Garth Wood wrote:
> You shouldn't necessarily do that -- some of the most interesting auctions
> are for equipment which the original lister said they'd only ship to the U.S.
> If you contact them by e-mail, they frequently change their mind. (I'm
> watching one such auction right now, and the seller has already said that if
> I'm the high bidder, he'd ship to me.)
>
> I don't know why so many U.S. sellers are reluctant to ship internationally
> -- I've found the difference in hassle to be mostly negligible whether I'm
> shipping to the U.S., Canada or elsewhere, and when you consider that it's
> more likely you'll find a bidder elsewhere in the world who's willing to pay
> top dollar (because the item is probably less available outside of the U.S.,
> which is the biggest and richest market for used gear), the difference in
> additional bids (thus driving up the final price) is probably well worth the
> extra hassle. Besides, what's the additional hassle? You *still* have to
> package the item properly, and you *still* have to lug it to your nearest
> postal outlet. So you have to fill out a couple of forms, big fat hairy
> deal. As for the additional shipping charges, most international bidders
> already know they're going to have to pay more.
Yes, that's been my experience as well. However, it's been my experience
that most sellers are willing to ship to Canada, even if they won't send
elsewhere. Most will indicate that, but you're right, it's worth
checking. Still, last time I did a search for OM gear on ebay, I got
plenty even though I restricted it to availible to Canada.
--
Andrew "Frugal" Dacey,
frugal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.tildefrugal.net/
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