Out of curiosity, do people on here ever swap bullion internationally? I'm just guessing that Aussie bullion is cheaper there and North American bullion is cheaper there... does anyone ever just swap to get some more interesting designs? Or do people just end up paying more and buying it from dealers in their own country to avoid the hassle of international mail?
I don't generally. I've nearly been ripped off buying coins internationally previously so I generally stick to aus for my purchases. I haven't looked at fleabay for a long time now.
I've made some purchases from this forum, eBay and other dealers around the world. I suppose there's always an element of risk involved, but I wouldn't have been able to get them here without paying an arm and a leg!
I've swapped with forum members for stuff that's hard to get here or have ridiculous premiums (Peso's, AGE's etc). Postage for a kilo of silver to the US is about $70 so international swaps for AG aren't particularly economical from what I've experienced but some people don't mind paying extra to get something they want. High premium and rare/desirable brands such as Engelhard would make it worthwhile for some people but definitely not for the more common styles.
I have had no problems with International buyers in the past however after my last transaction with a Malaysian based member, I have become much more careful and selective in my business transactions with overseas buyers. I have always allowed my buyers to hedge for 24 hours if they order from my current inventory. If spot plunges and they have buyer's remorse, they are under no obligation to follow through. It is not a big risk as very few people renege on their purchases and any loss incurred is usually minimal. What is so annoying in this case was the member here asked me to buy thousands of dollars worth of coins that I didn't have in inventory for him. He then acquired buyer's remorse about a week later when silver prices plunged leaving me with over a $1000 in losses. That hurts! He has the dubious honour of getting the first negative feedback I have ever left for a member.
Thanks for your thoughts on this everyone. I had this thought that maybe it made sense to swap an oz for oz overseas for the cost of the shipping. Maybe a good way to get more variety in my collection? Wasn't sure if people were already doing this here in the forums.
I would think all the cost, risks factor be high. Damages lost of goods would be high too. Imho not recommended.
