Anyone else have problems shipping to the Russian Federation?

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Against my better judgement I shipped some costume jewelry to the Russian Federation. I told the buyer that I did not ship to Russia as it could take forever & that other sellers have had problems with that country.  But the person begged me to make an exception. Of course tracking was very expensive & the buyer didn't want to pay that.  I sent the parcel May 5/16 & never heard anything so assumed they received it. Today I get a notice of Items Not Received case being opened. I know how this is going to end. I will be forced to refund. Hard lesson learned. I will no longer ship to certain countries. No exception made anymore.

[maggiebvintage2010]

Because some crayons and watercolours contain hazardous substances which impact the environment, tourism (image of "green" country), health and waste disposal.  They also have their own manufacturers and have been promoting "Made in New Zealand" products for years.

[amcdc79]

Both items I shipped to Russia did arrive, but they took forever. The last one happened just when the defect program started. If you remember, for awhile, the buyer just asking "where is my stuff" gave you a defect. When the item did arrive, the buyers comment to me was "his bleeping Postal Service was the problem". Still, I got the defect.

I have shipped to Italy, Mexico, Brazil and others over the years with no issues, but have cut way back, just for peace of mind.

Strange, that the only one I've had go missing, was to Calgary, everything going there, is tracked.