No longer post to E Europe / former Soviet

[lololizzy]

I have made the decision to block all bids from these countries.
I seem to have had nothing but bad luck over the last few years.
Honestly.....at least half, maybe more of the parcels I send, don't turn up.
What I am thinking is...a/ dreadful post service there b/ dishonest posties or c/ dishonest buyers claiming item hasn't turned up.
I am fed up to the back teeth of Paypal deciding in the buyer's favour and refunding them. I have nearly 3000 positive feedback! No negs and no neutrals.
Yet Paypal will honour the buyer with for eg only 8 feedback.
I always pack very well and label very clearly. I don't have trouble anywhere else internationally except Malaysia, once.
Is the post really so bad in these countries?
Anyone else find this?
It seems submitting the Session ID number etc isn't enough.
I don't do Signed For unless requested as postage charges too high and puts off potential bidders. If someone opts for the cheap airmail should I be that responsible if I have done everything correctly, kept post receipt and can provide details?

Why does Paypal take money to refund the buyer, without my permission?
So I have reached the decision to block all countries from this part of the world.
It is a shame when there are decent buyers out there.
I am fed up of losing money , and of losing stock. Sometimes I've been really skint and sold quite precious (to me) items and they've gone astray. So I've had to sell the item that I really didn't want to (but needs must) only to have to refund and never see that item again.
I don't think even Signed For guarantees anything.
Anyone else had to put blocks on?

And i can't exactly put pressure on the buyer when it's too far away for me to deal with properly, most times they can't speak/ understand / write much english, and i can't prove they are making false claims...
The latest case, I wrote a polite and detailed email to the buyer. She only sent two words back..'I wait'. But she didn't..after just over two weeks wait, Paypal refunded her from my account!
Fed up!

sorry so long.

well it is part of the paypal agreement that you send items with a signature which would prove delivery. Sending items with a signature is for your benefit as a seller to protect you from chargebacks after all.

And if you were a buyer and an item didn't arrive I am sure you would put in a claim with paypal for your money back.

Which is fair enough if were a legit buyer....but it's happened so many times, am wondering if item has arrived and they just want a freebie, in some cases. And often they ask for the cheapest postage. Which was my mistake..no protection.
Maybe I'm just cynical..but can their postage really be that bad? If the buyer is being honest, I mean.

OH works in Romania. He doesn't trust the post. If he buys stuff, it goes missing. He gets his eBay stuff posted here and collects stacks of parcels when he visits us.

I'm always amazed that sellers will post things ordinary parcel post. It doesn't cost you, as the seller, anything more to send it only tracked, recorded, insured delivery - that's the only postage option I ever offer. Sure it's expensive, but that's not my problem.

That said, I am sure there are some regions of the world worse than others. I've heard enough horror stories about the Italian postal system that I refuse to ship there.

I don't know what the postage service is like in Eastern Europe, I've heard Italy is bad.

I don't post abroad as I can't be bothered with the hassle to be honest.

I've also noticed a pattern forming when I send clothes..Primark will get there! Always seems to be the good or quirky brands never 'arrive' eg Karen Millen, Sirens @ Topshop etc..
Well, I've learnt a lesson! Shame for the decent buyers though (and for me!)

Just send it all recorded or courier every time is my advice - collect plus is £3.99 for a clothes parcel up to 2kg. Once you dispatch you can add tracking info immediately to the item in paypal, then if the buyer tries a chargeback then paypal already have the info.

Always claim for lost items too as if a buyer makes a habit of it royal mail will flag up an address.

thanks fergoose, will look into that

I just never post outside the UK and I state this very clearly in bold in my listing. I also state that if anyone does bid from outside the Uk without checking first, their bid will be cancelled, and if (as has happened) someone bids at the last min and the winner is outside the UK, then ebay will be contacted to cancel their bid on the grounds of them being outside an area I post to.

When I first started ebaying and was happy to post abroad, it was a tiny item £2 value, to the US. It came back weeks later saying not at this address!! In the meantime the buyer had been refunded through paypal, turned out she had moved and not changed her paypal address .

There have been many occasions where people email me to ask if I will mail to wherever, I just politely email back to say 'sorry as per listing detail I only ship within the UK' most times. Sometimes if its someone in France, Germany, Scandinavia etc I check their feedback and will post but ONLY small light things so I don't get stung on postage if it doesn't turn up.

I have had at least 10 occasions where at the last minute the winning bidder bungs their bid on and then emails me to ask what the postage is to Russia or Eastern Europe. I just tell them that I am contacting ebay to have the transaction cancelled, then I offer the item to the next one on the 2nd chance.

I don't think I lose out by only selling within the UK, because although you may get less bids, you take less hits too.

Flibberty you can change your settings to prevent bidders being able to bid from abroad.

I only post within the UK. You can alter your settings so people from abroad can't see your items as fergoose says.

But that doesn't stop people from abroad registering on ebay.co.uk with a (possibly fake) uk address and then asking you to post abroad once they have won the item. Which is what happened to me.

Hi OP, I had this a few months ago with a bnwt bodywarmer, It went for a good price but to a buyer with 0%feedback with a eastern european sounding name, despite blocking overseas buyers! When the auction had finished I immediately asked for cancellation from her but she said 'please check my address'. Turns out alot of buyers from Eastern Europe are now using a company called Eastlines, i'm guessing the buyers pays for the service from them on top of the ebay purchase. I sent it recorded (signed for) to the E.London address and my job was done. It was signed for in london and therfore I had completed my side of the sale, It then got shipped over to Romania and she left + feedback about a week after it was signed for. I have to be honest I was bricking it thinking I would get my first neg as it would so 'disappear' but turned out well. AFAIK They dont have brilliant clothing shops over there so do tend to buy from the UK.