I love shipping to freight forwarders, as long as you know the trick.
By eBay policy you are only responsible to get the item to the US address. And if that address is a forwarder and the item is to be shipped on to somewhere else from them then any INR or Not as Described claims will be judged in the sellers favor. Because the item was outside your control and could have been lost outside your control or damaged by the forwarder.
However there is one trick. You must get the buyer to admit its a forwarder, the address clearly being one isn't enough because people have claimed "I work at that office". So what I do is when the address looks like a forwarder I send the following message:
"Thank you for your purchase. The address you have given looks like it may be a freight forwarder. This is no problem, we have many customers who use such services. However we utilize repurposed boxes and packaging for our shipping to help reduce waste and many of those boxes have markings of items that cannot be exported or may have held items that leave residue that may alert sensors or dogs at customs. We need to know if this item will be forwarded outside the US, and if it will be we will ensure we use packaging that is certain to eliminate any possible problems with customs. We will hold off packaging and shipping pending your reply. Thank you for your prompt response and assistance in this matter."
As long as you get the response stating that the item will be forwarded from the address you are doing one of the safest sales. Because as long as the parcel shows delivered you are 100% safe, they can't file a claim and win.
Assuming you are referring to freight forwarders as an issue, would you care to elaborate on the problems you've had?
You do know that you, the seller, are only responsible for getting the item to the FF. If the buyer doesn't receive it from them, or it's damaged, that's between him and the FF.
I never ship outside of the country since delivery takes too long and there might be taxes in the other country that I don't know about. I once had a buyer outside the country. Since I don't ship outside the country he gave me a US address that I could ship to. Everything went smoothly.
My policy is that I won't ship to freight forwarders. It's been nothing but a waste of time as the buyers using them are in countries I don't ship to.
@miyasamaco
I don't ship internationally (or Canada and Mexico) and have all those places in my 'Excludes' section of my listings. So if the buyer has a US address and can buy, then I send it to the freight forwarder in the address provided by eBay.
I've never had a bad experience. As a matter of fact, they're some of the smoothest transactions I've ever had.
By "broker" do you mean freight forwarders? I have sold many things to Europeans and Australians and sent them through freight forwarders. And I have had no problems whatsoever.
the_og_surplus
·3 years agoI love shipping to freight forwarders, as long as you know the trick.
By eBay policy you are only responsible to get the item to the US address. And if that address is a forwarder and the item is to be shipped on to somewhere else from them then any INR or Not as Described claims will be judged in the sellers favor. Because the item was outside your control and could have been lost outside your control or damaged by the forwarder.
However there is one trick. You must get the buyer to admit its a forwarder, the address clearly being one isn't enough because people have claimed "I work at that office". So what I do is when the address looks like a forwarder I send the following message:
"Thank you for your purchase. The address you have given looks like it may be a freight forwarder. This is no problem, we have many customers who use such services. However we utilize repurposed boxes and packaging for our shipping to help reduce waste and many of those boxes have markings of items that cannot be exported or may have held items that leave residue that may alert sensors or dogs at customs. We need to know if this item will be forwarded outside the US, and if it will be we will ensure we use packaging that is certain to eliminate any possible problems with customs. We will hold off packaging and shipping pending your reply. Thank you for your prompt response and assistance in this matter."
As long as you get the response stating that the item will be forwarded from the address you are doing one of the safest sales. Because as long as the parcel shows delivered you are 100% safe, they can't file a claim and win.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoAssuming you are referring to freight forwarders as an issue, would you care to elaborate on the problems you've had?
You do know that you, the seller, are only responsible for getting the item to the FF. If the buyer doesn't receive it from them, or it's damaged, that's between him and the FF.
josephb555
·3 years agoI never ship outside of the country since delivery takes too long and there might be taxes in the other country that I don't know about. I once had a buyer outside the country. Since I don't ship outside the country he gave me a US address that I could ship to. Everything went smoothly.
miyasamaco
·3 years agoMy policy is that I won't ship to freight forwarders. It's been nothing but a waste of time as the buyers using them are in countries I don't ship to.
mtgraves7984
·3 years ago@miyasamaco
I don't ship internationally (or Canada and Mexico) and have all those places in my 'Excludes' section of my listings. So if the buyer has a US address and can buy, then I send it to the freight forwarder in the address provided by eBay.
I've never had a bad experience. As a matter of fact, they're some of the smoothest transactions I've ever had.
monroe67
·3 years agoBy "broker" do you mean freight forwarders?
I have sold many things to Europeans and Australians and sent them through freight forwarders.
And I have had no problems whatsoever.
heckofagame
·3 years agoPlease elaborate on the "burns". It could present a learning experience.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoBut I've been successful with them hundreds of times. Weigh your risks.
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoWithout knowing how you got burned, I can empathize. I've used freight forwarders before without a problem.