A word of warning to those using 'that' online auction site

[Troglodyte]

I was the winning bidder on those auctions. I was fully refunded, but I am very disappointed not to have the items.

I wish I could say this was a one-off, but incidents like this are increasing. For international shipping, the local post office (Royal Mail in the UK) seems to be the only choice for an international package.

Even for non-military/firearms items, eBay's Global Shipping Program is shockingly expensive. At least they make up for it be being slower than any other shipper.

[browningautorifle]

It's almost like you have to contact the seller and offer him what it's worth, have him pull it and ship it regular mail.

[Olddust]

I have shipped international from Canada to USA and others. As well as received from outside the Country. I use gunbroker, and will ship permitted items, but as stated buy others before about 30% of US sellers will not ship items to me. Why I don't know. Numrich will, so why not “bobs guns of Kansas” I guess having the biggest market sown up makes doing business elsewhere a chore.

[Flying10uk]

Someone told me several years ago that you have fewer problems by selling on eBay.com because there are fewer restrictions on what you can sell compared to other eBay sites. I haven't tried it myself because I haven't yet got my head around how well it would work for those of us not based in the US. Obviously the pricing would be in US dollars. Does anyone here, not based in the US, sell on eBay.com and if so how do you find it compared to the eBay site related to where you live?

[MAC702]

I have shipped international from Canada to USA and others. As well as received from outside the Country. I use gunbroker, and will ship permitted items, but as stated buy others before about 30% of US sellers will not ship items to me. Why I don't know. Numrich will, so why not “bobs guns of Kansas” I guess having the biggest market sown up makes doing business elsewhere a chore.

I must admit I've probably never considered selling my stuff opened up for international buyers. We have so much paperwork already, I don't even want to figure out what else to do if someone overseas buys it, so I just play the odds that my buyer will probably be domestic anyway, so why take the risk of getting an overseas buyer and then have to figure out what to do. I apologize, but I REALLY HATE paperwork. I barely know how to make a label and ship something domestically. Next time I sell something, I'll give it a second thought, and read a bit about what I'd have to do if it sold internationally.

[Surpmil]

For Canadians who live near a major US centers if you can find a forwarder who will take your packages to the US and mail them from there, or if you can take them across yourself you can sell on eBay.com as opposed to eBay.ca There are vids about this on YT etc.

[Troglodyte]

The problem isn't selling on eBay, it's shipping through eBay's Global Shipping Program.

If you set up your listing to reflect your willingness to ship internationally, international bidders will be able to compete for your item. If they win, use whatever carrier you prefer, and invoice the international bidder for the cost of packing and shipping.

You might have to fill out a customs form, or maybe just a little customs sticker, either of which won't cost you five minutes. Easy peasy.

When you choose (it's optional!) to use eBay's Global Shipping Program, you stick your buyer with an inappropriately high shipping bill, a looooong shipping delay, and the risk of your item being confiscated by the eBay package inspectors.

eBay obviously unpacks/repacks at least some of the items, else we'd not have these confiscation issues, as they're confiscating items they already permitted you to sell internationally.

I hope a competitor to eBay will emerge, but until it does, just use your own shipper and avoid the annoyance.

[waco16]

The problem isn't selling on eBay, it's shipping through eBay's Global Shipping Program.

Absolutely correct!
After the same thing happening with another item (1980s Swift Spotting Scope) I spent an age trying to find a way to actually talk to an ebay represntitive, I ended up with an 'online chat' with a lady based in India!

After trying to explain to her that me retaining the payment for the item, and the buyer getting a refund wasn't the point - I explained there was no restriction on shipping these items, and that in some instances they were extrememly difficult to replace.

She told me there was a sight chance of getting the item back, and if that were the case, I could ship to the original buyer using a different method
Proving that its their non sensical, idiotic policy

If you sell on ebay DO NOT USE THEIR GLOBAL SHIPPING OPTION

[Brian Dick]

The reason most US sellers won't ship overseas is because shipments not containing frames, barrels and receivers requiring export licensing, still require lodging with US Customs and Border Protection/Census before shipment. In order to ship legally, the seller must be registered and lodge the shipment on the CBP/Census website to obtain an AES ITN or Automated Export System International Transaction Number. This number must be entered on the current US Post Customs Declarations and if it's not there, the items can/may be confiscated by CBP. It doesn't matter if it's No.4 band screws or sling swivels. If it's a firearms component, lodging is required. They've recently changed the US Postal regs and detailed descriptions are now being required. Doing away with "generalized" or "creative" descriptions is the goal of this. I read and hear of surprised shippers over here having valuable parts seized. I've even had a couple of folks call here after seizure to ask how to get the job done and shipments returned but by then it's too late. The seized items are never returned after the fact. I'd guess more and more will find out the hard way as time goes on.

[Surpmil]

The bottom line is large retailers and gubbermints don't like the peons being able to sell their used stuff to each other outside their local area.

Gubbermints consider it unregulated commerce and the retailers see the billions changing hands and think that if those venues didn't exist the peons would buy their new junk instead with that money.

The constant jacking up of postage rates in at least the Anglosphere is IMHO governments attempts to claw back some of that income they think they lost. And of course the regular agenda of extracting as much revenue from the populace as possible to service the "debts", buy votes, and pay off their various "stakeholders".

eBay is now collecting a huge amount of money in "taxes" on behalf of governments, but is there any public accounting of how much actually goes to those governments in the end?

Many people feel eBay is actually intent on squeezing out the small private sellers so as to please these forces. Possibly they're trying to strike a balance between competing interests.

eBay stalking scandal - Wikipedia