Buying from other countries?

I have had strange dealings with Canada for the last 8 years. I will not buy or sell.

I got skrewed by Paypal to the tune of $2300+. No protection with Paypal. Avoid buying using Paypal.

I've had great luck with my many dealings with people in Canada, probably because they aren't overseas.

I have had two overseas experiences early in my Audiogon days with the same fellow in Australia. It worked out very well both times. Shipping to me was faster than in many transactions I've had within the lower 48.

Oddly, it seems the US Postal Service does not have a relationship with Australia so you can't make US Postal money orders they'll accept. So in my first deal I made a cashiers check at my bank, and had to endure the long delivery time to him. With our next deal I found out that Western Union makes acceptable forms of payment to Australia, and that arrived very quickly to him.

Other than the money issue, I would follow what many people here have said especially checking feedback as you would do with anyone whether they live in the same town or on opposite sides of the country.

Let me answer this from the perspective of someone who lives in a small European country. I find myself constantly in the position that sellers are abroad. In my experience it does not necesseraly make a fundamental difference in what country the other side of the transaction resides; you need to apply the same level of care.

Would you send a 5,000 USD check to someone you don't know hoping to eventually receive the merchandise? I wouldn't, whether in the same country or not. BTW, PayPal acounts are open to non-US residents as well.

On the other hand, if the seller has enough positive feedback and the amount at stake is reasonable small, there shouldn't be much difference between a US only or an international transaction. FedEx, UPS and the postal system work the same way in the US or in European countries. It only gets more complex if you need to return the merchandise for some reason, because of all the red tape involved in avoiding double import taxes and value added taxes and what have you.

Also, you need to be aware that some products are not 100% identical in different countries (apart from the obvious difference in voltages and A/C plugs). Warranties are also not usually transferable between foreign countries and the US. It depends very much on the manufacturer or distributor whether a product that was not imported or sold through the official chain even gets serviced.

In the last four weeks a bought a cable from an Audiogon member for USD 350, paid through PayPal, and he shipped the cable through USPS. Painless transaction. I also bought cables from a manufacturer for a five digit amount. Wire transfer worked without any problems (it took one day). It took two days for FedEx to ship the goods from the US to Switzerland.

I'm here to bring my personal feh and distrust buying from other countries unless I'm buying from the manufacturer directly. I'm also skeptical to buy anything where shipping mess involved.
Mostly I do buy either from the dealer or come in person, see the unit, pay cash and take it home. I always prefere local sales. No headache whatsoever.
I would never go for unit that is more than $200 to be shipped from the different state or country.

Besides the Canadian transactions that are pretty painless, I bought a DAC from a man in Australia. There were lots of little wrinkles both in terms of the $ transfer and shipping/customs, but it can be done. You need excellent communications and fluency in a common language. My deal worked out great, but it took time and patience.

Use an escrow service to be on the safe side.
Cheers,

Have not yet tried "overseas". The question specified "outside the USA". In the case of Canada, it's about as risky as sending to the state next to you. USA-Canada transactions are a "no-brainer".
As for the others ... ???! Do some homework.

Jeff

I've bought and sold out of the country numerous times over the last couple of years with much success. It's always nice to be dealing with another member who has great feedback that is relatively current. One can always contact the feedback sources right here to get a better feel for who they might be attempting to do business with. It's even better to speak with the other party in person, if at all possible, but a good line of communication even by email can generally give one a little reassurance that all will go well. In most cases, I have either had funds wired into my account or have wired funds to the seller and so far it has worked quite well. Sometimes it takes a while for wire transfers to get to their final destination, but they usually get there, so have patience. I guess if someone is out to burn you, they're gonna get you. Thankfully we have a great membership whose common interest is to buy and sell quality equipment among themselves so everyone can enjoy the pursuit of audio nirvana and save a buck or two in the process.

check out http://www.escrow.com/

I've sold equipment several times to overseas buyers.
I've either had a wire transfer to my account, or
an international money order up front. So far
(...knocking on wood sound....) it's all worked fine.

Make sure they have plenty feedback. Maybe see if you can get email addresses/phone numbers of references.

KF

Be careful. There are many legit buyers overseas, but there have also been a few fraudulent ads here and on Ebay based overseas.