Thinkpads Forum

All you folks in Europe, don't pay any attention to tfflivemb2 as he lives in Wisconsin, which is a Canadian Province.

- Yak

Lat year I sent two drives down to someone in Mexico..

They were UltraBay 2000 DVD and Floppy drives, not worth a whole lot these days..

I declared the value at $50, which was probably fair.

Well, six weeks (!) later the package gets down to Puerto Vallarda, and the Customs creep wants $100 duty from my friend!!!
So he refuses the package...

SEVEN MONTHS LATER I get it back!

It really is a case of don't even bother.

scosgt1 wrote:I think you just didn't read the above posts.

I am not about to sell overseas until there is a safe guaranteed way to do it. I work too hard for my money to lose it by:

Fake PayPal dispute
Stolen credit card
Customs problem
Inability to collect insurance from foreign shipping company
fake money order
SCAM

To ship overseas, instead of a simple click and ship and just drop the package at the counter, I have to stand on line (maybe for an hour) fill out a customs form (won't lie) and hope the package gets there and I get the money. And there are FEDERAL LAWS in regards to exporting technology. Some exports require a LICENSE. I have no idea what or to where.

It is just not worth it. Where is the benefit to me?

And you've reinforced your argument well with your story about the drives. That's horrendous!! I know that Australian post offices (at least the ones where I live) have dead times during the day where you can go in, drop off your parcel, pay and you're out in a couple of minutes.

An hour in line, with a bulky parcel, is as much an inconvenience on your posture in someways than your time. I certainly wouldn't want to be holding a box for that long.

brainpicker wrote:All you folks in Europe, don't pay any attention to tfflivemb2 as he lives in Wisconsin, which is a Canadian Province.

- Yak

HEY NOW!! It might feel like it in the winter time, but it is STILL in the US.

I have mailed items out to several places overseas, including disks to Toine in the Netherlands, and it didn't take me much longer...though the value was next to nothing. I am not so sure that I would be willing to send something expensive like a laptop overseas, without it being someone that has been here for a while, or that I have dealt with such as Toine.

tfflivemb2 wrote:

brainpicker wrote:All you folks in Europe, don't pay any attention to tfflivemb2 as he lives in Wisconsin, which is a Canadian Province.

- Yak

HEY NOW!! It might feel like it in the winter time, but it is STILL in the US.

Wisconsin is actually north of Canada. Or at least north of parts of Canada.

I have sold a number of items to overseas buyers (including UK, Netherlands and Singapore) on eBay, with no trouble. However, none of those cost more than $200. For a $1000+ laptop I, too, would probably take more precautions.

well, that is mostly what we are talking about here.

ok, now i really want to reply and to say that scammers are is US as well! in december i bought a combo charger, advertised as the slim model, i got the old brick version, seller (aboorah now shipping girl or shopping girl) didnt reply to my emails, i put dispute with paypal, meanwhile she comes back from "sickness" it takes her another 2 weeks to give me her address, meanwhile i close the dispute, i mail it back....she claims she never recieved it...paypal says as long as i closed the dispute i cannot reopen it...so ciao 100usd... i should've paid more for shipping to be tracked...i think that's the lesson we should learn all of us...tracking and insuring the package...

ps: i live in switzerland but i'm romanian, i bet if i'd wanted sg shipped in romania no one would dare to do so (due to its reputation), at least switzerland sounds better...

Nowadays I only feel comfortable dealing with selling and buying within the U.S. and Canada. Nothing else. It's just less hassle this way, for both parties involved.

But to be fair to the European members on this board, all my previous sales to buyers in Europe were pleasant experiences. But in all those cross continent sales, I always insisted on receiving payment first, and waiting about 3 weeks for my bank to clear the payment, then I mail out the package, meticulously packaged and padded with ample amounts of peanuts, and insured to the mutually agreed upon sale price.

Anyways, those are my stipulations for making a sale to a European buyer. I know these conditions may seem unreasonable from a buyer's point of view, but these are the only conditions under which I will conduct an international sale.


At least here inside the U.S., you always have the option of paying $99 for a Greyhound bus ticket to go and beat up a domestic deadbeat buyer. Whereas I would be more hesitant of plucking down $600 for a plane ticket to go to Europe and beat up a deadbeat buyer there ---No offense to the European members on this board

tomh009 wrote: Wisconsin is actually north of Canada. Or at least north of parts of Canada.

Is continental drift that severe up in the northern hemisphere these days??

Between that and global warming, we'll be the "hot" new winter destination soon!

That said ...
Windsor, ON: 42.18N
Milwaukee, WI: 43.14N

Kind of like that trivia question... If you're in downtown Detroit MI and you travel south, what's the first country you enter when leaving the United States?

edit: Clicked the wrong button too early...

I've shipped out a package to Holland a little while ago and did not have any problems. Contents were declared at the eBay selling price and fully disclosed on the customs form. Yeah, it takes a few minutes to stand in line at the P.O. and fill out the proper paperwork, but it's not that difficult nor troublesome.

rkawakami wrote:Kind of like that trivia question... If you're in downtown Detroit MI and you travel south, what's the first country you enter when leaving the United States?

Ooo, Ooo, pick me, pick me, I know... Wisconsin, Canada (OK, it's actually Windsor, Canada, but I couldn't resist)!

- Yak

Wow, how did I turn out to be the butt of this joke?!?!? Talk about drifting...