Community Chat

[gidgetgh]

There's an item I want to buy.  Only $28, free shipping, so not a major purchase.  But the seller is shipping it from Japan.  I hesitate, even though I've read all the reviews and he/she has a 100% approval rating.

I'll be paying through Paypal and I assume if there are any issues receiving the item, Paypal would help out.

Anyone else ever buy anything from an international seller?

[SahmIam]

All the time. No issues but do check the customs fee as well as time for shipping. From the UK, France and Germany, it takes around a week. From Japan and Korea, about a month to 6 weeks.

[VaBelle35]

I do it all the time but never for anything more than $25ish.

I've never had a problem with anything, it just takes time to get here.  The sellers are very good about sending a badly translated email asking you to have patience as the item may be significantly delayed in customs.

There's actually a way to track using the tracking number they use so you can see when it gets to customs.  I googled it once, I think it's called China Post or something.

[ALRATIBA]

On Ebay .... once from Canada.  Not any problem that I can recall.

I frequently order books from England, Ireland, France and Germany ... directly through the vendors ... never had any issue with the merchandise.  

The shipping is expensive, but when you need out-of-print books that are only available at booksellers in Europe ... there's no other option!

My SIL frequently orders yarn from Turkey ... she never mentioned a problem.

[SeaMaiden]

I purchased several small items from China....free shipping...and they came rather quickly!  I was hesitant at first, but not any more. 

[ChynnaBlue]

Yes. I'd say what you purchase is more important that where it ships from. You can get counterfeit items from anywhere. PayPal or ebay will take care of you if something happens, but be careful. Counterfeit electronics or cosmetics can potentially be hazardous.

[gidgetgh]

---

@SahmIam wrote:

All the time. No issues but do check the customs fee as well as time for shipping. From the UK, France and Germany, it takes around a week. From Japan and Korea, about a month to 6 weeks.

---

@SahmIam- I just went and read about the customs fees.  It said I could add the item to my cart and when I went to checkout, it would show any customs fees.  I did that and it just showed free shipping and there was no mention of customs fees.  I removed the item from my cart for now (I had added to cart, didn't click "buy it now").  I want to look at that further.

[gidgetgh]

---

@ChynnaBlue wrote:

Yes. I'd say what you purchase is more important that where it ships from. You can get counterfeit items from anywhere. PayPal or ebay will take care of you if something happens, but be careful. Counterfeit electronics or cosmetics can potentially be hazardous.

---

@ChynnaBlue- thanks.  It's a tote bag, so I think that's ok.

[ChynnaBlue]

---

@gidgetgh wrote:

---

@ChynnaBlue wrote:

Yes. I'd say what you purchase is more important that where it ships from. You can get counterfeit items from anywhere. PayPal or ebay will take care of you if something happens, but be careful. Counterfeit electronics or cosmetics can potentially be hazardous.

---

@ChynnaBlue- thanks.  It's a tote bag, so I think that's ok.

---

Yep, as long as it's not a designer tote, I'd do that without hesitation. I wouldn't do a designer bag, but just a cute tote I saw and loved? Absolutely.

[SahmIam]

@gidgetgh Custom fees are based on price of item being shipped (in my experience). It may be that it's not enough to generate any fees. This is why many will tell you when shipping to them to mark something as a "t-shirt" when it's really a $500 item.

Usually I read "buyer is responsible for custom fees" which has turned into a POA (postage on arrival) and I would owe money. Rare, but it has happened in the past. Definitely check into in/contact the seller and see what they say.