Topic: Is the Murano market looking up?

[TxSilver]

One thing I would like to mention about the sales slump is that collectibles are similar to cash in the way it flows. Many people buying online are resellers. If no one is buying from them, soon they stop buying. When they do, the flow of glass slows down, with only the true collectors picking off a piece here and there if the piece is reasonably priced. It may explain why Barovier and Seguso VA (true stuff) is doing reasonably well, while sales of other things are faltering. Glass sales often pick up in January. I wish I was able to buy right now, but it's hard to buy (or sell) anything when moving across country. I would buy second-shelf glass by Archimede Seguso and Barbini and third-shelf things by Fratelli Toso. I wouldn't be surprised if the market for these things increase next year.

[ardy]

Ah! so that is the reason is it Anita. Makes sense to me now.

The other side of this coin is the seller could sensibly make the claim that after it has been posted it is th buyers responsibility and then the feedback score would tell the true story subject to paypals internal, unknowable, processes. If paypal is an automatic refund process why dont dishonest people claim it was broken on arrival?

Just asking questions Anita as I dont know myself.

[ardy]

Yes Anita - One persons sales slump is another persons buying opportunity. And it works the other way as well.

I am starting to think that in a year or two us buyers are going to kick ourselves for not buying more. There was a 3 piece Seguso perfume set on one of the auctions that I missed and it went for $US45 those sort of things will become very rare next year, I think.  :cry:

regards

[TxSilver]

Ah! so that is the reason is it Anita. Makes sense to me now.

The other side of this coin is the seller could sensibly make the claim that after it has been posted it is th buyers responsibility and then the feedback score would tell the true story subject to paypals internal, unknowable, processes. If paypal is an automatic refund process why dont dishonest people claim it was broken on arrival?

Just asking questions Anita as I dont know myself.

Really a good comment. It is the seller's responsibility to deliver the goods to you in the expected condition. The seller owns the merchandise until you accept it as satisfactory. So if something arrives broken, it belongs to the seller and you should get all your money back under the law. There is a moral consideration here, though. If one had a choice between insured and uninsured shipping and chose no insurance, who is really responsible? According to PayPal, the seller is. So a seller has to ask how much he/she is willing to lose if a package is lost, broken, or received by a con-person. (This is starting to sound like the Cafe, so I better curb my pondering.) There have been perhaps-dishonest people who claimed something was not delivered or broken and PayPal refunded their money. I'm glad I haven't had this problem!

[langhaugh]

Shipping costs. One of the things I do when I buy something from the US is to state my preference for it to be sent first class international. I also ask the sender to check my feedback so that they get some sense I'm not a scam artist, and I state that I am willing to take responsibility for the product. That last step is taking a risk, but so far I haven't been burned. The two times I've tried to collect on insurance it's proved almost impossible, at least it is if you're in Canada collecting from the USA. The extra cost is not worth it. I agree with Ardy about people who think you want it tomorrow and ship it Fedex. I can wait, given the cost difference.

David

[janettekay]

I buy a fair bit from the USA but the shipping charges are so variable it kills it. For a normal first class mail it is around 13-19 us dollars up to a weight limit of 3Ibs I think. I have had quotes for small items I am interested in for up to $64. Conversely I got a quote for $16.70 for a 8" vase I wanted and bought and this amount is what was on the postage mark...

Shipping is variable. A lot of it is because of padding. Most, however, is because first class international is a very risky way to ship. It cannot be tracked or insured. So if someone pays using PayPal, all the buyer has to do is report it as not received. There is no confirmation number, so no proof it was sent. PayPal immediately takes the money out of the seller's account. Unfortunately, there are some people who abuse the PayPal buyer protection, so the person who sends first class is taking on risk. Personally, I will send less expensive things first class, but anything over $100 has to go priority mail or better. The cost of priority mail is outrageous, but provides the seller with some protection. There are third-party insurers for first class, but it can be time consuming and iffy. It would be nice if everyone in the world was honest. Postage would be so much cheaper.

I have to agree ...I will only ship Priority...unfortunatly..for the protection of tracking...and yes-postage rates are outrageous...and killing business for so many..

[TxSilver]

Oy, priority mail is going up again in January. Parcel post is due for another increase in May. I started shipping things in 2004 and prices have almost doubled since that time. I get horribly embarrassed when shipping is $20-50US, but I know it is not my fault. I figured that pretty soon I may be able to buy a package an airplane seat for about the same cost as shipping.   

I noticed that bid amounts on eBay started to go down in 2007 when there was the huge increase in shipping. So the money going to the seller was diverted to the postal service. Strange enough, I can receive a package from London for the same or less than one from New York, with equivalent insurance coverage. USPS might do well to model their services on those of the UK. (Canada also has reasonable rates, IME.)

[ardy]

Yes shipping is getting expensive. I just sold a nikon lens and the shipping costs to Europe was $AUS18.70 ($US16) and it weighed under 500g. Although I could have shipped something for 2kgs for the same money.

It is stopping me buying some of the Seguso pieces I would like. Your internal rates in the USA seem to be very reasonable, so occasionally I buy something and send it to my brother in Texas and he ships it on to me using first class mail and that is cheaper.

[Carolyn Preston]

I seldom pay when it's the cheapest of the USPS services, but always pay for UPS.

David, that's the evilness of UPS. They always charge for border fees for everything they bring across the border whether or not we in Canada need to pay duty for it. I never use UPS from the US to Canada if I have any choice whatsoever.

Carolyn

[obscurities]

I think that USPS rates have gone up substantially to compensate for the increase in larger and lighter packages being shipped more frequently. All of the flat rate boxes are well under 1 cu foot in dimension. If you ship a box under a cubic foot in dimension the domestic rates are reasonable. If you exceed that dimension, then they start going up exponentially. If I ship an item that weighs 6lbs from Seattle to Kentucky for example, and the package measures 12x12x12 inches the rate is $19.60. If I ship the same weight to the same place and the package measures 12x12x13 inches, the rate goes to $29.95.  The 12x12x13 inch 6 lb package is $13.20 by FedEx.

If I can cram it safely into a 12x12x8 flat rate box it is $13.95, and in that box it can weigh up to 70 lbs domestically (a cheap way to ship your gold bars, silver bullion, or large rolls of lead solder.  ).

The same sorts of ratios occur for international shipping also, except the flat rate box max is 20 lbs.

I think that what the USPS is tell us is that they want to ship small compact items, and if you want to ship something large, especially domestically, use a different carrier. (FedEx, UPS)

International quotes can vary depending on what the seller is doing on their end. Many sellers will not use first class mail as it is not insurable and can not be tracked, and with Paypal rules the way they are, a seller is putting themselves in jeopardy using it.  It is really personal preference for the seller. Since it is their risk, they are the ones deciding if the sale is worth the risk of offering inexpensive international shipping or not. A buyer simply has to say...  "I did not get it" and the seller is out postage, listing fees and the selling price of the item. 

Craig