heyheyjan
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posted on December 10, 2000 07:22:42 PM new
STUCK IN NEUTRAL? I have found that those who are stuck there usually choose to be there. Those brown boxes that all of your Priority mailers come in are ideal for overseas shipping and they come in some great sizes too! And there is always the grocery store, where they will put your groceries in boxes if you ask nicely. Couldn't be any heavier than tires, could it?
And there is always some kid in the neighborhood who is willing to go harvest boxes for a few dollars. I have also found that a call to the neighborhood school can get you some nice boxes. Our school has a print shop & I get all sorts of boxes from them. Check it out! Old dogs CAN learn new tricks!
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Shoshanah
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posted on December 10, 2000 07:40:49 PM new
Wouldnt'it be nice if all posters could be civil, and not constently post put-downs?...Maybe Santa can deliver a new personality...without barbs....
********************
Gosh Shosh!
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/rifkah/
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nanastuff
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posted on December 10, 2000 07:43:43 PM new
Most excellent, Shosh!!
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cix
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posted on December 10, 2000 07:51:32 PM new
easydoesit,
You say he already did it twice right ?
So let him do it 2 more times. then after you file NPB alerts and FVF credits he is OUT !!!
4 FVF will get him booted quicker than anything else !
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Shoshanah
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posted on December 10, 2000 07:57:37 PM new
nanastuff 
********************
Gosh Shosh!
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/rifkah/
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easydoesit
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posted on December 10, 2000 08:33:12 PM new
"You cut yourself off from a big ol world by being lazy and xenophobic"
If you feel the need to insult someone at least make the attempt to use your big ol words properly.
xenophobic: unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin.
I have yet to see anyone on this thread say that they are fearful of anything foreign. Maybe you are reading something that I missed.
"Geez, what a bunch of lazy sellers"....
..."I rarely have a problem and charge extra for S&H to take into account the filling in of customs forms etc."
That seems pretty lazy considering custom forms take about the same amount of time as filling out an insurance form.
"It's like those sellers that only want to ship Priority so that they won't have to drag their ever expanding butts to the post office!"
Last time I mailed priority I had to drag my packages for my ever expanding business, to the post office.
"These are evolving marketplaces. Maybe a few of you should evolve?"
We have evolved. Way beyond calling helpful board members names.
"Just my two cents."
Worth about a ha' penny in today's markets.
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joice
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posted on December 10, 2000 08:42:16 PM new
canvid13,
Your post certainly goes beyond basic etiquette as outlined in the CG's. Posting in that vein will place your posting privileges in jeopardy.
Joice
Moderator.
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heygrape
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posted on December 10, 2000 10:45:42 PM new
heyheyjan---Uncalled for and mean. But I shall consider the source and forget it.
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reddeer
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posted on December 10, 2000 11:38:32 PM new
I've always shipped Internationally, 'course I have to, I live in the Arctic. 
But, I can certainly understand why "some" sellers choose not to.
There are numerous reasons why "some" sellers choose not to sell outside of their home country, and I think we should all respect those sellers, and the "choice" they have made.
easydoesit ..... Sorry to hear you got jammed up like this. It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round, and unfortunately, they're all on eBay. Good Luck!
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fallen_madonna
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posted on December 11, 2000 04:53:49 AM new
Lizzard,
Ilive just outside Edinburgh. If there are any comics you really want, just give me the address of the shop and as long as they are not extortionately expensive, I will get them for you and post 'em to you book rate. You can pay me in Chex Mix which can be shipped internationally as 'dried foodstuffs'. Email me at [email protected]
Heygrape,
If you can get priority boxes ok, is there anything to prevent you from covering these in brown paper and sending 'em internationally? Because I know American supermarkets have brown bags that can be turned inside out and used to wrap parcels in and they don't cost anything. A friend who just sent me Christmas gifts from Ohio did exactly that. She is an Ebay seller of radio components and ships internationally all the time.
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HartCottageQuilts
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posted on December 11, 2000 05:25:36 AM new
What I don't understand about the bidder in question is the idea that sabotaging one (of even a dozen) seller's auctions will somehow encourage OTHER sellers to pursue that particular market. OTOH, I never thought attempting to terrorize somebody into doing it your way was very attractive.
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keziak
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posted on December 11, 2000 05:43:11 AM new
fallen_madonna: I wouldn't ever use Priority boxes that way, but I enjoy selling to international customers and do it all the time! I asked my hubby for a world map for Christmas so I can put up some stars on all the countries that have bought from me.
You never know, some day I might sell a book you'd like. : - )
Keziak
who recently sold a book to a guy in the UK with the coolest address, right out of Dickens or something
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llama_lady
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posted on December 11, 2000 06:34:45 AM new
Shadowcat. I reread my statement and it said. "Perhaps this guy". I hardly believe that was directed to all Germans. I, myself am 3rd generation German, not that means anything. Perhaps you misread what I wrote.
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easydoesit
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posted on December 11, 2000 08:59:46 AM new
I have 4 users request my contact info this morning. None of which I have ever dealt with and I have gotten 6 hangups on my voicemail today. I only use that voicemail for ebay.
Are users allowed to request info on anybody?
I have also been getting nasty emails from an anonymous remailer based in Germany. I wonder who sent those.
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Shoshanah
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posted on December 11, 2000 09:15:30 AM new
Pulling Personal Info for the purpose of HARASSMENT is not permitted by Ebay. I would forward ALL FOUR to Safe Harbour. All the pulled info HAS to be AUCTION-RELATED
It sounds like it could be one person using several IDs, a major problem everywhere, auction sites as well as Chat Boards...
********************
Gosh Shosh!
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/rifkah/
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heygrape
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posted on December 11, 2000 11:02:50 AM new
fallen-madonna It is against the rules to use the priority boxes that way. But I do appreciate your try to help.
Also, for outside of the USA, when I was doing it before, it would always take 2 trips to the post office. The first time to get the amount to quote the buyer, and the second time to actually mail it and every dog gone time they charge me more the 2nd trip. Go figure. LOL!
I'm doing ok with USA only. But, I just wanted to post because I saw the remark about the Christmas Party and no invitation and I felt so bad. I just wanted ya'll to know people in the USA don't dislike you, I swear! And you are welcome to come visit anytime.
I wish the world could have a Global Postal System. Wouldn't that be the Greatest?
Grapey
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heyheyjan
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posted on December 11, 2000 01:10:04 PM new
Golly! I didn't mean that to sound mean. One person being mean & misconstrueing things is enough, doncha think? Just trying to be helpful. After all, us "OLD" dogs CAN always learn new tricks if we want to. This one sure did! @¿@ Thanks!
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lswanson
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posted on December 11, 2000 01:47:47 PM new
Canvid, most eBay sellers are in it part-time and DON'T have a lot of extra time to spend in Post Office. I put in a full 50-60 hour week at my "real job" and trips to mail items or get M.O.s are a pain in the butt. It's not necessarily a matter of laziness.
I do sell internationally though and have had very "zero" problems with it. This includes everything from small cheap items, to weighty, large, and expensive items. In the course of it, I've had some great e-mail exchanges, and as a result I now have contacts in Europe who can find items for me.
Ultimately, it's up to the seller. In the case cited, the bidder is not even interested in the items, but is simply out to "make a statement" which is totally off-base.
German laws DO prevent personal information from being given out to interested individuals, hence any information eBay might have on this guy cannot be given out to a burned seller. Works both directions too, i.e., if a German seller stings you, you can't get mailing or telephone information about him.
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lizzard
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posted on December 11, 2000 04:55:56 PM new
Hey fallen_madonna, that's very sweet of you. Next time I find out that man's got a book I want, I'll track you down and see if you're still willing.
Payment in Chex Mix... (grin) I'd think that odd, except that I rountinely have Scottish friends pay me for items I send them in LemSip. Can't get that stuff over here, and it's so wonderful!
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heygrape
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posted on December 11, 2000 06:23:14 PM new
heyheyjan--Careful there. You and your cohorts' claws are showing (Meowwww) and the bacpac is reading every word.
Considering all I've gone through for both of you, you have both stooped to a new all time low in my book.
These personal attacks are off the
topic of this thread.
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heyheyjan
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posted on December 11, 2000 06:40:09 PM new
posted on December 11, 2000 06:23:14 PM new
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
heyheyjan--Careful there. You and your cohorts' claws are showing (Meowwww) and the bacpac is reading every word.
Considering all I've gone through for both of you, you have both stooped to a new all time low in my book.
I have no cohorts, I fly solo. Sorry. Was just trying to give some useful info on ways to get those boxes. As for the second paragraph, that door swings both ways. Personal attack? What made you think that? Was it the comment about the tires? At least I didn't post the picture. @¿@
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fallen_madonna
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posted on December 12, 2000 05:10:49 AM new
Lizzard,
I will also accept Snackwell chocolate chip cookies as payment for anything. And that includes my auctions!! But Chexmix is the BEST. Always happy to help out friends in the US with finding stuff they need over here. Was that comic shop on that steep hill leading down to the Grassmarket? Because I tried to find that place last time I was in Edinburgh and it wasn't there anymore. I was looking for Archie and Veronica comics.
Heygrape,
Thanks for making me feel so welcome. I personally visit your country at least once a year, one year I came three times!! I love the US at Christmas, also at 4th July. Never been for Thanksgiving....yet. I mainly stay on the East Coast as I have friends there. I try to avoid tourist places such as Florida because I don't come all that way to meet other British people!! One time we rented a beach house in Folly Beach SC and that was great fun. Sure there were lots of tourists, but they were American tourists. That amused me a bit, most Brits aren't aware that there are other parts of the US which are just as nice as Florida!! I don't blame you guys for keeping Folly Beach out of the foreign tourist brochures. We played ball on the beach with perfect strangers and grilled steaks and drank wine in the sunset. It was absolute perfection. My goal is to visit every state by the time I'm too old to come anymore!!
Now I will return to the subject at hand. These phone calls confirm my view that this German guy is some kind of nut. And obviously a fairly well heeled nut if he can afford international phone calls of this kind. Is there any chance that the phone company can intervene in this instance?
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MrJim
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posted on December 12, 2000 05:53:41 AM new
Shipping international is not very difficult and can be quite profitable as many of our foreign customers are willing to pay higher prices due to availability and differences in currency conversion rates.
What you do have to be weary of is the duty and tax that your customer will be required to pay. Example: I recently shipped a $400 order to a customer in Germany and he tried to get the custom service to let him inspect the items before he agreed to pay the duty and tax. They refused, he paid, he liked the items. However, this did make me feel concerned for a while. More unwanted stress.
More and more we are receiving requests from foreign bidders to lie on the customs forms so they will pay less duty and tax. Something we will never do. Recently the UK began charging an import tax and inspection fee to consumers due to the heavy volume of packages entering the country from internet purchases. This is something most of the bidders in the UK are not aware of, and result in many emails from our customers.
Another consideration is the matter of insurance coverage by the post office. As I had mentioned in a different post, we shipped a $450 order to a customer in England on Dec 10th, 1999. In January, we issued her a refund because she did not receive the package. We filed a claim with the post office and were told that we must first go through the inquiry process. (which takes 3 to 6 months) We did. It did. In July we received a letter stating that the UK post office had no record of the package and we could now file a claim. We did. It is now Dec 12, One Year and Two Days later, and still no payment from the postal service. The package was fully insured. I have spoken with at least 10 different people with the USPS, and they all agreed that this is the typical time frame for international insurance claims.
This experience alone is enough to discourage anyone from ever shipping items of value overseas. On the bright side...we have shipped over $25,000 in orders this year to international customers and this is our only problem. $450 is a lot of money, but when you look at the big picture, it was only 1.8% of our International sales.
If you want to discourage international bidders, simply state in your auction that "all" international orders will be shipped via FEDEX Express Service and include a link to the FEDEX rate page. When they see that it cost $50 to ship the $25 item, they will find another auction.
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easydoesit
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posted on December 12, 2000 03:46:56 PM new
Well....Since my last post I have 3 more auctions ended with BIN, ALL from Germany. I have had 2 more sniped at the last minute. 1 from Germany 1 from Belgium.
I still haven't gotten the EOA from ebay for 4 of the auctions. 3 of them emailed me within minutes of the auctions ending.
Before I could contact any of them they all wrote to claim they didn't realize I didn't ship outside the US until after the auction ended.
What crap. I am going to neg the heck out of all of them. Safeharbor is investigating.
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lizzard
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posted on December 12, 2000 05:32:27 PM new
fallen_madonna -- Oh no! Deadhead Comics is gone?!? How sad! That actually wasn't the one I was talking about but I did go to Deadhead frequently. It was a pretty cool place, and actually was the closest one to where I lived (on Bread Street).
If you ever want me to send you Snackwells or Chex Mix, let me know. I don't mind sending that sort of thing out just for fun -- it's not like they're expensive to buy or mail!
(reverting to lurk mode now -- I normally just hang at AW to learn)
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Shadowcat
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posted on December 12, 2000 06:38:47 PM new
Heygrape: Er-the claws showing and meow comment didn't include me, did it?
Llama lady:
"Perhaps this guy has been used to the east side too long. We in the United States still have freedoms and choices."
I live in Germany and I stand by my words.
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heygrape
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posted on December 12, 2000 06:50:16 PM new
shadowcat--absolutely not.
easydoesit--I am so sorry that this thread got so trashed. Would you consider asking joice to close this thread? And maybe you could start another one? I am truely sorry about this. 
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shellsputer
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posted on December 12, 2000 08:01:34 PM new
HEYGRAPE - How about Global Priority as an option for international sales? It's more expensive for the buyer's postage costs, but you can still get the boxes and envelopes free. Just a thought.
I have been fortunate with all of my international bidders - never a problem with payment either cash or BidPay.)
When I ship inside the US, I use strictly Priority Mail w/ delivery confirmation. I also take my packages to the post office myself - never had them picked up.
Good luck with this situation - this guy obviously has an axe to grind.
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Shadowcat
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posted on December 12, 2000 08:24:40 PM new
Heygrape: Whew! 
Easydoesit: Have you looked at the headers on the emails to find out where to send complaints to this bozo's ISP? I wouldn't sweat not being able to put the complaint in German because a lot of the ISPs deal with English-speaking customers and have someone around who knows English.
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easydoesit
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posted on December 26, 2000 10:45:28 PM new
Ebay removed his negative. YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!
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