Steve,
I think you are right on target about this company. I've sold probably a dozen items to them over the past couple of years. Always very good to deal with, and I gather that they purchase a good deal of product online based upon their polite requirements for printing the ebay number etc on the shipping label. And positive feedback is always given upon filling out their information form, well before the item has had a chance to arrive. I've never had an issue at all in dealing with them. But they always buy nice stuff and seem to be buying at the behest of folks who know what they want. Seems like an interesting set up.
Greg Overton kind of feels like San Diego today, near Denver, Colorado
Quoting "S. Maas" <bikestuff@nonlintec.com>:
> Recently I sold my tricolor Colnago Super on eBay (item 220602954381,
> http://www.nonlintec.com/
> listing, I had limited the sale to US buyers only. I know that I
> probably could get more for it if I were willing to sell it overseas,
> but I've done that before and firmly believe that the hassle just isn't
> worth it.
>
> To my considerable surprise, it was bought by a company, not an
> individual, called Shop Airlines America, Inc. Turns out they are in
> Carson, CA, just a couple blocks from Cal State University at Dominguez
> Hills. Since this is just a couple miles from me, I delivered it
> myself. Also, I was more than a little curious about the buyer.
>
> So, I boxed the bike, stuck it in the car, and drove off to Carson.
> Shop Airlines, it turns out, is in a big building in an industrial
> park, with lots of very large UPS trucks backed up to the loading dock
> out back, lots of warehouse space filled with boxes, and offices in the
> front of the building. I was met by a pleasant young woman, obviously a
> Japanese national, who took the box and gave me a receipt.
>
> I tried to ask some questions about the company, but she seemed
> uncomfortable speaking English (although she clearly understood me with
> no problems) so I didn't push it. But it seems that this company buys
> and ships items to Japan for the benefit of specific clients. I can see
> the benefit--a Japanese collector can get eBay items listed as "US
> only," and he has an organization to arrange shipping and deal with
> customs. I'll bet the bike ends up costing him twice what I sold it
> for, but that's his choice. In any case, he's getting a nice bike.
>
> So, the bike is off to Japan. I have a vision of it gliding along under
> the cherry blossoms, or past the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, or under the
> brilliant fall foliage in Kyoto. I think it would be happy there.
>
> Steve Maas
> Long Beach, California