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I use USPS.com for some international shipments. it's not the best, but I can't stand in line waiting forever with my 2year old, so if I can't get my husband to watch her I just buy the labels online and drop the package in the overnight bin.
Perhaps not so (directly) helpful to you guys, but perhaps for us international buyers.... Another collector/friend here in my country put me onto something called YouShop (this is a New Zealand thing). It means I can purchase in the US and get the parcel sent direct to the US warehouse (so you guys aren't shipping 'internationally') where I can then either get my parcel sent direct to me, or hold it there until other parcels arrive and then I can consolidate them and get them all sent together (saving a bit on shipping usually). I pay for the shipping to the warehouse, and from there to me. It's also cool because it means I can buy from ebay sellers who won't ship international. It's a similar system to the GSP but less painful, though I confess to having had some grumbles with the US warehouse.Anyway, I guess my point being that it often ends up being a bit cheaper than the GSP for me as a buyer, I get tracking, and if other people have similar systems for their countries it could make things easier for both seller and buyer
Quote from: Marlin on October 28, 2016, 04:12:54 PMPerhaps not so (directly) helpful to you guys, but perhaps for us international buyers.... Another collector/friend here in my country put me onto something called YouShop (this is a New Zealand thing). It means I can purchase in the US and get the parcel sent direct to the US warehouse (so you guys aren't shipping 'internationally') where I can then either get my parcel sent direct to me, or hold it there until other parcels arrive and then I can consolidate them and get them all sent together (saving a bit on shipping usually). I pay for the shipping to the warehouse, and from there to me. It's also cool because it means I can buy from ebay sellers who won't ship international. It's a similar system to the GSP but less painful, though I confess to having had some grumbles with the US warehouse.Anyway, I guess my point being that it often ends up being a bit cheaper than the GSP for me as a buyer, I get tracking, and if other people have similar systems for their countries it could make things easier for both seller and buyer Yeah that is the same deal as the GSP service, just a different company handling your mail...In my experience, shipping internationally has never been any more of an inconvenience than going to the post office for anything else! So I just don't get why people have an issue with it. Of course, I understand that postage is expensive but you're paying for a service to bring it to your door! You don't have to travel for it, book a flight, cross customs, etc. In rare instances I know you might pay just as much for gas and toll roads IF you chose to travel to pick it up, but not most of the time. If I want the item, I will pay whatever it costs to have it sent to me. :-p I don't understand buyers who want you to cheap out on postal services and proper packaging, etc.
Speaking as an "international" buyer and seller...In the good old days when I was a silly teenager, I used to get very offended by the glut of US only sellers on Ebay. And I converted a fair few, because shipping then was pretty simple. The problem was largely a fear of the unknown.These days, as a responsible adult, I respect the choice of each seller as to where they ship. It doesn't mean I like it, but it's really not for me to tell them what to do.In my case, I have shipped internationally as a rule of thumb since I was 16; I'm now 34 so that's what, 18 years? I've shipped all over the world in that time, and every single time I ship (even though I have scales and a printer), I end up having to go to the post office. I have custom forms at home but I still have to make a trip every time.I have navigational issues, can't drive and, when at home, have a grand total of nine buses in a day that can take me to the post office and back. That isn't nine bus routes. It;s one bus route that run nine times in a day, missing some hours due to school route diversions. Sometimes I can get a lift, but most often I take the bus. Sometimes it means multiple trips on the same item to doublecheck the pricing and size since they keep changing those rules. I've often lost odd money here and there because of changes in those rules.Even with all of that, I will still ship worldwide because I believe in it. The only exception has been when Parcelforce introduced the volumetric weight and prices for certain items went up into the $60 or $70 range for no reason. Everyone has the right to decide where and how they ship. My question to the people who ship to the US (or any country) only is, do you buy from abroad? If so, do you expect the seller to go the extra mile for you, travel out to a PO, do all the things they need to to get you your package? If the answer is yes, then surely the same should apply to your dealings with other buyers?As an international seller, I have a rule now. Ebay is obviously different, but in private sales, I will ship worldwide, but I won't ship to someone who wouldn't ship to me if the tables were turned. I think that its fine to ship to your own country only, but you should not expect someone in another country to go to the trouble if you wouldn't be willing to do so yourself.Incidentally, in 18 years of shipping worldwide, I have had no packages go missing and only one occasion thus far when someone forced a refund after claiming they didn't get their item. I've sent and received cash the post, nobody ever stole it either way. And I am so well known at three post offices in my area that they now just give me custom forms and airmail labels when they see me. I have had to carry heavy stuff, awkward stuff, and all of those things, but honestly, that's just a normal part of selling to me.I don't regret shipping worldwide at all. I love the thought that stuff I have ends up all over the world, and stuff I own came from all over the world. But that's just me.