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  3. 1240500070

US only sales WHY???

As a UK based audiogon member, i'm constantly surprised at items only being offered to the US, and not worldwide as most ebay items are now, why is this?

After all if the payment is received in full in $USD via Paypal or bankers draft,including the designated shipping fees, what difference does it make to address the item to a non-US address, most items are either picked up by the carrier or taken to the post office and if the seller asks for it to be sent to a foreign address, it takes no more time other than filling out a customs declaration form--Thats It!!, it makes perfect sense to offer worldwide sales and sell items quicker to a [Much Larger] audience.

So the next time that you fill in the for sale details, please give us a chance guys, Thanks!
largeyo
kurt_tank
1,189 posts
 
It is buyers like David12 that I would, (and have on the rare occassion), sell to who are outside of the U.S.
I like buyers who understand that there are hassles in selling internationally, and they, as the international buyer, assume all the responsibilities for the hassles, problems and costs associated there with!

Good Job David!
golden_ears
224 posts
 
I'm always amazed at buyers in the US that are confused and shocked that there would be Duty on an item they are buying from or was manufactured in, a foreign country. Like, you have never traveled outside the US and had to fill out a Customs Declaration on your way home or going across the border?!
I thought it would be obvious...
In any event, I have a copy of the US Harmonized Tariff schedule, the 8500 series pages, that I copied off of the Internet. That covers all the elctronic stuff we're concerned-with in Audio. I can see what the Duties are, if any, and I tell the buyer at the beginning when doing a shipping quote. If you call FedEx or UPS and ask them what the Brokerage fees will be (usually based on the value of the item that is being shipped), they will tell you - another mystery cleared-up.

I have shipped overseas many times and have never had a problem. I have never had a buyer request a zero value, and I wouldn't do it anyway, as that is ridiculous and bound to attract attention at Customs. We work out a realistic value that will allow it to slide through Customs and the buyer has to understand that the package cannot be insured for a value higher than the declared value. So if it gets lost or damaged, they are assuming that risk.
I also get them to pay by wire transfer - no PayPal unless they have a ton of good feedback, and no Money Orders.
tabl10s's avatar
tabl10s
1,095 posts
 
It's a hassle and a lot of paperwork.
hassel
248 posts
 
Funny enough, but nearly only those who do not sell outside the US comment here. In my eight years here on audiogon, I have bought and sold from and to the US as a German living in Moscow, now having moved back to Germany), without any problem whatsoever, so my advice is to buyers from abroad: ask courteously, be able to pay by cheque, bank transfer, or Paypal, and more often than not it works just fine.
Regards, Florian Hassel
ironmine
41 posts
 
During the last 1,5 years, I have bought about 8-10 expensive items (from $200 to $1000) from Audiogon, Head-Fi, eBay. I live in Russia and I've never had a problem receiving stuff from U.S, Australia, South Korea, Canada. I contact the buyer, ask him for a shipping quote, then ask him to kindly specify the invoice value as $200-$300 (including the shipping charges). If he agrees, I pay through PayPal and in 4-6 weeks I always receive what I want. The biggest problem is persuading the buyer to sell internationally. They always fear something unreasonably like small children, I cannot understand it. It seems to me that it's the buyer who bear all the risks, not the seller. So, if I am willing to take these risks, why does it matter to the seller?
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