Why some sellers don't sell their lights outside US?

[tx101]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

At the end of the day, it is up to the seller whether he/she wants to ship
overseas.
What mystifies me is why is it so much hassle for the Post Office
staff to get the right Customs forms and the right method of shipping ?
Is that not supposed to be their job ?

 

[flashfan]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

I go to the US post office periodically, and at the branch I go to, a lot of stuff is automated. The clerk punches in the destination, and the various options/prices for shipping pop right up. So far (knock on wood), I haven't had any problems with wrong customs forms and the like.

What bothers me is that the post office changes rules and fees so often these days, it's hard to keep up. In the "old days," it seemed like rates and rules stayed the same for years and years at a time. Now, you know it will change at least once a year.

What I find useful is the USPS website. It takes extra time, but when mailing something new/different, I've usually been able to find the information I need before going to the post office (so no unpleasant surprises). I don't do click-n-ship, but do know that extra discounts apply. Also very convenient.

 

[Barbarian]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

At the end of the day, it is up to the seller whether he/she wants to ship
overseas.
What mystifies me is why is it so much hassle for the Post Office
staff to get the right Customs forms and the right method of shipping ?
Is that not supposed to be their job ?

Good point, but the average postal worker has very little intelligence or pride in their job. There are many reasons why the USPS lose money quicker than a drunk at a casino, but stupid employees has to be at the top of the list. I know several carriers and they do nothing but complain about their workplace, and in particular, their supervisors. I will stop with my comments here as I can go on and on about the USPS.

 

[jtr1962]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Good point, but the average postal worker has very little intelligence or pride in their job. There are many reasons why the USPS lose money quicker than a drunk at a casino, but stupid employees has to be at the top of the list. I know several carriers and they do nothing but complain about their workplace, and in particular, their supervisors. I will stop with my comments here as I can go on and on about the USPS.

To add to that, what about the famous "Post Office shuffle"? At my local PO (and many others according to people I know), no matter how long the lines are or how few windows are open, the employees go about their business with a distinct lack of urgency. I'm not talking about keeping things slow enough to avoid silly mistakes. Rather, after they weigh your package, they'll sloooooowly shuffle over and drop it in the outgoing mail bag. Ditto for any other movements they make. I understand not moving so fast that you make silly mistakes, but most of the time the employees seem to be in slow motion. But yes, one of the major reasons USPS is losing money is indeed some of their employees. Not all by any stretch, but it seems those who deal directly with customers are purposely slow, incompetent, uncaring, and generally go through their work as if in a daze. Now I know for the most part working at the PO is a boring, very repetitive job. And maybe that's the problem. Instead of having everyone do only one thing for years, maybe employees should be moved around the system a bit. One week you're a package handler, next week you run a window, after that maybe you deliver mail, etc. Besides giving employees a better idea of how the entire operation works, it would alleviate the boredom and stagnation which I suspect is the root of the problem of uncaring, lackadaisical employees. Actually, lots of businesses used to do exactly this. Nowadays it seems they would rather keep someone doing the exact same thing for their entire career.

 

[1wrx7]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

I use three different PO's depending on what I'm doing. The one in my town that I have to go to to pick up packages if they have delivery confirmation is very busy and slow It's also about 6 miles farther away than the closest one to me. I use the closest one to me on my own time... they have great service:thumbsup: I also have one right near my work that is very convient for me except for one employee... I have several words to describe him, but I'll keep them to myself. I heard some of the women I work with talking about someone at the PO badly... and I knew who they were talking about immediately:shakehead

I've never had a problem with shipping to non US CPF members, but I've used the online international quoted rates and have had to come out of pocket to cover actual shipping costs. Anything but first class type shipping is rediculously expensive. When I sell things I list my price as shipped in the CON US. I'm useually willing to ship international at the buyers cost, but when I do I have no seller protection through PayPal:thinking: Thankfully all my packages have made it to were they were going and 98-99% of CPF are good people. I still wonder if this is the time I get screwed whenever I ship international.

 

[DimeRazorback]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

All I know is that us non-US CPFer's miss out on a lot of cool stuff!

:nana:

 

[Curious_character]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

I frequently send small packages all over the world. As long as it weighs less than 13 oz., I can put it in my residential mailbox for pickup, drop it into a curbside mail box, or drop it into the drive-through box at the post office just like any other mail. The only thing I have to do different from U.S. shipping is to attach a customs tag that takes a couple of minutes to fill out -- and of course use more postage. For packages less than 4 lb., you use the small customs form 2976. I pick up a handful at the post office once in a while to keep a supply on hand, but you can probably order them from USPS via the web if an occasional trip to the P.O. is too much hassle.

Anything over 13 oz. has to be hand delivered to a postal clerk at the post office, not to your residential carrier, if the postage is in the form of stamps instead of a postal meter. (Don't get me started on the stupidity of that rule. But it is the rule.) This is true for both U.S. and foreign shipments.

There aren't any reasonably priced options, though, for sending something overseas with tracking or delivery confirmation. I've had very few packages go astray, but one with a customs tag saying "flashlight" might not do so well when sent to less developed countries. That's the real down side to shipping overseas.

c_c

 

[Monocrom]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Reminds me of my local PO. It takes an hour to get serviced on a good day, three hours on average, and don't ask during Christmas holiday (i.e. if you get on line at 8 AM you might be serviced before the doors close at 5 PM-the line can stretch for 5 blocks outside the door). Lines like this are the reason many people here say CONUS only.

That's why I never used the post office in the old neighborhood. Flushing went downhill nearly 20 years ago. :thumbsdow

I actually drive out to the post office located inside Roosevelt Field mall. Sometimes it gets busy, but usually I'm in & out in literally 5 minutes.

As far as "CONUS Only" goes, some sellers are afraid of getting scammed.

 

[Crenshaw]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

All I know is that us non-US CPFer's miss out on a lot of cool stuff!

:nana:

we sure do...

although it doesnt hurt to ask the seller if the item isnt moving, and you're one of the few that wants it.

I ship almost exclusively by registered mail, cos i can never figure out how much in stamps to affix anyway

Crenshaw

 

[Kiessling]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Usually, asking nicely will work despite the dreaded "Conus only". Also, paying for the expense of money AND time is a solution. After all, the risk of being scammed by CPFers is rather minimal.
bernie

 

[LuxLuthor]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

You would think that the USA would have a very easy mailing system setup for overseas, but they don't for the cheaper first class methods.

As others have said, I can do a small flat rate box or envelope sent priority mail at $13.50 and have all the customs questions answered, label printed, and hand it to my daily postman who comes to my home.

For the cheap first class, I have to fill out a manual form and then take it to the post office...which wouldn't be the end of the world, except that the 3 post offices within a half hour of driving time all have horrible service. They have huge long lines and maybe 1 or 2 clerk windows open. If you get one person from a law office who is sending 100+ certified mail envelopes out, that will tie up that window for at least 30-40 mins. They don't call to the back for more support when these blockages in the system happen, and they show no human concern about how long the lines get or how upset the customers.

The last time I HAD to use the Post Office, including the time leaving my house, finding parking, paying for parking, waiting to mail my box and drive home took a total of 1 hour 45 minutes.....but it is very frustrating time which makes it seem like days.

Basically if someone wants to buy something from me overseas/Canada/Mexico, I ONLY send Priority Mail rate, or not at all. I don't care....and it's not personal against any of the members here.

 

[xcel730]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

I'm in the NYC vicinity and all the post office that are conveniently located near my home or work is overcrowded with customers and have small number of staffs that take their sweet time working. On number of ocassions, I tried to avoid the crowds by going to the post office 30 minutes before they were opened, but still, there were a few people that were ahead of me waiting.

Sometimes I would eat the cost and ship my items via FedEx or UPS. However, FedEx charges ridiculous amount for international shipping. Anything than weighs more than a paperclip cost over $100+ for international shipping.

 

[dano]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Here's my two big reasons for selling CONUS, only:

1. Asking me to lie on Customs forms, which I won't do.

2. The USPS forms and wait time to process those forms at the P.O., though, now, the USPS wants all those forms filled out via internet, and a printed confirmation has to be brought to the post office.

 

[Cahl]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Here's my two big reasons for selling CONUS, only:

1. Asking me to lie on Customs forms, which I won't do.

2. The USPS forms and wait time to process those forms at the P.O., though, now, the USPS wants all those forms filled out via internet, and a printed confirmation has to be brought to the post office.

1. Have you ever been told "if you don't lie, I won't buy it!"? I won't complain when people write a lower price on the package, but if they don't, well I have no problems with that. It *is* against the law

2. I can understand this, if the post office is "out of the way". But if the option is not getting any buyers .. or filling out a few forms .. well ..

I never knew you guys could just print and wait for pickup. Here we have to go to the post office no matter what

Our mailboxes are *a lot* smaller than in Singapore:

 

[Casper507]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Other than lights there are many things you would need a license to ship to singapore or any other country. For instance I saw a Aimpoint M3 gun sight on ebay and a customer asked how much shipping was to Taiwan. An Aimpoint sight has protected technology in it and must have a license to be shipped out of the US declaring things such as use/end user etc.

 

[gadget_lover]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

My reason is vary simple.

If I have to sue to get my money (from the insurer or the buyer) then I want to be able to do it in a local US court.

If I ship to Singapore and the buyer is a flake (it happens) then it's very difficult to resolve the problem.

Conus as opposed to "US"? Well, I don't know the laws in the territories that are not in the states, and there are so few Hawaiian and Alaskans that they can be handled on a case by case basis.

My last ebay sale was supposed to be US only. The address I shipped to ended up being a remailer. The $400 item was shipped out of country without my knowledge. I used PayPal and insurance since they would provide some assurance if the deal went bad. The seller did eventually try to get me to refund the money, but I was able to provide 10 Megapxel close-ups of the item including serial number. He quietly disappeared.

Daniel

 

[kramer5150]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

I have received and sent FAR to many open/empty packages with contents missing. I don't trust foreign or domestic customs.

 

[Cahl]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

I have received and sent FAR to many open/empty packages with contents missing. I don't trust foreign or domestic customs.

By that logic you should never bring any luggage when you go on vacation

According to the Ponemon Institute, more than 10,000 laptops are reported lost at the 36 largest airports in the US each week

 

[dano]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

1. Have you ever been told "if you don't lie, I won't buy it!"? I won't complain when people write a lower price on the package, but if they don't, well I have no problems with that. It *is* against the law

Yup...several times, or the buyer disappears.

2. I can understand this, if the post office is "out of the way". But if the option is not getting any buyers .. or filling out a few forms .. well ..

It's not so much being out of the way (I can walk to the P.O.) it's the 30 minute + wait time in line that's an issue. I go to another P.O. that has an automated machine, but it does domestic, only.

I never knew you guys could just print and wait for pickup. Here we have to go to the post office no matter what

 

[Cahl]

Re: Why some sellers don't sell their lights/stuffs outside US?

Wow, several times? Well, then they are jerks. Could ask for address-verified Paypal only I suppose .. not that it is any guarantee, but it will help.

So the reason we do not get any packages .. we are jerks, hehe