Rare ponies on eBay?

[heftysmurf76]

The seller made it clear to me that he was willing to ship internationally and that he was going to turn off GSP on the next round of auctions in order to do so without the risk of damage to the items. That's what he told me.

I am not personally a fan of own country only shipping but at the end of the day it's the seller's profit that gets the hit, so it's not really my problem. So long as it isn't coupled with the excuse that "foreigners are bad", which so commonly comes up as an excuse, it's really too much bother to concern over.

What I was suggesting was that he didn't know how to turn on normal shipping options since GSP I think is default often on US auctions. And of course international people will still be able to bid because you can't shut off your items from being seen, even if you don't want to ship overseas. Like I said before, it is literally a matter of changing the url.

OIC, Well I'm glad he is willing to ship internationally for our fans...

For me personally it is most certainly not a matter of having an attitude of "foreign people are bad" (I have plenty of overseas friends whom I will and have shipped for), Its the hassle of customs forms, the prohibitive cost and the time wasters. For example, when I have agreed to ship overseas in the past, gone to the trouble of getting a quote, only to come back with the rate and get told "nevermind" or simply not get paid. There's just too many factors that make it not worth my time and trouble.  Couple that with what is arguably a much worse service overall (USPS after all is not known for its cooperative attitude in my experience) compared to the services available overseas, and its an easier decision to exclude, rather than open a can of proverbial worms...This is just my experience and opinion though....

[Taffeta]

The seller made it clear to me that he was willing to ship internationally and that he was going to turn off GSP on the next round of auctions in order to do so without the risk of damage to the items. That's what he told me.

I am not personally a fan of own country only shipping but at the end of the day it's the seller's profit that gets the hit, so it's not really my problem. So long as it isn't coupled with the excuse that "foreigners are bad", which so commonly comes up as an excuse, it's really too much bother to concern over.

What I was suggesting was that he didn't know how to turn on normal shipping options since GSP I think is default often on US auctions. And of course international people will still be able to bid because you can't shut off your items from being seen, even if you don't want to ship overseas. Like I said before, it is literally a matter of changing the url.

OIC, Well I'm glad he is willing to ship internationally for our fans...

For me personally it is most certainly not a matter of having an attitude of "foreign people are bad" (I have plenty of overseas friends whom I will and have shipped for), Its the hassle of customs forms, the prohibitive cost and the time wasters. For example, when I have agreed to ship overseas in the past, gone to the trouble of getting a quote, only to come back with the rate and get told "nevermind" or simply not get paid. There's just too many factors that make it not worth my time and trouble.  Couple that with what is arguably a much worse service overall (USPS after all is not known for its cooperative attitude in my experience) compared to the services available overseas, and its an easier decision to exclude, rather than open a can of proverbial worms...This is just my experience and opinion though....

I think this is probably a discussion for another thread, but basically everything you just said is what offends me about US only shipping.

I never understand why some US sellers believe they have to go through more hassle than anyone overseas does shipping internationally. We do all the same things, plus currency conversion as well. USPS is no more complicated or more unreliable than Royal Mail is, either. I mean, USPS has sent my ponies to Bangladesh before, and Royal Mail has sent them to China, so I'd say they're about the same really.

Also, as buyers, we pay the high shipping costs and the custom fees, so they're our problem, not yours. (Unless you falsify the custom form, of course, which is never advisable).

 I can't imagine you think we never have timewasters for whom we get a quote and then they vanish? I'm sure you don't. And the most trouble I've had over the years, buying and selling, has been with the US. But I tend to assume that's because I have done SO MANY transactions with the US that you're going to get some bad ones. So I just ignore it and move on.

If I do something terrible as a buyer, I expect to be slighted for it. But I don't expect to be slighted because someone in France or Spain or Italy (not even my country!) did something annoying two years ago :/

If someone told you they wouldn't ship to you because they had some hassle calculating shipping to someone in Canada or Mexico you'd probably be aggrieved.

We've ALL had bad experiences at some point but it's way better to judge on behaviour of the individual and not generalise on location.

Next time you buy from overseas, stop and think about the hassle to which your seller is going. You know you're not a timewaster (and so do I!), so you probably assume it's all fine and doesn't count. But the thing is, I also know I'm not a timewaster. I have 20 years of ebay feedback and also feedback here that proves it. Yet some people choose not to ship to me because of my location, not because of my reputation as a buyer, because people like me are 'hassle'.

You wouldn't want to be treated like that...but that's how it is for the rest of us when a seller decides all foreign people are not worth going the extra mile for because one was a waste of time.

So yeah. If you don't want to ship internationally then just don't do it. It's absolutely your choice where you ship to. Just don't make it about overseas hassle and past timewasters, because that's offensive. As a buyer it's easier to accept a US only seller who just doesn't want to ship overseas, rather than one who's blaming all of us for the actions of a few.

[heftysmurf76]

I think this is probably a discussion for another thread, but basically everything you just said is what offends me about US only shipping.

I never understand why some US sellers believe they have to go through more hassle than anyone overseas does shipping internationally. We do all the same things, plus currency conversion as well. USPS is no more complicated or more unreliable than Royal Mail is, either. I mean, USPS has sent my ponies to Bangladesh before, and Royal Mail has sent them to China, so I'd say they're about the same really.

Also, as buyers, we pay the high shipping costs and the custom fees, so they're our problem, not yours. (Unless you falsify the custom form, of course, which is never advisable).

 I can't imagine you think we never have timewasters for whom we get a quote and then they vanish? I'm sure you don't. And the most trouble I've had over the years, buying and selling, has been with the US. But I tend to assume that's because I have done SO MANY transactions with the US that you're going to get some bad ones. So I just ignore it and move on.

If I do something terrible as a buyer, I expect to be slighted for it. But I don't expect to be slighted because someone in France or Spain or Italy (not even my country!) did something annoying two years ago :/

If someone told you they wouldn't ship to you because they had some hassle calculating shipping to someone in Canada or Mexico you'd probably be aggrieved.

We've ALL had bad experiences at some point but it's way better to judge on behaviour of the individual and not generalise on location.

Next time you buy from overseas, stop and think about the hassle to which your seller is going. You know you're not a timewaster (and so do I!), so you probably assume it's all fine and doesn't count. But the thing is, I also know I'm not a timewaster. I have 20 years of ebay feedback and also feedback here that proves it. Yet some people choose not to ship to me because of my location, not because of my reputation as a buyer, because people like me are 'hassle'.

You wouldn't want to be treated like that...but that's how it is for the rest of us when a seller decides all foreign people are not worth going the extra mile for because one was a waste of time.

So yeah. If you don't want to ship internationally then just don't do it. It's absolutely your choice where you ship to. Just don't make it about overseas hassle and past timewasters, because that's offensive. As a buyer it's easier to accept a US only seller who just doesn't want to ship overseas, rather than one who's blaming all of us for the actions of a few.

I'll preface this by saying I am INCREDIBLY grateful for international sellers who are willing to ship overseas to America (etc)...My collection would be so incomplete without help from foreign sellers, and that's not a notion that's lost to me.
I can only base my experiences with USPS on firsthand, and IMO the service is not up to teh same standards as its overseas counterparts. I may be wrong about that, but the experiences I've had even internally/nationally are bad, so I'm basing my opinion on those experiences. Are comparable services in other countries just as bad, if not worse in some cases?, probably, I don't know, i have I've only ever lived in and shipped from North America.

 I've never judged anyone based upon their location and did not insinuate that my bad experiences were any better or worse than anyone elses.
I hope it was clear that everything I said in my second quote above was my opinion only. I iterated that at the end of my paragraph. Bottom line is, its a hassle to me, and not one I am willing to make efforts for random ebay customers. I'm sorry if you feel I insinuated  that the hassle for Americans was any greater, that was not my intention. I think it's a hassle to sell no matter what country you are in and no matter what you are selling. I try to keep my sales as simple and streamlined as possible, and I've been VERY pleased with the results of the streamlining, and didn't ever feel like i "lost" a sale by being exclusive...

One final thing i will note: if t wasn't already obvious, all of this only applies to ebay. I always have exceptions for this and other online communities when it comes to shipping...

[Khayman81]

The seller made it clear to me that he was willing to ship internationally and that he was going to turn off GSP on the next round of auctions in order to do so without the risk of damage to the items. That's what he told me.

I am not personally a fan of own country only shipping but at the end of the day it's the seller's profit that gets the hit, so it's not really my problem. So long as it isn't coupled with the excuse that "foreigners are bad", which so commonly comes up as an excuse, it's really too much bother to concern over.

What I was suggesting was that he didn't know how to turn on normal shipping options since GSP I think is default often on US auctions. And of course international people will still be able to bid because you can't shut off your items from being seen, even if you don't want to ship overseas. Like I said before, it is literally a matter of changing the url.

OIC, Well I'm glad he is willing to ship internationally for our fans...

For me personally it is most certainly not a matter of having an attitude of "foreign people are bad" (I have plenty of overseas friends whom I will and have shipped for), Its the hassle of customs forms, the prohibitive cost and the time wasters. For example, when I have agreed to ship overseas in the past, gone to the trouble of getting a quote, only to come back with the rate and get told "nevermind" or simply not get paid. There's just too many factors that make it not worth my time and trouble.  Couple that with what is arguably a much worse service overall (USPS after all is not known for its cooperative attitude in my experience) compared to the services available overseas, and its an easier decision to exclude, rather than open a can of proverbial worms...This is just my experience and opinion though....

I think this is probably a discussion for another thread, but basically everything you just said is what offends me about US only shipping.

I never understand why some US sellers believe they have to go through more hassle than anyone overseas does shipping internationally. We do all the same things, plus currency conversion as well. USPS is no more complicated or more unreliable than Royal Mail is, either. I mean, USPS has sent my ponies to Bangladesh before, and Royal Mail has sent them to China, so I'd say they're about the same really.

Also, as buyers, we pay the high shipping costs and the custom fees, so they're our problem, not yours. (Unless you falsify the custom form, of course, which is never advisable).

 I can't imagine you think we never have timewasters for whom we get a quote and then they vanish? I'm sure you don't. And the most trouble I've had over the years, buying and selling, has been with the US. But I tend to assume that's because I have done SO MANY transactions with the US that you're going to get some bad ones. So I just ignore it and move on.

If I do something terrible as a buyer, I expect to be slighted for it. But I don't expect to be slighted because someone in France or Spain or Italy (not even my country!) did something annoying two years ago :/

If someone told you they wouldn't ship to you because they had some hassle calculating shipping to someone in Canada or Mexico you'd probably be aggrieved.

We've ALL had bad experiences at some point but it's way better to judge on behaviour of the individual and not generalise on location.

Next time you buy from overseas, stop and think about the hassle to which your seller is going. You know you're not a timewaster (and so do I!), so you probably assume it's all fine and doesn't count. But the thing is, I also know I'm not a timewaster. I have 20 years of ebay feedback and also feedback here that proves it. Yet some people choose not to ship to me because of my location, not because of my reputation as a buyer, because people like me are 'hassle'.

You wouldn't want to be treated like that...but that's how it is for the rest of us when a seller decides all foreign people are not worth going the extra mile for because one was a waste of time.

So yeah. If you don't want to ship internationally then just don't do it. It's absolutely your choice where you ship to. Just don't make it about overseas hassle and past timewasters, because that's offensive. As a buyer it's easier to accept a US only seller who just doesn't want to ship overseas, rather than one who's blaming all of us for the actions of a few.

Well said. I get why some people don't want to buy from overseas and it is just a matter of costs. Used to pay less for shipping  if the pony stays in the country. As it has been said if there was not for us sellers and Canadian ones my collection would be very tiny. I had to send a pony this week to the US, fill forms and pay the shipment and it was a bummer yes. But I do it happy because I know the pony I sold is going to a good home. And it is not the first time I have sent ponies to the US. Then again eBay is not very easy with all the procedures for listing. And unless you make a draft to use all the time it can be time wasting. I get that if you list 30 ponies it can consume a lot of time. I did it and it was booooooring. Anyways. Those ponies are great but wayyyyy out of my reach.

[freezestime]

Been outbid permanently on Pretty Belle, it's like $92 us ($114 something AUD) and I'm sad about that

[banditpony]

Hey friends

Does anybody know the dimensions of a boxed Prom Queen Sweetheart sister's box?

Pretty Belle and Sweet Sundrop together results in $200+ for the shipping or $100+ combined isn't really economical, especially with the possibility of paying import fees because perfume. 

Just a note, perfume is not legal to ship international.. it's subject to being destroyed by customs.

[Noasar]

It’s not real perfume though so it shouldn’t be subject to import restrictions. You can call anything Perfume but there’s a bit of a difference between Coco Chanel and half a dried up bottle of kids play ‘perfume’ from the 1980’s. You could mention it if you were being super conscientious but I wouldn’t be worried.

[banditpony]

Except I've heard stories where toy perfume has been destroyed and/or stopped and never delivered. Customs doesn't always take the time to determine if something is "real" or not. Some kids toys are packaged with "real" perfume, after all (which is what the MLP box claims as well, very boldly on the front)

And I made my comment because:

especially with the possibility of paying import fees because perfume.

If something is that noticeable and not kind of hidden, then it'll get noticed by customs, and won't get through past the US.

[freezestime]

Except I've heard stories where toy perfume has been destroyed and/or stopped and never delivered. Customs doesn't always take the time to determine if something is "real" or not. Some kids toys are packaged with "real" perfume, after all (which is what the MLP box claims as well, very boldly on the front)

And I made my comment because:

especially with the possibility of paying import fees because perfume.

If something is that noticeable and not kind of hidden, then it'll get noticed by customs, and won't get through past the US.

That's one of my biggest fears, and I'm afraid to ask the dude to remove it incase he freaks out (if I win Sweet Sundrop)

But if worst comes to worst I can pass up on them, the other sweetheart sisters come without perfume so I can bid on them and both bride ponies come without perfume as well.

[banditpony]

Except I've heard stories where toy perfume has been destroyed and/or stopped and never delivered. Customs doesn't always take the time to determine if something is "real" or not. Some kids toys are packaged with "real" perfume, after all (which is what the MLP box claims as well, very boldly on the front)

And I made my comment because:

especially with the possibility of paying import fees because perfume.

If something is that noticeable and not kind of hidden, then it'll get noticed by customs, and won't get through past the US.

That's one of my biggest fears, and I'm afraid to ask the dude to remove it incase he freaks out (if I win Sweet Sundrop)

But if worst comes to worst I can pass up on them, the other sweetheart sisters come without perfume so I can bid on them and both bride ponies come without perfume as well.

I don't think you have anything to fear. People in this thread have mentioned when they corresponded with him he's been nice.

I would think, the safest thing to do is to ask someone to empty the bottle. And make it clear that there is no perfume being sent. I get it that it ruins the MIB aspect... but I think it's risky otherwise.

[Ponyfan]

I'm really going to have to exercise my resistance to bid on these ponies as I'm seeing childhood ponies MOC now or their setmates such as Pina Colada/Hula Hula the ballerina baby and the Magic Message ponies


I never realized that toys with "real perfume" could cause a problem with customs when shipped outside the US. I guess that would apply to all toys with perfume such as Perfume Pretty Barbie, Perfume Dream Beauties etc..

Did anyone else notice that Mommy and Baby MO ponies are listed as Mommy and Baby Beachy Keen? I've never heard the MO baby referred to by that name before.




Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

The Beachy Keen name was invented by someone. I think Debbie Birge. Which is fine except it's a horrible name. It's not official. I hate it It sounds stupid. Nothing against unofficial names for nameless ponies but that one just makes me cringe.

Re the perfume, that's interesting. I have ChaCHa, like I said. She came from America. I bought her maybe 10 years ago? She's MIB. She still has her perfume. She came through customs just fine. So I never thought of it as a problem.

And what about nail polish? My UK boxed Star Gleamer has nail polish in her package. She's a UK packaged pony but she came from Canada. Again, customs weren't remotely interested in her. Is it a symptom of any particular country that these things get rigorously checked?

As a MIP collector I obviously have big issues with someone opening a package to remove something, whether it be the seller, the buyer or the customs officials. I have thought of trying to track down others from this set MIB but if there's likely to be an issue I won't bother. I'd rather not have them than see MIB ponies that are already scarce desecrated, but that's me.

@heftysmurf, I understand your perspective now. I am fine with anyone not wanting to ship abroad because you personally don't want to. It's up to you. I just resent when the hassle word comes into it because I've had so many people be really rude about me being outside the US over the years.

For the record, this applies to UK only sellers, too - I hold them in the same contempt when they make the same excuses.

As for hassle, hassle is having to have an item shipped to a friend and pay double shipping because the original seller won't ship abroad :/ It happened with a pony recently - the one that went to Bangladesh and Dubai over Christmas - and it basically cost me 2x the pony cost to get her to me and took almost 4 months. That's hassle. And the GSP? That's also hassle.

 In any case, all of it is easier now because you can do so much online. When I started I had to wait for people to send me $US - in CASH, argue with them when they sent me a MO that I couldn't cash, and entirely deal in an alien currency at high risk to transact overseas. As a result going to PO, signing a form and sending a pony after receiving a paypal payment seems pretty easy

...Maybe I'm just getting old...

[banditpony]

Re the perfume, that's interesting. I have ChaCHa, like I said. She came from America. I bought her maybe 10 years ago? She's MIB. She still has her perfume. She came through customs just fine. So I never thought of it as a problem.

And what about nail polish? My UK boxed Star Gleamer has nail polish in her package. She's a UK packaged pony but she came from Canada. Again, customs weren't remotely interested in her. Is it a symptom of any particular country that these things get rigorously checked?

As a MIP collector I obviously have big issues with someone opening a package to remove something, whether it be the seller, the buyer or the customs officials. I have thought of trying to track down others from this set MIB but if there's likely to be an issue I won't bother. I'd rather not have them than see MIB ponies that are already scarce desecrated, but that's me.

Well, 99% of things will pass through customs because they don't check every item. If it's listed on the custom slip as perfume, it's going to be a red flag...


As for nail polish

If the nail polish you want to mail is flammable, you are responsible for knowing its flashpoint and toxicity. Flammable nail polishes may be mailed if they are a consumer commodity. Some nail polishes may only be sent by ground transportation and may not be shipped internationally.

And I think the key is that the custom person may or may not take the time to be like "yeah this doesn't have any harmful chemicals". They might just be the type to be like "Nope" and trash it.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Yeah I am not surprised this seller has been exposed to the CRAY CRAY that is MLP collecting - both the good and bad sides, from what I can see! 
If normally he flips storage units, then he's used to dealing with AS-IS conditions with designer purses and shoes and stereo systems and power tools.... NOT pristine collectibles that are valued for their packaging as well as contents and factory errors.  I can only imagine the implosion of his mobile phone!!!! 

[LadyMoondancer]

I think the key is that the custom person may or may not take the time to be like "yeah this doesn't have any harmful chemicals". They might just be the type to be like "Nope" and trash it.

I agree.  It's going to be a roll of the dice.  I don't think emptying out the perfume bottle or even removing it really provides much protection when the package is screaming "CONTAINS REEEEEAL PERFUUUUME".  Like, how does the customs worker know the perfume isn't hidden behind the backflap of the box?  How would they know it's already removed?

And let's not forget the mint in box Perfume Puff Palace that Pitney-Bowes confiscated, refused to send to the buyer AND refused to return to the seller because they thought the playset was a real bottle of perfume.

Even within the US, shipping domestically, they always ask you if you're shipping perfume (along with lithium batteries etc) because it's a prohibited item.

I can't think of any particular solution.  It's just a risk for mint in box MLPs that are "perfumey."  Buy at your own risk . . .

Edit:  Upon further thought I'm going to eat my words and say that removing the bottle probably does increase the odds of getting the pony, because I just went to the wiki to refresh my memory on the packaging of that SHS set, and the perfume bottle is sooo prominent and is really obviously a perfume bottle.  I don't think it would guarantee the package arriving safely but it probably would increase the odds.