Don't be afraid to deal overseas!

[flash6971]

Hey, I just wanted to tell everyone that I had a GREAT experience with an overseas buyer, and encourage everyone to consider dealing outside of the country. The way things are right now, it is tough to get a good price for anything in the U.S. But there are foreign buyers who are really interested in our stuff as prices in other countries are often much higher than they are in the U.S.

I just completed a deal with a TGP member in Malaysia, believe it or not, and it went flawlessly. Shipping was not that bad either - only around $150, including insurance. That was USPS Priority Mail. UPS was absurd - almost $500. You have to be a bit careful though, because there are size restrictions that vary by country. For instance, for Malaysia it could not be longer than 42 inches (a standard guitar box runs around 40-42). But for Australia, it was a lot smaller, so it would not have worked. There are details on the USPS web site. It took him about 10 days to get it.

Anyway, help out yourself and your foreign brothers! The next time someone asks if you will ship overseas, do some research. You might be surprised.

BTW, the TGP member was adriansern. I wanted to give him a plug here for being a great guy to deal with. If he contacts you about a deal, I will certainly vouch for him!

[adriansern]

Thank you for the great guitar and for the confidence to take your first plunge into shipping a guitar overseas! Glad everything went smoothly! Love every inch and sound of the guitar you shipped to me!

[Butterscotch]

It's true! I have bought quite a few guitars, and lots of bits, from the US, and never once have had a problem, and by the same token, neither has the sellers had any problems shipping to me!

It certaily should be no more problematic shipping overseas, than to the lower 48, yet many sellers restrict their sales by stipulating that's only where they'll ship to.

[edward]

Yup ...bought an amp from a guy in Hawaii once ...great deal!

Edward

[dantedayjob]

I have sold guitars to Canada, Norway, England and Australia, I seem to recall sending one to New Zealand, maybe it was 2 to Australia, memory clouds. All deals went down fine.

The only hitch was with one I sent to Australia. It was a Gretsch, BIG Gretsch in a BIG box. I went to the post office and a shipper that did both FDX and UPS for quotes. The teller at the post office told me a price that was 1/2 what UPS or FDX would charge, I quoted that price to the potential bidder, he won the auction, paypal cleared within a few minutes. I sent the fellow an email and said I was going to send the guitar that day.

When I went down to the post office, I was informed that the teller was mistaken and the box was too big for Global Priority. OH F**K. They admitted their mistake, but they couldn't do anything about it. I went on to my other shipper, paid the extra fee for UPS, wasn't happy but what could I do? When I got home I took a pic of the receipt from UPS with the tracking number and the recipients name, address, etc. and attached it to an email explaining what had happened. I told him that I would honor the quote I had given him, the guitar was sent, it was his. But, I also asked him if he could, in the spirit of fair play, cover some of the extra shipping, if not; no harm, no foul. He sent me an email saying that he was terribly sorry I had to deal with all that, he appreciated the fact that I was willing to eat the extra shipping if I had too and was being a gentleman about it. He said that even with the extra shipping it was still a much better deal than he could get locally, he sent me ALL the extra shipping AND an extra $50 for my trouble! I couldn't believe it! Naturally I was VERY appreciative and left him GLOWING feedback.

The guitar that went to Norway had me a little worried at first, the recipient wanted me to send it to a shipping expiditer in New Jersey, they would send it on to it's final destination. I had a worried feeling in my gut, but I did some research and it seemed the Expiditer was legit. The address and phone number the guy gave me showed up correctly in ANYWHO, etc. In the end I decided to just go ahead and do it. Auction was won, paypal sent the next day, I shipped the guitar and the guy did get it. A smooth transaction, all in all.

[Kingbeegtrs]

The last three items I sent to Italy never arrived at the customers' doorsteps. I don't know if I just had a bad run or there's a guitar player in the customs department over there in Italy, but something's definitley wrong over there. Other than that, I've never had a problem and the majority of my business is conducted overseas.

[tonyhay]

Speaking as another person outside the US, I completely agree with this thread!

[Phil M]

Well, since this one worked out for you, every one must be like that. Thanks!

[daddyo]

Originally Posted by edward

Yup ...bought an amp from a guy in Hawaii once ...great deal!

Edward

Hawaii is overseas but it's in the USA.
Canada is not overseas but it's not in the USA.
Alaska is not overseas and is in the USA.

[RussB]

Originally Posted by daddyo

Hawaii is overseas but it's in the USA.
Canada is not overseas but it's not in the USA.
Alaska is not overseas and is in the USA.

But you don't know where Edward is from

[pennylink]

Originally Posted by Kingbeegtrs

The last three items I sent to Italy never arrived at the customers' doorsteps. I don't know if I just had a bad run or there's a guitar player in the customs department over there in Italy, but something's definitley wrong over there. Other than that, I've never had a problem and the majority of my business is conducted overseas.

Unfortunately Italy is well known for its mail problems. That's one place I would not ship to unless the buyer is willing to take full responsibility.

[plectric]

Originally Posted by flash6971

Hey, I just wanted to tell everyone that I had a GREAT experience with an overseas buyer, and encourage everyone to consider dealing outside of the country. The way things are right now, it is tough to get a good price for anything in the U.S. But there are foreign buyers who are really interested in our stuff as prices in other countries are often much higher than they are in the U.S.

I just completed a deal with a TGP member in Malaysia, believe it or not, and it went flawlessly. Shipping was not that bad either - only around $150, including insurance. That was USPS Priority Mail. UPS was absurd - almost $500. You have to be a bit careful though, because there are size restrictions that vary by country. For instance, for Malaysia it could not be longer than 42 inches (a standard guitar box runs around 40-42). But for Australia, it was a lot smaller, so it would not have worked. There are details on the USPS web site. It took him about 10 days to get it.

Anyway, help out yourself and your foreign brothers! The next time someone asks if you will ship overseas, do some research. You might be surprised.

BTW, the TGP member was adriansern. I wanted to give him a plug here for being a great guy to deal with. If he contacts you about a deal, I will certainly vouch for him!

+1. Come to think of it, the only problems/scams I've come across have been stateside. Wait there was that guy with the "laptop" in Japan...dodged that bullet!

Otherwise, good in Norway, Germany, France, UK, Canada, Brasil, and probably a few others I forget.

[edward]

Originally Posted by RussB

But you don't know where Edward is from

[Luke]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally.