Lack of U.S. Bidders and World Market for Film Based Equipment.

[CGW]

Shipping a 2-lb package via Priority Mail to Canada is $22, while shipping it within the USA can be as low as $5. I can't see many international buyers being willing to pay that much.

Actual charges tend be a bit lower in my experience when sellers actually bother to check rates at the PO rather than opt for the highest cost on a USPS table. Shipping isn't cheap, which I accept happily if the service is dependable and insured. The only time I ever lost an item from a US eBay seller was via el cheapo USPS economy service. I've paid way more than US$22 for heavy stuff from the States.

 

[Aristophanes]

And I've been pleasantly surprised at times.

This older fellow advertises a Pentax MZ-50 camera with a cheap kit zoom but with 3 absolutely mint prime lenses (FA 24/2, FA 35/2, and FA 50/1.7) in boxes, unused since purchased, gifts to him from a daughter who overestimated his passion for photography.

He asks $150 for the lot.

I phone him up. He says he's overwhelmed with responses (all by email; I was the only one to phone him) and some young college kid is coming over right away. He cannot understand the haste. The seller thinks the value is in the camera.

I explain that the prime lenses are worth a lot of money. I email him references from PentaxForums and eBay and leave him with the idea I will pay a fair price for what I said sounded like superb equipment in perfect shape. We talk about what we like to photograph; turns out it is family, me my young children, he his young grandchildren. Common interest and a pleasant conversation. Sadly, his eyes cannot deal with a viewfinder anymore.

He phones me back in the evening and tells me my honesty was refreshing. $250 for it all and it's mine. The money is not important and he was upset with the college kids who tried to push a sale without any ethics. He wants his daughter's gifts to go to a good home.

My score. I still have 2 of the lenses and the camera as a backup film unit. I emailed him photos of my kids shot with the lenses. His response was very gratifying.

 

[Mr.3D]

Shipping a 2-lb package via Priority Mail to Canada is $22, while shipping it within the USA can be as low as $5. I can't see many international buyers being willing to pay that much.

Curious why Priority? Unless parcel has to be insured, ship it 1st class international. This will cut your shipping cost in half. And really its not your cost, remember the buyer is paying for shipping.

Bill

 

[CGW]

Curious why Priority? Unless parcel has to be insured, ship it 1st class international. This will cut your shipping cost in half. And really its not your cost, remember the buyer is paying for shipping.

Bill

But that's the point. I want tracking and insurance and am willing to pay for it. Otherwise, a shipper can claim it was sent, keep the $ and the item. I've seen that movie.

 

[Edtog]

I used to buy a lot of stuff from America, new and second hand but now with the exchange rate as it is new stuff here is the same price as the US, when you add the VAT/import duty/postage.
Just not worth anymore.

 

[Mr.3D]

But that's the point. I want tracking and insurance and am willing to pay for it. Otherwise, a shipper can claim it was sent, keep the $ and the item. I've seen that movie.

This cuts both ways believe me. Seller ships and buyer says he never recieved it. If your using Ebay and Paypal I would rather be the bidder in this equation. On the Bay its all about the buyer and "F" the seller..

Bill

 

[CGW]

This cuts both ways believe me. Seller ships and buyer says he never recieved it. If your using Ebay and Paypal I would rather be the bidder in this equation. On the Bay its all about the buyer and "F" the seller..

Bill

I've had very few unresolved issues with sellers. Still, having an insured trackable package with delivery confirmation cuts the scope for fraud to a minimum.

 

[moose10101]

Curious why Priority? Unless parcel has to be insured, ship it 1st class international. This will cut your shipping cost in half. And really its not your cost, remember the buyer is paying for shipping.

Bill

If this weren't a thread about eBay sales, I would have used something besides Priority. But since I have to be able to prove delivery in order to protect myself, Priority is the cheapest option. And the cost to the buyer was the point of my argument.

Actual charges tend be a bit lower in my experience when sellers actually bother to check rates at the PO rather than opt for the highest cost on a USPS table.

The figure I quoted is from the USPS.com postage calculator, not from a table. It's what I'd pay to ship the package, including the discount for printing it myself.

 

[Tim Gray]

Actual charges tend be a bit lower in my experience when sellers actually bother to check rates at the PO rather than opt for the highest cost on a USPS table. Shipping isn't cheap, which I accept happily if the service is dependable and insured. The only time I ever lost an item from a US eBay seller was via el cheapo USPS economy service. I've paid way more than US$22 for heavy stuff from the States.

Once you factor in insurance, that's not always true. $50 for shipping in a box with GOOD padding and $1k or so of insurance is not unusual for domestic shipping.