Pay-it-forward thread!!! (International)

[jojoe42]

11B1P and I have been discussing the idea of starting a pay-it-forward type thread for people who can't get their hands on the Microsoft Band, yet still want one . We've all seen the ridiculous markups on eBay for them, and this thread is a chance to be a little nicer towards your fellow forum members. Given that we may not see the Band online or internationally for a while, this is why we started it. Basically this is how it works:

- Someone can post asking for a Band in their size
- Another member (with a physical store close to them) accepts, then buys and ships the Band to them on behalf of the other user (costs, shipping and import tax should be negotiated in private)
- That user then pays back the other (once again payment arrangements should be made, but given how easy PayPal is it shouldn't be too hard). Also swaps can be done too, if there's something region-specific that is wanted in exchange
- Voila!
I'm sure most people don't mind paying a little more for peoples' time (time is money ) but this thread is intended to get away from the overpriced market that is eBay and hopefully benefit from the kindness of others. Please don't be idiots and ship a box of pebbles or not pay up when you get your Band. Be nice guys.

Cheers!!!

 

[pkadare]

Why run the personal risk?

I don't have enough posts here yet to post links. Just search for comGateway.

 

[e4et]

It's s great idea, question is, just how trustworthy are people? I'm sure you only need one or two horror stories of people getting ripped off , to make most skeptical to partake.

 

[Red River]

11B1P and I have been discussing the idea of starting a pay-it-forward type thread for people who can't get their hands on the Microsoft Band, yet still want one . We've all seen the ridiculous markups on eBay for them, and this thread is a chance to be a little nicer towards your fellow forum members. Given that we may not see the Band online or internationally for a while, this is why we started it. Basically this is how it works:

- Someone can post asking for a Band in their size
- Another member (with a physical store close to them) accepts, then buys and ships the Band to them on behalf of the other user (costs, shipping and import tax should be negotiated in private)
- That user then pays back the other (once again payment arrangements should be made, but given how easy PayPal is it shouldn't be too hard). Also swaps can be done too, if there's something region-specific that is wanted in exchange
- Voila!
I'm sure most people don't mind paying a little more for peoples' time (time is money ) but this thread is intended to get away from the overpriced market that is eBay and hopefully benefit from the kindness of others. Please don't be idiots and ship a box of pebbles or not pay up when you get your Band. Be nice guys.

Cheers!!!

Great idea! I'm very interesting in this. I'm in New Zealand and want to get a MSFT band. The question is, how much extra should I pay to the person who helps me to buy the band.

 

[pkadare]

Great idea! I'm in New Zealand and really interested in buying a band. The questions, how much extra should I pay to the person who helps me to buy the band?

That's something you and the purchaser would need to negotiate. It really depends on how much the band is worth to you and how much the purchaser's time and effort is worth to them.

 

[Red River]

That's something you and the purchaser would need to negotiate. It really depends on how much the band is worth to you and how much the purchaser's time and effort is worth to them.

Yeah exactly! Any offers please?

 

[sjjones]

sorry to sound negative , but there's no way Id send a $200 plus product overseas, too many scammers out there even if you use paypal

It might tell you how bad it is when ebay doesn't offer their overseas shipping option on this product

 

[markyjns]

I'd love to find someone prepared to do this, I'm after a band size large but how would we be remotely able to tell who's legit and who isn't?

 

[Br1an_g]

A good idea in principal but too much scope for things to go wrong. Suppose you could split the risk slightly by paying half up front then half when received? Or you need a middle man/woman who takes payment and initial shipping of item. Given exchange rate from us its about 100% markup price wise for new bands on uk ebay at the moment so i would happily pay $300 which will be close to uk retail price imo if someone posted me a band.

 

[jojoe42]

I'd love to find someone prepared to do this, I'm after a band size large but how would we be remotely able to tell who's legit and who isn't?

You'd have to determine who's legitimate or not yourselves - I'd swap phone numbers or verify over something like Skype. There is an element of risk here, but not everyone in these forums is a scammer. I just opened this thread because I'm keen on the idea (and I'm sure the people who are kind enough could benefit from this mutually). General rule of thumb is to have really good communication with the seller. I think it's probably more likely issues arise because of lack of communication

 

[11B1P]

....The question is, how much extra should I pay to the person who helps me to buy the band.

This defeats the idea behind the Pay-It-Forward. With Thanksgiving and Christmas right on top of us, I would hope people with a store in their hometown, would be willing to help out. Aren't you out running around anyway? Is it that much more of a burden to make an extra stop at your local MS store? I'm 3 hours from the nearest store. There are probably lots of people nowhere close to a store.

 

[11B1P]

I'd love to find someone prepared to do this, I'm after a band size large but how would we be remotely able to tell who's legit and who isn't?

There will have to be some amount of trust from both parties. If you use ebay, you could share your ebay handles. Do you not purchase products online and pay through PayPal? I do it all the time. Only ship to a PayPal verified address. If there are any issues, you file a complaint thru PP.

 

[larrynj]

WOW! I had no idea they were selling for $300-$400 and more on ebay. No wonder the stores are sold out. I'd be happy to pick one up for one of our international and ship it for you. Assuming they have some in stock. I go by the MS store a couple times a week.

 

[stephen_az]

11B1P and I have been discussing the idea of starting a pay-it-forward type thread for people who can't get their hands on the Microsoft Band, yet still want one . We've all seen the ridiculous markups on eBay for them, and this thread is a chance to be a little nicer towards your fellow forum members. Given that we may not see the Band online or internationally for a while, this is why we started it. Basically this is how it works:

- Someone can post asking for a Band in their size
- Another member (with a physical store close to them) accepts, then buys and ships the Band to them on behalf of the other user (costs, shipping and import tax should be negotiated in private)
- That user then pays back the other (once again payment arrangements should be made, but given how easy PayPal is it shouldn't be too hard). Also swaps can be done too, if there's something region-specific that is wanted in exchange
- Voila!
I'm sure most people don't mind paying a little more for peoples' time (time is money ) but this thread is intended to get away from the overpriced market that is eBay and hopefully benefit from the kindness of others. Please don't be idiots and ship a box of pebbles or not pay up when you get your Band. Be nice guys.

Cheers!!!

This product is barely even available in the US. People really just need to drop the instant gratification obsession and chill out. It really will not kill you to wait until it is available in general release. If it will kill you then you are looking at the wrong health monitoring device.

With all of that said, acting as an unlicensed reseller (that is what this becomes) is not legal. Avoiding international tariffs, taxes, and import/export duties is also illegal. On that front, in much of the world (and certainly any EU country) anyone na?ve enough to do this in the US is essentially giving someone a bargain that others in that country who do things legally would never get. You are also essentially giving someone a device for less than you paid, when you factor in taxes, duties, etc. you paid on this end and they skipped on theirs. This is not a charitable cause. It is just a piece for technology people want early and at a bargain. Of course the device would also be without a warranty since US warranties are not valid in other countries. Last but not least, it is illegal to ship US technology to quite a few countries. That one is a felony and they do prosecute,

Seriously, it is not as if people are trying to get an Ebola vaccine in Africa. It is just a bit of technology that will be available when the stock exists. Again, most American consumers also can't get it at this time. The world will not end by waiting. As far as part of that wait goes, and the fact you will typically pay more out of pocket, complain to your own government. Their policies set the baseline rules for such stuff, just as US government policies set the same for imports into this country. That also absolutely does influence how fast US products (and particularly Microsoft products in the EU) get into other markets....

 

[larrynj]

With all of that said, acting as an unlicensed reseller (that is what this becomes) is not legal. Avoiding international tariffs, taxes, and import/export duties is also illegal. On that front, in much of the world (and certainly any EU country) anyone na?ve enough to do this in the US is essentially giving someone a bargain that others in that country who do things legally would never get. You are also essentially giving someone a device for less than you paid, when you factor in taxes, duties, etc. you paid on this end and they skipped on theirs. This is not a charitable cause. It is just a piece for technology people want early and at a bargain. Of course the device would also be without a warranty since US warranties are not valid in other countries. Last but not least, it is illegal to ship US technology to quite a few countries. That one is a felony and they do prosecute,

Really??? It's a simple exercise band you make it sound like we are making a nuclear arms deal. An unlicensed reseller? There is no profit being made here. This is simply buying something for a friend as a nice gesture not to make money.

Giving a device for less than what you paid makes no sense to me. It's a pretty big assumption on your part that they aren't paying the proper taxes on their end. I'm guessing you have bought something online and haven't paid the proper state taxes on those items. When I have shipped electronics overseas to Australia I had to fill out a customs form. The US and AUS customs knew exactley what was in the box and the value. If they felt it needed to be taxed I'm sure they would collect it.


Of course they realize the warranty is voided. That really isn't a big deal on such an inexpensive thing.

Where can we find a list of the countries that it's a felony to ship to? Other than Syria and Iran?

You are really making this a bigger deal than it is.

 

[markyjns]

Taxes are paid on arrival, the courier calculates the applicable taxes and charges the end recipient usually on arrival occasionally after. MS warranties are valid in most countries certainly in the UK. Though on such an item the warranty isn't that relevant. There is NOTHING illegal or dodgy in what is being discussed at all.

 

[e4et]

Taxes are paid on arrival, the courier calculates the applicable taxes and charges the end recipient usually on arrival occasionally after. MS warranties are valid in most countries certainly in the UK. Though on such an item the warranty isn't that relevant. There is NOTHING illegal or dodgy in what is being discussed at all.

Agreed. And the "saving" the recipient is going to make, Wil only be the over inflated markup local retailers usually put on these kind of products. Also, most countries have a weaker currency value to the dollar, so once converted and shipping, duties and taxes are included, the band will probably cost over $300.

 

[Hoekie]

Except for the Euro which is stronger. Still, agree, the costs inclusing taxes will make it expensive any. I just got one trough Ebay and it still is expensive. Worth to me but still expensive compared to what US citizens are paying.

 

[dorelse]

Where can we find a list of the countries that it's a felony to ship to? Other than Syria and Iran?

You are really making this a bigger deal than it is.

You forgot N. Korea.

Talk about making a ridiculously big deal out of helping someone buy a fitness band...I'm sure that's the FBI's top priority...seriously. Non-US folks are excited about the MS Band and would like help in getting it...and you try to turn this into OFAC list violations.

Sorry guys, we're not all like this.