US only sales WHY???

Taylor514,

To answer your question: "Do you sellers that restrict your sales only to the U.S. ever buy from international sellers or do you only buy from the U.S.?"

The basic answer is: No, I don't buy "equipment" internationally, and Yes, I only buy from U.S. sellers.
I do make a small exception, as I will buy LPs from international sellers, but that is it.

It really is a matter of how much hassle and risk one wishes to put up with when buying and selling gear. Personally, I will take a lesser price and sell domestically, rather than make a bit more money and sell internationally. And to take it a step further, I also further discount my equipment sales when the seller is local and I can eliminate shipping althogether!
(Man, I hate shipping large items, especially speakers - although, I will admit, that I did sell and ship speakers recently, and actually had a semi-pleasant experience, unlike my first time!) And conversely, I much prefer to buy from local sellers to eliminate the hassles of shipping (incluidng the shipping costs, insurance costs, and of course the possible damage from shipping). I have had enough insurance hassles to last me a lifetime, thank you very much!

I look at this as a hobby, and as a hobby, I want to enjoy it, and not spend time fretting over shipping charges, shipping insurance, shipping damage, insurance claims, fraudulent buyers and sellers, and all the other potential hassles that are involved in the buying and selling of gear. (So adding another layer of potential problems by including international buying and selling is just not in the cards for me!) Perhaps that is why I tend to hang onto gear longer than most people. The average lifespan of the gear (in my system), is somewhere between five and ten years. Well, except for cartridges, which tends to be about eighteen months. But now that I have found the Dynavector XV-1S, that is going change! I'm done looking! :-)

Anyway, my two cents worth!

I'm not aware of any import duties, value added taxes, customs papers that have to be filled out or customs inspections on items coming in to the U.S. from elsewhere. I've puchased vacuum tubes, and other small items, from W. Germany, Australia, Canada and Argentina without any problems, for me or the shipper. On the other hand; shipping to other countries can be a nightmare for both parties. Recently, I carefully packaged a Dahlquist DQLP-1 and a number of spare caps, resistors, etc for shipment to Canada(a small box). When the buyer received the package(after paying an exorbitant import duty), it had been opened and the contents strewn about within by customs. Personally, I have no general rule as to where I will ship. BUT- UPS(tracked and insured) to the contiguous 48 is no doubt the most painless route to take, for anything of any size.

As a Canadian, this is something I deal with regularly and not just for audio. There are places/services at the border, like a large PO box, that allows sending to a US address but I never think I would use it much more, so I've never signed up. Besides, driving across the border to pick it up has become a pain.

What does bother me is when I search for the best deal, go through the ordering process only to be blocked by a form that doesn't accept a Canadian address. Last week, it happened three times for a single item and had to pay 33% more on the fourth and only remaining site. It was for a new but fairly unique automotive part. Ridiculous.

Both retailers and individuals would be arrogant to not accept the international market from the web.

>>Both retailers and individuals would be arrogant to not accept the international market<<

Let's not confuse arrogance with minimizing hassles.

I can understand sellers not wanting to sell outside of the United States. I have sold overseas and have had a few problems with the countries of Italy, Argentina, and even Canada. It takes forever to get the shipment through customs. I sent a power cable to Argentina and the person did not receive the package for 6 weeks. In the meantime, I had to deal with the suspicions that I never sent the package and the numerous emails asking for assistance. The U.S. Postal Service doesn't have a global tracking system so that is part of the problem. It is just so much easier to sell within the U.S. Despite the hassles, I still sell to an overseas buyer, but I have my fingers crossed everytime I ship the item