[CR]Slow Shipments from Europe

(Example: Racing:Beryl Burton)

From: <themaaslands@comcast.net>
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org (Classic Rendezvous)
Subject: [CR]Slow Shipments from Europe
Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2004 18:10:41 +0000

All this talk of slow shipments from Germany and the Netherlands brings up something that apparently some buyers conveniently overlook. From both Germany and the Netherlands, you have the option of paying a supplement to get the package shipped airmail (called EMS, parcelforce, express mail...etc depending on the mail provider.) If you take this option into account, then there is absolutely no reason why any package arriving from these countries would not arrive well within the ebay or paypal complaint time constraints. In the cases of both countries mentioned, this adds about a 50% surcharge for small shipments up to 5 kg weight and slightly more than 100% surcharge for bike sized packages of between 10 and 20 kg.

I have mentioned the websites for the national postal services of both countries in the past where these rates can be found:

Germany: for regular sea freight shipments http://www.dhl.de/dhl?lang=de_EN&xmlFile=950 (FYI: the US is in zone 3) for the air freight supplement: http://www.dhl.de/dhl?lang=de_EN&xmlFile=10197#10400

The Netherlands: http://tinyurl.com/w4ox Priority is the air freight and economy is sea freight

It is therefore completely out of line and unfair to expect both the lower cost and higher service level. If you need to count on the cheaper shipping option to make your purchase from Europe a 'deal' then so be it, but don't penalize the seller for something that is solely your choice. Any buyer who for shortcomings clearly on their side decides to unfairly penalize sellers is obviously not the type of person I would ever want to deal with. I have therefore added one more name to my blocked bidder list on ebay.

-- Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ

PS: If anybody wants the equivalent shipping rates for other European countries, I would be more than happy to supply them.