My Ebay auction turned to Kaa-Kaa :( - Page 2

Don Miller · September 21st, 2006, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Just wondering why some people will not ship to parts of the USA?

Thats a good question.

We dont have the ground connections you guys in the lower 48 have...everything goes by air...and I think the contracts folks have with FedEx or UPS dont cover AK or HI...for some items even US mail can be more expensive...

I moved up here when there were no 800 numbers, TV was on a 3 week tape delay..no live TV...mail to Seattle took a week...and it would take all morning to make a long distance call...maybe folks think its still like that....I dunno

Rich Rice · September 21st, 2006, 01:50 AM

Honestly, I ship all over the world, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, even Ho Chi Minh City... The toughest place was to Canada- go figure. Stuff I sent to Sweden arrived weeks before the stuff I sent to Canada on the same trip to the Post Office. There are major differences in the Customs services of the different countries, and occasionally a piece will just get held up. I would have no problem at all sending to Alaska or Hawaii. I shy away from Nigeria, (I think they teach classes on how to rip Americans there) but otherwise most places are pretty good. I just ran into the wrong situation on this auction, and it has me riled up. I'm fortunate in that I have over 280 positive feedbacks on Ebay, (actually lots more transactions where feedback was never posted) and have managed to straighten any problems out. The most expensive problems I have faced involved careless transport and "professional" packing- in combination with lousy insurance and collusion. Interestingly, the problem was domestic, involving my purchase of an amp from Minneapolis, packed by Mailboxes, Etc., and shipped UPS. Just try to collect from those people.. They broke the amp, wanted to inspect the packing, picked it up and "lost" the boxes. My amp was totaled, and they "lost" the evidence, then pointed a finger at each other. I took a $700 hit on that deal, and never had to leave the house. My international sales/purchases have been pretty much painless.

Lostheart · September 21st, 2006, 08:55 AM

Well this gives buyers from Europe a bad rep.
I buy most of my guitar related stuff in the US and I pay right away...gee, I even send a guy a couple more bucks afterwards when the postage was higher than he suspected it to be.
IMO if you're not selling/buying globally nowadays your eliminating a high potential of good people who got a s**tload of money to blow on your items.

The guy from Italy has a 100% positive feedback...so I really don't see what the problem is.
As long as someone's paying for it!
Why not contact one of the fellas he has done business with and ask if their transaction went smooth?!?
He doesn't look like an oddball to me...probably deals with vintage guitars.
Has a buddy in the US who sends the axes collectively to Italy via some seedy illegal way to avoid tarifs?!?

Who knows...hope that it will still work out allright for you...

Lostheart · September 21st, 2006, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich@wildriceband.com

Here's a list of their restrictions.

Country Conditions for Mailing - Italy

Bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof.

Who would have figured it? Sheesh...

Just saw the restrictions...wow...ridiculous!

raisindot · September 21st, 2006, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich@wildriceband.com

Now I'm stuck with listing fees, final value fees, and the Italian buyer can leave neg feedback and report me as a Non Performing Seller. I still have my guitar, but now I have additional bills, instead of getting payment for a guitar I would not have sold- had I not been in a bind financially.

It was really great to see all the interest in my Tele, and I was overjoyed that it sold for a decent price, but now I'm worse off than before...

I've been on ebay since 1998, with a 100% positive rating. I guess I would rather take a hit on my reputation than lose the Tele, but *EBAY SUCKS*

Sorry that this happened, and sorry to be playing Monday morning quarterback on you, but as seller you really do need to set the ground rules before you put your item up for bid. A few lines of copy in the auction itself, and close monitoring of all bids can pretty much eliminate these situations from occurring.

o First, you could have stated at the top of your auction that you would only accept bids from U.S. bidders and only ship to the winners.

o Second, you could state in your auction that you would only payment via Paypal bids from verified U.S. Paypalers.
o Third, you can monitor the bids and delete any bid at any time from anyone who doesn't obey your rules--but you need to do this during the auction.

I have sold hundreds of items on Ebay and occasionally ran into the "guy wants to wire money/ship to friend in Europe" scams." By instituting my measures and closely monitoring my auctions, I have gotten the "bad experience" thing down to nearly 0%.

Jeff in Boston

d. meyers · September 21st, 2006, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

Hey, I feel for you. Believe it or not this happens with New Mexico too. Vast quantities of people in the US actually think New Mexico is not in the US.

For years, New Mexico magazine has had a running column showing examples sent in from New Mexico residents when their mail orders are cancelled because the seller doesn't sell in "outside the US".

Paul Green

That's unreal. At what point will the average American be more ignorant than the average European serf circa 1100? Citizens of Rome indeed...

Durtdog · September 21st, 2006, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d. meyers

That's unreal. At what point will the average American be more ignorant than the average European serf circa 1100? Citizens of Rome indeed...

Ever watch "Jaywalking" on the Tonight Show?
It may be exaggerated a little, but I don't think by much.

mojocasterman · September 21st, 2006, 12:03 PM

they already are...

I remember a story in the NY Times where they went to a high school and polled seniors. 11% of them thought that Massachusetts was the largest city in New England. 30+% of them couldn't find the pacific Ocean on a map. Etc...

Big Mike Simpson · September 21st, 2006, 12:28 PM

Sorry if I offended anyone with my ebay shipping restrictions. I can ship UPS or Fedex from work very easily. I absolutely hate going to the post office to ship a package as it usually takes me more than an hour to go there and take a number and wait in line. I usually have to wait in line 20 to 45 minutes. The last item I shipped to Hawaii was a pain and there was not much money in it...

I am not geographically challenged, I am lazy... I want the shipping to be easy for me. I know I am selfish but I buy and sell on ebay for my own benefit.

Again... Sorry if I offended anyone.

BLACKCAT69 · September 21st, 2006, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Mike Simpson

Sorry if I offended anyone with my ebay shipping restrictions. I can ship UPS or Fedex from work very easily. I absolutely hate going to the post office to ship a package as it usually takes me more than an hour to go there and take a number and wait in line. I usually have to wait in line 20 to 45 minutes. The last item I shipped to Hawaii was a pain and there was not much money in it...

I am not geographically challenged, I am lazy... I want the shipping to be easy for me. I know I am selfish but I buy and sell on ebay for my own benefit.

Again... Sorry if I offended anyone.

Just curious why writing an Hawaiian or Alaskan address on the package is any harder for the shipper than writing an address for the lower 48? Why did your last Hawaiian sale turn out to be such a pain?

jwsamuel · September 21st, 2006, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d. meyers

That's unreal. At what point will the average American be more ignorant than the average European serf circa 1100? Citizens of Rome indeed...

I think that already happened....in about 1978.

Jim

Hagstrom78 · September 21st, 2006, 03:57 PM

Wow! Now I understand why so many American sellers are hesitant to ship outside the US...

As someone mentioned earlier, this gives us European bidders a bad reputation. I've bought many guitar parts from the US, and many high volume sellers on eBay are more than willing to ship/sell to Europeans. But for small time sellers, I can see why they are not so willing.

Hope it works out for you, Rich!

mellecaster · September 21st, 2006, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

I know that the international members here are going to cringe at this, but this is why I never sell to anyone outside the US. It's just too difficult dealing with all the issues when things go bad.

And, if I was in England I'd probably feel that way about dealing with the US. It's too far away to handle the details when things go wrong.

Simply report the guy as a non-payer and relist the auction for free but put the CYA stuff in this time.

Paul Green

I've been doing E-Bay quite awhile...and as Paul states, I don't Speak Global..Sell Global...or Ship Global....and after last week....I'm sorry to say, Canada will be joining the list....w/ recent Custom forms....Thank you Terrorist People.....keep it up!

Volvoguy · September 21st, 2006, 11:56 PM

Being in Canada, and hardly using eBay, i've now wondered if what i do is falling into this "stupid customer" rulings. I've done a few transactions that they would not ship to canada, and I've asked before bidding if they would ship to my uncle's business in lynden washington. All of them have agreed to this, but i'm wondering me if they're cursing me from their end, or getting worried about scams.

Anyone see a problem with this?

mojocasterman · September 22nd, 2006, 09:57 AM

I don't ship to third parties. I don't ship overseas. I do ship and buy from all 50 states, though, and I seem to have a leg up on the "competition" since I can actually name and place on a map all 50 states

neocaster · September 22nd, 2006, 10:16 AM

Volvoguy,
No, that's fine. Asking before bidding is one thing. Asking after you win the auction is another thing entirely. The scams are getting numerous enough that you should be prepared to start getting "No" as a response in the future.

markophonic · September 22nd, 2006, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Mike Simpson

Sorry if I offended anyone with my ebay shipping

I am not geographically challenged, I am lazy... I want the shipping to be easy for me. I know I am selfish but I buy and sell on ebay for my own benefit.

Again... Sorry if I offended anyone.

+1...my sentiments exactly!!!

I'll usually avoid selling guitars via ebay during the winter as well. I've sent some pristine old Gibsons out and the buyers have opened the packaging after it sat outside in near zero temps...and the finishes crazed like crazy right before their eyes and they complain to me???

fungusyoung · September 22nd, 2006, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony

Unfortunately, this does not prevent someone from out of the country from bidding on your item.

I think this might have changed. I recently listed a few guitar parts on Ebay, and when doing so the prompt asked if I wanted to prevent overseas folks, people with "0" feedback, etc. from placing bids. I opted to do this and had no issues with such bidders.

It really really sucks to block out overseas bidders, but I agree with everyone else that said it's not worth the risk in light of all the scammers out there that are ruining thousands of auctions daily. What kills me is that Ebay openly encourages sellers to offer sales to overseas bidders knowing full well that they're doing very little to protect said seller from scams.

If you open up auctions to overseas bidders you may get higher bids and make more money, but it's a major risk to take and that's only worsening.

teleman65 · September 22nd, 2006, 05:13 PM

Being in Canada I find it frustrating that some people won't deal with Canadians. However I fully support the seller in choosing who it is they are willing to deal with.
If you are not comfortable selling to someone then don't.
Rich, Ebay knows that Italy has restrictions and they know the problems with dealing with 3rd party transactions. If you tell them about this buyer they should be willing to accomodate you in relisting the item.

Rich Rice · September 22nd, 2006, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teleman65

Being in Canada I find it frustrating that some people won't deal with Canadians. However I fully support the seller in choosing who it is they are willing to deal with.
If you are not comfortable selling to someone then don't.
Rich, Ebay knows that Italy has restrictions and they know the problems with dealing with 3rd party transactions. If you tell them about this buyer they should be willing to accomodate you in relisting the item.

I'm willing to try to deal with ebay, thanks for your advice. I have just been waiting to do it, as they have time restrictions on NPB, etc. It has been a week now, so I think I can do something... My balance has gone up, but maybe they will negate the sale and credit me. I hope this is the case.

mojocasterman · September 22nd, 2006, 05:27 PM

best of luck and keep us posted!

jwsamuel · September 22nd, 2006, 05:35 PM

I sell a lot on eBay and always specify US shipping only. Fairly often, I get an email from Canada asking if I will ship there. I always say yes. I have gotten similar requests from England, Spain and Germany.

To me, asking before you bid is the absolute correct thing to do.

Jim

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volvoguy

Being in Canada, and hardly using eBay, i've now wondered if what i do is falling into this "stupid customer" rulings. I've done a few transactions that they would not ship to canada, and I've asked before bidding if they would ship to my uncle's business in lynden washington. All of them have agreed to this, but i'm wondering me if they're cursing me from their end, or getting worried about scams.

Anyone see a problem with this?

Knucklehead · September 22nd, 2006, 06:14 PM

Was that list of items that are restricted from being shipped to Italy obtained from the "winning buyer" of your auction? I notice Fed Ex and UPS have restrictions on their websites , but these are for common sense items that are either dangerous, illegal, irreplacable,perishable, etc. I did not see "Musical Instrumentsm guitars or parts", maybe it's part of the new Lead Free regulatons affecting most of the EC and Japan, then again maybe these items in question were added to the restricted list by the scammer.

Reason I ask is I've shipped a Pedal Steel guitar, a Stratocaster and a Les Paul to Italy 3 years ago. post 9/11. All the transactions went well, as I had the payment wired to my Bank. I've also shipped at least a dozen guitars to Europe and Scandinavia in the recent past.

Maybe the scammer you were dealing with wanted to make sure that the instrument was "picked up" here in the USA, so they could rip you off with the bogus Bank Cashiers Check scheme.

Just a thought, sorry to hear about your Ebay troubles.

September 21st, 2006, 01:50 AM	#42 (permalink)
Rich Rice Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: In a dream world.. Just ask my wife. Age: 53 Posts: 2,596 11 Photos	Honestly, I ship all over the world, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, even Ho Chi Minh City... The toughest place was to Canada- go figure. Stuff I sent to Sweden arrived weeks before the stuff I sent to Canada on the same trip to the Post Office. There are major differences in the Customs services of the different countries, and occasionally a piece will just get held up. I would have no problem at all sending to Alaska or Hawaii. I shy away from Nigeria, (I think they teach classes on how to rip Americans there) but otherwise most places are pretty good. I just ran into the wrong situation on this auction, and it has me riled up. I'm fortunate in that I have over 280 positive feedbacks on Ebay, (actually lots more transactions where feedback was never posted) and have managed to straighten any problems out. The most expensive problems I have faced involved careless transport and "professional" packing- in combination with lousy insurance and collusion. Interestingly, the problem was domestic, involving my purchase of an amp from Minneapolis, packed by Mailboxes, Etc., and shipped UPS. Just try to collect from those people.. They broke the amp, wanted to inspect the packing, picked it up and "lost" the boxes. My amp was totaled, and they "lost" the evidence, then pointed a finger at each other. I took a $700 hit on that deal, and never had to leave the house. My international sales/purchases have been pretty much painless. __________________ Please visit my website! If you are driven to play, you will find a way.

September 21st, 2006, 08:55 AM	#43 (permalink)
Lostheart Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 1,405	Well this gives buyers from Europe a bad rep. I buy most of my guitar related stuff in the US and I pay right away...gee, I even send a guy a couple more bucks afterwards when the postage was higher than he suspected it to be. IMO if you're not selling/buying globally nowadays your eliminating a high potential of good people who got a s*tload of money to blow on your items. The guy from Italy has a 100% positive feedback...so I really don't see what the problem is. As long as someone's paying for it! Why not contact one of the fellas he has done business with and ask if their transaction went smooth?!? He doesn't look like an oddball to me...probably deals with vintage guitars. Has a buddy in the US who sends the axes collectively to Italy via some seedy illegal way to avoid tarifs?!? Who knows...hope that it will still work out allright for you... __________________ Casper: "Mmmmm. Butterscotch, yo. That's the best!" From the movie* Kids

September 21st, 2006, 12:03 PM	#48 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,279	they already are... I remember a story in the NY Times where they went to a high school and polled seniors. 11% of them thought that Massachusetts was the largest city in New England. 30+% of them couldn't find the pacific Ocean on a map. Etc... __________________ Lentz HSL - McNaught SC Jr - Tom Anderson Cobra w/ 3 P90s - Crook Custom Tele w/ Lollar & TV Jones - Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Vinetto Legato - Grosh Bent Top S - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Dr. Z. Carmen Ghia & Mini Z - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 21st, 2006, 12:28 PM	#49 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 52 Posts: 1,500 62 Photos	Sorry if I offended anyone with my ebay shipping restrictions. I can ship UPS or Fedex from work very easily. I absolutely hate going to the post office to ship a package as it usually takes me more than an hour to go there and take a number and wait in line. I usually have to wait in line 20 to 45 minutes. The last item I shipped to Hawaii was a pain and there was not much money in it... I am not geographically challenged, I am lazy... I want the shipping to be easy for me. I know I am selfish but I buy and sell on ebay for my own benefit. Again... Sorry if I offended anyone. __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson

September 21st, 2006, 03:57 PM	#52 (permalink)
Hagstrom78 TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 21	Wow! Now I understand why so many American sellers are hesitant to ship outside the US... As someone mentioned earlier, this gives us European bidders a bad reputation. I've bought many guitar parts from the US, and many high volume sellers on eBay are more than willing to ship/sell to Europeans. But for small time sellers, I can see why they are not so willing. Hope it works out for you, Rich! __________________ "So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?" Christina Aguilera

September 21st, 2006, 11:56 PM	#54 (permalink)
Volvoguy Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2006 Location: North Vancouver, BC Posts: 401	Being in Canada, and hardly using eBay, i've now wondered if what i do is falling into this "stupid customer" rulings. I've done a few transactions that they would not ship to canada, and I've asked before bidding if they would ship to my uncle's business in lynden washington. All of them have agreed to this, but i'm wondering me if they're cursing me from their end, or getting worried about scams. Anyone see a problem with this? __________________ As of now, this is the oldest I've ever been.

September 22nd, 2006, 09:57 AM	#55 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,279	I don't ship to third parties. I don't ship overseas. I do ship and buy from all 50 states, though, and I seem to have a leg up on the "competition" since I can actually name and place on a map all 50 states __________________ Lentz HSL - McNaught SC Jr - Tom Anderson Cobra w/ 3 P90s - Crook Custom Tele w/ Lollar & TV Jones - Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Vinetto Legato - Grosh Bent Top S - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Dr. Z. Carmen Ghia & Mini Z - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 22nd, 2006, 10:16 AM	#56 (permalink)
neocaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chester County, PA Age: 35 Posts: 3,521 11 Photos	Volvoguy, No, that's fine. Asking before bidding is one thing. Asking after you win the auction is another thing entirely. The scams are getting numerous enough that you should be prepared to start getting "No" as a response in the future. __________________ "...You don't need faith if you know it's gonna work!" "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

September 22nd, 2006, 05:13 PM	#59 (permalink)
teleman65 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 771	Being in Canada I find it frustrating that some people won't deal with Canadians. However I fully support the seller in choosing who it is they are willing to deal with. If you are not comfortable selling to someone then don't. Rich, Ebay knows that Italy has restrictions and they know the problems with dealing with 3rd party transactions. If you tell them about this buyer they should be willing to accomodate you in relisting the item.

September 22nd, 2006, 05:27 PM	#61 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,279	best of luck and keep us posted! __________________ Lentz HSL - McNaught SC Jr - Tom Anderson Cobra w/ 3 P90s - Crook Custom Tele w/ Lollar & TV Jones - Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Vinetto Legato - Grosh Bent Top S - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Dr. Z. Carmen Ghia & Mini Z - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 22nd, 2006, 06:14 PM	#63 (permalink)
Knucklehead Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Tarantula Trace Trail, AZ Posts: 205	Was that list of items that are restricted from being shipped to Italy obtained from the "winning buyer" of your auction? I notice Fed Ex and UPS have restrictions on their websites , but these are for common sense items that are either dangerous, illegal, irreplacable,perishable, etc. I did not see "Musical Instrumentsm guitars or parts", maybe it's part of the new Lead Free regulatons affecting most of the EC and Japan, then again maybe these items in question were added to the restricted list by the scammer. Reason I ask is I've shipped a Pedal Steel guitar, a Stratocaster and a Les Paul to Italy 3 years ago. post 9/11. All the transactions went well, as I had the payment wired to my Bank. I've also shipped at least a dozen guitars to Europe and Scandinavia in the recent past. Maybe the scammer you were dealing with wanted to make sure that the instrument was "picked up" here in the USA, so they could rip you off with the bogus Bank Cashiers Check scheme. Just a thought, sorry to hear about your Ebay troubles.