what's up with "shipping CONUS"?

[BkerChuck]

I used to sell a fair amount on E-bay but found the few times I had to ship outside of the US I lost money on shipping costs. I no longer ship outside of the US unless the buyer and I make arrangements that are mutually agreeable and fair. One or two occasions when I shipped to Canada I was caught off-guard with the customs paperwork and added costs.

I would however make an exception for forum members. I feel that what I've taken from this forum in terms of knowledge gained and friends made offset the small amount of my "precious" time it may cost to send something north.

 

[El Toro]

If I offer free conus shipping in a place like this forum, then I usually also offer to get a quote for shipping to other destinations and to give a shipping discount so that the person who is not within conus gets some reduction in shipping cost.

I won't play games with values for customs.

I have bought stuff from other countries, although not recently, and I have NEVER been charged customs fees. I've had stuff sit around in customs while they figured out what it was, or whether or not it was safe/legal. But I have never gotten a bill for customs, either from a foreign country or from the US government.

Right now I am offering something in classifieds here with free CONUS shipping, but if someone from a non-conus destination wanted it, I would be happy to work out the shipping quote.