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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 25
Location: Regensburg BY, Germany | Dear OFC'ers,
I'd like to kick off a survey on buying musical »stuff« -- as opposed to staff ;) -- in the U.S. from outside of the U.S.
It would be great if newcomers from all over the world could read about the possibilities, duties and pitfalls of buying a guitar in the U.S. And yet many among us »aliens« have done business with U.S. sellers and might want to tell our newbies or visitors how we did that. I speak for myself because that's what I primarily came to this community for, having received only one shipment from the States up to then. This time -- after gratefully taking some advice from you guys and with Mike's generous support -- I am using a different shipping option. Thanks for so much input.
Since I'm quite new to the board I'd like to have our esteemed moderators decide if this topic was worth a main thread in the »For Sale« section. I suppose there is and will be frequent demand on Ovations advertised in the U.S. becaused used models are usually available at good prices even with the Dollar currently being very strong, especially compared to the Euro.
What do you think of this suggestion? Needless to say that I'm ready to share my own albeit still marginal experiences with you (as soon as I'm back from vacation; I don't have the documents at hand).
Thanks for lending me an ear (eye? ...?).
CU Manfred |
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Joined:
March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Although, I think Manfred's question was more geared toward how Europeans handle purchases made in the US, I would have to say Canada is also looked at as 'hostile' territory by a good number of American sellers.
There have been many discussions here about this in the past, but having spoken to numerous US sellers, my experience is that it is actually no harder for them to ship to Canada (or elsewhere...) than it is for us to ship to them and the problems are largely perceptual.
So many US sellers think that there will be problems with customs (that usually don't materialize...), problems with payment (a verified PAYPAL address is a verified PAYPAL address... so who gives a sh*t where it is from... within reason, of course).
Recently, I got frustrated with going to auction sites only to be met by... (American seller) 'NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING', every single time!
Being that the USA and Canada are physically (and culturally...) linked and that our economies are pretty well tied together, being treated as if I am in some remote, far flung backwoods part of the globe drives me NUTS!!
To this end, I now have a US address (in North Dakota) that I intend to use for these internet purchases. However, I am fully expecting a new layer of problems when I try to pay using my current Canadian address.
I have tried to setup two separate accounts... one in the US and Canada, but this is not allowed on most auction sites so they manage to get you on a 'Catch-22' no matter what you try.
If anyone has had a similar experience, I would really appreciate hearing about it...
:) |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | As either a buyer or seller in the USA, I am mostly concerned about scams and theft. There is really no difference in the logistics of buying, selling, or shipping to any address anywhere.
If someone tries to scam me and they are in the USA, it is much easier to pursue them than if they are overseas. Even Canada could be a huge problem in trying to recover lost money.
Established forum members in a place such as the OFC or other enthusiast sites such as the Hamerfanclub are a different story. Once a person has an established record on a forum it is unlikely that they will try to scam another forum member. I would sell to or buy from a foreign OFC member who has been active here and seems to be a 'normal' person.
The perceived protections of some auction or payment sites are not real IMO, and offer me no reason to use or pay for their services. I would prefer to either do a local transaction in person or to deal with a fellow OFC member. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Topic moved to general area as it is not a for sale item. |
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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 48
Location: Sydney | All the way down under, I've only ever bought Ovations on ebay. I couldn't believe my first one got shipped out here for just $65US, and arrived safely within a couple of weeks.
I think ebay is truly a buyer's world, and if you buy from overseas and it never arrives, Paypal will nearly always back the buyer and refund your money. At least that's been my experience with other things, thankfully all guitars have arrived safe and sound. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | avatar
if you are talking about new instruments, dealer areas are protected. YOu must also realize that taking a credit card from an international buyer is at a premium for sellers. It has a larger cost to the seller. couple that with the added paperwork many feel it is not worth it.
I just shipped a guitar and even though I filled out all the information they required a receipt written in the native language. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by alpep:
...they required a receipt written in the native language. Lucky it wasn't in Australian, eh?
Originally posted by Jeremiah Greenspoon:
I couldn't believe my first one got shipped out here for just $65US, and arrived safely within a couple of weeks. I can't believe it either. What great luck. Shipping for the 2 I had sent over could've paid for another one.
Still much cheaper than buying one here though. (If you can find one!) |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | or canadian |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | I avoid buying from Sellers that use terms like "Good luck and harmony will persue you" or the "just like original new vintage Fender but better".
I am a repeat Buyer for parts and pieces from Canadia and Singapore but prefer local networking for instruments. |
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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 48
Location: Sydney | Haha nice one.
Indeed, I was looking for a guitar online and came across an ad online that just had me racing to click 'buy it now':
Our guitar is the top in china , we send the guitar is what my pictuer shown,and i can guide for you to buy super valued guitar form china, no matter you wanna buy this guitar or not.
You can contact to ask any question, we provide the good service and if you are wholesaler, we can have the good deal in future, You can trust me. Just contact me ,you will find that you are enter magic world of you buiness,thanks!
I wish you will like it and don`t lose the chance get it.
And we will send you the string and the leather with this guitar! |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | "Chingrish". |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | Strangely enough, the place I've had the most problems with is Canada.
I no longer buy from or sell there unless from someone I've had good dealings with. |
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Joined:
September 2008
Posts: 1281
Location: Ohio | Back in the early to mid 80, the US auto manufacturers put pressure on the government to put restrictions on the nuber of import cars brought in to the US. What happend was the imports sold for WAY over sticker price, and there were companies bringing in Grey Market cars. Vehicles ther we produce for sale OUT of the US. Mostly the Philipines (No they did NOT speak a foreign language) These has to be sold as a used vehicle,(No warranty) but the consumer didn;t care. They bought what was available... |
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Joined:
December 2009
Posts: 74
Location: Ireland | I am in Ireland and have bought from an OFC member - Alison. All went smoothly between payment and shipping. Alison took the chance on me I suppose. I did agree to pay for the guitar before it was shipped - so I took a chance on Alison also - it turned out to be a good choice as I now have a beautiful pacemaker that gets lots of outings on this side of the pond! |
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Buying musical instruments from outside of the U.S.
