I frequently see postings in the ham radio related newsgroups for items
currently being offered on E-Bay.

All to often I that items will be shipped only to the lower 48 states,
leaving hams in Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada out of the picture. What is
the problem. In Canada we are well served by FEDEX and the United
States Postal Service. Amateur radio equipment crosses the border with
out any problem. I realize that Hawaii and Alaska may be a bit far from
the "lower 48" but the same delivery services are available even though
surface transportation may be a little bit slow. In the US you also
have UPS, the folks in Brown which we Canadians prefer not to use
because the often make the border crossing more difficult than it needs
to be and we don't like getting stuck with brokerage fees.

So why the discrimination, if the buyer knows that delivery may take a
little longer and is prepared to accept the fact then it becomes a non
problem. If the seller is intimidated by the prospect of complicated
paperwork, he needn't be. Please leave it up to the buyer to decide
whether he wants to bib or not.

I can not speak for shipments to Europe, Africa, India, China, or the
South Pacific but for fellow Americans, or friendly northern neighbours,
I think that people should be prepared to deal with us.

Thanx for letting get this off my chest and I realize that I have cross
posted this to four different newsgroups but I wanted to get to a broad
audience.

Paul

--
Paul S. Hinman - VE6LDS
long West 113 deg 27 min 20 sec
lat North 53 deg 27 min 3 sec
Maidenhead Locator DO33gk

USPS Air to South Africa takes 4 days from California. Customs is handled by
them and it is extremely easy to use. Great service.

Americocentric sellers maybe?

--
Pete . .
ZS5ACT

Top poster & proud of it!
------ Reply Separator ------

"Brenda Ann" wrote in message
...


"Paul Hinman" wrote in message
news:aLfEg.400583$Mn5.137675@pd7tw3no...
I frequently see postings in the ham radio related newsgroups for items
currently being offered on E-Bay.

All to often I that items will be shipped only to the lower 48 states,
leaving hams in Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada out of the picture. What is
the problem. In Canada we are well served by FEDEX and the United States
Postal Service. Amateur radio equipment crosses the border with out any
problem. I realize that Hawaii and Alaska may be a bit far from the
"lower 48" but the same delivery services are available even though
surface transportation may be a little bit slow. In the US you also have
UPS, the folks in Brown which we Canadians prefer not to use because the
often make the border crossing more difficult than it needs to be and we
don't like getting stuck with brokerage fees.

So why the discrimination, if the buyer knows that delivery may take a
little longer and is prepared to accept the fact then it becomes a non
problem. If the seller is intimidated by the prospect of complicated
paperwork, he needn't be. Please leave it up to the buyer to decide
whether he wants to bib or not.

I can not speak for shipments to Europe, Africa, India, China, or the
South Pacific but for fellow Americans, or friendly northern neighbours, I
think that people should be prepared to deal with us.

Thanx for letting get this off my chest and I realize that I have cross
posted this to four different newsgroups but I wanted to get to a broad
audience.

Paul


Don't feel too bad, Paul. You'll often notice in the same listings that
(even if they ship solely by USPS) they will not ship to US military
APO/FPO addresses, either. We get left out in the cold even more often
than any of the above named locations. So much for supporting the troops
as it were.-- Say no to institutionalized interference.Just say NO to
HD/IBOC!

Hmmm???

Hawaii is too hot?

Canada is too big?

Alaska is just right!!

But this doesn't respond to the hypothesis.

/s/ DD

Paul Hinman wrote:
I frequently see postings in the ham radio related newsgroups for items
currently being offered on E-Bay.

All to often I that items will be shipped only to the lower 48 states,
leaving hams in Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada out of the picture. What is
the problem. In Canada we are well served by FEDEX and the United
States Postal Service. Amateur radio equipment crosses the border with
out any problem. I realize that Hawaii and Alaska may be a bit far from
the "lower 48" but the same delivery services are available even though
surface transportation may be a little bit slow. In the US you also
have UPS, the folks in Brown which we Canadians prefer not to use
because the often make the border crossing more difficult than it needs
to be and we don't like getting stuck with brokerage fees.

So why the discrimination, if the buyer knows that delivery may take a
little longer and is prepared to accept the fact then it becomes a non
problem. If the seller is intimidated by the prospect of complicated
paperwork, he needn't be. Please leave it up to the buyer to decide
whether he wants to bib or not.

I can not speak for shipments to Europe, Africa, India, China, or the
South Pacific but for fellow Americans, or friendly northern neighbours,
I think that people should be prepared to deal with us.

Thanx for letting get this off my chest and I realize that I have cross
posted this to four different newsgroups but I wanted to get to a broad
audience.

Paul

Brenda Ann wrote:
Don't feel too bad, Paul. You'll often notice in the same listings that
(even if they ship solely by USPS) they will not ship to US military APO/FPO
addresses, either. We get left out in the cold even more often than any of
the above named locations. So much for supporting the troops as it were.--

That's because shipping to an an APO/FPO is no longer a service provided
by the U.S. government. At one time mail to an APO/FPO was delivered to
a U.S. millitary post office that then shipped it using U.S. milltary
transport, There was a good chance that the mail would actually arrive
and it would be undamaged. Now APO/FPO mail is sent via the regular
postal system, but the U.S. government picks up the tab.

Now, the chance of the mail arriving is much less as it stands out.

As for Paul's comments, they really don't hold any water. Small sellers
don't ship outside the continental U.S. because they don't want the risk.

If an item is lost, stolen, damaged, or takes a month or two to get delivered,
they can't afford to replace it, or "eat" the loss. Paul even has more problems
because Canadian customs may hold an item to determine its value, or if it
can be legally imported as long as they wish. They can also assess the
value for sales and other taxes.

Obviously he never has had any experience clearing an item through customs.
If he had he would have praised the low fees, speedy processing and general
reliablity of the courier services.

Considering the general quality of things sold on eBay, the sellers are
actually doing you a favor. While many of the sellers will attempt to
keep you satisfied, if you have to wait a month for something to arrive
and in Paul's case pay GST (general sales tax), import duty and customs
clearing fees, then have to send it back, he would loose a lot.

Besides paying for shipping both ways, he would have to pay customs clearing
fees at the U.S. border and prove that the item he is sending back was
actually being returned to the U.S. as a defective purchase and not scamming
the customs people by claiming it was.

This means that some items both of you either have to keep or pay for
and never get no matter what it costs. Where do you draw the line?
$100, $200, $500? If it costs $100 to ship a radio to you and $100 to
send it back, it does not make much sense.


Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

"Pete" wrote in
:

USPS Air to South Africa takes 4 days from California. Customs is
handled by them and it is extremely easy to use. Great service.

Americocentric sellers maybe?

I think so. And what happens to them is that they have to sell to a buyer
who might not be willing to pay quite as much as I am. Their loss. And

I've had more trouble with "ugly American" sellers than with any other
kind. One ripped me off outright for over $300 for some software. The
other is a non-shipper of some ham radio bits that I bought. I had less
trouble buying from Greece!

One thing I do tend to do is look for the same item in my own country
(Canada) for the simple reason that it's a straight pay-and-get-it-in-the-
mail kind of deal, whereas border costs can add to a price.

--
Dave Oldridge+
ICQ 1800667

(Geoffrey S. Mendelson) wrote in
:

Brenda Ann wrote:
Don't feel too bad, Paul. You'll often notice in the same listings
that (even if they ship solely by USPS) they will not ship to US
military APO/FPO addresses, either. We get left out in the cold even
more often than any of the above named locations. So much for
supporting the troops as it were.--

That's because shipping to an an APO/FPO is no longer a service
provided by the U.S. government. At one time mail to an APO/FPO was
delivered to a U.S. millitary post office that then shipped it using
U.S. milltary transport, There was a good chance that the mail would
actually arrive and it would be undamaged. Now APO/FPO mail is sent
via the regular postal system, but the U.S. government picks up the
tab.

Now, the chance of the mail arriving is much less as it stands out.

As for Paul's comments, they really don't hold any water. Small
sellers don't ship outside the continental U.S. because they don't
want the risk.

If an item is lost, stolen, damaged, or takes a month or two to get
delivered, they can't afford to replace it, or "eat" the loss. Paul
even has more problems because Canadian customs may hold an item to
determine its value, or if it can be legally imported as long as they
wish. They can also assess the value for sales and other taxes.

The only possible problem is loss or damage. USPS air delivers in a few
days and for a reasonable border fee, most of which is sales tax at this
end. If the customs declaration is made out properly, stating that the
contents are amateur radio equipment and if the eBay auction price is
stated as the value, there is rarely any problem unless the merchandise
is misrepresented in the first place. There is no duty on amateur
equipment entering Canada from ANYWHERE, just sales taxes.


--
Dave Oldridge+
ICQ 1800667

The only possible problem is loss or damage. USPS air delivers in a few
days and for a reasonable border fee, most of which is sales tax at this


The issue is cost, I believe.

For some reason sellers dont want to pay the cost to the last two
states, EVEN IF THE BUYER IS FRONTING THE FEES DOnt know why.

I have shipped to Hawaii several times with no issues at all other than
time.

I have had no problems with Canada, other than time. Sometimes it
takes an inordinate amount of time . But you can accept that if BOTH
parties are good communicators.

Keep in touch with your seller or buyer, dont just fail to respond. It
makes them nervous, folks.

Mark
K8VF
Michigan

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

Brenda Ann wrote:


Don't feel too bad, Paul. You'll often notice in the same listings that
(even if they ship solely by USPS) they will not ship to US military APO/FPO
addresses, either. We get left out in the cold even more often than any of
the above named locations. So much for supporting the troops as it were.--



That's because shipping to an an APO/FPO is no longer a service provided
by the U.S. government. At one time mail to an APO/FPO was delivered to
a U.S. millitary post office that then shipped it using U.S. milltary
transport, There was a good chance that the mail would actually arrive
and it would be undamaged. Now APO/FPO mail is sent via the regular
postal system, but the U.S. government picks up the tab.

Now, the chance of the mail arriving is much less as it stands out.

As for Paul's comments, they really don't hold any water. Small sellers
don't ship outside the continental U.S. because they don't want the risk.

If an item is lost, stolen, damaged, or takes a month or two to get delivered,
they can't afford to replace it, or "eat" the loss. Paul even has more problems
because Canadian customs may hold an item to determine its value, or if it
can be legally imported as long as they wish. They can also assess the
value for sales and other taxes.

Obviously he never has had any experience clearing an item through customs.
If he had he would have praised the low fees, speedy processing and general
reliablity of the courier services.

Considering the general quality of things sold on eBay, the sellers are
actually doing you a favor. While many of the sellers will attempt to
keep you satisfied, if you have to wait a month for something to arrive
and in Paul's case pay GST (general sales tax), import duty and customs
clearing fees, then have to send it back, he would loose a lot.

Besides paying for shipping both ways, he would have to pay customs clearing
fees at the U.S. border and prove that the item he is sending back was
actually being returned to the U.S. as a defective purchase and not scamming
the customs people by claiming it was.

This means that some items both of you either have to keep or pay for
and never get no matter what it costs. Where do you draw the line?
$100, $200, $500? If it costs $100 to ship a radio to you and $100 to
send it back, it does not make much sense.


Geoff.



I recently recieved three packages, one from the US via FEDEX GROUND,
another from the US via USPS, and another from Canada via Canada Post.
They all arrived in less than a week, and I paid no customs. There are
no customs duties for ham radio equipment.

Paul

--
Paul S. Hinman - VE6LDS
long West 113 deg 27 min 20 sec
lat North 53 deg 27 min 3 sec
Maidenhead Locator DO33gk

On Tue, 15 Aug 2006, Paul Hinman wrote:

I frequently see postings in the ham radio related newsgroups for items
currently being offered on E-Bay.

All to often I that items will be shipped only to the lower 48 states,
leaving hams in Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada out of the picture. What is the
problem. In Canada we are well served by FEDEX and the United States Postal
Service. Amateur radio equipment crosses the border with out any problem. I
realize that Hawaii and Alaska may be a bit far from the "lower 48" but the
same delivery services are available even though surface transportation may
be a little bit slow. In the US you also have UPS, the folks in Brown which
we Canadians prefer not to use because the often make the border crossing
more difficult than it needs to be and we don't like getting stuck with
brokerage fees.

So why the discrimination, if the buyer knows that delivery may take a little
longer and is prepared to accept the fact then it becomes a non problem. If
the seller is intimidated by the prospect of complicated paperwork, he
needn't be. Please leave it up to the buyer to decide whether he wants to
bib or not.

I can not speak for shipments to Europe, Africa, India, China, or the South
Pacific but for fellow Americans, or friendly northern neighbours, I think
that people should be prepared to deal with us.

Thanx for letting get this off my chest and I realize that I have cross
posted this to four different newsgroups but I wanted to get to a broad
audience.

Paul

My sentiments exactly Paul. Its ridiculous we either are part of
the USA or we are'nt. Those catalogs that say "extra chipping
costs to Hawaii/Pr/Alaska etc I give them the deep six.
Joe

wrote:


The only possible problem is loss or damage. USPS air delivers in a few
days and for a reasonable border fee, most of which is sales tax at this



The issue is cost, I believe.

For some reason sellers dont want to pay the cost to the last two
states, EVEN IF THE BUYER IS FRONTING THE FEES DOnt know why.

I have shipped to Hawaii several times with no issues at all other than
time.

I have had no problems with Canada, other than time. Sometimes it
takes an inordinate amount of time . But you can accept that if BOTH
parties are good communicators.

Keep in touch with your seller or buyer, dont just fail to respond. It
makes them nervous, folks.

Mark
K8VF
Michigan



Several years ago I had a pack and ship business. one of my customers
had a VCR he wanted mailed to his son some where in Alaska. The post
office used a contract air carrier to deliver the mail to the island
where the son lived. As the package with the VCR was being off loaded
from the seaplane it was dropped overboard. It took over a month to
receive payment from the USPS (he did insure the package).

Dave WD9BDZ