Long time lurker here just about to buy my first set of pipes. I’m looking seriously at a used set that is located in France, and I am in the US. Having never ordered anything this expensive from a private party-- let alone overseas, I am a bit shaky on how to proceed. What is the safest way to send money? Does PayPal offer any buyer protection on a transaction like this?
What is the favored method of shipping from France to the US? The seller suggested La Poste, the country’s national post company, but I have no idea who would handle it once it hits the USA… I’ve heard DHL is a good company to ship through, but they don’t seem very prevalent here, at least not in sleepy Nebraska.
I’m pretty worried about them arriving safely. Does anyone have a sure-fire packing method that I can pass along to the seller?
Thanks for taking the time to read-- any advice is much appreciated!
La Poste will deal with the USPS. They are both signatories to the International Postal Union. I had mine shipped by post (express) from Ireland, via their national post. Arrived here via USPS Express. A bit spendy but fast and safe (3 days transit time). As to payment, I can’t advise you since I bought from a maker who was known to me through a trusted third party. . .so a bank transfer was worry free.
I don’t know about La Poste specifically, but a lot of foreign postal services (Ireland included) don’t offer enough insurance coverage on overseas packages to insure most sets of pipes for their full value. I would check their web site for that information. FedEx and UPS both ship worldwide, and offer plenty of insurance coverage, but they are almost always significantly more expensive. I recently priced shipping a half set from Ireland to the US, and FedEx and UPS both came in around $450. An Post was significantly cheaper- around $100- but they only offer insurance coverage up to about $135.
Here is the PayPal Buyer Protection write-up: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Marketing/popup/UAeBay-outside It looks as if they will cover non-eBay purchases, if all the requirements are met. It would be very important to read that link carefully, and perhaps call them to ask what the requirements are, as they make it quite complicated and probably love to fail people on technicalities. Person-to-person wire transfers can be dicey, due to identity theft concerns. Banks usually charge a fairly large fee for wire transfers as well.
If you do use PayPal, and are paying with a credit card, the card may offer some form of fraud protection as well. Also, PayPal’s currency conversion charges are usually more than what your credit card will charge- when you make the payment, they give you the option of using PayPal’s rate or the credit card rate, but don’t tell you what the credit card rate is. You can find that out from your credit card company.
I have successfully shipped GHB from US to and from Canada. using the USPS. It is substantially cheaper and faster to ship Postal Service as there is no need for an International Freight forwarder to pass the material through customs at the border. It still goes through the same process, but you don’t need to have somebody hire a third party. Additionally, although you may note Bagpipes on the exterior of the package. Your customs declaration is enough to get you the duty free status for incoming pipes. Packing with a sufficency of wrapping is a given necessity, although pipes are in reality pretty sturdy if the package can hold together.
Wire transfers usually cost about $40 (excluding FX fees) but both the sender and the recipient have to pay this. Once you go over about $2500, the cost of a wire transfer is less than PayPal fees. However, you don’t have the PayPal protection.
I prefer the postal services over private courriers (FedEx, DHL, etc.) as the latter tend to tack on all sorts of hidden fees.
It’s a good idea to buy pipes locally where possible. There may be issues with a second hand set and it’s always good to be able to deal with the maker in person.