Swappa Issue with Freight forwarders
What is the history of swappa’s issue with shipping to freight forwarders? , I have bought hundreds of items from eBay over the years never had anyone tell me it’s an issue , Most sellers in fact say they rather not when asked ( which we are obliged to do) , I feel this this is more of a knee jerk reaction to the unusual question rather than a preconceived notion in a seller’s mind that freight forwarding is evil????
Anyone has insight into this?
Hi, Dexter! Thanks for asking, and thank you for your interest in Swappa!
Swappa is primarily a US-based marketplace. But as you already know, we allow some international sales using freight forwarding services.
Freight forwarding services add an extra step to package delivery. This means longer overall transit time and an increased likelihood of potential issues such as lost or stolen packages and other headaches. In addition, cancelling and refunding an international transaction isn't easy.
As a result, we require international buyers to ask sellers if they're comfortable with this before making a purchase. We also ask buyers to use a US-based financial institution, so sellers aren't charged an extra 1.5% in fees.
We understand that this additional step may seem burdensome. However, we also recognize that not all sellers feel comfortable shipping to a freight forwarding service. Having buyers ask for permission first allows sellers to ship internationally if they feel comfortable with it, without forcing them to do so if they don't.
[Learn more on our FAQ page: International Sales on Swappa.]
Just realized that there is a post on the forwarding address topic.
Now I get Swappa's opinion on this matter. However, as stated by the OP, sometimes this simply confuse the seller and makes him think that the buyer is some guy who is trying to scam him or something.
The other thing as well, there is no feedback system in place where sellers can rate the buyer. Which will definitely help and give assurance to sellers that this person is genuine and is not a scammer.
My suggestion is, implement rating and feedback for buyers. Or leviate such requirement from buyers who have shown good purchase history with no issues whatsoever with completing sales.
It's been a great experience here on Swappa, however this requirement caused lots of sellers to become defensive, confused or even sometimes even accusing you directly of planning to scam them.
Just my 2 cents, thank you as always!
Real problem. As most of sellers dont even know anything about this option and prefer not to answer to such questions. As the address located inside US, can't understand what is the real difference for seller.
ive done extensive research on this (that anyone can do) and 9 out of 10 times its a scam, not to mention such a hassle for the seller to deal with. again, anyone can research and read the sellers side and experiences over the years including sellers on eBay. from what I've seen, the only ppl that get made on this subject are the scammers. the seller has every right to refuse freight forwarder address.
This thread has been locked by Swappa
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