collapse

* Navigation

* User Info

 
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

* Who's Online

Author Topic: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests  (Read 976 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Gator

  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • G3 Prototype Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 3226
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« on: June 22, 2019, 05:54:47 AM »
After posting on the facebook that I got Stranger Things Applejack, and mentioning there were more on the shelf, I've had some requests from overseas to help other members of the pony community get her. 
I've never shipped overseas before, only purchased. 

I haves few questions.

1.  I read on the other thread that there is supposed to be an international release.  So do we all just need to relax a little and wait a bit longer?

2.  Is it difficult and expensive to ship overseas?  I read on here you guys talking about fees the posts in Europe charge.  And do I have to muddle through complicated shipping and insurance forms?

3.  Is it ok to charge a little bit extra for my time?  I'm not going to take advantage of anyone by any means, but isn't that fair?  And what would be an ok mark up?  A couple dollars?  Five?

4.  Is it ok to ask people on Facebook if they are a member here with feedback I can check?  I don't want to get scammed.

Thanks for your time guys!  Happy weekend!  I'm off to see Toy Story 4 and I'll check my Target to see if any Applejacks are left.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2019, 05:56:27 AM by Gator »
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Offline banditpony

  • マイリトルポニー
  • Trade Count: (+131)
  • MIB Rapunzel Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 5690
  • ♥ タカラ ♥
    • View Profile
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2019, 06:37:49 AM »
Quote
1.  I read on the other thread that there is supposed to be an international release.  So do we all just need to relax a little and wait a bit longer?
If they want the security of buying it now, then that's their money they want to spend. We don't know if there's going to be a lot or little. And for international folk, they wouldn't know if somethings coming to their area or not. So it's sort of a gamble.

Quote
2.  Is it difficult and expensive to ship overseas?  I read on here you guys talking about fees the posts in Europe charge.  And do I have to muddle through complicated shipping and insurance forms?

It's not difficult at all.
The only thing different is to fill out a customs form - It looks like this: https://www.orderhive.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cb28.png

You mark merchandise. (You can consider marking a gift, if you think it's a gift. You aren't really SELLING something in this case.)

You write what it is in the detail box (Toy pony is fine). Quantity. Weight. Value -- exact amount it costs from the store. Total for quantity, weight, price.

Then your address, and your buyers address.

You can either 1) pick them up at your local post office. (usually they are out for you to just grab and go. So you can fill them out at home if you'd like)

Or 2) if you do online postage, you can type the same information in a form, and print it out.

Here the USPS calculator for you, so you can estimate the price depending on the country.
https://postcalc.usps.com

<8oz is around $14ish
9oz+ jumps considerably. Most like around $24

Unless you can find the perfect box that's under 3oz weight, most likely you are looking at the 9+oz prize. IIRC, you can weigh anything from 9oz-2lb for the same price. So it might be people's best interest to order more for local friends and split the cost of shipping.

Quote
3.  Is it ok to charge a little bit extra for my time?  I'm not going to take advantage of anyone by any means, but isn't that fair?  And what would be an ok mark up?  A couple dollars?  Five?

Yes, it's fair.
I personally will not. There's a Target close by to me, that I go often enough that it's not a special trip. Beyond that, these are pony friends and I wanna help them out not make money off of them.
If I was driving to MULTIPLE targets, and going out of my usual way-- I'd at least ask for gas money. I've done that where I bought something, then the person said nevermind after I drove 40 miles to go get it. Didn't appreciate that.

Quote
4.  Is it ok to ask people on Facebook if they are a member here with feedback I can check?  I don't want to get scammed.

absolutely.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
 

:: my etsy :: 3DS FC 1735-9876-4867 // SW-8381-5856-2018

Online Taffeta

  • Trade Count: (+62)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 16062
  • Gender: Female
  • UK Pony, Jem and Mediaeval Japanese obsessive :D
    • View Profile
    • The My Little Pony Scrapbook
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2019, 08:44:26 AM »
From the international perspective (and thank you for considering to help people out...)

1.  I read on the other thread that there is supposed to be an international release.  So do we all just need to relax a little and wait a bit longer?


I personally would think so but it's not necessarily the case people are going to be patient and 'worldwide' is a broad regional area. I'm waiting, I imagine my sister is as well at the moment to see what happens. But some folk will want her immediately. Really I advise you take on only what you feel you can, from who you can. You are not obligated to supply everyone. The US is a big country, there are a lot of ponypeople and I'm sure that they can also share the burden.

2.  Is it difficult and expensive to ship overseas?  I read on here you guys talking about fees the posts in Europe charge.  And do I have to muddle through complicated shipping and insurance forms?


I'm going to contradict banditpony, it's not a gift so don't mark it as such on the customs form. As annoying as it sounds, a gift in customs term is something for which money is not exchanged. Technically you've become a middleman in the transaction. You are receiving money for an item you bought from a supplier (here Target). You aren't a business but it doesn't matter. You are receiving money so you are basically selling the product on to the buyer. That makes it a transaction, not a gift.

I am not sure how the US form looks. In the UK we have an option that's not gift or commercial product but 'other' - but if it's gift or merchandise, you would need to tick merchandise.

You put the exact store value including tax on the form as well. In your currency. It's for foreign customs to figure out their laws and when they charge - not you.

People in other countries (like here) are responsible for paying those custom fees. Not you.

In summary: if you are receiving money for something:
- It's not a gift, mark merchandise
- It's worth the store value plus the tax value in your area - not the online estimate value, nor second hand value. It's worth whatever money you receive for it. That includes if you add a handling charge - the value is what money you receive for it.

Italy has some funny rules about customs, it's better to send there with tracking.

Shipping costs are also the problem of the buyer. It's a good idea to maybe check the costs and be up front about them before agreeing to pick up the pony for anyone. I would not send anything without tracking as USPS has sent my stuff to Canada, Dubai, and Bangladesh before it finally got to the UK before now :P

The rest of the US shipping info is better from banditpony as a US person :)


3.  Is it ok to charge a little bit extra for my time?  I'm not going to take advantage of anyone by any means, but isn't that fair?  And what would be an ok mark up?  A couple dollars?  Five?


I personally don't do this, but I think it's ok if you are up front about it from the start. If you are paying out gas or transport costs to get the item, then it makes sense to reimburse a little for that. How much is up to you.

4.  Is it ok to ask people on Facebook if they are a member here with feedback I can check?  I don't want to get scammed.


Of course it is. In fact, you should ask. If they are on the level, they shouldn't mind providing references. If you feel unsure about someone for some reason, don't take the risk. Follow your gut. Again, you're not obligated to supply the whole world. Take on the transactions you can handle with the people you feel you can trust.

Good luck :D
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
|夏草やつわものどもが夢の跡|

Offline BlushingBlue

  • Trade Count: (+29)
  • Dazzle Surprise
  • ****
  • Posts: 699
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2019, 12:57:28 PM »
Here's my take, as someone who ships internationally fairly often, albeit not through Facebook:

1.  I read on the other thread that there is supposed to be an international release.  So do we all just need to relax a little and wait a bit longer?

Yes, probably. But there's always the chance that it won't be released in [country] and by the time an overseas person knows that for sure, the available stock in the US might be gone, making it even harder to get than before. So people have to decide what horse they want to back, if you'll pardon the metaphor.

Quote
2.  Is it difficult and expensive to ship overseas?  I read on here you guys talking about fees the posts in Europe charge.  And do I have to muddle through complicated shipping and insurance forms?

Not difficult (only one extra small form that Bandit explained) but expensive for sure. For example, just sending AJ across the border to Canada is $17.25 and overseas would be around $25. Insurance would be extra on top of that, but I doubt anyone would spring for insurance on a $10 pony anyway. But those costs are all the buyer's concern not yours. As are any import fees on their end.

For another data point, I almost always mark "gift" on the form. Since I'm dealing with friends -- or people I'm at least friendly with -- in secondhand goods that don't really have monetary value in wider society... It's easier for me to conceive of that as a (reciprocated) gift than merchandise. If I were a Facebook/Instagram/eBay seller, I might feel differently.

Quote
3.  Is it ok to charge a little bit extra for my time?  I'm not going to take advantage of anyone by any means, but isn't that fair?  And what would be an ok mark up?  A couple dollars?  Five?

:huh: That's a personal call. I would feel awful about charging desperate people extra for the opportunity to get what I can easily have. If I'm already taking trips to Target and the P.O. (which I am) then "my time" is like an extra ten minutes max, which is like... The warm fuzzies from helping others is payment enough? I mean, maybe if I was taking an extra bus to a different location for the sole purpose of doing them a favor, then I would add that to the "actual cost" of the item, but I would be up front and exact about that.

On the other hand, in this scenario, I wouldn't feel bad at all about insisting they pay their own paypal fees if applicable. Otherwise, selling ponies "at cost" would actually be costing me money to send them. ^^;

Quote
4.  Is it ok to ask people on Facebook if they are a member here with feedback I can check?  I don't want to get scammed.

Definitely! TBH, I wouldn't even consider doing a favor for some rando on Facebook if they weren't someone I recognized from around the MLP community. It's not a guarantee against scamming, but it's reassuring to at least sort of know who you're dealing with.

Offline Zapper

  • Trade Count: (+22)
  • Rapunzel Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 3547
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2019, 01:28:12 PM »
As someone who is currently looking for such an AJ and is unsure if she'll even appear in my country, I can only give my two cents to the mark-up question.
Personally, I would pay a "finders fee" if the person was going specifically to get the AJ for me. Like paying for a service. This I would consider fair because the shopper is taking time and sometimes gas money out of their schedule to get a specific item.

But I'd be pissed if the person went to get AJ for themselves or something else and then charged extra for the additional AJs they grabbed along their way in the aisle. While that's not illegal or especially heinous, I have to agree with BlushingBlue that it feels like I'm being taken advantage of. In that case I wouldn't make a deal with the shopper because I am not going to pay for someone shopping for themselves if that makes sense. If they have the time to grab an AJ, they have the time to grab two.

If you want to make extra money off of them you should just put them on ebay at a starting price, enable international shipping and give people the opportunity to bid. These AJs go for a lot right now.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2019, 01:32:47 PM by Zapper »

Offline Gator

  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • G3 Prototype Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 3226
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2019, 01:49:08 PM »
Thank you everyone for the input.  But I guess it's a moot point as when I went back to Target today, the other three were already gone.  I know there are other pony folk in my area because one day when I was searching for the Basic Fun Uni/Peg set, I saw an old lady with all of them in her buggy.  She beat me there and I had to keep searching/waiting for restock.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Offline Gator

  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • G3 Prototype Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 3226
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2019, 04:00:26 PM »
I found four today.  Before I get buried with requests, let me state I've mostly been a buyer with a few trades.  I've rarely sold things so very inexperienced.  I do have a paypal account.  So I would like to do business with members who've been around for awhile and have good feedback. And I'll probably have to ask more questions. 
I need to find something to ship them in.  With my work schedule I'll only be able to ship Wednesday afternoons. 
Mods, if this needs moving to for sale let me know.

Once, I sold a rare Breyer for over $700.  Let me tell you, with my anxiety, worrying about not getting scammed and making sure I shipped it without it getting broken, I was a nervous wreck!
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Offline brightberry

  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • MOC Mimic
  • *****
  • Posts: 4651
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2019, 12:07:10 PM »
I found four today.  Before I get buried with requests, let me state I've mostly been a buyer with a few trades.  I've rarely sold things so very inexperienced.  I do have a paypal account.  So I would like to do business with members who've been around for awhile and have good feedback. And I'll probably have to ask more questions. 
I need to find something to ship them in.  With my work schedule I'll only be able to ship Wednesday afternoons. 
Mods, if this needs moving to for sale let me know.

Once, I sold a rare Breyer for over $700.  Let me tell you, with my anxiety, worrying about not getting scammed and making sure I shipped it without it getting broken, I was a nervous wreck!
I understand the stress! It freaks me out to send things off.  I usually do prefer to send with tracking just because if something goes wrong and it doesn't get there, you have no proof that you sent it at all.  But on a $10 pony plus tracking, plus customs - I don't know if it's worth it to the buyer.  Up to them I suppose.

I've been following this post with interest. :)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
Sig art by SquarePeg!

Offline Einhornbaby

  • Slaughterhouse II
  • Trade Count: (+124)
  • Spain Piggy Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 7278
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • http://einhornbaby.contract-killers.de
Re: Stranger Applejack and purchase requests
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2019, 05:05:29 AM »
Id love to have one too, so if there is any left : please PM me if you can <3

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal