Kay-whatever you do...
Insure it to the hilt,refuse to falsify customs declarations and get signature confirmation.I sell on Ebay,and people cheap out when it comes to shipping;they want regular airmil (which is NOT insurable/traceable,and takes forever),they ask to have a $200.or more item declared as $10.00 valuation and/or declared as a gift.This leaves the seller with no recourse if it's lost/damaged.They worry about a $40.00 duty and ignore the fact they got a great deal from halfway around the world!Also,they will be bugging you after 2 weeks elapse(where's my item?).Arrgh,not easy selling anything these days!Anyhow,sorry to rant,I think your hippo is one of the greatest all time DA thrift finds!
$186 shipping to Japan?
How the heck are you shipping this? USPS Priority mail is $53 for the large flat rate box to Japan and this includes insurance up to $5000.
I have sold many pricey antique items to Japanese buyers on ebay over the years and I have to say that they're the best customers of all---delightfully reasonable, polite, and responsible. That's not to say that all Japanese are like that. Maybe your buyer is the exception, but I still question the $186.
.Item description
I understand that you want to ship with tracking and insurance as it is such an expensive item (and paid with PayPal).
However, it is not the "insternational transaction" that is causing the problem, it is the vague item description that you used. Basically, you let everyone bid, including bidders with very low feedback - who may not know the drill. Usually, for high ticket items, you watch newbies more closeby.
This brings me to the second point: you let people bid, without them knowing what shipping costs you would be charging them after the auction. This is simply a recipe for disaster (especially in combination with newbies). Why did you not explain shipping prices for the most common destinations (UK, scandinavia, central EU, Japan) in you item description ?
I am sorry, but it seems that you did not spend enough time on the listing. Basically, listing takes time, especially the time to figure out shipping (packaging material, weight class, dimensions, insurance etc.) What you do not spend in time in advance on listing, you end up losing (not only in time, but also in money, time and frustration) afterwards.
But, I guess I do not have to tell you that right now. You did just learn it the hard way..
USPS.com states insurance up ...
USPS.com states insurance up to $5000 coverage is included with Priority shipping to Japan. I'd tend to believe them before taking the word of a "local shipping place". Did you also ask what their percentage they take for shipping the item for you?
Last time I checked, UPS shipping to other countries involved them contracting the delivery out to local shippers within those countries, which was why UPS international rates were so much higher than USPS rates. I don't know if this is still the case but I would certainly look into it when there's this much disparity in rates.
It seems You changed your mind..
Interestingly, I have just reread your original Ebay listing. In it, you actually did point foreign bidders to USPS Priority Mail International prices.
This is indeed the 53 USD for Japan -as spanky already mentioned earlier. So, the bidder did follow your instructions all the way (it seems like a nice newbie), and now you're unhappy ???
Basically, you change your mind about shipping after the auction and then come here and complain about the buyer ?
errr. This thing gets weirder every time.
On Sep-12-10 at 20:26:58 PDT, seller added the following information:
****For international bidders**** go to http://ircalc.usps.gov/ to calculate shipping and insurance costs from the US via USPS International Priority mail. If another shipping provider is more desirable please contact me at auctions close prior to paying to confirm shipping details. Thanks!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kay-Bojesen-signed-Hippo-near-perfect-condition-/180...
.
Having never sold anything i found it interesting. I think the OP
explained her situation very well. And learned from it.
The ebay discussion forums can be helpful but they often start
arguing and slapping each other with long winded rants.
But they may have been very helpful in 'listing assistance'.
Kay,I'm with you-trust no one!!
Not when it comes to shipping an expensive item.Like I say,the buyers don't care about your end of it.All they worry about is their shipping cost and duty charges.My biggest nightmare buyer was Japanese.Complained about a $20.00 charge for Priority International,then expected it to be there in 5-7 days,so he put in a claim w/PayPal.I refunded his $20,(act of good will)and when I insured it for $20.00 additional to cover shipoping in case the item got lost,he emailed and demanded $20.00 for duty charges.-The cheek,I tell you.Needless to say,I told him to pound sand!
The sale of the hippo has not been cancelled
In order to provide this forum with a counterpoint on this issue, I (as the winning-bidder on the hippo) would like to respond. To begin with, my wife and I have been quite disheartened with all the nonsense that has transpired since placing the winning the bid on the hippo. However, we are encouraged by the fact that the sale of the hippo has infact NOT been canceled. A cancellation of sale requires BOTH buyer and seller to agree to the cancellation (which I have not done). To clear another thing up, ebay has not forced a cancellation of this sale (since no violation of any ebay policies have occurred). The following are not a violation of ebay policy:
1) contacting a seller and identifying oneself as an international customer.
2) having a short ebay buying history with little activity.
3) making the winning bid on an item.
4) requesting a particular shipping preference or address.
These four reasons have been cited by the seller as justifications for canceling our sale. While the seller could have allayed her suspicions by simply contacting us, she instead chose to air them (in detail) to other prospective buyers on both this forum and her blog.
The following conditions (copied and pasted from ebay's website) detail the grounds by which a seller can legitimately request a sale's cancellation.
*Bidder contacts you to back out of the bid.
*You cannot verify the identity of the bidder, after trying all reasonable means of contact.
*You want to end your auction early because you no longer want to sell your item. In this case you must cancel all bids on your auction before ending the auction.
My understanding of these ground rules is that they restrict sellers from making cancellations based on whim or prerogative. If situations similar to the present one become common practice on ebay, I fear that the balance of power between buyer and seller will begin to disproportionately favor sellers.
On a related note--after some simple research into USPS, I can confirm the cheaper shipping rates provided in the last couple of posts. According to the USPS Express Mail International calculator (Mail Express International http://www.usps.com/international/expressmailinternational.htm
Postage Price Calculator http://ircalc.usps.gov/), the hippo in question should be able to be shipped to Japan (being both trackable and insured up to $5,000) for somewhere in the ballpark of $60.
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