I buy around 80 percent of what I buy outside of UK and would offer
the following comments.

1.  Tell the seller where you are straight away, and tell them the web
address for shipping outside of USA (in earlier MMDigest) so they will
know how much shipping will be.

2.  I go to the post office here in UK most days, so if I am selling
abroad I simply pack up the parcel and take it to be weighed and get
an exact price including insurance or whatever has been asked for.
It takes only another minute or two.

3.  If people are impatient about USA being asleep when Europe is
awake, what did they used to do when postal letters were the only way
to communicate?  I look on it this way: in the past it took _two weeks_
for me to get a reply from someone in USA by post, so now even if it
takes three days for a reply to an e-mail we have still saved 10+ days.

4.  Many people in USA have never bought or sold outside of their own
country, simply because you can buy 99 percent of what you might ever
need or want 'at home'.  Buyers living in UK but buying from USA need
to realise they have to go to their own bank and order a bankers draft
in USA dollars but _drawn on a New York bank!_

Most banks here in UK have branches or offices in New York, and once
ordered the draft is then posted either to myself at home or to the
person from whom the purchase is being made.  The draft costs around
7 UK pounds (= 11 dollars) for up to 250 pounds value (375 dollars);
the cost is more for higher value than this amount.  It is an easy and
safe way to send funds, as it can only be cashed by the person to whom
you are sending it.

5.  What does it matter about waiting for funds to clear into an
account?  It is better for the person who I am buying from to be happy;
the money is truly in the account before shipping.

6.  Customs: two problems:-

6a. If sending from outside EEC (Europe) you need to include a letter,
not in an envelope, clearly addressed to the person you are selling the
item to, which says something like "Here is the xyz organ I promised to
sell you, thanks for the $abc that you sent me in payment.  You will be
pleased to know that the organ was made by defg company in 189x <over
100 years old means no customs duty here in UK>.  You will be able to
find a date if you look under the organ <or wherever, or include DATED
photocopy of old advert>."

You have to insure for the full amount paid -- goods plus shipping cost
-- so if it gets lost the full amount can be claimed.  If you send from
USA, but don't want to get involved in the claim for the missing item
yourself after the allotted time (14 weeks for surface mail), the person
you are sending to may put in a claim from their end provided you tell
them where and when it was posted, the US insured mail reference
number, and send a _letter_ (not e-mail) saying that "you relinquish
all claim to the item which you sold to them".  The post office want
proof that a claim will not be made from both sides of the pond.

6b.  IF the item was made in European community, even 100 years ago,
Customs often don't charge duty, so, for example, if I buy a German
made organette there should be no charge!

7.  There is no point in under-declaring the value.  It's illegal,
as Customs here in UK require _proof_ of what you pay for an item.
The receipt from my bank which says I paid xx has to tie in with the
cost paid.

8.  Tell the person you are buying from how you want the item packed
-- you may be buying your 10th organette but they may have never before
in their life sold _anything_ abroad!  Have the crank handle taken off
the instrument, and don't leave any music rolls inside the instrument
unless packed in bubble wrap.  I had a cob break loose once and it
smashed the glass window in the lid; easy to repair but a nuisance.
Have the item bubble wrapped and double boxed (bubble wrap the inner
box).

I have spoken at length to someone who works for US postal authorities
in Florida USA, and he knows parcels get dropped on occasion, even just
internal ones, so assume that parcel _will_ be dropped at some time and
plan accordingly.

9.  If you don't want to sell outside of USA don't complain if someone
in Europe does not want to sell to you.  As long as you are getting the
price you want _plus_ full shipping costs on top, from someone living
abroad, I don't see that you are any worse off.  I would rather sell
abroad than not sell at all!

Comments to MMD or direct to me are welcome.

Merry Christmas to all staff at MMD and all "members"

Kevin McElhone