[WWI] Buying internationally on e-Bay.

[Helen and Chris]

I don't suppose that I'm the only one who plays the game of trying to buy below retail on e-Bay.  Especially internationally, where an item may be more valuable in one country than another. 

So I pass on a recent experience, for what it may be worth. 

I have noticed an increase in the number of vendors who only ship within their own country.  When asked if they would ship abroad, one or two said OK but most declined.  Then I found someone who told me why. This, in essence, was their reasoning.

Paypal will always take the side of a "buyer" who claims non-delivery of an item, forcing the vendor to re-imburse. There has been, apparently, a marked increase in "non-deliveries".  And, as e-Bay have recently introduced the rule that sellers cannot leave neutral or negative feedback for "buyers", sellers feel that they cannot warn other sellers via the feedback system.

Paypal have been asked if they would still find in favour of a "buyer" if that buyer declined insured postage.  And e-Bay have been asked to reconsider their ruling. True to form, both have failed to respond to date.

This has forced vendors to only sell within their own country, where they have recourse through the Courts, or to charge for insurance.  Which means shipping costs that exceed the value of the less expensive kits - and means that your bargain isn't quite the bargain it could have been.

If this trend continues it won't worry the guy who out-bid me on the Contrail 1/72 Blackburn Kangaroo seaplane tonight for £38 (approx. $71) but would have put me off bidding for the 1/72 Ludemann AEG C.IV which I won recently.

I'll leave you to think about the implications of this.

And my apologies for the length of this posting.

Chris



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