Buying from "Down Under"

Hey Shirley,
You would have to be blind freddy to not know if it was me

I cant see any problems with your snipe, since you will prolly be in ebay.com and not ebay.com.au, you will be bidding in US$.

I snipe Aussie and US stuff all the time with no probs.

This is the guide for postage: (I am assuming it will post as a parcel and not flat enough for a letter)

<500g (1.33lb) = $18.50AUD (US$9.50)

<750g (2.0lb) = $14.50 - $17.50 (US$11 - $13.30) variance is in the speed of Air Mail

Lemme know if you need anything else

The Aussie shipping rate is our pre paid standard and that says to me that it would have to be under 500g (thats the MAX weight the parcel can be).

GOOD LUCK!! I will be on early in the morning (no doubt)

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

Actually, on an Australian auction at the eBay US site, we still bid in Australian dollars. The "bid" box has AU right after it, and an approximate US conversion in smaller letters underneath.

And thanks for the info about postage -- actually my seller got back to me fairly quickly. And the bid's already gone above my original max. I'm no good at setting my true max, I always end up wanting to raise it...

[This message was edited by Shirley on January 30, 2004 at 07:46 AM.]

Oh if it says AU then you will be bidding in AU$ which is fine coz you wont get a shock since the US Dollar is better than ours.

I make sure I double check now, coz I bidded on an AUSTRALIAN auction that was in Pounds and ended up paying an absolute crapload for an item

I never really have a true MAX, I just pluck a figure out of the air and run with that - if I really really want something - its wise not to pick an auction I am bidding on

It seems in reply to a question on here the other day I set up a snipe on something from my watch at a price I didnt really think would win and forgot about it. Seems I won said auction for below that price and although So I should be happy I won huh.

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

I Won, I won, I won! My very first International Widget!

I'm with you, Lexie. The whole concept of a "max" is lost on me most of the time. If I'm getting it online, it's because I can't find it locally, or because it's fairly unique, or because that's just the kind of mood I'm in. I'm buying for fun, not stuff I "need". Of course I have a max, but there's no logic to it. I base my max on:

--How much do I want the widget?
--How much money is left out of my weekly "allowance"?
--How happy/disappointed was I with the last widget I bought?
--Have I ever seen this particular widget before?
--How close is it to my birthday or Christmas?
--What kind of week did I just have?

Notice, there's no entry on the list for "How much the widget is worth".

Don't TRY to make me be logical!

Woo Hoo You International Buyer You!!!

If I am buying my only stipulation is that I want to pay less than retail - but that flies out the window when its not longer available in retail.

I am quite pathetic when it comes to my Robbie Williams Crapolla. No Logic there whatsoever!!

PS...Dont get the buyer to send the widget SLOW BOAT...its a bloody slow boat and you might still be waiting in two months time!!

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

Thanks for the tip -- Her reply about shipping costs:

"I would say postage for this purse to the States is approx AUD8.50. If the actual amount is less than quoted, I will reimburse the difference. If it is more than the quoted amount, I will make up the difference."

Sounds like she's not charging enough... Not fair for her to lose her shirt on the deal, especially since she's trying to be so nice! Should I offer to pay more than the $8.50 AUD?

quote:

---

Robbie Williams Crapolla

---

ToS - if you saw what I had acumulated of Robbie's - you would understand the "Crapolla" comment.

Shirley - The shipping amount is very strange indeed. Would it ship flat??....I have been playing on the Aust Post website and she may be right, it may just be a really light item.

Select Service Price (up to 250g)
EMS Merchandise $40.00
EMS Documents $33.00
Air mail $7.50
Economy Air $6.50
Sea mail $5.50

Select Service Price (up to 500g)
EMS Merchandise $40.00
EMS Documents $33.00
Air mail $12.50
Economy Air $10.50
Sea mail $8.50

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

$8.50 is the "Sea Mail" rate on your chart. Definitely a question I need to ask! Yes, it's a little coin-purse, so small and flat.

On a related note, what kind of experience do you have with sending/receiving cash through the mail? Looks like an international transfer would cost ME about as much as the purse does, and the International Money Order she says she accepts might cost HER about as much to cash. The whole transaction is less than $25 US... Maybe I'll just send cash via registered mail.

Shirley, this is your call, of course. I have had many international buyers send me cash. I don't think I ever would , but on the otherhand, none has ever been lost! If the seller has an excellent rating and it is not much, maybe you could consider doing it. Slowboat, ...hmm, no I would not do. Lots lost that way and damaged. And slow is really slow!

Could be comming Airmail... 250g is about 9oz.
A coin purse would have to be really big (or full of coins) to be over 1/2 a pound.

Hmm, full of coins would be nice... That's one way to generate good feedback!

"Cruddy little purse, slow-boat shipping, and $25 to wire the funds, but the gold coins inside were a nice bonus! A+++++"

Now THAT's a buyer's fantasy!

I've never sent cash, but have received it. Couple weeks ago, received cash from US buyer (I'm in US too) for an ebay auction. A couple months ago, I received about $60 US for a mail order from Germany. In both cases, the guys folded the cash in a couple sheets of heavyweight paper. Interestingly enough, I received a follow up order (with cash) from the German guy. He said he had gotten the US currency on a summer vacation to the states and it was a pain & costly to convert it back to German currency. With the 2nd order, he said it was the last of the US currency he had. With his order I included a note that said anytime he had US currency he wanted to get rid of -- I would take it off his hands!

The downside of sending cash, not trackable/no paper trail. If you don't know the integrity of the party you're dealing with, they can always CLAIM they didn't receive it & pocket the cash. Another thing, you need to make sure US cash is acceptable, especially if dealing with someone in another country -- they might not want US dollars.

Shipping: The quote I always get from the post office about the sea shipping -- requires 6 to 8 weeks!?! Lexie has verified that, at least for her in Australia, the 8 weeks is more realistic an estimate! I always jump up one level to the economy air -- requires 6 - 10 days -- plenty fast for me and typically only for a few bucks more. Have never had complaints for this shipping method.

My 2 cents.

Jabbergah                                                    

Jabber -- Is that 2 cents in Dollars or Euros?

Her auction says she accepts cash (US or AUS dollars) at the buyer's risk -- I would do it if I could find something equivalent to registered mail, internationally. I'll check at the post office.

I wish she would just take Paypal. I looked up the fee structure -- it would only cost a couple of dollars, best I can tell. I've heard that she's going to have to pay her bank to deposit the International Money Order, is that true?

Jabber, all points made were excellent! The first thing I ever sold overseas, I sent slowboat. The poor guy finally got it, but drove me crazy worrying..and I didn't blame him! From then on it went air....If someone sends you their currency, it is a pain as you have to give it to one of the bank officers , they charge you a fee to convert it and it takes a few days. At least that is what they do here. Most people from foreign countries that buy from me either send me US cash or an international mo or cashier's ck. Of course, the easiest way is through paypal!

Shirley, maybe there, but not here.

...to usps.com >>HERE<<

www.usps.com is a useful site to get postal shipping cost estimates for various available methods. Of course the assumption is from USA to somewhere else.

Jabbergah                                                    

Jabber, I actually print all my postage for what I ship and sell from there.

"Down Under" - funny way to refer to Australia. What's Antarctica - "Froze Under"? Is there an "Up Under"?

I'll PM you a weird concept that may involve a little trust

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

Lexie, where did the expression "down Under" come from? I can't seem to find the history!

Lexie,

European arrogance and navigation?

I'd say its just because of our position on the globe.

You are right though, there isnt any documentation about it.

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

Yet more great smileys.

Along with the up and down thing, here's something else:

When going on trips, I often say "going UP north", or "going DOWN south". That's probably not unique to Americans. But, "going OUT west" and "going BACK east" must surely be. Something to do with "How the West Was Won"? I can understand those phrases when transportation was by wagon. Seems strange when I board a jet. Seems even stranger that I wasn't born in the East, so how can I go BACK to it.

My word Rick - you are full of sh....umm....quirky information today

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

Yes, but where would AS be without quirky people? (grin)

I know what you mean, Rick -- I have a friend who always seems to be correcting me when I say I'm going "up to Houston" or "down to the river" etc. Like he doesn't understand where I'm going unless I get my directions right.

But then, his wife is the one who says "People always ask me if Anal-Retentive has a hyphen... And I KNOW THE ANSWER!"

I say I am Anal about things all the time and ppl look at me weird . I AM Anal about cleanliness, I am seriously Anal about dirty floors

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

Oh Shirley - make sure you read all the other posts UP ^ there

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"

I did. FABULOUS idea. I'll look into it -- see reply.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bartelby:
I say I am Anal about things all the time and ppl look at me weird

---

It's better to be anal then banal. Tetanal hurts, but canal has more depth.

LOL Rick - I will have to look up the meanings to a couple of them

Lexie

"If you read - you will judge!"