[Fenwoodian]

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I'm a heavy shipper. I live in the USA. For years now, I've shipped about 6 or 8 items each week using the US Mail. I can assure you that shipping packages to a location outside of the USA is much harder than shipping within the USA.

Shipments within the USA are easy. I just go to the US Mail's website. Print a shipping label after paying the shipping using PayPal. I then order a "pick up" again using the US Mail's website, and the postal carrier comes to my home and picks up the package. Total time per domestic shipment maybe 5 minutes.

Shipping outside of the USA is more complicated for me. I need to take the package to the post office (about a 7 mile drive each way). Then I stand in line and WAIT. Then I have to complete the correct customs form (sometimes it's the short version, sometimes it's the long version). Total time per foreign shipment maybe 60 minutes.

I've read that it costs about $.55 per mile to operate a car in my area. So, my little trip to the Post Office costs me about $7 in car expense, I don't get that back from the buyer either.

So as you can see, it is much harder for me to ship packages outside of the USA. It is something I will rarely do (except for friends).

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Last edited by Fenwoodian; 09-12-2018 at 08:55 AM.

[cpk]

FedEx and Ups charge way too much in fees with international shipping. The only saving grace is lowered complexity.

Unfortunately I had no choice in the matter. It was the shipper's decision as to how to ship. They have shipped for me a couple of times within the States with no issues.

[Fenwoodian]

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If you ship a lot like I do, you learn the ins and outs of shipping packages. For example, I will not usually ship to foreign countries, but I will also not ship expensive packages to California USA!

Lately, many of the expensive packages of camera gear I've shipped via USPS Priority Mail to California address were either lost, or the package was damaged.

Below is a photo of a package I sent to California last week via USPS Priority Mail. The photo was taken by the buyer to show me the rough condition of the package when it arrived. Fortunately, I had wrapped each individual item in heavy bubble wrap so there were no damages to the Pentax Q camera and 2 Pentax Q lenses that were inside.

Not only did the extent of this damage to the shipping box surprise me, but I was even more shocked that the postal service did not even bother to put a piece of tape over the gaping hole to keep the contents in.

I will continue to ship small/in-expensive items to California. However, I will no longer ship any expensive items to California.

[DeadJohn]

This international shipping nightmare 6 months ago reinforced my reluctance to ship internationally.

I help run a public astronomical observatory - we show visitors the night sky through our telescopes. One of our telescopes was having an issue and the UK-based manufacturer agreed it was best for me to fix it on-site rather than ship the entire 2 meter long telescope to them. They shipped a much smaller test part to me, and when I was done I would ship it back. The test part shipped from the UK to USA without issue. No customs fees. Telescope was fixed. Returning the test part, though...

I went to my local USPS office. Their computer had a list of categories, and nothing came close to describing what I was returning. "Other" was not an option. USPS refused to accept the package. That sounded nuts so I tried a 2nd post office with a similar response. There was nothing hazardous or export-controlled in the package.

I went to FedEx. They had similar categories and no great fit, so we settled on "metal" because that was the majority of the item's construction. I explained that I was returning a borrowed item that originated in UK, provided proof, and it was agreed that FedEx would process it in a manner that had no customs fees. Item arrived in UK and recipient was assessed hundreds in import fees. FedEx botched paperwork. I got an email from FedEx in the morning, called 2 hours later to resend proof they already had, FedEx responded "too late, item is being returned to USA". I was able to get a full shipping refund for FedEx's error, but I was still stuck with something I had to ship back to UK.

After some discussion with the UK company, they said they had a much larger shipment coming from a USA affiliate, so I forwarded my package to that affiliate and they stuck it inside their other crate. I might be an international smuggler

[dadipentak]

Customs procedures are unpredictable and inconsistent.

I never had an issue...until last week.

[MarkJerling]

Except it becomes a headache for the seller when the buyer is not educated in such matters. It's a risk the seller may not want to take.
OTOH, there is nothing to stop a potential buyer from contacting the seller and convincing them that they know the rules and will take all responsibility for fees, etc., along with the best way to ship to their location. That may be enough to allay the seller's concerns.

Yes, you're right. Certainly, I usually take over the shipping completely. What I do is ship to a USA forwarding company who then ship to me and bill me.

[Just1MoreDave]

Hi all, trawling through buy/sell forums over the years I've noticed some peculiar behaviour that I can't quite wrap my head around...

- Why do sellers consistently post (often expensive) gear without images? Are they trying to dissuade buyers? We're photographers, we take photos, why not post some of the lens your selling?

It's a great way to hurt sales. Yes, it takes a little time to take the shots and post them, but it proves you have the item, shows way more about its condition than words can, and appeals to window shoppers. More than once I've browsed the marketplace, seen an interesting title, looked at the pretty photos and been tempted to buy. No pictures is a negative.

[aslyfox]

1 glad to read that I am not the only person who had a problem shipping from the US to Canada

makes me feel less stupid

2 on the issue of photographs, I notice that many people photograph serial numbers of the items

I thought it was a bad idea to put on the web the serial numbers of the items you own


am I crazier than I thought or is there a reason not to put the serial number of a lens or camera body out there for all to see?

[tvdtvdtvd]

- Why do sellers consistently post (often expensive) gear without images? Are they trying to dissuade buyers? We're photographers, we take photos, why not post some of the lens your selling?

- Why do sellers often delete the price once an item has sold? When I'm looking at gear it would be very useful to be able to track previous sales, and I'm not sure how deleting the price benefits anyone...

- 'Shipping - CONUS only' - not really a question, but as a photography enthusiast in the barron used-market wasteland of Australia, do you North Americans have any idea how frustrating it is to find a great deal that won't ship? You know we're happy to pay postage/insurance etc. right? Is it really that hard?

Short answer, what is convenient for the buyer is not necessarily convenient for the seller.

Long answer, (as brief as possible)....

As a buyer I agree with all your points. I too would like more and better photos. I too would like to know the price of sold
items. I too would like to be able to safely and confidently order goods from anywhere in the world.

As a seller, the issues are different.
Photos) I personally sell various things online and I do make an effort to provide good, well lit, tightly cropped, relevantly
composed and in focus images. Doing this takes time and effort and just a little bit of know how. Presumably, some sellers
lack either ability or desire to take good photos. Some sellers lack even the willingness to take the time to take even bad photos.
Which is a shame, because modern smartdevice cameras are capable of taking really good internet quality images that can
be uploaded quickly and easily. There really is no excuse for not providing good images in every sale listing when a photo
would be relevant.

Price History) Once a sale is completed, the seller and buyer are under no obligation to let anyone else know the
selling price. Yes, that information may be convenient >for you<, but it is potentially inconvenient for the seller and buyer,
(who may also be a future seller). Let's say I sell something for $20. I'm happy with the sale but also feel the sale was too
easy and perhaps I could sell the same thing next time for $30. Not knowing the last item sold for $20, you may think $30
is a great price. However, if you know I sold the last item for $20 you may be hesitant to spend $30. In short, the sale price
is privileged information that has value.

Shipping - CONUS only) As a seller I do typically offer international shipping. Experience through repetition and volume,
combined with the ease of online postage, makes the process very easy. However, I do remember the days of going to
the post office to fill out customs forms, which was a major PITA. It's possible some sellers simply do not know how easy
it is to ship internationally these days. Or maybe they do, but they're worried about packages getting lost or stolen in
'problematic' destinations, (Itally, most all of Africa and South America, etc). I've personally never had a problem with a
supposedly stolen package but have certainly heard plenty of tales from other sellers. It is also possible some sellers
get 'burned' on international shipping costs because they under estimate the weight or size of the package and are
then left eating the overage. I have certainly had that happen to me when a package unexpectedly crosses a weight
threshold and moves into a new pricing bracket. It really sucks. The solution is to carefully measure and weigh each
and every package before it ships, which again, takes time.

The simple truth is that the US market is strong enough for most US sellers to not need to ship internationally, no matter
what the reason. 90+% of my sales are to US customers. 5+% are to Canada/UK/Japan. The rest of the world account
for the remaining <5%. That means if I stopped shipping to all international customers, I would only lose <10% of my
business. By shipping internationally to only Canada, UK and Japan, I would keep 95+% of my business. So far
I personally have not had need to exclude any country but I know it would not affect my sales to any great extent if
I did.

[tvdtvdtvd]

Lastly (international) tracking is lousy and unreliable.

This is true. International packages often 'disappear' while in transit when they leave the US border, only
to miraculously get delivered, eventually. I imagine many countries do not scan as regularly as do others, or
that information simply isn't passed back to the US based tracking service.

[tvdtvdtvd]

I went to my local USPS office. Their computer had a list of categories, and nothing came close to describing what I was returning. "Other" was not an option. USPS refused to accept the package. That sounded nuts so I tried a 2nd post office with a similar response. There was nothing hazardous or export-controlled in the package.

If you're talking about the categories under "Shipment Information", I would have either chosen 'Commercial Sample' or
'Returned Goods'. You might also have selected 'Gift'. There >is< a category for 'Other', to which you might have filled
out something like 'scientific equipment'. I think the problem is that you put the onus of the problem in the hands of the
clerk, who then over thunk the problem.

[UncleVanya]

This is true. International packages often 'disappear' while in transit when they leave the US border, only
to miraculously get delivered, eventually. I imagine many countries do not scan as regularly as do others, or
that information simply isn't passed back to the US based tracking service.

I had a camera going to canada detour and come back from the border to the southern USA - not where it originated mind you. I sent it from North Carolina, and it went to Ontario and then back to Texas and then back to Ontario. It was the most confusing mess. Then it claimed LOST when it was delivered.

OY!

[MarkJerling]

Shipping to South Africa has become problematic of late. Their mailing service has long been a bit of a disaster - it's now ground to almost a complete standstill for international mail. So much so that New Zealand Post refuses mail to South Africa.

You can still ship there using DHL, but that's one of few options at the moment. So, if any of you send stuff to South Africa, my advice is use DHL. It's expensive but at least it works.

[dadipentak]

I just had a package (with a lens in it) held up by US customs on its way to Canada. I was seriously annoyed as well as puzzled.

[MarkJerling]

This international shipping nightmare 6 months ago reinforced my reluctance to ship internationally.

I help run a public astronomical observatory - we show visitors the night sky through our telescopes. One of our telescopes was having an issue and the UK-based manufacturer agreed it was best for me to fix it on-site rather than ship the entire 2 meter long telescope to them. They shipped a much smaller test part to me, and when I was done I would ship it back. The test part shipped from the UK to USA without issue. No customs fees. Telescope was fixed. Returning the test part, though...

I went to my local USPS office. Their computer had a list of categories, and nothing came close to describing what I was returning. "Other" was not an option. USPS refused to accept the package. That sounded nuts so I tried a 2nd post office with a similar response. There was nothing hazardous or export-controlled in the package.

I went to FedEx. They had similar categories and no great fit, so we settled on "metal" because that was the majority of the item's construction. I explained that I was returning a borrowed item that originated in UK, provided proof, and it was agreed that FedEx would process it in a manner that had no customs fees. Item arrived in UK and recipient was assessed hundreds in import fees. FedEx botched paperwork. I got an email from FedEx in the morning, called 2 hours later to resend proof they already had, FedEx responded "too late, item is being returned to USA". I was able to get a full shipping refund for FedEx's error, but I was still stuck with something I had to ship back to UK.

After some discussion with the UK company, they said they had a much larger shipment coming from a USA affiliate, so I forwarded my package to that affiliate and they stuck it inside their other crate. I might be an international smuggler

Ouch!

These two sites may have been useful:
Import Duty Calculator - SimplyDuty

For which you need the HS code:
See HS code list: what is it and how to lookup your product?

I would have guessed, this would be the code:
9001 - 9033 Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof