A rant about shipping

[jhudstone]

I recently won an Invicta Dimetrodon on Ebay (5 bucks!) from a seller in Spain (I live in the US) and after waiting patiently some weeks never received the item. I contacted the seller who had said they had sent the item out some weeks ago, and that I should have it by now. In all likelihood it had been lost.

Beside the disappointment of not receiving the item, I am getting a little tired of this happening - it has happened more than once. And I know I could probably spend more for more secure shipping, but that seems to defeat the fact that I won an item at a good price to begin with. And to top it off, nothing I have ever sent to anyone else has ever been 'lost in the mail'.

This is a little bit of a rant (and not intended to disparage the seller, which is why it isn't in feedback) but I wonder, how often does this happen to everyone else? How do you typically avoid it?

[sbell]

Mar 9, 2010 15:05:51 GMT jhudstone said:

I recently won an Invicta Dimetrodon on Ebay (5 bucks!) from a seller in Spain (I live in the US) and after waiting patiently some weeks never received the item. I contacted the seller who had said they had sent the item out some weeks ago, and that I should have it by now. In all likelihood it had been lost.

Beside the disappointment of not receiving the item, I am getting a little tired of this happening - it has happened more than once. And I know I could probably spend more for more secure shipping, but that seems to defeat the fact that I won an item at a good price to begin with. And to top it off, nothing I have ever sent to anyone else has ever been 'lost in the mail'.

This is a little bit of a rant (and not intended to disparage the seller, which is why it isn't in feedback) but I wonder, how often does this happen to everyone else? How do you typically avoid it?

The number of times I have not received an overseas package is...zero. They always arrive, but some will take a while, especially if you did not pay for an air-based shipping. You said several weeks, but that may not have been long enough still; I've had parcels take 2 months.

If you only paid for overseas 'ground' you will be at the mercy of cargo ships and their schedules--it can take two or three months, because you are waiting for a boat to be full enough to head off, and manufacturing and imports aren't really that big right now.

Basically, if you are going to get items from overseas, you need extreme patience, or be willing to pay the higher costs of mailing (although the Dim is small enough, it should have almost fit a mailing envelope!).

Alternatively, pay far more from this side of the oceans, to someone that already paid the high shipping.

[Horridus]

I've had something not arrive that was sent from Taiwan. I bought it on eBay around September last year. Fortunately wasn't too expensive (only about 8 quid).

[Radman]

Well put, sbell. I've bought items from Germany that were promptly mailed yet took up to 2 months to arrive in the states. These were always sent by sea-post. Items that are airmailed get here in a week or less from Europe and about 2 weeks from Japan.
Patience, grasshopper.

[veloziraptor]

I'll chime in on this one - I bought a few items around December 11th from the UK. I had long since given up, but they arrived LAST WEEK - LOL!! I bought things a month later shipped that same way that got there before these did.

I agree sbell about extreme patience AND if you use that shipping method calculate the loss risk and make sure you're willing.

I got my Dimetrodon from Snertus on ebay - I think he is in Spain, as well. I've gotten 4 or 5 things from him and all show up in their own time.

[roselaar]

I've had dozens of overseas shipping deals, and I've never had any trouble with them. It has taken a while at times (the record stands at over three months), but they always find their way.

In one case, something did go wrong: I got a box of JP figures that wasn't intended for me, but for a guy in France (I live in Holland). Being the honest person I am I contacted the seller (fortunately she had stuck a receipt in the box with her name on it) and explained the situation. She refunded the amount of money I needed to spend to get the box to France, and it arrived eventually, without the buyer ever realizing the seller's mistake. I'm real proud I didn't keep the figures for myself, considering there were a few of them in there I was still looking for myself at the time. I'm less proud of hijacking this thread by bragging about my honesty though.

[jhudstone]

Appreciate all the feedback folks - just want to be clear, I am not disparaging anyone,I am sure the seller did everything he was supposed to. I am just venting about something that was a bit of frustration (because, as we all know, a big part of the fun is finding a deal, and then the satisfaction of it finally showing up; I am missing my fun). Hearing all these different experiences actually helps.

[Libraraptor]

Great you could be helped a little already, jhudstone.
Actually being afraid of an item getting lost held me back from overseas deals. But now I know all packages I sent arrived and my trust grows. Patience is also not too bad for the one who sends something overseas...

[jhudstone]

And..of course...it came today. Unbelievable.

[Libraraptor]

Mar 9, 2010 21:24:57 GMT jhudstone said:

And..of course...it came today. Unbelievable.

What are the odds! ;D

[foxilized]

I know Snertus, he is a pretty good guy with extremely good prices. Is the only one dino seller in Spain that I know, and actually shipping from Spain to Spain is always very very low with him (even lower than normal).

Sometimes I have lost some items sent from USA to Spain, but it's really rare even in First Class (90% of times it works). Items come surprinsingly fast sometimes (one week!) but usually they take two or three weeks, maybe a little bit more. Still I don't think it's a bad thing to advice the seller the item haven't arrived yet if it's taking a month, so maybe he is willing to refund you a part of the money you spent. Ebay forces sellers to give back the whole money if the item doesn't arrive, but I personally think they shouldn't be forced to do that since shipping is not their problem. If they actually offer you a refund you should be aware they are actually being very generous persons and honestly thank them for that. I have found sellers or every kind. Luckily in this forum they usually belong to the better class.

On the other hand I've never lost an item that I have sent from Spain to Usa, though.

Finally, men you are lucky living on Usa since sometimes I find so amazing offers for dino lots that I chose not to buy because shipping price to here would cost me 3 times what the seller is asking for the lot itself. If I was in USA I would have 3 or 4 whole collections entirelly, for sure!!!

[Ajax]

I live in Australia and everything I have bought from Ebay in the US has arrived no more than 3 weeks later, most items arrive in about 10 days although I do still get nervous about items turning up.

[sbell]

Mar 9, 2010 21:28:57 GMT Libraraptor said:

Mar 9, 2010 21:24:57 GMT jhudstone said:

And..of course...it came today. Unbelievable.

What are the odds! ;D

That happens to me too--every time I ask a seller about a package that seems to be taking too long, it shows up pretty much immediately!

[sbell]

Mar 9, 2010 22:06:27 GMT foxilized said:

I know Snertus, he is a pretty good guy with extremely good prices. Is the only one dino seller in Spain that I know, and actually shipping from Spain to Spain is always very very low with him (even lower than normal).

Sometimes I have lost some items sent from USA to Spain, but it's really rare even in First Class (90% of times it works). Items come surprinsingly fast sometimes (one week!) but usually they take two or three weeks, maybe a little bit more. Still I don't think it's a bad thing to advice the seller the item haven't arrived yet if it's taking a month, so maybe he is willing to refund you a part of the money you spent. Ebay forces sellers to give back the whole money if the item doesn't arrive, but I personally think they shouldn't be forced to do that since shipping is not their problem. If they actually offer you a refund you should be aware they are actually being very generous persons and honestly thank them for that. I have found sellers or every kind. Luckily in this forum they usually belong to the better class.

On the other hand I've never lost an item that I have sent from Spain to Usa, though.

Finally, men you are lucky living on Usa since sometimes I find so amazing offers for dino lots that I chose not to buy because shipping price to here would cost me 3 times what the seller is asking for the lot itself. If I was in USA I would have 3 or 4 whole collections entirelly, for sure!!!

My solution for that--if the deal was good enough, I just ask the seller to send only the items I really want, and they can keep the rest. The shipping savings can make it worth giving up some of the lot. It's usually better to clear this with the seller in advance though.

[[][][]cordylus[][][]]

Sometimes in customs and in the post offices machines can be brutal and tear into packages via loose tape and such... When items fall out the postal workers just throw them away.

[DinoLord]

USPS can be a bit rough and sometimes postal thieves abound. I've had it happen to me with other stuff.

[foxilized]

Mar 9, 2010 23:51:32 GMT sbell said:

Mar 9, 2010 22:06:27 GMT foxilized said:

I know Snertus, he is a pretty good guy with extremely good prices. Is the only one dino seller in Spain that I know, and actually shipping from Spain to Spain is always very very low with him (even lower than normal).

Sometimes I have lost some items sent from USA to Spain, but it's really rare even in First Class (90% of times it works). Items come surprinsingly fast sometimes (one week!) but usually they take two or three weeks, maybe a little bit more. Still I don't think it's a bad thing to advice the seller the item haven't arrived yet if it's taking a month, so maybe he is willing to refund you a part of the money you spent. Ebay forces sellers to give back the whole money if the item doesn't arrive, but I personally think they shouldn't be forced to do that since shipping is not their problem. If they actually offer you a refund you should be aware they are actually being very generous persons and honestly thank them for that. I have found sellers or every kind. Luckily in this forum they usually belong to the better class.

On the other hand I've never lost an item that I have sent from Spain to Usa, though.

Finally, men you are lucky living on Usa since sometimes I find so amazing offers for dino lots that I chose not to buy because shipping price to here would cost me 3 times what the seller is asking for the lot itself. If I was in USA I would have 3 or 4 whole collections entirelly, for sure!!!

My solution for that--if the deal was good enough, I just ask the seller to send only the items I really want, and they can keep the rest. The shipping savings can make it worth giving up some of the lot. It's usually better to clear this with the seller in advance though.

Yeah, I totally do that too (las one was a lot for 10 bucks that included a WWD Utahraptor).

Problem is when I want to get a bigger dude. Till now I haven't been able to get my pair of TLW tyrannosaurus (bull and thrasher) because shipping is so high that no matter how cheap the figure is being sold, I would always end paying a maniac price.

[Ajax]

Mar 10, 2010 0:57:57 GMT foxilized said:

Mar 9, 2010 23:51:32 GMT sbell said:

My solution for that--if the deal was good enough, I just ask the seller to send only the items I really want, and they can keep the rest. The shipping savings can make it worth giving up some of the lot. It's usually better to clear this with the seller in advance though.

Yeah, I totally do that too (las one was a lot for 10 bucks that included a WWD Utahraptor).

Problem is when I want to get a bigger dude. Till now I haven't been able to get my pair of TLW tyrannosaurus (bull and thrasher) because shipping is so high that no matter how cheap the figure is being sold, I would always end paying a maniac price.

That's why I don't have the Schleich or Bullyland sauropods yet, postage for these heavy guys is crazy expensive, the toy shop here have the new Schleich sauropods for $75 each and I just can't bring myself to pay that much.

[veloziraptor]

Hey, just a tip when you send overseas to the USA - we have Bulk Sorting Machines (In my case in Atlanta, GA) and they will rip the heck out of anything not in a box. If you are sending via surface, it really is best to use a small box of some sort - a shoe box or that kind of thing.

I have always gotten my stuff, but on 3 occasions the bag that the seller used was ripped open in the bulk sorter and there was a nasty note TO ME about how I should tell the sender to use a box!

Anyway, I've been lucky not losing the whole package, because a friend had this happen and just got the letter with NO STUFF!

So just heads up on that - the PO won't take responsibility and the one time I tried to claim insurance on a damaged item, the PO stated that Belgium (sender's country) wanted proof it was damaged in Belgium and wouldn't pay. Insurance is pretty useless in my experience unless it's shipped within the borders of your own country. Others may feel differently.