User's Guide to TTW Trasactions- Add Your Own!!!

[beno40]

Originally Posted by SteveI

I stated my concerns in the other thread. The bottom line is that I have no real need to deal with extra forms, costs and risks. While I am sure many are well educated and experienced in International shipping.. I am not. Not worth the extra effort on my part.. when I can deal in USA..

Custom form is either 1 sheet or sticker that goes on the parcel nothing difficult to understand or get stressed about, all very simple.

All I would like to say to everyone is there are the same risks in dealing with people in your own country as overseas.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by beno40

Custom form is either 1 sheet or sticker that goes on the parcel nothing difficult to understand or get stressed about, all very simple.

All I would like to say to everyone is there are the same risks in dealing with people in your own country as overseas.

Beno, this thread is for education. Some prefer not to ship overseas...they are well within their rights to do so. To state that its is just as easy and 'risk' free as shipping within the states is simply unrealistic. The shipper is always well within their rights to restrict where they are willing to ship.

Probably many here don't even know what is involved in shipping overseas...why don't you *contribute* to the thread by sharing the process and steps one would have to go through to ship a racquet from the states to a destination overseas.

[beno40]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Beno, this thread is for education. Some prefer not to ship overseas...they are well within their rights to do so. To state that its is just as easy and 'risk' free as shipping within the states is simply unrealistic. The shipper is always well within their rights to restrict where they are willing to ship.

Probably many here don't even know what is involved in shipping overseas...why don't you *contribute* to the thread by sharing the process and steps one would have to go through to ship a racquet from the states to a destination overseas.

People here have there own choice to make up there own minds. But I just thought the thread was very negative to overseas shipping.

I state its just as safe or unsafe to send overseas or within your own country regarding making payments because stolen credit cards and fraudulant activity happens everywhere, in your own country and overseas it happens.

I live in the UK and ship items abroad all the time to the US, Australia, Japan and across Europe and have had very little problem.

The basics are if payment received via paypal make sure your item is going to a confirmed address and send with postal tracking number which is a guarantee to paypal that you have sent it. Our Custom form here is a sticker and is very simple.

[beno40]

Originally Posted by Topaz

To state that its is just as easy and 'risk' free as shipping within the states is simply unrealistic.

I don't understand Why?

[beno40]

Sending Overseas might take slightly longer as has to go through customs but I send everything in the post with full insurance and with a tracking number.

Post does get lost and delays happen, but that happens everywhere no matter where your sending or receiving.

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by beno40

Sending Overseas might take slightly longer as has to go through customs but I send everything in the post with full insurance and with a tracking number.

Post does get lost and delays happen, but that happens everywhere no matter where your sending or receiving.

I have never had a problem with USPS Pri Mail, Fed Ex or UPS in the states. Nothing lost and no delays in about 500 transactions. I was 1 for 2 in International deals. Just reporting my experiences. USPS Parcel Post is another story indeed.

Thanks for your input and for adding to this thread beno40!

[beno40]

Originally Posted by SteveI

I have never had a problem with USPS Pri Mail, Fed Ex or UPS in the states. Nothing lost and no delays in about 500 transactions. I was 1 for 2 in International deals. Just reporting my experiences. USPS Parcel Post is another story indeed.

Thanks for your input and for adding to this thread beno40!

I am based in the UK and have made well over 2,000 transactions on an auction site and about 40% of those were International Sales and have never had any problems!

Thanks SteveI for letting me add my input to this discussion.

[meowmix]

Originally Posted by beno40

I am based in the UK and have made well over 2,000 transactions on an auction site and about 40% of those were International Sales and have never had any problems!

Thanks SteveI for letting me add my input to this discussion.

Your input is indeed welcome

Most people hesitate to send stuff overseas, simply because it seems like it's riskier. And, tell you the truth, it IS slightly riskier, because of how long things can take. There are reports on these boards of shipping taking a MONTH. For most of us, it just isn't worth the hassle, especially since if something goes wrong, it's a lot harder to renegotiate things.

That being said, I personally don't have any qualms to buying/selling from trusted internationals... as long as precautions are taken.

[diredesire]

Originally Posted by beno40

"4) Avoid international deals. Be doubly caustious if dealing with someone outside of the USA."

Just read this on your user guide to transactions I can't believe that this is particular good advice. Whats the difference sending an item to someone in the same country or to someone who isn't, no difference whatsoever!

Paypal is not only used worldwide on auction sites but also on most internet sites around the world as away of making instant and safe payments.

There are certain guide line that paypal set out to make the transaction safe and if you follow them you won't have a problem.

I have been buying and selling on auction sites for 8 years with over 1,700 transactions using only paypal to pay and receive payments, most of those transactions in many countries and not had any problems.

I don't understand why so many of you are so dismissive of overseas transactions when it is so safe and simple.

Thanks Ben

I understand your (adamant) disagreement with this caution, but I have to agree. Shipping and dealing overseas IS much more dangerous, and that (IMHO) isn't really a point of debate. This is especially true when dealing with other forms of payment besides paypal. Trading is especially risky, if I agreed upon a trade with someone (even in the UK), and we cross shipped, and I received a brick, it would be extremely difficult (not to mention costly) to resolve the situation in an agreeable manner. The shipping is (more) expensive, customs forms (in general) require you to go in person to the courier, which is a huge turn off for me. I like convenience in my trades, and when USPS picks up the package at my door, I'm not complaining. When I have to meet their wacky hours (and go in on a lunch break) to ship a racquet, it often delays shipment.

In terms of recovering money, when using anything besides paypal, there is little to no TRUE protection to the seller. Overseas buyers (or sellers) don't have much liability when it comes to the jurisdiction of US law. I think your attitude might be very different if you've been ripped off, even just once.



Edit:

This isn't to say that one should never trade overseas. For instance, If meowmix moved overseas, and we had agreeable trading terms that would benefit both of us, I wouldn't hesitate to cross-ship with him. However, if it's a new user with 0 posts... no thanks.

[diredesire]

Any final inputs?

[porchdoor]

Originally Posted by Fearsome Forehand

Captain Obvious' Guidelines For Buying and Selling on TT

1) As a buyer, do not send cash, do not pay with PP balances or pay through PP using your bank account.
Pay with a credit card if at all possible. Be extra cautious when buying or selling big ticket items; $200+.
Scammers like the bigger deals.

I was curious, why is this so? What makes credit card more secure rather than using your bank account?

[diredesire]

Originally Posted by porchdoor

I was curious, why is this so? What makes credit card more secure rather than using your bank account?

You have limited liability when you pay via your credit card. Generally, if you don't jump through the correct hoops using paypal, they don't try very hard to recover your funds. Furthermore, if the trader that you sent money to withdraws money from his/her account, it's gone into the ether. Paypal is not a bank, and it has no real power to recover your funds, the best they generally can do is freeze the account (stop any withdrawals, etc) until a resolution is reached. With your CC company, you can use what is commonly referred to as a "chargeback." If the other party has removed the funds, paypal gets charged.

It just adds another level of security to your transaction, but requires that the other party be willing/able (premier/business account) to accept CC transactions.

Hope this helps,
JD

[Fearsome Forehand]

Originally Posted by porchdoor

I was curious, why is this so? What makes credit card more secure rather than using your bank account?

Primarily because your cc issuer is more likely to help you out than PP.

PP makes arbitrary decisions based on their thousand if this, then that, rules. If everything goes well, no problem, but if the transaction has any problems, look out.

PP could care less about whether you received your stuff, or not. They take care of PP first and if you happen to benefit as well that is nice. PP won't take a loss on any dispute regarding a tennis racket. Either the buyer or the seller will cover the loss, not PP. PP eats a lot of money (as do cc companies) due to sophisticated fraud schemes but not on $100 tennis racket deals between private parties.

Using your cc doesn't protect your completely. For instance, if you do a credit card chargeback, PP will often re-bill the charge the following month and then you have to go through a whole thing with your CC issuer to justify your chargeback. Even if your cc provider ultimately decides in your favor post rebill, PP may restrict your account if they decide the cc chargeback was invalid for any reason. It doesn't matter if you've done a zillion PP transactions before and had only one chargeback. If PP decides your chargeback is invalid, end of story, regardless of what actually occurred. In example, if tracking indicates a item was delivered, even without a signature, you are SOL with PP if you file a did not receive claim if you never received the item. (PP's assumption is UPS or USPS never makes a delivery error; hardly the case.) If you are unfortunate enough to be the victim of such an error, guess what, you get to pay for the item regardless unless you want your PP account to be forever restricted and all but unusable. PP takes care of PP, not you. Even if your cc issuer grants a chargeback, if PP doesn't agree the chargeback is valid, PP will put restrictions on your account in order to to force you to reimburse PP for the amount of the chargeback; a bit like blackmail.

In short, whenever you use PP, you become subject to PP's whims in the event of a problem; right and wrong has little to do with it. It is like dealing with the IRS or PP's owner, fleabay. PP has absolute power and short of taking them to small claims court, you have no recourse if PP rules against your claim.

Refer to sites like paypalsucks.com and aboutpaypal.com for hundreds of horror stories from people who have been screwed over by Paypal. Despite all the noise PP makes about buyer and seller protections, don't ever assume PP will protect your interests if you experience a problem. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't; a total crap shoot in my experience.

Please consult with your attorney before using PP:

https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?&...locale.x=en_US

[SteveI]

Bump this up...anyone have anything to add? Sticky time?

Thanks All..

Steve

[jamauss]

I've done a lot of transactions (40+) on here, both buying and trading in both strings and racquets, so I thought I would share some of my experience as it pertains to string trades.

String Trades: Personally, I've never had a string trade go bad. If you're going to trade strings with someone, make sure you feel like you trust the other person (check references beforehand) and make sure you feel like you're getting a fair deal both in quantity and quality of string. Nobody like to feel like they're getting treated unfairly or that they're treating someone else unfairly.

If possible, go buy some small zip-ties and put at least 2 of them around each set or half-set of string that gets cut from a reel to keep the string from kinking or getting tangled up. You can find them at hardware stores and they only cost about $5 for a pack of 100 of them.

To keep the string exchange shipping costs down, find a padded (bubble mailer) envelope to use and ship it via first class mail. The total cost should only be around $3-4 (1.50 envelope + $1.50-2.50 to mail). Make sure there aren't any sharp tips of string too loose that could poke through the envelope. Also make sure to securely tape the end of the envelope if you're worried about the existing adhesive being strong enough.

[retlod]

Originally Posted by vkartikv

...sending someone a message like this 'I'll take it for 50', without a signature or a hello, especially when the item has been listed for a much higher price is an instant turn-off.

When I clearly list an item for $XX and somebody e-mails me with a lowball offer, it's a turnoff no matter how nice they are. Would these people walk into a tennis shop and say, "Hey, I'll give you $120 for that racquet you're selling for $180?" Who knows. Maybe they would.

[DANMAN]

Originally Posted by retlod

When I clearly list an item for $XX and somebody e-mails me with a lowball offer, it's a turnoff no matter how nice they are. Would these people walk into a tennis shop and say, "Hey, I'll give you $120 for that racquet you're selling for $180?" Who knows. Maybe they would.

I'm with you on this...posted in another thread but didn't know if it would be read there:

I've been on the board since pre-2004 but don't post all that regularly. I wish people would have some common courtesy when requesting picture after picture of items you have for sale and actually respond after you email what they requested. A simple "I'm not interested" would suffice. There have been several people who have put me through the ringer with situations like these lately.

A second situation which I despise is when people ask for a $2 or $4 discount on a very fairly priced frame. I was selling a frame for $32 which after shipping and paypal fees netted me $20. Someone e-mailed me asking if I'd take $28 for it. I can see negotiating on some frames, but if you are going to request 12.5% off a ridiculously low priced players frame (priced according to condition), maybe pick up another sport in which playing doesnt cost at least $5 each time (string wear and tear, shoe wear and tear, court costs, new can of balls, etc.). End of Rant