I've been offered 11K by ABU games for a UL lot. They expect me to send first, and then receive a US business check worth 11K, which can be redeemed locally in my bank Finland with a lead time of 6 weeks (including exchange rate risk)

Of course that 11k is probably contingent on them all being NM unless price has been factored in. Many sellers overgrade their cards, which can result in a 10-30% loss of price, sometimes more for really hard end stuff as NM/M carries a premium.

Make sure the prices are quoted for the conditions specified.
You can use a trusted third party, so make sure you trust them
different shipping companies offer different levels of service depending what you pay. the highest is generally a signature and ID check for a specific person confirming they received the cards.

Keep in mind that many card shops deal with multiple orders like this every week, if not every day. It's not special to them.

See what banks they use and research any sister banks in your country to see if you can do a simple international wire transfer. unfortunately for you, abu doesn't have a bank in the EU, where transfers are low price under 12,500 euro.

It's simply about decreasing your potential risk as much as possible by knowing as much as you can going into it.

Answer: Fedex will not pay you out on a claim if cards are damaged for more then $100. I've sent a single card that was worth $25k via FedEx overseas uninsured with now issues so I wouldn't be concerned they are the best for international shipping.

2) How should I ship the cards to avoid extra customs costs, but still being able to track everything and be insured?

Answer: You ship them with 0 declared value or very low declared value but you won't be able to send them insured with FedEx and most countries will not cover the value of the cards once they leave the country of shipment.

3) Is it possible to make a deal with say Fed-Ex where they supervise the transaction? E.g. enforce that the check is sent before receiving the package.

Answer: No

4) Is there anybody reliable in Boise, Idaho who could act as third party?

1. Are your cards in the condition they are asking for? ABU grades very tough and unless you have a special deal with them their grading system is simple. NM or played. 80-90% of all of your cards are probably going to be listed as played unless you have a very rare collector non player collection. Their played price is about 50% of their NM so you should brace yourself as they don't have any middle ground.

2. Customs, buy whatever shipping you want but consider this. Once it hits USA customs it is considered just regular first class mail. There is no added protection. Your protection you buy is good only for the country you live in, not the one it arrives in. So if you declare a high value you can expect a higher chance of it being stolen. Europe mail mainly goes through New York, and they have a very high theft rate for expensive small packages. An example of this is that I have bought 3 moxes out of the USA, every one of them was stolen. Reason everyone of them declared a large value and therefore fit nicely in someones pocket.

Also, for your fear of a check being "lost in the mail" I don't think you should worry. If you do not receive it, call the company and have them stop payment on the check and reissue it. It shouldn't cost very much to do.

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Originally posted by JensK:
And then when they send half of it back, it gets caught in EU customs and you have to pay a fortune to get them.

I don't think I would sell it like this. I suggest you sell within Europe (MCM is a great place) or sell to reputable people in the high end facebook group.

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I deal with them on a regular basis, good group of people.

Booking a flight to do it in person is also a option, eliminates most risk, and lets you browse Boise, few other shops around to check out, maybe find deals, etc.

EDIT: No clue how reliable you think I am over ABU, but I do live outside Boise.

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Originally posted by Vermilion:

4) Is there anybody reliable in Boise, Idaho who could act as third party?

Answer: Travis Pendleton?

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Nope, Utah, though he could probably vouch for me :P

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Originally posted by Lord Crovax:

Nope, Utah, though he could probably vouch for me :P

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Travis P. here. While I do live in Utah, I do plan on going to Idaho soon to check out some shops with Lord Crovax; we could stop in at ABU and possibly work this out for you so you don't get gouged on condition.

If this is something you'd like to talk about, send me an email (r3dd09@gmail.com)

bigbob585: Yes the exchange rate risk would be born by myself. And currently the euro is really weak, which is why this deal makes sense in the first place. No euro-shop can make such an offer for this lot. With regard to card condition, I've sent ABU high-res scans of the money cards, so I expect their offer to be correct.

dwiz: I'm really warming up to spending some time in Boise, ID !

Vermilion: So basically, i'll have to carry the risk of the shipping, because it will be prohibitely expensive to ship insured overseas. I wonder how much it would cost in total (insurance + customs)?

ende73: Thanks for the tip on escrow.

slurpee: 1. I've sent ABU scans of all the cards worth more than $30, so their offer should be accurate. The rest is played (or slightly played) as you said.
2. This is something new to me, hard to believe almost. So you are saying e.g. Fed-ex insurance is only good UNTIL the package arrives in the states?

JensK: It's a good suggestion, but the weakening euro has made ABUs offer over 2 kEUR better than any i've gotten Europe. And it seems the euro is still weakening. Maybe I should just wait a few months until the mtg prices adjust.

Tim05: : I guess checks are easy to re-issue as you said, then it only takes some additional time.

Lord Crovax Good to know. I'm seriously considering booking a flight as you suggested, maybe enjoy some vacation at the same time.

r3dd09 Thanks, i'll keep in mind. I'll consider making a trip first though

On the shipping, to give you an idea of how sure I am. I actually opened a congressional inquiry to track down why my moxes were being stolen. This went all the way up to Donahue's office who was the postmaster general of the entire USA. My inquiry did not yield my cards, but it did help bust a ring of thieves at JFK. NOw not to brag, but when I got done talking to Donahue's secretary she was crying....

So to summarize this information is from his office directly, it also was the same info as the audit office and it was the same story on the regional level. While I offer people the option of registered shipping, it really is a waste of money for international shipping as it just protects the package until it reaches customs, once there is just regular mail. Sure the postal carrier has to get an autograph when delivered, but the tracking and added protection is gone.

psyduck & r3dd09: Yup, but GP's would mean flying to the US anyway, and I hardly know how to play magic anymore :P

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Originally posted by hack84:
Yup, but GP's would mean flying to the US anyway, and I hardly know how to play magic anymore :P

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Not the case at all. Here's the schedule for you so that you can find a GP near you.

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Originally posted by Zakman86:
Not the case at all. Here's the schedule for you so that you can find a GP near you.

http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/premier-calendar#/overview

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exactly what i was thinking, some of the larger US vendors will show up to these too.

quote:

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Originally posted by r3dd09:
GP Modern Masters in Vegas would be a good one to attend, it's in May

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This seems like a solid option to, if you like Vegas that is.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lord Crovax:
This seems like a solid option to, if you like Vegas that is.

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Oi. Partied with hookers and dudes with unending wallets the night before last GP Vegas. Was a horrible time waiting in the sun and heat for 4 hours to just get into the building. Won the pack wars tourney before hand though. Haha

At that sum, you legally be required to declare it when leaving, and quite possibly need to provide proof of where it came from. Then if you tell them, they may ask for documents related to importation, as it was a commercial importation. When you can't provide them, prepare for the money to be seized on suspicion of money laundering, or similar claims.