Here is the situation:
Some Ebay sellers charge more than 20 USA Dollars for shipping to Portugal (Europe).
I have many situations that I would like to buy coins but I don't do it because such values (sometimes more than the price of the coins). The same sellers ask only 4 USA dollars to domestic USA shipping.
I need a Numista member that buy the coins for me and after sell or swap the coins with me.
I have more than 500 swaps at Numista and I swap here since many years ago.
It'll probably still cost whoever helps you the $20 to ship to you once they had bought the coins for you.
Not to mention there may be import and handling fees involved aswell.
I have help some people with ebay seller without international shipping, then resend them to their country... I think the minimum international fee is around $15 so if you have to pay $4 for the domestic shipping, + $15 international shipping afterwards you are close to the $20 being charge.
Most of the sellers do not profit from shipping, the prices are just not equal to other countries specially some european countries with very low fees.
The only way I see is for you to buy several coins/lots then combining the packages into one that makes the cost more affordable...
Hi Just For Fun! The seller ask for 24 USA Dollars for each coin and I don't have a discount if I buy two or more coins. Also I hsve some Portuguese coins that I want to bid in auction and the seller don't send to Portugal. Can I send a Private Message so you can buy for me and put bids for me. After we do a swap with that coin. Of course I provide you coins of your interest or EuroBanknotes in order for you to have some provit. Thanks in advance. Nuno
Eureka,
May I make the following suggestion.
1. You find a swap partner in the USA who is prepared to help you.
2. YOU bid on the items you want, thus bidding up to YOUR maximum price.
3. You get seller to post directly to your USA partner, who holds onto them until, they have sufficient to make posting to you viable.
4. You try and include some of your swap partners coins/banknotes
5. Your swap partner gets additional coins/banknotes from you, to cover cost of postage.
I do this on behalf of a collector in Australia, and it works extremely well.
When I receive items, I send photos so that it is confirmed I have received exactly what he bid for.
I am at this time, holding three packages for this collector.
Thanks for your message.
I have a Numista member from the USA that have send me a Private Message. Hope he can help.
Many times I don't get on Ebay the coins I need due to:
1) Ebay seller only sell to USA.
2) Ebay seller charge arround 24 USA Dollars shipping for each coin!
My goal is to have a reliable Numista member in the USA that buy the coins I like and after we can do some kind of swap. Coins for coins or I send Euro Banknotes in exchange for the coins. Of course with some profit for my partner.
JustforFun said exactly what I would have said, and the other comments are sensible as well.
If you buy on eBay and use your American friend's address, once the payment goes through don't forget to revert to your home address.
Many American eBay sellers won't bother with shipping anywhere outside the US ─ even to Canada. This is very frustrating as they sometimes have items that are much more valuable on this side of the border. In my case, I'm looking at Canadian countermarks on US and other foreign coins. Many of the American coins with such countermarks are now in the US because of the "Great Silver Nuisance" of the 1870s whereby the Canadian banks sent back US coins south of the border (and at a significant loss to them) because of the disadvantageous exchange rate.
You say that some seller don't combine shipping and will charge US $24 for each coin? This is surprising. Is it because eBay tells you they don't combine shipping? Annoyingly, eBay says that when sellers have items priced differently for shipping. I pointed that out to one of my favorite eBay sellers. He didn't even know, investigated right away, and found out what I just said, that because he has different shipping rates, eBay considers he doesn't combine shipping.
Another small suggestion.
1. Contact seller first and ask if he will combine postage on multiple purchases. You then know prior to any bids being placed what your postage could be. If he will not combine, then do not use seller.
2. Once bidding is finished, request final total from seller, if he has agreed as point 1.
Yes, and on point #2, you may need to do that via "Contact seller". I have done it quite a few times. I just tell the seller I'm finished with my purchases or bidding.
On a few occasions, with sellers that have the annoying habit of spreading out their auction material in small bunches over two or three days, I don't pay right away and message the seller to tell him I will bid again the next day.
Cameron's
Fully agree with you.
I just say here, that generally, most sellers will cooperate.
They want to sell it, and you want to buy it. A win win situation.
