You've got to be wise and expect that items to the former Soviet Union may be tampered with or stolen before they get to the recipient. Although the Soviet Union is no longer in existence, I have found that the greedy attitude and low ethics of Russian Customs and postal officials is still in existence.
I do not ship to Russia. A few years ago I sent a teddy bear with chocolate nibbles zipped inside, and it arrived at the recipient's address with the box ripped open and the chocolate removed, most likely by a Russian Customs or postal employee with a sweet tooth.
My Russian buyer of course filed an INAD claim, and I had no choice but to refund the $50 they paid for the item. And of course it was not worth paying for the item to be returned.
I have also had similar experiences with most of Asia and Central & Southeast Asia (not Japan or ROK), all of the Middle East except Israel, all of Mexico, Central and South America and Africa, and until recently Italy and Greece. When potential buyers in those areas ask me to make an exception for them so they can buy an item, I kindly explain to them why I cannot allow it.
Be wise, especially with high-value items.
Cheers, Duffy
