Date:         Fri, 5 Aug 2005 13:53:58 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: eBay ship to US only - why
Comments: To: Laurence Smith <laurence@ALANASMITH.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <6.2.3.4.2.20050805115441.05306cb0@pop.cogeco.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> So I am on eBay again checking out what available to feed my
> Vanagon addiction.  Lots of stuff, but all the US seller only
> want to sell to the US.  Could someone tell me why?


Sellers who accept Paypal are not protected by Paypal's Seller Protection
Plan (or whatever they call it) if the product is shipped outside of the
U.S. This means that if a Canadian buyer claims that he never got the item,
Paypal can simply take the money back from the seller and leave him without
recourse.  Also there is the trackability issue (which can go hand and hand
with the first issue I mentioned), and the somewhat increased difficulty of
shipping internationally.  Many eBay sellers may simply feel that the final
value of the item will not likely increase enough to be worth the extra
hassle/risk.

You may be able to convince a relucatant seller if you make the process
simple for him. The greatest fear is that of the unknown.  The easiest way
for a U.S. seller who does not take credit cards to accept a payment from
Canada is for the Canadian buyer to mail him a Canadian Postal Money Order,
payable in US dollars, which the seller can cash at any U.S. post office.
Many sellers are unaware of this.  If you deem the seller trustworthy,
offering him this form of payment in advance (and explaining how easy it is
to cash) may alleviate his concerns. The other alternative is
www.bidpay.com, who physically mails a Western Union money order to the
seller on the buyer's behalf. However, I believe this is costlier to the
buyer than simply mailing a Canadian postal money order. Of course in both
cases you are paying in advance with no recourse, so you will want to view
feedback and decide if this is wise.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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