icebiker Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Seeing as our BOL community is quite international and we buy and sell to each other quite a bit, I figured I'd ask you guys. I have a bike frame for sale on eBay, and rec'd a query from someone in France as to whether I'd ship it there (I'm in US). Normally I've only sold to US buyers, largely based on the sense I've gotten from BOL sellers that even shipping from US to Canada can be a hassle (forms, customs, etc). But assuming I'm willing to fill out the forms, and assuming buyers pays for any customs duty, insurance, etc, are there any reasons why shipping overseas should be a problem (e.g. dispute resolution, etc)? Any insight from those with experience in shipping used goods overseas from the US is appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 the hardest part for both parties is waiting for it to arrive. however, i recently sent a snowboard to WA from scotland, and it was fine. as for the bike frame, try and find some pipe insulation to protect the frame tubes. pad every pointy bit (steering column, BB, seat pillar, rear dropouts) with lots of bubble-wrap, stick cardboard over the bubble-wrap, and then put in a box. be as paranoid as you can imagine. use a spacer in the dropout if you have one, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeagle Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I've never actually shipped something. Whenever I got an international inquiry and figured out the (extremely expensive) shipping charges, someone else ended up winning the auction. AFAIK, for the entire EU, the buyer will need to pay customs (probably around 5%) + value added tax (around 20%), even for used stuff. The buyer may be upset with you, if you declare the proper value... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I can't help with shipping companies, but I worked in a bike shop for many years and often dealt with shipping bikes/frames and unpacking shoddily packed bikes/frames from various sources. This is a very good time of the year to go to any bike shop to grab all the packing stuff that frames usually come with. It all gets thrown out as bikes are built. It's very important to keep the rear dropouts from being bent towards each other. If it's a very high-end bike, get a cheap rear hub and just bolt/clamp it in place for ultimate protection. Bare frames usually have a plastic spacer that's installed in the dropouts. Most important is to make sure the frame can't move inside the box. It'll wear through whatever you put around it if it's moving back and forth. Wrap something around all the open tube ends as they try very hard to poke through the box. If you're not comfortable dropping the finished box 2' to concrete, it's not packed well enough. That's what the some shipping low-life will eventually do to it. May as well prevent heartache by diligent packing. I also like to add handles reinforced with packing tape as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrutton Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 It can be tough to get insurance for overseas shipments via USPS also, so look into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebiker Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Thanks for the advice folks. Yep, I've shipped frames/bikes before so will definitely be putting in dropout blocks and padding everything well. I think the real issue will be what Zeagle said...I'll have to declare the actual value in order for it to be insured for the right amount, but the buyer in France will have to pay duty on that amount. If I lowball the value to save him coin, then the insured amount will be less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 My concern would be the insurance/ funding. Ebay/Paypal for example. He receives the items says it isn't as described. Paypal disputes are favoring the buyers these days. Paypal gives him his money back. You? Possibly out the bike and the money. Selling internationally requires somewhat of a high risk threshold. Done it a number of times, you roll the dice , take your chances. If it ends up in dispute? You are porked. Bad enough in the US. Whacha gunna du when it is 4000 miles away, different laws, different language. Best be makin really good coin on the deal or not worth the risks involves is my humble opinion. I get REAL CASH MONEY up front. (Or bank to bank wire transfer) OR they buy USPS Money order, then you deposit it , then you wait till it is cleared and found real. Then ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Seeing as our BOL community is quite international and we buy and sell to each other quite a bit, I figured I'd ask you guys. I have a bike frame for sale on eBay, and rec'd a query from someone in France as to whether I'd ship it there (I'm in US). Normally I've only sold to US buyers, largely based on the sense I've gotten from BOL sellers that even shipping from US to Canada can be a hassle (forms, customs, etc). But assuming I'm willing to fill out the forms, and assuming buyers pays for any customs duty, insurance, etc, are there any reasons why shipping overseas should be a problem (e.g. dispute resolution, etc)? Any insight from those with experience in shipping used goods overseas from the US is appreciated. Thanks Not sure why you US members have such a negative impression on shipping to Canada. The shipping does cost slightly more (greater distance) but the customs is a non issue since the Canadian buyer is responsible for that . As long as you ship USPS the costs are reasonable as long as the weights are not excessive, sometimes splitting the shipment into two boxes makes it more cost effective. UPS is a killer to Canada as their brokerage fees are excessive to the extreme. I don't mean to hijack your thread just wanted to take the opportunity to enlighten some. I do know that shipping to New Zeland by land transport is painfully slow (3 months). Shipping an unassembled bicycle in a bicycle box from Toronto to Calgary by air was $100. Catek bindings by USPS in two boxes (Amazon book box) was $10.85 per box. Declared value and insurance are the only issues that both buyer and seller need to agree to before money exchanges. Good luck ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 The US sellers I've dealt with do not like shipping to Canada because they MUST go to the post office and line up to fill out the forms. All domestic stuff gets picked up at their house with no effort on their part whatsoever. And as you said, UPS is the kiss of death for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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