Jump to content

"shipping To Conus Only"


kid31

Recommended Posts

I'll admit when I sell stuff online (haven't sold on classifieds yet though) I will throw in the "conUS only" line in. Personally for me it's just easier to deal with shipping when you don't have to deal with poor tracking, excessively high prices, and customs.

 

On the other hand, I do make exceptions, but I let the buying party take the initiative to contact me and see if we can work out international shipping. If I feel relatively safe about the transaction and the other party agrees to the higher shipping costs then I'll go ahead with the sale regardless of what I said in the description. The same goes both ways. When I order stuff from overseas (a lot of Japan), I do so understanding that I'm probably going to pay upwards of $25-30 for a small box that's registered air mail with tracking and if something happens I'll have to deal with trying to get insurance back somehow.

 

A few weeks ago I sold a knife to someone in Canada. He had a private mail box here in the USA so it's pretty clear that he's become accustomed to sellers not wanting to ship to Canada. I gave him the option of shipping to him direct (saving him a 2 hour drive) but the shipping quote was high enough that he figured the drive across the border was more economical.

Message me about nib work in NYC

Instagram | YouTube

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 66
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • LBpens

    8

  • OcalaFlGuy

    8

  • Chrissy

    3

  • DrRoger

    3

Top Posters In This Topic

Perhaps I am missing something here - I understand why the difficulties arise with shipping to non-U.S. addys, but I am not sure why the continental U.S. is specified? is there some problem with shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, and the Territories?

 

Sharon in Indiana

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." Earnest Hemingway

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps I am missing something here - I understand why the difficulties arise with shipping to non-U.S. addys, but I am not sure why the continental U.S. is specified? is there some problem with shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, and the Territories?

 

Sharon in Indiana

+1

In a few cases I have had problems with sellers because Puerto Rico is not CONUS. As a territory that "belongs to but is not a part of" the U.S. we also use the same USPS and pay the same postal rates. :gaah:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I expect to see it more in sales and less in trades, PIFs, etc... personally. I work with a number of clients in my day job who ship international and things... can be a mess. Stuff stuck in customs for weeks. Disappearing altogether. Customs confiscating a package because of some change in required forms that wasn't advertised...

 

... and 9 times out of 10? The buyer blames the seller. The brand. I deal with so many angry, pissy emails in this regard. I can see why people might shy away- imagine selling a pen, the mail system losing it somewhere, and getting bombarded with angry emails. Even if you refund the person- they might still be angry AND you're out the pen and money.

 

As someone else said... it's easier to get insurance and accountability from FedEx and UPS, within the US (the USPS almost never pays out insurance claims, FYI). I can see why people would shy away from international... All it takes is one deal gone bad and you just don't want to deal with it anymore- esp. if say, you're on a budget and selling pens to try to make some income.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps less people outside US would answer an ad which says CONUS only if you write what it means. It took me a while to figure it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, well I am glad I started this topic, I think I learned some interesting things. In particular, if I see a pen I like but the seller ships "CONUS only", I will still contact the seller: perhaps (s)he will be willing to ship internationally.

 

To reply to LBpens, I find it unusual to refer to shipping costs in terms of a percentage of the cost of the item; it is rather an added cost. This being said, I agreed to pay $40 for a $400 pen shipped from the US, but I declined to pay $40 for a $20 pen and ended up not buying it. So yes, I am willing to pay more for shipping if the pen costs more.

 

To reply to DrRoger, VAT/sales tax/custom duty etc. are a real problem in an indirect way. If the actual sale price of an item is declared on the customs form, these added charges can be enormous, definitely a deal breaker. But that is not all. A small packet transiting around the world with a $1500 price tag on it really invites theft. I have been told by sellers that shipping insurance companies encourage them to be "reasonable" with the prices they declare. This is an added bonus for the buyer, of course, who benefits from lesser ripoff charges by customs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those of you outside the US, let me pose a question - what percentage above a pen's selling price are you willing to pay for paypal required shipping/tracking?

I must admit I thought that in the US you could buy some limited insurance for a small additional fee.

 

So. if the carrier insures you for the value of the item, then the PayPal tracking number requirement is surely not absolutely essential?

 

We can make a claim against our carrier Royal Mail, when they lose or damage an item, and they will pay out. So we don't need to worry too much what Paypal requires. You can't claim twice for one loss.

 

Also, it depends on how much we're talking about. If I was sending a lower value pen or bottle of ink, I would be happy to take the risk of not paying for insurance/tracking up to about GB20 value. Assuming a bottle of ink weighs between 251 and 500grams, it will cost GB£3.20 to post 1st class in the UK, GB£5.15 to Europe and GB£7.45 to US. Tracking costs an additional GB£1.10 in the UK or GB£5 International.

 

In the past I have had many items sent from the US by 1st class International mail. None of them were particularly expensive and I received every one in good condition.

 

I have also bought ink from Japan that hasn't been tracked or insured, and that has arrived too.

 

I look at many pen and ink Classified Ads on FPN, and if I see CONUS only, I just press the back button and don't bother reading the Ad.

 

Each to their own though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I may add one more reason to the pile....

 

When I sell I don't limit it to CONUS, but to the US. I do this because there is a little automated postal machine at work that I can use--but not if I have to fill out a customs form. So to ship to the US is a short walk downstairs, and a swipe of my debit card, but to ship outside the US requires a trip to the post office.

"The Great Roe is a mythological beast with the head of a lion and the body of a lion, but not the same lion."

My Personal Blog | My Creative Writing Blog | My Heraldry Designs

http://dcroe05.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/crestdr.png?w=100

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

It's often cheaper to send something tracked internationally than domestically.

I have never experienced this

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always figure it's some combination of being too lazy to deal with shipping cost as a variable (which having a large domestic market they can get away with) and 'murikanism. In their mind's eye, a globe always has the USA front and center, the individual states lovingly outlined. Everything else is unlabelled blank grey ... especially the hat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always figure it's some combination of being too lazy to deal with shipping cost as a variable (which having a large domestic market they can get away with) and 'murikanism. In their mind's eye, a globe always has the USA front and center, the individual states lovingly outlined. Everything else is unlabelled blank grey ... especially the hat.

 

As a resident of the US, here's how I read your comment:

 

"I always figure they're either too lazy to do a simple math problem, or too self centered to care about anything outside their borders."

 

There have been several rational reasons presented in this thread, so please don't paint us all with the same broad--and rather insulting--brush.

"The Great Roe is a mythological beast with the head of a lion and the body of a lion, but not the same lion."

My Personal Blog | My Creative Writing Blog | My Heraldry Designs

http://dcroe05.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/crestdr.png?w=100

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fortunately I have not had an issue with deliveries outside of the USA, I have shipped to several countries USPS, and FedEx, not used UPS. No issues, and I will keep sacrificing to the Postal Gods as time goes on.

 

European buyers are at a great advantage, especially with the price of the Euro or GBP being so much higher than the US $, buy while you can with added insurance, you are usually getting a great deal, and its worth the added cost. Then again countries not using the Euro, tend to be in the same dollar to donut range, but I have also found their postal fees and services are not as costly as USPS.

 

Good topic whoever started.

 

I have to admit, I had to ask another member what CONUS stood for and also what BRO stood for when I first signed on with FPN :wallbash:

 

 

Oooh on another note if I am perusing around and looking at pens, ink etc, on wherever I also look at the shipping costs...Sometimes the pen is worth it and sometimes I let it go....saddens me. I would guess its more a cost factor than laziness, or interaction with non-US buyers. :D

Edited by tringle
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

As a resident of the US, here's how I read your comment:

 

"I always figure they're either too lazy to do a simple math problem, or too self centered to care about anything outside their borders."

 

There have been several rational reasons presented in this thread, so please don't paint us all with the same broad--and rather insulting--brush.

 

+1

PELIKAN - Too many birds in the flock to count. My pen chest has proven to be a most fertile breeding ground.

fpn_1508261203__fpn_logo_300x150.jpg

THE PELIKAN'S PERCH - A growing reference site for all things Pelikan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

There have been several rational reasons presented in this thread, so please don't paint us all with the same broad--and rather insulting--brush.

 

I think you read my use of the word "lazy" more harshly than I intended. I apologize. Most of the discussion seems to be around some added complexity in cost and insurance issues that people choose not to deal with, because they don't have to, because they have a large domestic market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those of you outside the US, let me pose a question - what percentage above a pen's selling price are you willing to pay for paypal required shipping/tracking?

 

The pens I buy are quite cheap, so I'm only prepared to go for first class intl, say a total cost of ~$30 + ~$10pp. That's $33% of pen cost which is good for postage to NZ. Often the postal costs are ~50% of purchase price.

Through paypal I often pay via the friends/family option, which means I pay the paypal charge and I accept all the risk of:

  • a pen not as described,
  • postage woes.

I'm comfortable with that for the kinds of pens I'm buying. And so far, so good.

Edited by luminesce

questions questions, too many questions...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm interested that a number of people have stated that sellers in the US are more confident of getting a domestic sale as the USA is a larger country. The USA has a population of just over 300 million while the EU has a population of just over 500 million. Is there really so much less interest in fountain pens and other writing instruments per head of population in the EU than the USA? I understand that there are other barriers such as inflated shipping costs and customs documents to fill out which the seller may feel would discourage a sale or cause them personal inconvenience but I've shipped items all over the world using couriers from the UK and have found it relatively easy to do and very reliable. There are certain countries I'd be wary of shipping to but the EU as a whole is painless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A trip to the post office, parking, filling out the forms and then mailing it off before I am able to get the final information to the buyer and then wait to have my Paypal account credited - minus the PayPal fee %. Or maybe I make the trip first, weigh everything and then post the information, except what country is it going to? And what is the fee along with the insurances etc.

 

Even if the person says I am not responsible if it is not received, I fee a responsibility even if it just a moral one. Oh yes, one more thing...

 

If it's a $500.00 pen, maybe I could imagine doing all that work. For a $50.00 or $100.00 pen I'm spending 1-2 hours of my time packaging, and shipping.

 

I just ordered my first pen from a country other than the U.S., Canada or India and I am waiting for it's arrival. The pens I received from Canada, were delivered to my home while the pens from India required a trip to the post office and a wait while the package was retrieved so that I could sign for it.

 

Maybe, if I get to the place where I am selling and shipping more expensive pens, I would consider a UPS/DHL/ other international shipper with insurance/accountability. Until then, it's not really something I have the desire or time to do.

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some odd anomalies in posting overseas, with the same items costing different prices even though using the same carrier options and same destinations. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. In my defence I am terribly stupid so maybe it all makes perfect sense and I just can't see it.

Edited by Cryptos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think paypal will listen to a claim that the buyer accepted the risk. If the buyer makes an item not received claim against you, and you don't have tracking with delivery confirmation, you will lose.

 

Do you have any back up for this?

 

I do not believe it is a true statement.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...