Why? The variety among the people, the people all singing together. Sniff. That Coke commercial embodied a kumbaya moment and event to be achieved.
So what has Coke and kumbaya have to do with me shipping international? Motive. Reason. That sentiment is why I ship dolls and action figures overseas and outside of the United States. And why despite the international shipping snafu I am currently experiencing, I will continue to do so. See my SIX reasons here ....
- Global neighbor
- Selling dolls internationally seems to bring the world closer. Like, no, there aren't mountains and oceans and land masses between us. Let's trade: dolls for cash. I can't teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. But I can sell dolls.
- Fair play
- I buy from international vendors and/or international collectors so it is fair to turn provide a similar service to someone outside the U.S. Back in the 1990s I bought Takara Jenny and her friends from David Hammon, an American collector who traveled overseas and then brought those otherwise unobtainable fashion dolls here. If I could buy Jennys then later Momokos and Susies from the East, I could spare some American dolls and/or action figures to send East.
- Active market
- The strain on the U.S. economy has affected doll buyers. Fewer, more cautious sales happen now. Modern playscale dolls and action figures are a small category in the world of doll collecting. It makes no sense to keep pitching to the same people, at the same places. It's time to seek new buyers. Buyers beyond the state lines. Sales and returning buyers has made selling overseas worth the attempt. Bienvenue, monde!
- World-traveling dolls
- Nice to think that dolls once mine now live overseas. I cannot travel; they can and do. I don't get to know about their experience after they are gone, but it sounds sophisticated to write that my playscale figures have gone further afield than I have. Like launching my "babies" off into the world of other collectors.
- Paperwork, Packaging
- Ever experience the challenge of using the correct custom form by weight and/or postal service? What about considering whether first class international plus registered mail service is cheaper than global express? How about figuring out which services are available for which countries? And never forget the fun of packaging dolls and action figures for overseas voyages: cannot be too heavy or you miss letter rate postage; too light and worry about the figure having enough protection.
- Helping the U.S. Economy
- When I sell dolls, I help the U.S. economy. Yes, every trip to the U.S. Post Office adds to their coffers. I pay for their services. People can stay employed. Isn't that worth a little of my time and attention?
The hippie experience was cool. I loved and lived it. It was the greatest era (for me) in American history. The young rebelled against the establishment's rules and tried to accept people as human beings first and "make the world a better place" in the process.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, the hippie experience or the Kumbaya mindset does not motivate me to sell internationally, but I do and have had positive experiences buying and selling internationally. Bottom line for me is: If I have something to sell, I'll sell to anyone who has convertible green or a Paypal account.
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LOL, thanks for sharing your experience, BDE! Sometimes international buying and selling is challenging, but I've always found it worth doing.
ReplyDeletethat commercial had a powerful impact on me as well. I think this post is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristl! Amazing how powerful that advertisement was ... and is after all these years.
ReplyDeleteI remember the commercial and just sang it the other day. I was never a huge Coke fan but the commercial was awesome in my young mind. It still stands out today :O)
ReplyDeleteI have had very good experiences selling internationally. It seems that now things seem to be problematic. I would still sell to the overseas population since we have things they want and they have things we want as well.