Foreign high bidder and I have international shipping disabled. Options?

[jlar1345]

I Just messaged the highest bidder on my camera lens auction that I don't ship internationally (in this case Paraguay). I have no international shipping select on my listing.I haven't heard back. I was also approached on Ebay mail by a buyer who wanted to deal outside Ebay (I blocked that buyer).   What are my options if the bidder from Paraguay continues to be high bidder?  I understand a foreign bidder can use a USA address and **bleep** to forward the package to their international location. I read on the forum most south and central American **bleep** are in FL.  Is there any penalty to remove the bid and block the buyer if I don't hear back?  Can I just remove the buyer's bid and relieve my "scam" anxiety?

[pjcdn2005]

There is no penalty to remove the bid. I think that of you have to do that before the last 12 hours of the auction.

[a_c_green]

As above; you are free to cancel and block any bidder while the auction is in progress with no penalty for doing so. 

If you're referring to your current lead bidder, his 30-day track record doesn't show any red flags (though we cannot see any of his feedback, including Feedback Left for Others, so you would need to review that yourself). He's an active bidder in the cameras and lenses category, but nowhere else.

[klhmdg]

Why do you think someone from another country is scamming you?

Why are you worried about Freight Forwarders?

I have never had a problem with Freight Forwarders.

Im not sure what Scam you are expecting but if it causes this much anxiety in you maybe it would be better for you not to list such an expensive item?

[dbfolks166mt]

     What are you basing your assumption on with regards to the bidders location? They may be registered in Paraguay but living elsewhere to include the US. As you noted they could be using a freight forwarder but they also may not be you won't know for sure until the auction ends. 

[soh.maryl]

Did you know it is perfectly acceptable for an international buyer to use a freight forwarder in the US?

And that, in that case, all you need to do is get the package to the address of the FF?

And what was bleeped about the freight forwarder sending the package on to the buyer's actual address? 

[12345jamesstamps]

I never had a buyer from that country and I wonder if anyone here mailed something to Paraguay.

This is an expensive item and I would only ship it domestically.

You are charged an additional international fee + the standard fee if buyer uses their international credit card.

I do ship 'freight forward' and never ever had a problem.

But this is an expensive item plus an addition international eBay fee from credit card.

Just me...my opinion...shipping international...I wouldn't ship something expensive to Paraguay.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

You need to make this pick-up only for that price. Pay then in person with cash. You can probably use your local police station for meeting place.

If the buyer profile shows located outside the U.S., they will probably use a freight forwarder. You will get burned on this. 

How does their profile look? How long a member? All feedback?

Camera equipment ranks right up there in the top 10 buyer fraud items. 

[mam98031]

I believe you are just trying to be a proactive seller.  There has been a few threads in the past couple of months regarding buyers using Freight Forwarders and attempting to take advantage of the seller.  Sadly this does happen.  

But know that the vast majority of transactions with **bleep** go off without any problems at all.  

As others have suggested, take a look at your buyer's feedback closely.  What they have received and more importantly what they leave for others.

I wish you the best.

[dbfolks166mt]

I never had a buyer from that country and I wonder if anyone here mailed something to Paraguay.

This is an expensive item and I would only ship it domestically.

      At the present time the OP has NO way of knowing the address this item will ship to. It may be domestic to include the possibility of it being a freight forwarder. It could also be to an address in the US where the individual is currently living. 

You are charged an additional international fee + the standard fee if buyer uses their international credit card.

The international feel of 1.65% has NOTHING to do with what type of payment method the buyer uses. It is based either on the buyers registered address or the shipping address. 

I do ship 'freight forward' and never ever had a problem.

     Same for me with regards to FF's in fact most of my issues have been with domestic buyers. 

But this is an expensive item plus an addition international eBay fee from credit card.

Just me...my opinion...shipping international...I wouldn't ship something expensive to Paraguay.

[dbfolks166mt]

You need to make this pick-up only for that price. Pay then in person with cash. You can probably use your local police station for meeting place.

     This is not the first high dollar camera item the OP has listed and sold wo I am assuming they know the risks and are willing to accept them. 

If the buyer profile shows located outside the U.S., they will probably use a freight forwarder. You will get burned on this. 

     OP has NO way of knowing where the buyer is located the only thing they know is their eBay account is REGISTERED in Paraguay. 

How does their profile look? How long a member? All feedback?

Camera equipment ranks right up there in the top 10 buyer fraud items. It does indeed. 

[mam98031]

If the OP has the listing set up to ship to the US only, then the international buyer that is bidding on the item must have a primary ship to address here in the US.  Whether or not it is an FF, there is no way of knowing that yet.  It could be they are here in the US for an extended period of time or maybe shipping to a relative.

[soh.maryl]

Must've misunderstood.  Thought we established that this item was being shipped to a freight forwarder who then ships to the buyer in Paraguay.  And I thought the seller was only responsible to get it to the FF address.  After that, if there  is  some issue, isn't the issue the freight forwarder's responsibility? 

[soh.maryl]

Am no longer selling.  But somehow I thought that the seller is responsible  only for the delivery to the FF, that from then on, it was the freight forwarder's issue if something went wrong.  So I was wrong.  

[inhawaii]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Am no longer selling.  But somehow I thought that the seller is responsible  only for the delivery to the FF, that from then on, it was the freight forwarder's issue if something went wrong.  So I was wrong.  

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I am still (currently) under that impression.