Who Can We Trust On The World Market Selling Or Buying?

I just had an experience today that really brings home the need for buyers to supply the correct and current address. From a Delcampe sale, I mailed off a postal card to Germany on June 30, 2011. I haven't heard a peep out of the buyer and actually received postitive feedback and it was marked on Delcampe as received when I looked today. I looked, but the shipment came back to me today! January 18, 2012 for insuffienct address! It took over 6 months for it to be returned from Germany. I checked with Delcampe today and the buyer has a totally different address that what was listed in the Paypal notification email. I just emailed him to reconfirm that address and I'll resend it. Apparently, he doesn't even realize he never received it. I'm going to resend it as I think that what's proper, but this is just a sample story of how "lost' items aren't really lost. Once a shipment becomes part of the machine that is a the postal system, the gears sometimes do not move very fast especially if there is an error.

Philb, I've had items at all price points arrive safely. Not so long ago, I made my most expensive ever buy on ebay from an Indian dealer - a $US2000 item. It arrived (registered) perfectly safely. I've only sold a few things, and none through ebay or any other auction site, to India, and they've all arrived safely. Only one, a batch of stamps costing the buyer a little over $US100, was registered - and it arrived safely like all the other, unregistered, items.

With that track record, I'd be just as inclined to look askance at the US, as at the Indian, post office.

There are definitely some problems with ebay. When a seller have several hundreds of 100% positive feedbacks, mostly as a seller, it is obvious that this seller wouldn't lie when he/she said that the item was shipped. Apparently ebay doesn't care about it, and will side with the buyer. As somebody mentioned a buyer can have a good positive feedback, and still be a scammer because you can only give positive feedback to a buyer.
I do sell quite often on ebay, mostly cheap stuff, and often to foreign countries, and so far I only got 2 items missing one in continental US another to Hawaii.

As I mentioned in my other post shipping items from Post Office may help, since they give you a receipt with the destination ( zip code for US, don't remember what they give for foreign countries). Having this receipt doesn't proof anything to ebay, by it may proof something to buyer, and if the buyer is an honest person, then you may settle it some how, otherwise...

It's funny but I always thought that German & Austrian post are one of the best in the world. They've never lost anything and all the packets I waited were received. And when I made a mistake and communicated a wrong address (happened 2 times when I moved in the new flat..) once they've found me somehow and once it was sent back to the sender.

Never to say that, in general, German people are so rigorous. An Germany is now one of the top economy now.

I have also sent letters with stamps in so many places when I've made exchanges of used stamps (so.. nothing valuable) and I've "lost" up to now 3 letter as far as I remember: to India, Singapore and (funny) Australia. That is nothing in compare with all the other ones that were sent and received without any problem.
So it seems interesting that you'd like to avoid this 2 countries with great potential as here are also so many collectors.

After much research into this very unpleasant issue of lost mail I have learnt a lot.

In Australia I have had 2 registered mail items that the PO says they delivered into mail boxes and do not have to get a signed anything from the receiver. The buyers have said they have seen nothing. Sadly I have had to resend the items to avoid bad feed back. I am still waiting for an official reply from Aus Post about this "not signing" for reg mail issue.

Same with the USA apparently they treat Australian registered mail as if it was not reg and do not get a signed or recorded anything and there is heaps more countries that are doing the same.

Australia Post has a $3.70 delivery conformation form that is used in conjunction with reg mail and has to be signed by the receiver and the postal worker has to get this form sent back to the sender.
But many countries will not enter into an agreement with Australia Post to get this form signed or recorded.

What a tin of worms. Due to the fact that I have upset people from some countries about this lost mail issue I am not going to post which countries I will be excluding but I will say that all the comments on this thread I am taking them as if the person is an ambassador of their country or for a country and have influenced me greatly along with a lot of other info gathered.

Always Happy Stamping. KGV

I have now tried twice on 2 different days to set up countries that I will not sell to, but .com deletes my selections after I press to list.

I think the only option I have now is to put in the description area an add postage cost of $16.80c to countries other than x y and z or people we have had buys from us in the past and not at all if Aust Post can not get a signed reply from the buyer in your country. What a mess but this could be a fairer approach all round.

Will post this issue in the ebay .com community section tomorrow.

I think it is because we are called by .com world wide sellers and inter boarder traders. These 2 new classifications were handed out just before the new pay pal rule of holding back funds for 21 days plus happened.

Dear KGV,
I believe that the scammers lurk in any mail order system that allows buyer complaints after receiving goods. So ebay and Amazon are unfair by their policy and this encourages the dishonest to go to them. This site on the other hand has only honest enthusiasts, this is obvious when reading the messages they have put in these forum.
I doubt you would get scammed by any member of the Stamp Community regardless of the country they live in. I know you are speaking from experience, but it is such a shame that it has lead you to believe that certain nations are less honest than others.

Hi in the myth.

Our SCF is a good place to buy and sell. The thinking behind the 50 posts is to protect members under 50 posts and members over 50 posts.

A very polite gentleman from Egypt did not receive his purchased item as a buyer on SCF and excepted the proof of posting and the other members word that he posted the item. The buyer told us about the trouble he has getting anything through customs.

I have now finally been able to limit the countries I will sell to sadly. If I get anymore problems from international buyers I will be selling only to Australia as registered post protects the buyer and seller at a reasonable cost here. But then my last feed back from an Aussie with a personal feed back score of 19 has left "expensive postage" as the feed back reply. The postage cost is clear to see.

So do I now exclude buyers with a feed back score of under 100 as well? I will wait 2 days but this will be the next exclusion. It is not a question really as I was going to leave it alone but most of my troubles like this and a lot worse are from people with a feed back score of under 100.
If ebay does not give the seller a chance to leave feed back as a buyer can, coupled with customs and postal workers doing the wrong thing then exclusion is the only option I can see for me. It just totally spoils things for the most of people that are extremely honest. A total can of worms that is of the making from ebays decisions and laws. To me it looks like that many sellers have stopped selling and also many sellers now have feed back scores of under 100%. Now when I see a seller with less than 100% feed back I think to myself that, that seller has had a gut full of being black mailed. How sad is that? I can only work with what I am given to work with. It is as simple as that.

Dear KGV,
I had over 400 positive replies on ebay. A score of 100% and was then told I could not sell on there anymore as the complaints against me were unacceptable. ! What buyers do is leave positive feedback and then complain. Like you I suffered due to cost beyond my control, I was ordered to send everything post free or be stopped from selling.
I countered with the reasonable argument that when the buyer hits the buy button, he is agreeing the price including postage, packing, insurance and labour and it is therefore unfair to allow someone to complain about something originally agreed to, my account was then suspended.
My answer was to migrate to bidStart and My Little Auctions and to join this great Community. I wait for the time that I can sell on here.
So if you are still making a list of crooked nationalities, I recommend putting Luxembourg at the top of your list [ ebay] ha ha ha.
Please review the rules.
take care,

That is very sad in the myth.

I only charge for the mailing cost. The packaging and handling is included in the price of the stamp.
The most successful Aust Decimal seller in Australia has warned me to include all postage costs into the price of the stamps because of exactly what has happened to yourself. I just can not see it working with the way my sales are.

This is the area where the hidden feed back is stored that you are talking about. The only reason I know about it is when opening a store it shows up on your dash board.

Copied and pasted from my bash board. The spot will show up the upset feed back score persons of 19 next month for sure. At the minute I still have a "Top rated seller".

Average detailed seller ratings Your average Low ratings(1s and 2s)
Item as described 4.97 0.00% (0)
Communication 4.96 0.00% (0)
Shipping time 4.97 0.00% (0)
Shipping and handling charges 4.88 0.00% (0)
Ratings are based on your feedback received globally

The only reason I have a good score here is because I give good bonus stamps to the cost of the postage.