No Sales To Russia/China?

[factor40]

Should a sale to someone in the Russian Federation instantly raise a red flag of suspicion? I can see one of everything being ordered and then, next thing you know, they are for sale on Ebay. Is it paranoid to simply not allow sales to Russia or even China or is that going too far?

Curious about what you guys think.

[Munkey Joe]

Buying one of everything and location sends red flag to me. Is this hypothetical or did it happen??

if Hypothetical I would say that it may be a problem. Recasters are after a quick buck. they want to buy something that is in demand and recast it for easy profit. If your products become wildly in demand then Yes It would be a concern of mine. This is whats happening to FW and Nagle statues already on Ebay because they are in demand and recasters are after easy money.

if it happened already I would be inclined to say it was someone who is just wanting to sample your work for a project. Like myself. I would buy one or two of a sampling for your products to get a feel for them. Im not going to recast them I just want to get a feel for your products.

Im torn as far as advice. Honestly I dont know if I would ship overseas much anyway with the price of shipping nowdays. Just my $.02....

[mangozac]

Interesting question Steve! I've moved this topic to the Waiting Room as it's a bit more appropriate there

It's quite interesting to note that I've never had anybody from China or Russia even contact me! I agree with MJ's assessment though. Is this simply hypothetical?

[factor40]

Someone in Russia attempted to make a purchase but PayPal gave back an error because the info he gave didn't match the info on the PayPal account he tried to use. I didn't see what he tried to purchase but I couldn't help but think the worst.

[mangozac]

In the past it hasn't been uncommon to see that online stores wouldn't sell to some countries (I specifically remember some Central/South American countries being listed) so I don't think it's out of the question. The bottom line is weighing up the risk vs reward: do you feel that the loss of business by not selling to those countries (which I suspect is minimal) outweighs the risk of counterfeiting if you do?

[aussiekirgan]

Zac of the Mango makes a good point. From a business perspective, analyse the risk. Are you getting any legitimate business from those countries right now? If so, how much (and what % of your total) and are you willing to risk losing or minimising it for the sake of security of your IP?
BTW I believe it smells a bit, in particular because of the 1 of each scenario.

[Pinselknecht]

Hey,

I am making good business with russia and china!
They are paying instantly!

I dont want to miss those customers and stores!

PK

[mangozac]

But PK are you selling figures/kits or just supplies to those countries?

[Pinselknecht]

I am selling my own resin casts as well as my other stuff!

I dont fear recasting even I have seen a lot of it in the last years.
I fear the professional hobby friends much more. They have the tools to copy in high class!

PK

[Lane]

Unfortunately the recasters will get copies even if you do not sell direct to them.