Selling radar detector on ebay. Shipping to PR. Any customs?

[VEFF]

I am selling a radar detector on ebay.
A potential buyer from Puerto Rico is asking if I ship there.
I have, up until now, only shipped within the continental US (48 states).

Are there any caveats to shipping to PR?
Are there customs duties etc?

Thanks!

[ClayBuster]

I just shipped a Plextor 712A to PR there was nothing special I had to do.

[VEFF]

Thanks ClayBuster.
How much was the shipping? It seems to be quite a bit higher than shipping costs to the 48 continental states.

[ClayBuster]

I think it was $8 or $9 for Priority mail with delivery confermation

[VEFF]

Thanks Rick!

I guess it is a moot point now: it sold already!
Less than 1 hour.

[LoneWolf]

What kind was it?

My Escort Passport 8500 sold within 2 hours last year.

[VEFF]

What kind was it?

My Escort Passport 8500 sold within 2 hours last year.

Also an 8500.

[VEFF]

The old one came in handy tonight:

I was almost home (one minute away), when I decided to turn around and go for a leisurely, fun highway drive (my new car was out of commission for over 2 months this summer after being struck hard while parked at night).
I was enjoying myself, safely of course, with a few other drivers along side my car, when the 8500 went crazy in an area where I know they like to hide.
I slowed down, as did the driver to the left of me (probably also had a detector, or was watching me like a hawk since he reacted the same instant I did); the 3rd driver in the right lane, who was passing on the right, was oblivious and didn't slow down much.
Sure enough there was police officer (in one of the usual locations) with his car parked on the shoulder around the curve with no lights on whatsoever.
Nobody got a ticket, since even the driver in the right lane wasn't going that fast when he passed the police officer, fortunately for him.

I guess it was the final test before I pack it up tomorrow and await the new detector.

[LoneWolf]

Michigan police are pretty busy without speeding tickets already. They do give them out, but unlike some states, it's not about revenue generation, and people drive so fast out here, that since there's a limited number of officers (largely due to a 3-year hiring freeze due to state budget crunch) they're going to go for the worst offenders, and leave the 5-10mph folks alone, and often the 15mph ones too.

I drive the same 35-40mile commute every day. I just decided I didn't need the unit anymore, I know where they hide, and at the time, I needed to afford an engagement ring more than I needed a radar detector (my spare racing bicycle was sold for it too). I bought mine through a fellow Acura Integra owner who used to work for a car stereo store, so he got it for me for their cost. I lost very little reselling it.

Irony is that my ancient Uniden LRD-2300SW (C&D's best model for under $100 back in the early to mid 90's) did me a great job, nearly on par with the Escort, and was far less annoying in its alerts.

[VEFF]

Well, an engagement ring is certainly FAR more important than a detector.

Interesting about the false alerts.
My biggest reason for getting an Escort was to get less false alerts:
In my case, false alerts with the Escort are far less than with my Bel 645STi which I gave to my gf (now ex), or than any other detector that I owner before it for that matter (I owned a cheap Uniden and then a mid range Cobra before the Bel and the Passport).

I received the X50 today, so I will get to test it when I go out shopping in a little while.
I will also ship the original 8500 later on today.

[LoneWolf]

I should qualify: I didn't mean false alerts. The Uniden did have a higher rate of false alerts. The Escort was somewhat high, until you turned the X-band off. In both, I kept highway mode on all the time, as it is more sensitive, but I had the X-band on off or auto-off or auto-city, I forget what the modes are.

The Uniden had a separate beep tone for each band of radar, which was very nice, and the beeps themselves were far less annoying, especially in situations where I was trying to converse with the SO in the car. The Escort had to be muted a lot when I had a passenger.

[BuddhaTB]

Just make sure you declare the value around $30-40, so the other person doesn't have to pay a hefty customs fee.

[aviationwiz]

Just make sure you declare the value around $30-40, so the other person doesn't have to pay a hefty customs fee.

...And the second post confirmed that he didn't need a customs form. Oh, and falsifying a customs form is a federal crime, and since it would be with the USPS, that also constitutes as mail fraud.

[dodecahedron]

and since it would be with the USPS, that also constitutes as mail fraud.

my my, someone been watching Grisham's "The Firm" too many times ???

[LoneWolf]

and since it would be with the USPS, that also constitutes as mail fraud.

my my, someone been watching Grisham's "The Firm" too many times ???

Back in the early days of online auctions, I had a guy write me a check on a closed account for an item. I was one step from charging him with mail fraud, and had already talked to the USPS Postal Crimes Inspectorate, as he sent his bad check through the mail (when it's deliberate, it's mail fraud). Fortunately, the one great experience I've ever had with UPS took place. I called their regional hub and they turned around the shipment before the product got to him and got it sent back to me. The UPS guy amazingly enough told me that this was not the first time they'd done this with that particular individual. As he'd defrauded several other people who wrote me based on my bad comments about him, I managed to get their money refunded too by threatening to press charges (he was dumb enough to have posted his true address and phone). I told him that if they didn't all get their money or get their product returned, we'd collectively press charges, and he buckled, claiming he had a compulsive problem.

Point is, never underestimate mail fraud. Each count can be punished by up to 5 years in the federal pen and a $5,000 fine. Adds up really quickly for multiple offenses.

[CowboySlim]

Puerto Rico is a United States Territory. As such, it is not a foreign country and the residents of Puerto Rico do not have to pay customs or import duties on purchases from the 50 states.

Slim

[VEFF]

Besides legal issues, putting a lower value would not be in my best interest anyway, IMO:

Any potential damage claim, in the event the box is abused, dropped, gets soaked, lost etc., would result in only getting a $40 (if that is the declared value e.g.) insurance payout on an item worth $200...

[MadBurner]

Besides legal issues, putting a lower value would not be in my best interest anyway, IMO:

Any potential damage claim, in the event the box is abused, dropped, gets soaked, lost etc., would result in only getting a $40 (if that is the declared value e.g.) insurance payout on an item worth $200...

Unless the article is insured for $200, a declared value of $200 is nothing more than a formality.

MB

[VEFF]

Besides legal issues, putting a lower value would not be in my best interest anyway, IMO:

Any potential damage claim, in the event the box is abused, dropped, gets soaked, lost etc., would result in only getting a $40 (if that is the declared value e.g.) insurance payout on an item worth $200...

Unless the article is insured for $200, a declared value of $200 is nothing more than a formality.

MB

I guess we're talking about two different things then; when I go to FedEx or UPS, I specify a declared value; the shipping cost is then adjusted accordingly, since the insured value is greater.
The first $100 of insurance coverage (as determined by they declared value) is usually included at no extra cost.
http://www.fedex.com/us/services/ground/termsandconditions/liabilitylimits.html

[MadBurner]

Sorry VEFF, my post was in regards to the US Postal Service. I should have been more clear in my post.

MB

[aviationwiz]

For insurance:

http://www.u-pic.com