Wednesday, April 7, 2010
WHEN BIDDING FOR AN ANTIQUE OR COLLECTIBLE...
When thinking of bidding for an antique or collectible, check the shipping costs before you bid. We just heard about an online auction that sold a large brass cash register to a bidder in Taiwan. When he learned that the shipping cost would be added to the bid and would double his expenses he didnt complete the sale. Shipping charges for large furniture and other heavy pieces, even expensive paintings and ceramics that must be crated. can be significant when calculating the cost of an item.
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4 comments:
Customs duty and what we in the UK call VAT (Value Added Tax)plus the cost levied by the postal service to collect the taxes can be a nasty shock when buying items from countries outside the European Community.
I ALWAYS check the s&h. There are auctions set up for a penny, the s&h can go as high as $100+ for such items. Usually these are out of the US, but not always. Many times the s&h can be double what is paid for the item. Even so, the price can go high & still have high s&h fees on top of the winning bid. So, be careful, very careful.
It is ALWAYS the bidders responsibility to know and agree to the S&H terms before bidding. It was very irresponsible of the Taiwanese buyer to back out of the purchase because he failed to know the facts before he confirmed his bid. Many auction sites like eBay for example, allow the seller to open a case against the buyer who fails to follow through with their commitment to buy. Memberships can be suspended for serious infractions that cannot be resolved between the buyer and seller. So, be sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you click on "Confirm Bid".
I agree completely with the last commenter.. I have an ebay business I can honestly say even though my s/h terms are fair and very prominently displayed on each of my auctions, a lot of people just don't read the s/h before bidding. Please do so.. it saves time for all parties ;-)
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