Isn't selling internationally very risky?

#16
Nothing or no one is difficult until you have to deal with shipping problems, items

not received or removed from their shipping boxes, fakes, bait and switch and the list

continues.. including paypal issues.. read some of these posts and its enough to

make your hair stand on end..
 
#17
hotshot said:
Nothing or no one is difficult until you have to deal with shipping problems, items

not received or removed from their shipping boxes, fakes, bait and switch and the list

continues.. including paypal issues.. read some of these posts and its enough to

make your hair stand on end..
Click to expand...

^^This is 100% true.
 
#18
I have never had any problems with international purchases or sales. There are additional challenges with international such as duties, time differences etc. but these are not insurmountable. As a Canadian ebay shopper, at least 90% of what I am interested in buying on ebay is an international purchase for me, mostly from the US. I would guess the same percentage of potential buyers holds true as well - I have had mostly US buyers. So, I definitely support international commerce - ebay shopping wouldn't be much fun otherwise.
 
#19
I'm an international buyer, and an international seller. Most of my buyers had been in the US (since I'm in Canada, that's an international sale), but I've sold to Europe and Asia too. I've purchased from sellers from Europe, Asia and the US, and for those who are new to selling internationally, I've been very accomodating about providing them with guidance on how to do so. Interestingly enough, the couple of "challenging" buyers I've had have been from the US, not anywhere else.

When the seller is NY, and I'm within driving distance of them, but they'd rather sell to someone in California than ship across the border, what else can I do but shrug? The recession has hit the US harder than anywhere else, so I've found that there is less high-ticket purchasing from the US than anywhere else too.
 
#20
I live in Ireland and I have been buying on e-bay for years and recently started to sell on e-bay (internationally with no problems so far - fingers crossed!). I think you can't judge an individual by what country they come from - there are decent sellers/buyers and scammers in every country. Most of my purchases have been from the US.

I go by the feedback a buyer/seller has recieved and ALWAYS use tracking and insurance. Communicate with the buyer/seller by e-mail also. You can set your e-bay seller preferences to block buyers with negative feedback, etc.

Good Luck!
 
#21
i am in the us and the only problems i have had (as a buyer and a seller) were in the us. the best transactions i have ever had as a seller were with buyers in the uk and japan. i agree that customs can create problems (though i have never had one) but as for the usual scams and crazies, there are no boundaries!
 
#23
I have bought over 20 bags on US and UK ebay without any problems. They arrive via USPS EMI or Royal Mail Signed For, usually within 7 days. Everything has turned up here in Saudi Arabia in great condition, no problems at all. I'm grateful to all those sellers who allowed me to bid - thank you.
 
#24
everything is ok, until you get a difficult buyer or the tracking doesn't update. Then there are language barriers and phone calls to other countries to deal with. You also have the problem that some buyers insist you underdeclare the value of the item or people who don't understand about custom taxes.
I have shipped internationally, but I prefer to ship within the us, I only do an international sale if I'm having real problems selling something.
You also have to be careful as for some countries people's addresses can't be confirmed.
 
#25
I don't sell outside the US but if I did the first thing I would be very clear on is that the buyer understands that they are resonsible for customs charges and that you will not underdelcare valure for the item since in order to protect yourself you have to insure for the full amount. So many cases posted here of buyers that become outraged and blame the seller when they realize they have to pay customs charges for their purchase.

I would also only ship USPS Express Mail and with full insurance.

Linda
 
#26
From a buyer's standpoint, I recently purchased a part for my Macbook (I'm in Spain, seller was in UK). The part did not function properly and Paypal said in order for me to get a refund I had to send the part back, provide proof of shipping with tracking and signature confirmation and it was on my dime to do so.
 
#27
I'd also like to chime in that I have purchased several bags on ebay and Bonanzle, some even from wonderful tPFers and never had an issue or given a problem to anyone. I have also sold bags, to Singapore, Japan and the US... the only troublesome buyer I had was in the US who filed a SNAD on me because she had buyer's remorse and I told her all sales were final.
 
#28
Yes. It does get ugly when people don't realize there is possibly a customs bill attached.
eBay tightened the system on this in the June 2009 revision of the User Agreement.

eBay now recommends that sellers include words in their listings to remind buyers that they may have to pay customs and it is the buyers responsibility.

A buyer requiring a seller to undervalue an item is technically asking for an illegal act to be done. A seller can undervalue it if they really want to, but the seller will be at fault if the item goes missing, as insurance will only protect to what is declared on the package.

Obviously, full tracking with serial numbers is needed for any valuable item. Plus, when you have shipped it, you can go back to the paypal transaction and add the shipping details and you have a clear paypal record of when you shipped something. The system automatically lets the buyer know that it is on the way. I think this is new. I use it now. I also put a paypal packing slip in. The more paperwork, the clearer the story, the less "wriggle" room.

eBay can now technically remove negative feedback involving problems with customs duty.
 
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