Posting from the UK

[soundgen]

Posting from the UK seems to be very problematic at the moment , posting to Italy takes forever an item I posted on the 12th November is still with Italian Customs ! This is a nightmare for Ebay sales as people keep making Ebay Item not received claims !

I posted a spring to Ireland on the 7th November which is being returned as it didn't have a Customs number on it which is ludicrous as it states clearly on the UK Post Office customs form enter if known ! i still haven't received it back

Springs posted to Taiwan on a 7 day courier on the 25th October were delivered on the 11th December !

Needles posted to Japan again by a 7 day courier on the 24th November still haven't been delivered !

Postage to Belgium takes 3 weeks "Thank you very much more problems with the belgian post but now it's all right "

the Irish customer said similar things are happening to other customers and they all thought it was political , but if you are posting anything overseas it will be advisable to add customs numbers

it has also been suggested that airmail packets are being sent surface mail as there isn't sufficient room on the limited amount of planes flying , but they still charge the same amount effectively a RIP OFF

[OrthoFan]

Interestingly, my partner and I received a Christmas Card, sent from one of our UK contacts, which was post-marked the 14th of December. It arrived on the 14th of January--last Friday. It took exactly a month to get from London to San Francisco. The cost was £3.60 or $4.89! I assume it came by rowboat .

OtrthoFan

[Dulcetto]

Posting from the UK seems to be very problematic at the moment , posting to Italy takes forever an item I posted on the 12th November is still with Italian Customs ! This is a nightmare for Ebay sales as people keep making Ebay Item not received claims !

I posted a spring to Ireland on the 7th November which is being returned as it didn't have a Customs number on it which is ludicrous as it states clearly on the UK Post Office customs form enter if known ! i still haven't received it back

Springs posted to Taiwan on a 7 day courier on the 25th October were delivered on the 11th December !

Needles posted to Japan again by a 7 day courier on the 24th November still haven't been delivered !

Postage to Belgium takes 3 weeks "Thank you very much more problems with the belgian post but now it's all right "

the Irish customer said similar things are happening to other customers and they all thought it was political , but if you are posting anything overseas it will be advisable to add customs numbers

it has also been suggested that airmail packets are being sent surface mail as there isn't sufficient room on the limited amount of planes flying , but they still charge the same amount effectively a RIP OFF

To be accurate . posting from the UK isn't the problem , the problem is how the destination country handles and clears the item for delivery. I too had a similar problem sending a phonograph to Spain a few months ago. After being held up in customs at Madrid for about 8 weeks , the buyer lost confidence in the transaction or didn't want to wait any longer and naturally wanted a refund . The sale was through ebay so he just opened a claim and ebay refunded him despite me pointing out that the parcel tracking showing " item being assessed for import tax / duty ".
As far as I am concerned I had done everything correctly and I have no control over delays at customs in foreign countries . Needless to say , ebay didn't see it that way and I lost out on the original postage plus the selling fees -- just under GBP 90. Eventually , some time later , the parcel was returned to me with the lame excuse that the address was incorrect ( the address was quite correct as per supplied to me through ebay ) . sounds to me like Madrid customs had problems or staff shortages or whatever and that was their way of getting rid of a built up backlog of parcels. Disgusting behaviour if true , but to be expected . So I learned my lesson the hard way . Remedy ? -- Easy , I don't post stuff to EU countries anymore
unless buyer pays me with bank transfer, then if there's customs delays or delivery issues , that's their problem as far as I'm concerned . Like Soundgen , I've had no issues at all sending stuff outside of Europe -- parcels to USA delivered within 2 or 3 days ( using UPS ) with no problems. So , unfortunately from now on, I will no longer sell to EU countries , it just isn't worth the hassle. EU buyers have been diminishing anyway the last few months due to all this paperwork nonsense -- EORI numbers , IOSS numbers, HS Code numbers
-- as my nephew used to say " 'tis all Bollox " . He was right !!

[Steve]

I'd never send anything overseas now. Its too much hassle. There are sellers on Ebay who won't even post a portable within the UK so I can understand the frustration everywhere when encharging some organisation to safely handle and deliver your item without delays.

I'll post to UK and thats it.

I'm currently disputing a customs charge for an item that was "delivered" to my recycling bin, smashed to pieces, no salvageable parts and wrapped in sodden cardboard. It was ruined whilst in the hands of FedEx who I have the dispute with. They're claiming £60 customs charges are owed for the scrap they dumped in my bin over 3 months ago.

Needless to say I'm not pleased.

[melvind]

In the past I searched the UK and Europe on Ebay for phonograph and record items. But, I no longer do that. The cost of shipping most anything from the UK is so high it is almost always more for shipping than the value of the item. Nearly $25 to ship one 78rpm record! Ridiculous! A few years ago it was fast and just about as cheap as mailing things inside the USA. But, the UK is no longer on my list. It is sad, but a reality I have to live with.

[HMVDevotee]

I have found Royal Mail (ParcelForce) from the UK to the US erratic at best. Some parcels have taken a month or more, some five days. I wonder if paying for some special handling makes a difference... insurance and/or tracking?

In the past, when I shipped to the the UK or EU, I used UPS International Expedited. It's expensive, but it gets there, reliably and on time. Of course, they are a private sector business so I assume they are motivated to meet customer needs.

(In sympathy with STEVE'S post, FEDEX here in the mountains of Western North Carolina, has proven unreliable as well... late deliveries... rough handling of packages... unreliable tracking and delivery forecasts.)

[Orchorsol]

In the past I searched the UK and Europe on Ebay for phonograph and record items. But, I no longer do that. The cost of shipping most anything from the UK is so high it is almost always more for shipping than the value of the item. Nearly $25 to ship one 78rpm record! Ridiculous! A few years ago it was fast and just about as cheap as mailing things inside the USA. But, the UK is no longer on my list. It is sad, but a reality I have to live with.

To be fair, most US eBay sellers will charge that or more to send one 78rpm record to the UK.

But I agree, US postal costs and efficiency are now terrible. I sent a package of 78s to Italy in December which cost a small fortune and (from memory) took around a month.

[soundgen]

I'd never send anything overseas now. Its too much hassle. There are sellers on Ebay who won't even post a portable within the UK so I can understand the frustration everywhere when encharging some organisation to safely handle and deliver your item without delays.

I'll post to UK and thats it.

I'm currently disputing a customs charge for an item that was "delivered" to my recycling bin, smashed to pieces, no salvageable parts and wrapped in sodden cardboard. It was ruined whilst in the hands of FedEx who I have the dispute with. They're claiming £60 customs charges are owed for the scrap they dumped in my bin over 3 months ago.

Needless to say I'm not pleased.

You should make a claim against Fedex for the cost of the article and postage and if they don't respond take it to the small claims court for , Fedex as the shipper owe you a duty of care , and you can sue this way as a Professional negligence claims , it would cost you £35 but would be worth it all you need is the photos of the delivery and item trashed by them

[emgcr]

I live in the UK and nine months ago I bought a shellac record in Chicago which I organised to be sent to a friend who also lives in Chicago--- a distance of less than ten miles. It never arrived.

[epigramophone]

As an occasional eBay seller I make it clear in every listing that I do not post outside the UK, and to protect myself from idiots who do not read the listings properly I have set my seller preferences to block any bids from outside the UK.

I might possibly achieve higher prices by offering international postage, but I just don't want the hassle.
I still receive the odd enquiry from those who will not be told. How much to post to Alpha Centauri?