Why do people limit their shipping to the US?

[hsmom]

I just don't understand. I mean I am willing to pay for what it would cost to ship in US then have the seller pay the difference. Or if the price is right just pay it all. So, why limit where you will ship?

[ereks mom]

Media mail costs the same whether you ship within your own state or to AK or HI!

[hsmom]

Those were my thoughts too.

I was talking to a lady from Canada and she said that she doesn't by from the boards to much because people won't send out of country.

[jubilee]

You can no longer ship Media Mail out of the U.S. All packages sent Int'l are based on weight and can only go First Class or Priority. There are flat rate (Priority) envelopes that can be worth it, as long as everything fits in that one envelope or box.

I participate with BookMooch (http://www.bookmooch.com/) and can recall sending "What to Expect When You're Expecting" to Canada for over $9.

I know I didn't answer OP question. I am just giving some background to the situation in general.

Thanks for letting me share,

[hsmom]

See if the person that is ordering pays the difference of what I would pay in the US or half I would send them. That is all I am saying.

[Plaid Dad]

I specify that the quoted shipping applies in the US only, but I'm always happy to ship elsewhere if the buyer is willing to pay the additional shipping costs. I've shipped several things to Canada with no trouble.

[Emilylou]

If I ship inside the US and the buyer pays with paypal, I can ship from home. When I ship to Canada I have to go to post office. I live in a rural area and our post office is out of my normal travel paths.

[KH_]

If I ship inside the US and the buyer pays with paypal, I can ship from home. When I ship to Canada I have to go to post office. I live in a rural area and our post office is out of my normal travel paths.

Same here . . .I don't typically ever have to go to the post office to ship anything if it's in the US. I can print my postage and then let my mail carrier pick up the package(s).

[hsmom]

I never thought of that.

I live somewhere where the USPS doesn't deliver to your home. You have to go to the post office to even get your mail.

[kRenee]

I just didn't know (and never asked). Until recently, I assumed sending mail to HI or AK would cost a lot more. But it doesn't.

[Jill, OK]

...and this is no reflection on the folks I've dealt with, here, or anything, but...I prefer to limit the 'unknowns' on sales.

I want to say "It's this much", have them pay it, and move on. Mailing it and then telling them what the difference was, etc., etc. leaves too much room for "Oh, wow, I didn't expect it to be that much", etc. ::Shrug::

You can always weigh it before hand, or go to the US Postage site and try to figure it out before you get to the post office, but the one time I did that with an eBay sale (that wasn't even outside the US), it wasn't accurate, and although we're not talking about a huge amount of money, every little bit counts if you're trying to get a little money to buy this year's curriculum, KWIM? (I'm not too good at eBay selling, and I know you can get pretty accurate with estimates, but for someone like me who isn't experienced at it, it's not something you feel like taking a chance with).

I guess I said all that to say, some folks are probably trying to keep it as simple as possible.

[amber in GA]

because you cannot track it out side of the U.S. When I sell things on ebay or on this board, I always have a delivery confirmation number attatched so that I can prove that I mailed it. I have been burned by a package lost in the mail before and the person trying to say that I didn't mail it--so this is pretty important to me!

amber

[Punkinelly]

Because if I ship to Canada, I have to take the package to the P.O. to pay for shipping. If I ship within the US only, I can use PayPal shipping and never have to leave my house.

[classymomma]

:lol:It cost a lot to send overseas. Also there is more paperwork. Some of it I think is fear of not knowing how to and too afraid to ask. It is easy to figure out cost though you can go to the www.usps.com (http://www.usps.com) and put in some info and get an estimated cost.

[Claire in NM]

I never even thought seriously about the time and effort it takes to prepare a package for anywhere else but the US. To hear that media mail also applies to AK and HI is something I will check out. And if someone is willing to pay a little extra for their shipping, that sounds very agreeable to me.

Thanks so much!

Claire in NM

[RebeccaC]

Media mail costs the same whether you ship within your own state or to AK or HI!


I did not know this. I think one reason maybe that folks might be novice sellers :001_smile: At least that is my excuse :001_huh:

[HiddenJewel]

Media mail is definitely applicable to AK and HI. I did not know that until I moved back here to AK. The only issue with it is that it can take up to 3-1/2 weeks to arrive. So if something will fit in a Priority envelope for $4.80, that is an option I sometimes offer to a buyer. Sometimes I will pay the extra $2.50 to get something quicker from the lower 48.

[momof3gifts]

tracking and insurance might be more complicated? I have also shipped to Canada but it can be a lot more expensive and like another poster I like to pay for the shipping through paypal and then I can just let the kids run the box into the po.

Just my experience.

[April K]

As for myself, I will not ship out of the US due to being cheated and it's impossible to fight when it's in another country (One example was a $600 camera being shipped to Russia-- he waited until I shipped it then he filed an unauthorized user with paypal and got his money back, He did this many times through Ebay and Paypal to people --he gets the product and his money back, thank goodness I researched it and was only out $50, I discuss more of it on my blog kind of a long story. Paypal said they would investigate but you know how that goes).
Also other countries have various laws they you have to deal with when shipping to other country. It can become a headache really fast, to me it's just not worth it.

[Tree House Academy]

Heck, as long as they pay the shipping, I dont' mind a bit to ship wherever!

[siloam]

...and this is no reflection on the folks I've dealt with, here, or anything, but...I prefer to limit the 'unknowns' on sales.

I want to say "It's this much", have them pay it, and move on. Mailing it and then telling them what the difference was, etc., etc. leaves too much room for "Oh, wow, I didn't expect it to be that much", etc. ::Shrug::


This is me. It is just so much easier and...cleaner to have a set price. Otherwise I would have to take longer and have it weighed one week then be paid after I got the correct shipping charges (and I don't normally go every week, so this might mean an whole extra trip as well), or I would have to pay the charges up front and hope they didn't suddenly think it was too expensive after I already shipped it.

Heather

[She]

As a small business owner, I have often shipped outside the US. I have an infant scale that works wonderful. Of course not an option for everyone.

APO and FPO addresses cost the same to ship to as regular US addresses. The only difference is they have to be hand delivered to the post office.

The paperwork for international shipping is minimal. Mostly I've had to disclose both addresses, what is inside, and the price paid for the item.

It is a hassle the first time shipping to a new country because of having to research the various laws. However, I've never had any problems with the laws. Taiwan they would prefer you to write the address in both English and Chinese characters, but only if possible. HA! Not possible!

I've found that shipping to Canada is comparable in cost to that of the US, however I've never shipped anything over 4 pounds. Also, sometimes Canada shipping is faster than shipping 2 states away. Hmmm.

Of course it really is all in what you want to do. As a business owner who does a ton of business to Canada, I wouldn't give it up, but if I were just selling a book now and then, I may not consider it worth the risk of not having delivery confirmation. Of course, delivery confirmation is not insurance and if your package gets lost or damaged you are still out, whether in or out of the US.

Just adding my 2 cents!

[Laurel-in-CA]

I say ppd lower 48 states. BUT that doesn't mean I won't ship elsewhere if the buyer pays the difference. It just means I don't know HOW to judge the difference and it would take extra effort (wrap, weigh, get $$ from post office). If you really want it, just ask.

[Susie in MS]

I say ppd in the lower 48 too, but if someone in Can ask I ship there as long as they are willing to pay the difference in shipping. I have also had a couple of ladies from Can expect me to ship to them for the same price as a person in the US, so I make sure to say in the lower 48. It is just too easy to get burned. Like what was said...every penny counts.

The times I did ship there the price was higher. Much higher. And I specifically told the post master cheapest shipping. One package was a large bag of cloth diapers, one was a small bag of cloth diapers, and one was a med/large box of books. They were all more expensive than being shipped in the US. Once I mailed to Hawaii, and it was more expensive too. I was told that it would be the same rates so I charged the same, and lost big time.

[supermom]

One time I shipped ABeka books to Canada via UPS, I believe. The lady had to pay a lot to get them out of customs. She was VERY upset, but had not much choice since she had already paid for the books and I had already paid to have them shipped to her. I did not think most book orders were charged customs fees, but after that experience, I really prefer not to ship out of the country. If I do, I make it clear ahead of time that if there end up being customs, they are responsible for them. Another reason is I have to actually drive to the PO, something I rarely do because I print my postage from home for nearly everything.

[keroro]

I think some people decide not to ship internationally because it's less hassle to ship domestically. Convenience is a major factor in our society. For some people it may be a comfort factor as well. Personally, I have sold quite a few items to international buyers without incident.

[ustasmom]

I shipped something to Canada using FedEx and I received a bill for duties and brokerage of $48 on $100 package. I was not happy to receive a bill for Canadian fees as the seller. I think that I will not be making that mistake again.

[Heather in VA]

I've had bad experiences. I had to fill out paperwork with answers I didn't have. I had to track down the buyer to get the information then go back to the post office again only to have the buyer tell me she was annoyed at how long it took. She hadn't told me at purchase time that she wasn't in the US, didn't tell me there would be paperwork and didn't offer to pay the increased shipping.

So while I would consider it again should someone ask me up front and offer to pay the shipping, I won't go looking for it.

Heather

[dymphna57]

I live outside the US now, and I have has difficulties getting people to believe me when I agree to pay extra shipping costs. I know it is hard to estimate and I try to use either paypal or a US credit card so that money shouldn't be a problem.
Some people are great and some people get hostile! I guess I didn't realize how many people have been burned. All homeschoolers are not alike.
My almost negative experience was with Rainbow Resource. I sent them a nice note saying I knew that the shipping might be diffierent from their quote and that I was quite willing to pay actual costs. They got snitty and said I had already agreed to pay so much in shipping and I had better pay it! It turned out that their estimate was almost twice the actual cost. I honestly meant well and had already paid them.

[Barbara in NH]

I think people don't want to ship outside the US because as an earlier poster mentioned (I don't remember who) you have to go to the post office to get the first class cost and then e-mail back the cost and then take it back to finally mail.

I just let the person know that I will go to the post office on such and such a day and get back to them. I have shipped 3 or 4 packages to Canada and the buyer seems to be fine with waiting til I get to the post office to get cost. They also have been very nice and always followed through with buying and letting me know when they received the package.

Also I shipped to a military family (I think it was called an APO address) in Germany, it was the same cost as US shipping you could ship media mail, it just took a long time, she had never used PayPal account set it up, sent money and was thrilled to get the books.

I just work it into my normal errands because I don't do errands every day, we live in the country. I have personally never had a problem with the buyer not being willing to wait until I could get cost and e-mail them back.

Perhaps some people just can't take the extra time. I feel like I have benefited so much from others selling their previously used items and I feel really pleased when others can use my previously used materials. For me the positive feeling that I get far outweighs the extra time and effort. Perhaps if every person that bought my materials had a non-US I would feel differently.

I love the WTM boards!!!

Blessings,

Barbara in NH

[dands]

I have had terrible experiences where the buyers from Cananda are really interested and seriously willing to pay postage. They end up changing their minds. I have to take my 5 little children and drive 30 miles to the post office. Is not worth it for my trouble. I stick with the 48 states, buy postage from paypal and my mail man takes the package away. Simple!

[Kate CA]

I just don't understand. I mean I am willing to pay for what it would cost to ship in US then have the seller pay the difference. Or if the price is right just pay it all. So, why limit where you will ship?

I can tell you why! I recently mailed a package of books that was around 5 pounds to Canada. There is no longer a choice in the shipping type. There used to be surface shipping that was a good deal cheaper, but now there is no longer anything other than regular mail. What it cost me to mail that same package to the US for $5 cost me $26 to mail to Canada. I don't know anyone willing to pay $20 more so they can buy used. It was astonishing to see the difference in price from US to US and US to Canada!

[Hannah]

As a small business owner, I have often shipped outside the US.

I just want to say how grateful I am to people like you!! And to Bookmoochers who are willing to ship send worldwide!

[SW in IL]

I would ship outside of the US. At first, when I started selling, I'd ship via the cheapest method available if that was what they buyer requested. But it could take up to 6 weeks (or longer) for a package to arrive and after about 2 weeks I'd start getting nasty emails from buyers asking where their purchases were. The last straw for me was when a buyer from, I think, Germany had said in her message to me that she understood that it could take as long as 8 weeks for her item to arrive if it was shipped by economy surface or something like that. After 4 weeks when she hadn't received her purchase, she emailed asking if I was sure I had mailed it. After 6 weeks, she left me negative feedback and complained to PayPal (45 days, I think, was the maximum time alloted for the complaint to be file). After about 7 weeks, since I couldn't prove that the package had arrived, PayPal refunded her payment (around $60).

I will still ship outside of the U.S., but reluctantly if it is an eBay transaction because there is still no tracking/devliery confirmation available. I know of several eBay sellers who have gotten burned by buyers claiming they never received their purchases. I'm sure, in some cases, the purchases were not received but in one case the buyer must have received the item because he (she?) relisted it on eBay. It was a fairly unique item, so it was unlikely that the buyer had 2 of it.

I will only ship via Global Priority mail because people do get antsy to get their purchases. While it doesn't sound like 2 weeks or 4 weeks is a long time if you find something you've been looking for for quite a while, it sure seems long when 6 weeks later you're still waiting and checking the Post every day.

As far as the cost, I state up front that my ppd prices include Media Mail shipping only. I normally only add in $1 or so towards shipping and pretty much "eat" the cost of shipping. I pay for Delivery Confirmation on every package I send in the US and I pay for Insurance on anything over about $50. Contrary to what many sellers seem to think, Delivery Confirmation and Insurance are to protect the seller. If someone would rather have their items shipped via Priority Mail, I'll knock at least a couple of dollars off the cost of mailing because then I get free packaging and free Delivery Confirmation. Same for sending outside the US... The free packaging from the US Postal Service, I figure, saves me something so I knock off a couple of dollars. But the cost of mailing via Global Priority Mail has become so prohibitive (I think the last time I mailed something it was like $12 to Canada for a book that would have cost under $2 to mail via Media Mail) that few people are willing to pay.

When I ship to Hawaii or Alaska (or APO/FPO addresses, etc), I usually offer the buyer a deep discount on Priority Mail shipping just because of the time involved for Media Mail to arrive. Again, I'm scared I'm gonna bump up against that 6 week limit which is when ppl really get nervous about receiving their purchases.

I'm really sorry that it has come to this, but I really do need the money I make by selling items. I cannot afford to have someone get antsy for their purchase and have PayPal refund their payment. To them it may just be a shirt that they're saving $5 on... To me, it's often food or gas or medical necessities.

Sue
mom.wilson@comcast.net

BTW, this is mostly talking about selling on eBay rather than here on the boards. I haven't posted anything for sale anywhere in such a long time and the shipping hassles and new policies are much of the reason why. Unfortunately, if we're going to have any sort of holiday coming up, I'm probably going to have to resort to selling somewhere soon. Just trying to decide if I'm willing to give up the homeschooling stuff I had planned on using and just haven't gotten around to or if I'm gonna dig out some of my old eBay stuff and cross my fingers.

[KinderSafari]

We've sold a lot of stuff over the past 8 years and bought a lot of stuff out of the country. We ARE however having problems collecting payment from a large job my husband did for a company overseas! And I have heard of frequent problems related to jobs and collecting - maybe that's what scares people off? We don't know what rights we have or how to collect since they won't respond any more now that the job has been completed for them. Very frustrating.

[Eva]

I use Endicia postage service and I can print all my postage from home and ship anything from home. I have a huge mailbox for packages (mostly things I purchase). I absolutely LOVE being able to ship from home. I have delivery confirmation on everything and can track it on my computer program.

However, if I ship internationally, I cannot just print up postage and mail the same day and be done with it. I have to make a special trip to the post office due to the fact that this is not my normal method and there are custom forms to fill out. Just the other day I had something going to Canada and although I wanted to help the lady out by shipping there, I was just not able to get to the post office for several days as I care for my mother in addition to homeschooling. Once I made it there, I had 30 minutes before having to move on to my doctor's appointment and that was not enough time and I had to try again another day.

Now, if I shipped there very often, I might figure out how to do it from home somehow, but I probably only get 1-2 requests a year for this.

This is why I limit, it is just a matter of time and convenience, that I cannot always do it.

Eva

[Veritaserum]

It's the paperwork/customs headache that really deters me. I've shipped to Canada a couple of times, AFO, and to South America. None of the experiences were pleasant and I wasn't earning enough on the sale to make it worth time and hassle of going into the Post Office to fill out the paperwork.

[LostSurprise]

Because all people are different and there is an element of risk (and a definite investment in time) to mail to another country.

I've sold and mailed things to Canada several times and internationally a few times. I've been lucky that each time I had reasonable people on the other end of the transaction, even so I spent twice as much time working on that transaction and a few times I ended up taking the hit for extra costs at the last moment.

While I'm not closed to mailing internationally again I have to have the time available to invest in it. When I don't I ask for only US buyers. If I do, I leave it open.

[happyholly]

just about every time I have mailed to our military bases overseas. I have encountered a problem. Either the package never arrived, or took so long to get the the buyer requested a refund and then later told me it arrived, but at the time the refund had to be issued when I couldn't really afford to give it. This happened over and over again and I had always let the postal workers fill out the paperwork in hopes of lowering the chance for problems occurring. I thought in my own way I was supporting our troops and their love ones but it never really worked out liked I figured it would. Now I only ship to the contiguous 48 states. No problems so far.

[afruitfulbranch]

Thanks for starting this thread. I was wondering why people didn't ship to Canada.

We've lived here in Canada about 3 years and I realize how much I am a spoiled American when it comes to homeschooling. In the U.S. there are so many options for buying homeschooling materials: new and used. And it's so much cheaper: the books and the shipping.

I usually buy things when I have a friend coming to Canada and then I have the item sent to them, so they can bring it.

For those of you who are willing to go to the trouble to ship to Canada, it is a blessing to them.

That's my 2 cents.

[krystal70]

I do understand the hassle of going to the post office...not one thing but my German bills comes to my home address! :) I know it is a pain to go and fill out that customs form for us but we DO NOT have any place to buy used homeschool material. Every once in awhile a HS group will have a get together to sale old stuff but that is once a year and only if you live in a big area of military like the KMC. So, we are thrilled to find the one or two that sends to us and understands how much we like those priority envelopes! ($4.80 is good!) I always offer to pay the extra for priorty if I need it sooner as media mail takes forever to get here...on average 5 weeks and the closer it gets to the holidays you might as well forget it! :) So THANK YOU to those that will take the time to ship to us! :)

[Kareni]

I specify that the quoted shipping applies in the US only, but I'm always happy to ship elsewhere if the buyer is willing to pay the additional shipping costs.

I agree. I include shipping costs in my prices but that is with the assumption of that I am sending the books at media mail rates. Those rates would not hold if shipping out of the country. I am happy to work with a buyer if they have different needs.

Regards,
Kareni

[happyholly]

Some like me , have had bad experiences with lost or delayed packages.
It's a big financial sting to pay shipping, then have to refund because package are said to have been lost.

[RanchGirl]

I am always happy to send to APOs/FPOs for military families, and AK/HI are no extra trouble. I don't ship internationally though. In addition to the extra forms and trip to the post office, I have had terrible experiences with international shipments for my small business. Sadly they were all with Canada -- falsely reversing paypal and CC payments, demanding that I falsify customs documents so they didn't have to pay customs fees and GST, and generally complaining about the actual shipping costs. Weirdly, even though I shipped more frequently to England, Australia, UAE, Singapore, Italy, France, etc., and their shipping was typically a bit higher (not sure about the fees and taxes though), I only had one non-Canadian problem that I can recall.

I'm not biased against Canada (truly I'm not; all my relatives are Canadian and I love them and the country dearly). I'm not sure if I just had really bad luck or there is more of an expectation of higher costs when ordering from another continent compared to someplace closer.

Just sharing my experience, not sure if it will be helpful but you asked for opinions!

[houseofrabbits]

I mostly don't advertise that I will ship overseas because of the excessive costs. Most of the people I have dialogued with after sometimes days of going back and forth end up not wanting to pay the extra postage. If the person contacts me and is very specific about their willingness to pay the additional postage then I will ship to wherever they wish. On sites such as ebay you have to make that sort of decision up-front and I think that the extra time, paperwork, and fees make it unattractive on basic, low-cost items.

HTH.

Liz

[testarossa]

Those were my thoughts too.

I was talking to a lady from Canada and she said that she doesn't by from the boards to much because people won't send out of country.

Yeah right..

Just in my mind too.. ??