Restricted Item and EBay Global Shipping
- Thread starter ashdigger
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Only if it is live cargo...
Like an elephant? Is it also illegal if you import a live elephant because of its ivory?
Just to chime in, late to the party to be sure, I absolutely LOATH the Global Shipping Program and Pitney Bowes especially with UK items bound for the US: even on their best behavior, I've found them expensive, slow, unreliable, careless and totally uninformed about (as well as completely indifferent to) the nature of whatever goods are entrusted to them to needlessly repackage and convey.
Others' mileage may vary, i am sure. But in my experience they've a hair trigger for flagging all manner of vintage objects as "prohibited." And although they maintain otherwise--to the unhappy pair of buyer and seller concerned--after a "confiscation" they frequently sell valuable objects to some local job lot outfit they favor, and voila!, the object gets listed again by this new seller, 2-6 months later (as often as not using much of the same descriptive prose as the original seller did). Ironically, many of these sellers don't use global shipping themselves, but some other private courier service.
Another intensely annoying issue is that Ebay UK conceals from the seller what exorbitant postage fee appears to potential US buyers, while US buyers see no obvious red flags to indicate a listing will be shipped via GSP. My own practice now--with anything unique I strongly want-- is to WRITE to the seller while an item is still active to explain my own wretched past experience with GSP, and ask if they're willing to use Royal Mail or some other service to post the object to me in the US DIRECTLY. Many will do so. And some are absolutely floored to know what shipping fee is displayed to potential US buyers.
As for the purloined silver mounted Susskind Bros pipe, be vigilant, Ashdigger! 50/50 chance it will appear again on eBay UK by early autumn, offered at much the same starting or buy-it-now price. I know last year I and a UK seller exchanged emails for months after a 19th century bottle of Floris (still sealed and half filled with essential oil) was confiscated and disappeared into the Pitney Bowes maw. Then, miraculously, there it was--using her photos. And now it is sitting on my shelf (after sailing through customs without issue).
Just saying.
Others' mileage may vary, i am sure. But in my experience they've a hair trigger for flagging all manner of vintage objects as "prohibited." And although they maintain otherwise--to the unhappy pair of buyer and seller concerned--after a "confiscation" they frequently sell valuable objects to some local job lot outfit they favor, and voila!, the object gets listed again by this new seller, 2-6 months later (as often as not using much of the same descriptive prose as the original seller did). Ironically, many of these sellers don't use global shipping themselves, but some other private courier service.
Another intensely annoying issue is that Ebay UK conceals from the seller what exorbitant postage fee appears to potential US buyers, while US buyers see no obvious red flags to indicate a listing will be shipped via GSP. My own practice now--with anything unique I strongly want-- is to WRITE to the seller while an item is still active to explain my own wretched past experience with GSP, and ask if they're willing to use Royal Mail or some other service to post the object to me in the US DIRECTLY. Many will do so. And some are absolutely floored to know what shipping fee is displayed to potential US buyers.
As for the purloined silver mounted Susskind Bros pipe, be vigilant, Ashdigger! 50/50 chance it will appear again on eBay UK by early autumn, offered at much the same starting or buy-it-now price. I know last year I and a UK seller exchanged emails for months after a 19th century bottle of Floris (still sealed and half filled with essential oil) was confiscated and disappeared into the Pitney Bowes maw. Then, miraculously, there it was--using her photos. And now it is sitting on my shelf (after sailing through customs without issue).
Just saying.
From the same/original seller - or someone else?
In the past, I have shipped a dozen or so items to China or Japan, all without issue, with the lone exception, the tin of tobacco (which was prohibited for sales on Ebay anyway, so I should have known). I've offered to mail outside GSP to those Asian buyers, but they always decline.
Of course now that Ebay has changed their payment system, and you don't even receive funds until an item shows delivered, there's no way I would ever use GSP again. Their new system, for me, changes everything.
Just found this thread Tim, and that definitely sucks. Looks like a great pipe too.
Reading a few comments in this thread I imagine there is a big eBay warehouse somewhere filled with horn stemmed pipes, walking sticks, and all manner of eBay contraband.
Reading a few comments in this thread I imagine there is a big eBay warehouse somewhere filled with horn stemmed pipes, walking sticks, and all manner of eBay contraband.
Sorry if my rambling narrative was unclear--After confiscation, Pitney Bowes evidently sold the confiscated bottle to a local joblot outfit (rather than destroying it). And then (obviously without letting me or the original seller know they'd done so), these guys using photos and the description of the bottle (obviously without permission of the original seller) offered it for sale a few months later. I then stumbled on the new listing and bought it.
I purchased a pipe from a seller in Singapore who used FedEx delivery. I wasn’t home when the package arrived so FedEx took it to a Walgreens around the corner. The next day I picked up the pipe and signed for it. The pipe was excellent and I left excellent feedback comments.
Two days later I get a message from the seller asking me why the funds were held. Told him I have no clue. This went on and on and for two weeks.
Turns out the Walgreens employee was new and didn’t correctly mark the package as DELIVERED.
The buyer, seller and shipper weren’t at fault. The end of the chain had a broken link.
5 x New Blackthorn Walking Stick Shanks Seasoned and Steam Straightened | eBay
They have all been seasoned for 12 months, steam straightened, and treated for woodworm after 3 months of seasoning. 44 3/4" in length - 1" taper to 3/4". 45" in length - 1 1/8th" (oval) taper to 3/4".
www.ebay.co.uk
I go berserk
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These are the Ebay thugs that first stole my sticks I purchased in july GBP 36,00 and now resell GBP 96,00 .5 x New Blackthorn Walking Stick Shanks Seasoned and Steam Straightened | eBay
They have all been seasoned for 12 months, steam straightened, and treated for woodworm after 3 months of seasoning. 44 3/4" in length - 1" taper to 3/4". 45" in length - 1 1/8th" (oval) taper to 3/4".www.ebay.co.uk
I go berserk
That really sucks.
I know you’re too charitable to carry a grudge so I’ll hate them on your behalf.
Someone has a side business selling all the confiscated goods. Prove me wrong.