What's new
What's new
By:
Advanced search…

OT: Selling Inspection Equipment to Columbian Customer -What could go wrong?

N

newtonsapple

Hot Rolled
Joined
May 16, 2017
So I have someone that wants to buy some Mitutoyo inspection equipment from me, but they are in Columbia. It's a set of Grade 0 metric gage blocks going for half the retail price. They appear to be a local reseller of metrology equipment. They have a website, look legit.

They will pay by wire transfer, I'll wait a few days to confirm everything clears, Ex-works terms, shipping using their DHL account number.

Seems like this should all go fine on my end. But, come on, selling high value stuff to Columbia doesn't give me warm and fuzzies. But if the cash is actually in the bank from a confirmed wire transfer, what could go wrong? Any customs or export regulations I need to worry about?

Should I wait it out for domestic buyer?
 
Really don't get your concerns :confused:

If the buyer is paying by wire transfer and they have a DHL shipping account I'd say your in a very good position. I can't see selling domestically is any less risky.

I remember the first time I sold to Russia, I was concerned but all went well! ... and the ONLY time I've been "Done" is by retired Bank Manager and when questioned he said "Surely you're not questioning me! ... I lost best part of US$200 Grrrr :angry:

The only part I cannot comment on is your customs requirements ...

Go for it! (A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush)

John :typing::cheers:
 
Honestly i will ship any were but india as there postal system sucks as does Italy, pretty much any were else has no more problems than posting across town. If he has a DHL account, is paying by wire transfer and has a business website he ticks most of my boxes for sounding legit.
 
Thanks all, I was mostly checking to make sure there wasn't obvious scam angle I wasn't considering.

...and I'll stick to the digital currency, as the brief productivity gains are probably not worth the long term inevitable of selling all my tools for scrap. I have a hard enough time not eating six cookies when someone brings a good batch to the office.
 
I am not familiar with exactly how wire transfers work. I think that means that their bank, in Columbia, sends the money to your bank in the US, "by wire". That means electronically. On questionable transactions of this sort, I always use two banks at my end. I cash the instrument of payment at one bank and walk out the door with the money in my pocket. Actual cash or a cashier's check drawn ON THAT BANK. Then I deposit that cash or cashier's check in my regular bank. That makes it a whole lot harder for anyone to reverse the transfer.

As for delivery, I believe one of the rules of commerce it that the seller IS responsible for delivery of the goods. That responsibility does not transfer to a shipping company unless the shipper (that's YOU) buys insurance for the full value of the items. If I were you I would insist that the buyer pay the cost of that insurance and do actually purchase it for the full value. That way, if it is lost in shipment, you get reimbursed for YOUR loss. And you can issue a refund or send a new shipment to the buyer.
 
Never shipped to Colombia but have experience with Brazil I don't want to repeat.

You really should go through a customs broker to handle the paperwork and the duty charges. Make sure that the buyer is going to pay for shipping and customs fees.

Even then, you might hit some snags before the transaction is actually fully completed.

Exporting usually is not too difficult but some countries are very difficult. Many times it boils down to how much political clout the person on the receiving end has.
 
Ziggy2 said:
Never shipped to Colombia but have experience with Brazil I don't want to repeat.

You really should go through a customs broker to handle the paperwork and the duty charges. Make sure that the buyer is going to pay for shipping and customs fees.
Click to expand...

This is like the news, everyone reports on the bad for drama ... nobody reports the good! (of which there are tens of thousands)

I've shipped hundreds of items world wide - last count was 51 countries all without a hitch.

As per #2, my ONLY issue was in my country from a "Fine up standing citizen"

.... Just send it!

John:typing:
 
See what your bank charges for accepting wire transfers, most of the world it's nothing but U.S. is as usual different. Could be 30 bucks or more. Tack that on the price or be willing to eat it.

There's a big thread on wire transfers somewhere in this forum.
 
I have no comment on the getting paid, aspect. For those commenting from other countries, they might not be aware of ITAR and EAR. Gauge blocks probably don't fall under ITAR, but they almost certainly do fall under EAR, which likely means you need an export license. Or you could just roll the dice and ignore it, which is fine as long as you don't get caught.
 
roysol said:
I have no comment on the getting paid, aspect. For those commenting from other countries, they might not be aware of ITAR and EAR. Gauge blocks probably don't fall under ITAR, but they almost certainly do fall under EAR, which likely means you need an export license. Or you could just roll the dice and ignore it, which is fine as long as you don't get caught.
Click to expand...

So things are looking better with this deal, going to ship the blocks to a US calibration lab and the customer is responsible for getting them exported from there.

Damn, is EAR documentation painful. I actually find IRS rules and regs amazingly easy to read, this stuff is an incredible cluster. It is actually surprisingly specific, like down to restrictions on LVDT's:
https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/d...r-notices/federal-register-2013/734-ccl2/file

“Linearity” equal to
or less (better) than 0.1% measured from 0 to the
‘full operating range’, for LVDTs with a ‘full
operating range’ up to and including ± 5 mm;

No mention of gage blocks (or gauge blocks) or calibration. Maybe it is covered under some other broad category? After all they seem to have captured most cases where LVDT's become required for metrology purposes.
 
I can see only one thing going south on this deal. If the customer sends a Cashiers check on a US bank to your bank with instructions to deposit it to your account and the amount is too much.
We have done many wire transfers with no problems, we did set up the account to not allow "wire" withdrawals with out our consent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Semi OT SUN Hydraulics Anyone Know What is Going on Down There?
2
Replies
28
Views
6K
R. Dan
R
S
THOUSANDS of pieces of lathe & mill tooling and equipment (work holding, inspection)
2 3
Replies
41
Views
7K
SteveM
S
S
Fired My First Customer This Week.. what do I do about supporting prior sales to him?
2 3
Replies
48
Views
8K
doug8cat
D
Milacron
Spring road trip to Canada and Customs from Hell
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
15K
othello159
O








 

ABOUT PRACTICAL MACHINIST

With more than 10.6 million unique visitors over the last year, Practical Machinist is the most visited site for metalworking professionals. Practical Machinist is the easiest way to learn new techniques, get answers quickly and discuss common challenges with your peers. Register for the world’s largest manufacturing technology forum for free today to stay in the know.

Learn more about us.

STAY CONNECTED

Facebook Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Pinterest Twitter Tiktok

Register Become a forum member. Register today.

Sign Up Sign up for our e-newsletter.

© 2024 Copyright Practicalmachinist.com. All Rights reserved.

Back
Top