I haven't posted in quite a long time, but this question is just burning a hole in my skull. What is the deal with people in South Asia being so ravenous for Transformers as to ignore any shipping instructions and bid agenst your rules? I clearly state that I only ship to the continental United States of America, yet I have gotten one guy who bid anyway, won, then asked me if I ship to Thailand. He did finally manage to give me a us address to ship to, but the experience wasn't without some language barrier issues.

Now I have a guy who is offering me $90 plus shipping (his exact words were '$90 for total including shipping' so I'm really not sure there) for an Energon Galvatron if I am willing to ship to china. This sounds good, but I'm just so nervous about this customs stuff. I had to ship a package just to Canada once, and then I got mixed up about what forms I needed. On top of that those guys wanted me to declare it in some way to reduce taxes which made me very nervous.

So any tips or warnings about this kind of stuff? Not to mention why are these people so nuts for US Transformers?

 

Because these folks couldn't get a thing from where they are.  

Also, certain releases were not available to some countries so when people wants these real bad, they've to resort to buying from eBay or other online toy stores.

 

You have the option through ebay to block bidders that live in countries that you don't ship to.

"$90 for total including shipping" does not equal $90 plus shipping.

The customs form you use depends on your method of shipping. I personally wouldn't ship anything to China without using Express Mail International.

They want you to declare the item as a gift, and for an undervalued amount. This will save them money on customs fees. This is illegal, and I don't advise doing it for your situation.

 

To block international bidders you can set the shipping options for countries to which you ship AND you need to fill out the Buyer Requirements section and select to block buyers who "Are registered in countries to which I don't ship".

If you choose to ship to other countries and are worried about the package itself or trusting the buyer (like low or bad feedback), require Priority or EMS, which will start about $20. These methods come with tracking and some insurance, and will protect against false non-receipt Paypal claims.

 

I always get sellers to put a low value when I get stuff from the US. I know that it is not exactly legal but hey you all would do the same if you hade 25%+fees on the total sum both value and shipping costs.

Imagin buying stuff for 500$ with a 50 shipping then add 25% on the whole some plus a bit of fees for handeling. YEah right. LOW VALUE for the WIN.

If writing low value always send it with a trackable method so your coverd.

 

I'm with Marcus here. As an international buyer who's been hit several times by multiple $100s in customs charges, whether a seller will mark down or not plays a big part in the decision whether to buy from them or not. Yes, it's - shall we say, morally dodgy but if I'm paying a lot for a package, PLUS international shipping, I'm sure as hell not giving the government a cut if I can possibly avoid it.

EDIT: I also mark down as a seller if asked to - however I ALWAYS send via a tracked method unless I'm dealing with someone I know well. And ALWAYS tracked to the postal black holes of China, South America and Italy.

 

i found that usually i make more just by having the option to ship worldwide, spain, italy, and france i try not to ship to, never had any problems with china or thailand though

 

Oh yeah, this galvatron auction I used the block option, I think these guys are so desperate as to just set up US accounts then ask about shipping to china anyway just on a hope.

That's exactly the way the Canada people wanted there stuff declared. Thanks for the tip, I'll never do that again.

 

Just make sure that you always ship to the address that paid you through paypal. If their paypal address is in Thailand, and they ask you to ship to a U.S. address, you run the risk of getting screwed.

Note that I said in your situation, I would not declare the item undervalued. I have many repeat customers from all over the world. Because we have done business many times, I feel comfortable declaring the item as undervalued.

This is the important thing that others are leaving out:
When you sell an item for $500, then declare it for $50, the item can only be insured for $50. If the item gets damaged or lost, and the buyer opens up a paypal dispute, guess who's out $450? You are!

Also, you are rolling the dice by using Priority Mail International to ship to China. THE ONLY WAY TO TRACK YOUR ITEM, AND PROVE A PAYPAL DISPUTE WITH 100% CONFIDENCE IS TO USE EXPRESS MAIL INTERNATIONAL.

 

While I've asked for items to be undervalued a few times in the past, questions of morality aside, you've also got to take into account that Canadians are taxed up the wazoo. I live in Quebec and I'm already paying 14% tax on domestic merchandise. Also, unlike the U.S., where you start getting charged import fees at 60 to 80 dollar mark (or maybe even as high as 100, I forget which), in Canada, you start getting charged customs fees at the 20 dollar mark plus a flat charge of five or six bucks in processing fees (Yes, they're charging me for the honor of being taxed). This means that, if I buy something that's worth 40 dollars from the U.S., I already automatically have to slap an extra 10 to 12 dollars on it (unless I'm lucky and it slips through customs). That's a lot considering the original price of the merchandise.

What annoys me more is when some sellers inflate the shipping and handling charges to ridiculous levels. If you charge me 15 bucks for shipping and handling, I expect something resembling that price to show up on the USPS sticker. There've been more than a few occasions, however, where sellers end up sending it for three bucks, pocket the rest, and, when asked about the discrepancy, whine and bitch that it's to cover packaging materials, personal time spent, and gas money (even though eBay rules states you CAN'T factor that into your prices) if they don't immediately skip to the self-righteous "I'm the seller, I can charge whatever the hell I want" stance. That's one point where Canada Post has a tremendous advantage over USPS: any small to medium-sized package can be insured for up to 100 bucks for an extra dollar or two even if it's being sent by one of the cheapest routes possible.

 

I only ship internationally to active members of TFW, and never to minors. I turn down sales and I know I'm being overcautious but as the seller, those are my terms.

 

When I was active selling and shipping from Japan, I never had any problems with shipping. After about 200 sells, I only ever lost a package shipping to the US. (Japanese release of Transformers the Movie on VHS with an awesome looking, unique release cover. Someone sliced open the package, removed the video, and then retaped it.) Not my problem since the buyer didn't want insurance.

I also had packages delayed going through Italian customs. Apparently that is common enough to prevent many sellers from selling to Italy.

Never had a problem with China. I always used registered. Sold many E-hobby exclusives that way.

When I visited Thailand and China, I had a chance to visit a few vintage TF shops, definitely way too expensive. I can see why ebay is a better option for the buyers.