I was wondering if any of you ladies can help out in this because I really dont understand.
There is this great item iI wanted to bid on so I contacted the Ebayer(they are from the UK) and asked if they allowed US bidders to bid.
The Ebayer never stated that they only accept UK bidders.
Now,I have done mannnnny smooth transactions with people in the UK,Germany,Spain, and the rest of Europe.
However,this seller said she only accepts bidders from the UK
WHY IS THAT?
if someone is willing to pay international shipping costs, has 100% positive feedback, and is a US Ebayer.
Whats the difference?
why are some people deadset on only doing business from the UK??
maybe someone can fill me in because I dont get it.

Originally Posted by Heelharlot

I was wondering if any of you ladies can help out in this because I really dont understand. There is this great item iI wanted to bid on so I contacted the Ebayer(they are from the UK) and asked if they allowed US bidders to bid. The Ebayer never stated that they only accept UK bidders. Now,I have done mannnnny smooth transactions with people in the UK,Germany,Spain, and the rest of Europe. However,this seller said she only accepts bidders from the UK WHY IS THAT? if someone is willing to pay international shipping costs, has 100% positive feedback, and is a US Ebayer. Whats the difference? why are some people deadset on only doing business from the UK?? maybe someone can fill me in because I dont get it.

I am a US ebayer and I don't like to ship international because if there is a dispute, ebay might refund their entire purchase price, including shipping. This could be why the seller is afraid to accept US bidders.

Originally Posted by Heelharlot

I was wondering if any of you ladies can help out in this because I really dont understand. There is this great item iI wanted to bid on so I contacted the Ebayer(they are from the UK) and asked if they allowed US bidders to bid. The Ebayer never stated that they only accept UK bidders. Now,I have done mannnnny smooth transactions with people in the UK,Germany,Spain, and the rest of Europe. However,this seller said she only accepts bidders from the UK WHY IS THAT? if someone is willing to pay international shipping costs, has 100% positive feedback, and is a US Ebayer. Whats the difference? why are some people deadset on only doing business from the UK?? maybe someone can fill me in because I dont get it.

They may think shipping is more complicated than it actually is?

XX

Well, I sell US only and that is chancy enough. It is entirely her right to choose what countries she wants to sell/ship to. You are just going to have to find your great item elsewhere. Just wondering if you sell.........................................????? ???

I agree that some think it's much more complicated to ship internationally than it is.

I used to have to go to the post office for all international parcels but now I can print shipping right from home.

I my international customers.

I sell rarely but absolutely wouldn't accept bids from outside the UK on my auctions. I get stressed enough with using royal mail and don't need the extra stress of wondering if it's got where it's going. Also, I imagine the claims process in case of loss would be complicated and I'd lose out a lot with the shipping costs.

It has nothing to do with only wanting to do business within the UK, it just seems less troublesome to do so.

I sell less than I buy, and love buying from overseas... but hate selling outside the U.S., and do it very rarely. It's not only the stress of sending an expensive item into a possible abyss, if it should get stuck in customs, it's the hassle of a possible return..

When selling pricey designer bags, the actual insurance one can purchase is limited to $500 for most countries outside the U.S. I am not willing to take that chance with a $1500 item.

Some sellers just don't want the hassle of selling outside of their country. I only sell within the U.S. There's enough problems with that, I don't need any more. I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days we don't have a choice, and ebay makes us sell to other countries. That's when I'll quit ebay (if not before).

Originally Posted by MarneeB

Some sellers just don't want the hassle of selling outside of their country. I only sell within the U.S. There's enough problems with that, I don't need any more. I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days we don't have a choice, and ebay makes us sell to other countries. That's when I'll quit ebay (if not before).

I couldn't agree more. Not to mention how complicated the return process can get with an international transaction...sigh

I agree that it is generally less hassle and less nerve-wracking to post within country, especially for higher value items. I have my default options set to UK only, but have happily allowed bids from ebay members who've contacted me to ask if I would post abroad (having checked out their feedback / confirmed postage cost (using International Signed For) / they understand they pick up any taxes or charges).
I suspect that if a buyer takes the time to enquire then they are genuine - that has been my experience so far.

I've even had packages arrive in Scandinavia before ones to the other end of England posted at the same time...!

Like most others have said, it might be troublesome. I'm a Canadian buyer and occasionally I'll find something from the USA in which I'm interested in bidding on, but which states in the auction, "USA shipping only". I might send mail to the seller politely asking whether they would consider shipping to Canada, but if they refuse, I just move along. It's all about what people are comfortable with.

I can completely understand this. Some people just don't want the hassle of fixing problems on oversea's shipments. Especially as the cost of shipping can be very high, the buyer might demand the seller pay the return shipping costs which could make out of pocket expenses very very high. As an international buyer, I only ever bid on items I am 100% sure about and I factor in a loss of $70AUD, should I need to return ship it. This calculation alone makes a lot of items not worth bidding on.

I am extremely grateful for the those sellers who do ship internationally though as I have gotten some awesome deals on international items. If I was restricted just to the AU market I'd probably just buy from the retail store here instead.

I agree w/ what all the gals are saying. But for me, I don't mind the overseas buyers. I haven't had any issues in the past. Plus they are usually willing to pay more. So I'm fine with it.

If something goes wrong with an international transaction it's approximately a million times harder to sort out than a domestic one. As buyer and seller, I've had packages go missing for months; customs fees on returned items; buyers backing out because I wouldn't agree to under-declare the value; contents damaged by customs inspection; and that's just a spit in the ocean compared to the issues I've seen on this forum.

I once bought from a seller in France who asked me to confirm in writing that I understood the scarf had x y and z flaws, and that it might take 3 weeks to arrive, and that any customs fees were my responsibility, etc... before she would sell to me. She was pretty surprised I agreed to it.