Class Mail or Express with regular PayPal or PayPal gift as payment if it goes by a lesser shipping method. Apparently it's pretty easy to swindle a seller through PayPal if the package goes overseas.
For Canadian buyers I welcome Canada Post Money Orders made out in US dollars. :thumb up:

But international shipping is still a little more difficult for me as a seller because I have to prepare the custom documents and take the package to the PO.
 
I would say that it is very much up to the individual(s) involved.

Most people hear of transactions that have an issue as opposed to the many many that happen here weekly without issues, such is the way of things. It never hurts to ask a seller of something can be worked out.

Needless to say that ALL my feedback on this forum is from knives I have bought in the US. I have a close friend who will receive a package on my behalf if the seller does not want to do international shipping or if the cost (to me) is prohibitive for a small blade traveling alone. His address IS in my Paypal account as a shipping address BTW. I would say that in the 150 +/- blades I have had shipped from the US 70% of the private purchases have been shipped to me here (without issue) and 95% of the purchases I have made from a company have also shipped direct and without issue.

I certainly don't get upset if someone does not wish to ship to me here of course, such is the right of the seller to decide who he will deal with.

Andy
 
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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+1
I've done this numerous times. One thing to note in this situation of using PayPal goods, be sure the U.S. address matches the verified PayPal address.
 
Blues Bender said:
"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."
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I always assumed trades were "hold harmless". I'll give your advice a shot on my next trade offer. Thanks blues man.
 
Omfg I just went to ship international and the prices doubled on a 2oz package from $5.54 to $10.91 (discounted). Thats not gonna make it easy to sell my $20 items, fml
 
I used to really hate the CONUStiapated sellers. Though in reality it is an unknown and a hassle for them.

In your offer state that you are framiliar with your local import laws and customs, you accept the risks involved. This product is unavailable in your country and the added shipping cost is not a problem. Many people will sell to you. Some are just Rude, ignor them.



MANY things are unavaliable outside the US/Canada and they aren't illegal. There is just no local market for them. The few you can find are usually triple MRSP.
 
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 will always ship outside of CONUS by request. I ask that the buyer pay the extra fees, inform me of his local laws and custom's rules, and I've yet to have ANY issues. Two to Australia, two to Canada so far.
 
I usually post if I will.

And 20 bucks added to the price has covered shipping.
 
This comes up alot but the short version is this. The members here are just trying to avoid getting ripped off.
 
This issue has many heads. The ones I have seen personally are:

1) Lack of tracking outside the US leaves proof of delivery complicated. But even then, the recipient can say they got and empty box and the buyer eats it.

2) The recipient can send an email with a "hold harmless" statement and pp/cc could care less. When recipient figures out that someone is going to have to eat a significant amount of money - they file the dispute. Seller eats it.

3) Customs agents like knives. Boxes arrive with customs tape and zero knives. Seller eats it.

4) Fish and Wildlife catches seller sending anything horn, stag, shell, and many woods without declaration and $90 inspection fee. Seller files bankruptcy.

So, although most recipients are stand up folks - it is a tremendous risk and all on the seller.

As to the re-shippers; this was a great idea until the thieves figured out how to manipulate it. Now a crook in the Ukraine gets and account at a re-shipper such that anything shipped to a certain "Suite" at an American re-shipper will be forwarded to them. Then they steal credit cards from all over the EU and Middle East and have purchased knives shipped to re-shipper. By the time the first credit card owner files the dispute (a few weeks), the sellers have thousands of dollars worth of knives (sent to a US address) on their way to the Ukraine. Seller figures out it is a re-shipper and calls them. The re-shipper confirms that the "Billing" address is not even the same country they are sending the knives to; but kindly cancels the recipients account. This does the seller no good as they can't recall the shipments. All they can do is cancel an account of a non-existent person; and all the crook has to do is open another account. Seller eats it.

It does stink for those recipients who are stand up and have a smooth process to get products for the US. But there is no way for the seller to know who these recipients are; as nobody is as believable as a crook.
 
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've read several answers to this post, and just wanted to weigh in with my experience on this. I have shipped custom knives, from medium to exceptionally high priced pieces to just about EVERY country you can think of over a period of ten years or more. The cost of shipping is totally irrelevant to the seller, as it is the buyer who nearly always pays for it. Yes, shipping anywhere overseas is expensive, and getting worse all the time, but if the buyer is willing to pay, then shipping cost should not be an issue. Customs forms are quite simple to fill out, I have never found a country whose requested information was in any way a problem to supply. What it really boils down to is risk, and that risk is most often associated more with customs than the actual shipping company. In my case, it was always made very clear that I will take care of my end, but I would in no way be responsible for anything that may happen as a result of customs intervention or other possible shipping issues. In other words, once I had properly taken care of my end, the buyer was taking all the risk concerning receiving, or not receiving, the package. I never encountered a buyer from ANY country who did not understand, and agree to, those terms. And, I will say that in all of my very extensive amount of overseas shipping, I NEVER had a package not arrive, though a very small handful of them did get held up briefly in customs. Again, this is only my experience. Everybody has an opinion, and I am of the opinion that as long as both buyer and seller agree to the conditions, then shipping overseas is no problem whatsoever.
 
Wel... All the objective reasoning is all nice and peachy. Simple fact is however that there is just a resentment from a lot of people to sell to anybody outside the us. Hell, even Canada is often an issue. So what's your problem?
Didn't see any rule upon signup that this forum is just for upright Americans. I was under the impression this forum was mainly for people United buy a common passion, the love for knives. Seems I was wrong.
 
vilePossum said:
Wel... All the objective reasoning is all nice and peachy. Simple fact is however that there is just a resentment from a lot of people to sell to anybody outside the us. Hell, even Canada is often an issue. So what's your problem?
Didn't see any rule upon signup that this forum is just for upright Americans. I was under the impression this forum was mainly for people United buy a common passion, the love for knives. Seems I was wrong.
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It's not resentment. It's common sense . They don't want to hassle with custom forms, lie on custom forms to avoid duty to buyers(almost always asked to), add risk-often can't track or insure the item, usually the PP fees are higher as well as shipping fees , the opportunity to buy back the knife at a latter date is almost nil(once it leaves the country it is gone) . All of this is added to a sale that you can make CONUS without it. Last but not least, I don't like to see my knives go lost. I never lost a knife on a US sale ( done 100's)and have lost a few on international sale(done only a few).
It's a shame these problems exist, but they do. You can often work through them if you take on the burden or you can get a US mailing address(confirmed to your PP account) and forward
 
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Peter Hartwig said:
It's not resentment. It's common sense . They don't want to hassle with custom forms, lie on custom forms to avoid duty to buyers(almost always asked to), add risk-often can't track or insure the item, usually the PP fees are higher as well as shipping fees , the opportunity to buy back the knife at a latter date is almost nil(once it leaves the country it is gone) . All of this is added to a sale that you can make CONUS without it. Last but not least, I don't like to see my knives go lost. I never lost a knife on a US sale ( done 100's)and have lost a few on international sale(done only a few).
It's a shame these problems exist, but they do. You can often work through them if you take on the burden or you can get a US mailing address(confirmed to your PP account) and forward
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Peter has nailed it on the head!!
 
excollector said:
I've read several answers to this post, and just wanted to weigh in with my experience on this. I have shipped custom knives, from medium to exceptionally high priced pieces to just about EVERY country you can think of over a period of ten years or more.
...
Everybody has an opinion, and I am of the opinion that as long as both buyer and seller agree to the conditions, then shipping overseas is no problem whatsoever.
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In the last few years have you shipped any knives with stag, horn, pearl, abalone, endangered woods, or any other non-domesticated Fish/Wildlife components? Did you proclaim them on the customs forms and pay the mandatory $92 Fish and Wildlife inspection fee?
 
+2 When there is plenty of prospects in the US why would anyone want to test the waters. Yes, issues do happen here as well but likely that they can be recovered... I hear you Peter H.
 
Some BF members are "conus only" and "lower 48 only" shippers. Hawaii and Alaska are fraught with danger of the unknown. I live in Guam, an unincorporated territory of the U.S. with USPS offices all over the island. Same USPS shipping cost as those between states in the U.S. Regardless, I get "I said no foreign countries" - replies when I explain it to a seller. That's their prerogative.
 
miguet said:
Some BF members are "conus only" and "lower 48 only" shippers. Hawaii and Alaska are fraught with danger of the unknown. I live in Guam, an unincorporated territory of the U.S. with USPS offices all over the island. Same USPS shipping cost as those between states in the U.S. Regardless, I get "I said no foreign countries" - replies when I explain it to a seller. That's their prerogative.
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And just to note, I have shipped to ^miguet^ without issue in the past, so don't hesitate about Guam folks...:thumbup:
 
I had a smooth transaction with miguet myself when he shipped to me in NJ. CONUS is a misnomer for the US, anyway. All US states, territories, and military post offices are equal in the eyes of the USPS.

I understand some hesitation shipping across national borders. This involves customs and may include surprise additional costs. But many countries are reasonable, and once researched, easy to deal with.

Read the stickies in this subforum and you'll find good hints on getting the mail through. Check out Registered Mail.
 
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