Wanting to Host a Frozen Grail Auction - Question About Rules Regarding Shipping

[PersinettePins]

Hello All!

So some of you may remember I had been considering hosting my first auction with my WDI Olaf set. I actually got some great trade offers for it so that never came to fruition. I REALLY want to host an auction though, one with some bang to it!

I am going to the Frozen Release at DSF at the end of this month and bringing some friends with me. I know it will be highly competitive and my major goal is just to get at least one set for my own Frozen collection. However, there is a chance I will get more than 1 set. If I can get more, I plan to auction whatever I get here on DPF so members who can't make the release have a shot at these pins without going to eBay. I'll probably be auctioning all the pins together in 1 auction and taking offers for either the set as a whole or individuals both in that same auction.

I do have some questions about what is allowed here on DPF that I didn't see specifically addressed in the rules area of the auction forum, in case this auction is very popular.

Can I make it a requirement/rule that the winner(s) must ship with tracking AND insured, and that the insured price must be one that we both agree upon and that reflects current eBay values? In the event that the unthinkable happens and the pins get lost in the mail, I'd want both parties able to replace them/be compensated fully.

I love trading internationally, some of my best trades have come from abroad! I do know shipping can get tricky with some countries. I know shipping insured/tracked gets trickey and expensive some places. Can I require international bidders to PM me so we can discuss shipping options to/from their country? If it's going to be really expensive for them to ship to me with the item insured/tracked, I want them to know in advance so their are no nasty surprises at the post office later! Also so I can factor that into my decision, if that is allowable. I think it is around $70 or more to ship from the US to some counties with the item fully tracked/insured. By no means a deal breaker (some grails are sooooo worth that proportionally mere $70 shipping fee haha!), but $70 is enough for a nice pin so I would want to consider that in my overall decision if that is allowed??? If not I understand as that could introduce bias. So I guess that would bring me back to the first part, can tracked/insured be made a requirement or no because of international restrictions? I suppose individual bidders could waive the pins being shipped insured/tracked to them if that isn't important to them to keep cost down?

I remember the scare one of our members had with the Designer Belle/Season Ariel auction where Belle has quite the exciting postal journey! My mom was a post office manager and always tells me to fully insure anything of value being shipped.

I'd love suggestions/input regarding shipping form members with more experience than myself safely shipping pins to folk. I might very well be over paranoid! :anxious: lol. Perhaps members with more experience can calm my shipping nerves.

Heck! Maybe no one will want my poor Frozen pins then the point is moot anyway!

 

[Romancing_Train]

I am not sure, I would definitely contact a mod for this. I know you CAN'T say no to international traders in an auction, it has to be open to everyone. So this may be one of those things that disqualifies them because postage is so high.

WHAT is also very hard might be that you have very low feedback, all positive! That's good BUT still not many trades. Which means most people wouldn't be very inclined either to send first unless you have feedback elsewhere, because that would also be a good option.

Stateside if you go through paypal's magical link you get free tracking and 50$ minimum fee insurance, you can ask for them to start with that because the insurance is very affordable that way. I don't know what you can do for international tohugh.

 

[unibear]

I remember the scare one of our members had with the Designer Belle/Season Ariel auction where Belle has quite the exciting postal journey!

Is that right? I was involved in that trade and I never knew Belle took the scenic route in getting there. Then again, I sent her so I wasn't excitedly waiting for her arrival...

 

[PersinettePins]

Oh, I thought I saw someone post that the post office sent Belle off on an adventure and the recipient (sorry I forget who hosted the auction) was very relieved when she got there. I wasn't meaning to insinuate you didn't ship her right! Oh dear I hope it wasn't taken the wrong way I'm sure you shipped her beautifully unibear If anything just that the post office can be less than reliable at times. Perhaps I am confusing things or it was a different Designer Belle trade?


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[momin.ator]

I know that I had issues with the Belle Dreams pin shipping to Germany. It took more than two months
for it to arrive to bellesbrother and I was getting worried it may have been lost. Good luck with your
auction.

 

[jazzytrumpet]

To answer your questions, I think you *can* list those requirements, but you cannot actually *enforce* them. Most bidders/traders will abide by your requirements (and decide if they want to bid or not based on them) but if someone wins your auction and decides to send their pins through regular mail (without tracking or insurance) and something happens to the pins in transit, then a mod would have to intervene and you will have to go through that intermediary. You should also state in your auction, that if a international bidder wins, it will be their responsibility to pay for the customs fees because you will be marking it as $XXX and not retail price; so the international bidder has to decide if they want to bid and pay the fees if they win.

 

[starry_solo]

Okay, to respond to your questions:

Can I make it a requirement/rule that the winner(s) must ship with tracking AND insured, and that the insured price must be one that we both agree upon and that reflects current eBay values? In the event that the unthinkable happens and the pins get lost in the mail, I'd want both parties able to replace them/be compensated fully.

You could, but will the post office actually compensate either of you for the ebay values? Probably not since the only receipt you will have is the one that shows you paid less than $100 for the pins.

I love trading internationally, some of my best trades have come from abroad! I do know shipping can get tricky with some countries. I know shipping insured/tracked gets trickey and expensive some places. Can I require international bidders to PM me so we can discuss shipping options to/from their country? If it's going to be really expensive for them to ship to me with the item insured/tracked, I want them to know in advance so their are no nasty surprises at the post office later! Also so I can factor that into my decision, if that is allowable.

You could, but you should be able to figure out right now how much it's going to cost to ship internationally with insurance & tracking (priority mail or EMS are the only options for real trackable shipping). You also need to let them know the value that you will be putting on the package so they can figure out customs duties for their country.

Most people factor international shipping into their decisions about winners.

 

[PersinettePins]

Ok this is really helping! Thanks for the feedback so far! Great points about finding out if the postal service honors market price over retail price, my limited feedback, that many people factor in international shipping when deciding winners, and about the whole customs cost issue, etc. I think I've made some IG and FB trades with people who are members here and just didn't know my username or me theirs. I'll ask about leaving each other feedback.

Thanks guys! Learning lots


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