Tantrum over shipping restrictions
Notice to collectors
This has already happened to me twice: I bought old drawing instruments from the United Kingdom, and the shipping company held them saying there were export restrictions. They refunded my money and that was that.
They didn't explicitly tell me the reason for the hold. I suppose it may be because the handles of 19th-century ruling pens can be made of ivory. I suppose that's it, but no one gave me any explanations, nor did they give me the option to request a partial shipment (the second time it was several loose pieces, and I would have liked to receive at least the one that wasn't a problem).
When I tried to contact Ebay, after managing to find the option to speak to a real person, nobody had a clue. They directed me to ask the seller or the transport company (Pitney Bowes). The latter have a help page similar to Ebay's (no comment). Finally I contacted a person, but they told me to check again with Ebay.
Let's see, supposedly if they refund your money you should be happy. But with how hard it is to find certain objects or boxes that are practically complete and at a good price... they can shove the refund where the sun doesn't shine.
Anyway, that's it. I've vented now. In short, be careful with technical antiques that have small bone or ivory parts, because it's a lottery whether they can hold them at the shipping hub. That's if the cause is what I imagine, because really no one has ever confirmed it to me.
Ebay is very good for certain things, but every now and then they give you surprises like this. And aside from the object not arriving, the fact that the shipping company keeps it and probably ends up destroying it, being an old object of some interest, honestly annoys me even more.
