International buttholes on eBay

[Gavilan]

I hear ya Red.  I'd just stop selling internationally.  Just Canada, USA.  I'd make an exception for upstanding/long-term AO users.  I would trust an AO user before an anonymous ebayer.

Im sorry to disagree on this MagicM, but i can read on second lines that every potential buyer that is located in any country other than Canada/USA could be a potential scammer?

Im located in....Argentina. One of the most corrupted countries in the world. (And maybe the most corrupted country to deal with Amiga related items, since every time i have to go to Local Customs and "explain" them what is the package i received (Amiga gear), the ALWAYS want me to pay them money so they can have me the package).

Sometimes, they ask up to 500% extra in "taxes" they made up in that moment like "this card looks like new, its impossible that is form a Commodore Amiga, even tough it says 1992" (like a Blizzard card). "For us, its a new card and you are trying to scamm us". That is why i beg sellers (from here, from other Amiga forums and from ebay, to declare item as gift/non working hardware/non commercial value) so no harm to anybody, and i can have the item without having to leave a kidney at Local Customs Office.

They even know me, they call me "The Commodore Freak", in front of my face and they make fun of me, trying to suck all my money from my pocket. They never can.

Truth is, i dont agree to pay them money this way, as they already have an income every month (and you should see the cars they have!!! I dont do things left way. Im always doing thing right way, i hate that people here in my country, which is a lot, believe me.

In the same place, we have the police here. And if you did something wrong (like crossing a red light with your car), you dont get a fine, instead, they tell you "everything ca be fixed in a minute sir, just check youe wallet". So, they straight ask you for money!!!! I can tell you hundres of stories like this, but thats not the point here

My point is, that there are evil people everywhere, i dont agree that all good people only lives in USA/Canada (Hell, my father lives in USA and he is not a good person!! :laughing:

Seriously, i have done many, many business with Jim all over this years. He sent me stuff straight to my house in Argentina, sometimes he sent items to my fathers home in Florida. Never EVER had a single problem from him.
I even recommended all my Amigan friends here to buy from him without hesitation. He did sell some cool stuff to my friends, and yes, there was some knucklehead among them, but, as far as i recall, he didnt claim for a refund (right Jim??)

So, i have dealt with people form many, many countries, here, on ebay, and on other Amiga sites. I have been most of the time a buyer, but sometimes also a seller.
I never ever filled a claim for a "lost item", simple because i know that chance exists, and that is VERY possible that item "gets lost" (meaning, ends up in some of the Local Customs Officers pockets, specially if they see something like a CD/DVD, or cards that to them look like "expensive PC cards")

I have even waited more than 4 months in order for an A1200 to arrive from Australia, by sea, which was by far the cheapest way of sending it. Do you think i put a claim on the australian guy? Not at all!! You cant imagine how happy i was when i received it! I almost cried because i wanted that machine so so bad!!!!

And this guy fills a claim because 11 days after he didnt receive a package? C´mon, gimme a break, come to live to Argentina, and then you tell me about waiting for a long to receive packages!!

My last experience was in Amibay. I paid a small fortune for a Viper 520 card.
The card never showed up in my country (at least, i never received a notification to go to Local Customs to pick it up). Instead, it was in storage for 1 month and a half, and suddenly, it came back to USA

I contacted the seller, who is a true gentleman. He gave me tracking numbers. He spoked with his local Post Office. I did the same with mine. Amazingly, the package went back to USA, and for some odd (but amazing) reason, package was re-sent to Argentina without notification and without having to re-pay for shipping.

It ended up in my house, 3 months later

You think i did a claim or i exposed the seller in the forum?

So, please, reconsider your saying about sending stuff to other countries.
In this place, and on 2 or 3 others, are the only places where i can buy Amiga stuff from true amigans. If you simple stop selling/sending abroad just because 1 or 2 rotten apples, it would kill me, and would kill all the other honest people around.

Excuse me for the long reply
@TheMagicM: please no hard feelings here my friend and please dont make it personal. Im only exposing my ideas so we can all have a global idea of the situation (instead of a "local" one). I only disagree with the point of only selling to Canadian/American buyers.  I strongly agree with the idea of selling to long term AO users or other famous Amiga sites (not as famous as AO, of course :roflmao:

Sebastian

[Gavilan]

This is where it gets dicey. Keep something in mind here: while I don't agree with having to pay duties or taxes, there IS usually a substantial monetary "value" and you're asking us to commit fraud by "fudging" the numbers. Where this really becomes a problem is when the package actually does get lost or damaged. All the international customs forms I've seen always have 2 boxes for value: declared value (this is where you can check "gift") and insured value. At the request of a customer once, I was asked to enter $5 gift and then insure the package against loss or damage at it's full ePay purchase price. Well, the clerk at the USPS had something to say about that - and it made sense. It was clear the customer wanted to avoid unnecessary taxes on something he bought, but in no way would either post office honour an insurance claim had something gone wrong. And actually, last time I went to dispatch something, I wasn't "allowed" to insure at a higher rate and declare at a much lower. Maybe they're cracking down now like everything else. Seems everyone has to get their money for nothing these days.

Oh - and Argentina sounds like a real lovely place to live. But then again, so does 98% of South America. I hope, wish and pray things turn around for you guys down there. The drug and corruption rings HAVE to cease, but we all know it never will. Seems you've kept a good sense of humour about things though, so that's good.

@save2600: Please , dont take it wrong. Maybe i didnt made myself clear and didnt made my point. Im not asking you, potential sellers in any way to commit fraud!! Im an honest guy, who pays the bills like everybody does, but i cant stand when this corrupted Local Customs Officers want to take your money just because the are in the mood. In front of me, everytime i go there, i see huge boxes full of electronic equipment (notebooks, digital camera photos, netbooks, computer accesories), which go straight to the owner, just because they made an agreement (I know about that, you pay them 300 dollars a month, like a fee, and you have green light to import anything you want on the left side).

Im always on the right side, i dont like to be involved in corrupted acts. We have laws here, that clearly say that if an item you import is not built in Argentina, and you are not leaving somebody with the chance of loosing their jobs because the item you imported is much cheaper than local market, then, you dont need to pay any kind of taxes. Amiga stuff, like many other electronic equipment, is clearly NOT build in Argentina!!! :laughing:

I pay ALL my taxes every month, but i dont consider asking sellers to declare as gift and then to put value in 10 or 15 dollars to be actually a fraud. In case the package is lost, i have no right to claim, im aware of that, and i always explain that to the seller. So, if by any remote chance package doesnt arrive home, i cant do anything but swallow my sadeness. See my point? What i consider a fraud, on the other hand, is Local Custom Officers claiming for your money in a way that is 100% corruption.

If i had to pay a reasonable amount of money, a reasonable tax not something out of this world, i would be the first one paying that.

But, imagine that i cant pay 500 dollars in taxes (just in "taxes"!!!), by a PPC card i bought for the same prize. We even dont get paid in dollars!!

1 dollar = 4 argentinian pesos. 1 euro= 6 argentinian pesos. 1 british pound= 5.50 argentinian pesos. Average income in my country: between 1500 and 1800 argentinian pesos. We have a very much devaluated currency. Its a very hard task to raise money to afford Amiga stuff (and we all know the are not cheap by any chance!!!)

I dont need packages to be declared with insurance. I clearly state that i take the risks involved, and, as long as the seller agrees with me (99% of the time), we end up having smooth transactions. They even charge you basing on the insurance! For example: lets say you send me a PPC card. You send it to me as a gift. Its value? Lets say you declare its value for insurance in about 600/700 dollars. Well, the local custom officer reads that (imagine they dont read english, they barely read and speak spanish, so most of the times i have to translate to them) number, and begins using his calculator, doing some kind of "maths". Then, it looks at me and he says, "You have to pay me 500 dollars because if this is insured for so much, surely its a very expensive item, and bla bla bla"

What would you do if you were me? Honestly

I know, Argentina is a LOVELY place to live. Too bad is full of argentinians :laughing: (typical local joke). And do i have to resign and get used to be involved in a corrupted system? Hell no. I try to do my best, to be a better person every day, and to wish that someday we will have politicians not corrupted, police not corrupted, etc etc etc. Maybe its an uthopic idea. Yes, maybe im a dreamer, but as long as i know, dreaming is still free, you dont need to pay taxes for that :laughing:

And yes, i always keep my sens of humour up. Otherwise, i couldnt stand living in a place like this!!

I have been very tempted to record the moment in which they ask me for money, and then upload it to some public place and to send the material to some of my friends working in local tv networks, to explose them, but i guess if i do that, i will be in some kind of black list and i can forget about receiving Amiga stuff in the future... :roflmao:

Hope i made my point little clearer now, and please, dont think about me like some kind of thieve or a guy who wants to commit fraud, or who wants you to commit fraud

Sebastian

[Gavilan]

Sigh.. Anyone speak Italian who is familiar with Catweasel feel like giving a hand?

@Jim: my girlfriend speaks perfect italian.
What can we do for you to help?

Let me know please

I will be more than happy to help you

Regards

Sebastian