posted on February 14, 2003 11:42:30 AM new
After selling on ebay for several years, I'm considering expanding my customer base. I am looking to the AW community to offer some advice...basically some do's and dont's. Which payment methods are good? I currently am able to accept credit cards without PayPal, is that the better way to go? Should I post fixed shipping charges in my auctions or should I ask potential bidders to email for international rates. We all know how US bidders love to see all shipping and handling costs stated up front, I would think this would apply to international bidders as well. What do you folks do?
posted on February 14, 2003 11:49:46 AM new
It is next to impoosible to list international shipping rates as they vary from country to country so a simple " e-mail me for international shipping rates" or something similar is the best way to go. I have been going about 4 years and have had loads of international transaction with no problem and with paypal also. good luck to you
posted on February 14, 2003 12:05:25 PM new
I have always sold to international customers. I have never had a problem, although I have never accepted creit card transactions from them either- always cash (UK pounds or dollars only) check (US dollars or UK pounds only ) or MO (again pounds or dollars), and many of the buyers were actually Americans working over seas.
BUT, any problems you do incur will be magnified by the distance, different laws, different postal service, etc.. Creit card payments can create a problem in proof of delivery. You'll be dealing with a foreign postal service as well as differing laws regarding credit card charge backs. You also have to fill out a customs slip for each package stating the value of the item, what the item is, and you must sign it. Many of your customers will request that you lie about the value to avoid taxes.
You also have to figure bank charges if they pay in foreign currenices. I use a credit union that doesn't charge anything to deposit foreign checks or currency.
I can imagine there are some horror stories out there dealing with international customers.
posted on February 14, 2003 12:12:36 PM new
Cross your fingers and hope that you get Japan bidders! They are the most polite and well paying (fast and high) bidders that I have EVER run across...hands down. I would sell to them any day of the week.
posted on February 14, 2003 12:58:10 PM new
I agree about Japanese bidders, they are great. The vast majority of my international bidders have been great and I have sold to people from all over. Most international bidder realize that it is more expensive and more work. There are a few that will try to take advantage of you, just make sure you post in your terms that shipping prices are for US addresses only. Also, you should familiarize yourself with the difference between air/surface letter rate and air/surface parcel post - It depends on the size of the package, and can make a HUGE difference in what it costs to ship.
posted on February 14, 2003 01:26:52 PM new
do not drop paypal,if they are ebay bidders and bother to register with paypal,you can always look up their feedback before you accept their payment.
usps insurance applies to overseas shipment as well,of course if a chargeback hits,insurance is useless .
if you are going to take cc direct,uk addresses are now verified.
posted on February 14, 2003 01:28:39 PM new
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I have been doing a lot of "lurking" on different discussion boards about this. I sell collectibles and my package sizes are all different. I sell a lot of items that can fit nicely in the small 7 x 7 priority mail boxes and other items that fit in 12 x 12 x 12 boxes so I will definitely have to make sure which services I can use for each package. One question that I have is about insurance. Can international shipments be insured? I've shipped to Canada on occasion and have found that an insured package is much, much, much more expensive than an uninsured one. Also, do you use the same customs form for each country?
I'm really trying to gather as much information as possible to make this transition as smooth as possible for me and my new customers.
Thanks again for all the input.
I lurk here all day, every day and really never have anything exciting to add to the conversation so I just sit quietly and read. I've learned a lot from everyone and even signed up for Endicia because of the posts on this board. It truly is a great place to learn.
posted on February 14, 2003 02:22:50 PM new
I began selling internationally about a year ago and have had no problems. Well, correction: one British woman who evidently dropped into the same black hole that Osama bin Laden is in - never heard from again after her high bid. But that's all. I accept US cash, international money order, BidPay, PayPal. The great majority of my int'l buyers use PayPal.
I've also noticed that collectibles which are hot in the U.S. and Canada (pottery, etc.) are of almost no interest abroad. Just my own experience. But I've put, as one of my default AW preferences, that I will sell internationally - just in case - and will change that if I list an item I don't want to sell overseas sometime.
Good luck. Go ahead and try it; you can always change your mind if you don't have a good experience with int'l buyers.
posted on February 14, 2003 02:31:53 PM new
The reason that I have decided to try this is because I have been getting a lot of emails asking me to ship abroad. (Before I put my "No International Shipping" disclaimer in my auctions)
Also, because I was sick and tired of getting negative feedback from Canadian buyers who bid, won and got mad when I said, "Sorry, no shipping to Canada."
I've done some research and the majority of sellers in my specific category do not ship outside the US. Because I sell a very specific product to a specific market, I'm hoping to increase sales through the international marketplace.
My biggest concern right now is the wording in my auctions about payment methods. I want to make sure that I do not receive any foreign currency and/or payments requiring me to pay hefty fees at my bank.
I have always accepted PayPal and will not change that. I also accept credit cards directly via a secure shopping cart, so I think that would be okay but want to have all of my bases covered so as not to cause any confusion after an auction ends.
posted on February 14, 2003 03:11:43 PM new
you can always suggest Bidpay payments. It doesn't cost the seller anything and the money order arrives in about 3 days. I don't ship until I receive the money order.
I state in my auctions "no international sales", but if asked I have always said yes.
posted on February 14, 2003 03:17:52 PM new
Are you keen on reports? Look up the growth eBay International is experiencing compared to eBay USA. If your on the fence trying to decide that should make up your mind for you.
posted on February 14, 2003 03:46:35 PM new
Feel free to look at one of my auctions TOS (terms of service) It's worked pretty well for me. I have two different colors in my shipping terms...to the US and outside of the US. Hopefully it will fit in a Priority Mail envelope and that makes things a lot simpler. It just has to weigh under 4 pounds and you have to be able to tape the PM envelope shut no matter how fat it is.
(learned THAT from my PO guy) Oh, and you can't use PM tape overseas.
MOST Canadians buyers are polite and willing to pay the shipping. They are fairly experienced with shipping from the US. I've never received anything other than PayPal or Money Orders, oh, and cold hard cash in the mail. Overseas bidders use PP mostly. Some of the Canadian MO's don't look like US, you really have to look them over to see the "payable in US" on them. But I've not had one yet that wasn't US. And only one Canadian buyer that didn't follow through, since NARU'd. Shipping to Alaska has the worst rates of all, I've done that too.
Other than that, I haven't had anything but positives. My girlfriend wanted to try selling on Ebay, her first two sales were to the UK.
posted on February 14, 2003 03:53:13 PM new
Don't forget to make sure that you state that the buyer is responsible for any duties, taxes or other customs charges. That way you won't get stuck with buyers who want you to lie on the customs form. It's a felony for you; no penalty for them. And you could also add that payment is in US dollars only.
posted on February 14, 2003 04:45:34 PM new
Before my current account I spent eight yers with a mail order company. I would never refuse to sell internationally. Why cut off such a large potental market? I currently have a couple regulars in Hong Kong and one in Tokyo and they are probably my favorite customers overall. They are polite, couteous, quick to pay, allways understanding of shipping issues.
The only country I consistantly have problems with is the Netherlands. It's not in shipping but payment, the bidders seem to be younger, don't pay attention to TOS then want to send cash Euros or just flat out don't ever pay.
posted on February 14, 2003 05:49:13 PM new
you asked about customs forms-there are two depending on weight.
on the big form it asks you what do you want to do if undelivered,one option is that if you want it returned to you,you may have to pay return shipping altho in my cases,i never have to.
intl credit card frauds -indonesia,russia,romania,nigeria,middle east.
i have heard a few cases from uk and canada as well.
insurance premium is the same for domestic as well as intl for usps.
registered mail,there is a limit on how much you can insure for ,with hong kong it is a pretty low amount.
posted on February 14, 2003 05:57:03 PM new
I have sold thounsands of items through Ebay. Off shore sales are a small but important part of my business. As far as problems go, I have had more problems with U.S. sales. Small items can be shipped by U.S.P.S. Air Mail (letter post). It works well and cost less than Global Priority Mail. I have a World Map on my office wall and we stick a colored pin in all the places we sell to its fun. Just had a new one the other day Bermunda. Give it a try, with Ebay sales the way they are I would sell to Mars if I could. GOOD LUCK.
posted on February 14, 2003 05:59:00 PM new
Paypal now accepts Euros, Pounds Sterling, Yen, Canadian Dollars and of course US Dollars. I just signed up (no cost) to accept payments in any of those currencies. I now will ship world wide and say so in my listings. I also include PayPal buttons within my listing in three currencies; so far everyone has paid me in US $. I also have a disclaimer about "brokerage and customs duty" being the responsiblility of the winning international bidder. Real important as i just sold a 1200.00 Mamiya lens to a guy in France and he wanted to know why the postal people there wanted about $300.00 to deliver the lens.
Custom forms; there are only two if you ship via USPS and they depend on value as to which one they want filled out. you can always check online at www.usps.com to find out which form is required for what country.
posted on February 14, 2003 06:22:26 PM new
TRULY...ye might want to RE-CONSIDER selling high-priced items outside the USA & accepting PayPal
Although I am a real PayPal cheerleader, it is virtual business suicide to do what you're doing!
PP offers a very SLIGHT amount of protection to USA sellers selling to USA bidders...PAYPAL OFFERS NO PROTECTION WHAT-SO-EVER ON INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS!!
CLASS! Let's repeat this 1000 times:
...PAYPAL OFFERS NO PROTECTION WHAT-SO-EVER ON INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS!!
I can't accept the nervous fright over a $50 loss -- you can sleep with $1100 in the balance?? Lucky you
For HIGH-PRICED items, the ONLY way to go is: BID PAY!
Ralphie loves Mr Blonde:
"Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"
http://tinyurl.com/5duz
posted on February 16, 2003 03:27:54 AM new
Hello: We have sold with international option for 3 years. 99% good luck. Only accept PayPal, BidPay, international money order or cash. The Canadians and Europeans are being hit with high tariff tax. Some reports are outrageous. The tax is above and beyond our control.
Four out of six last German buyers paid in cash, highly risky sent by mail in my opinion. They said fees otherway were way to high. Fortunately the mail is still highly secure. It is a blessing of our country that does show a good worldwide. Also had German PayPal customers.
Canadian and U.K. customers the most common and usually easy to deal with. Many ask for papers to be marked at low price and as gift. Otherwise they are hit with high tariff.
Anything from Indonesia is recommended to avoid unless there is money in the bank. We get at least two offers a month wanting to make deal on credit card off auction. Most of these want off auction credit card purchase, yet we had two uncompleted buys from U.S. buyers wanting to ship to Indonesia on what was suspected to be stolen credit card numbers.
We also had clean deals with folks in Italy, France, Greece, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Netherlands and Japan.
Do not be fearfull, especially if you set terms. PayPal does not except some countries as Indonesia for a very good reason.
If anything suspicious, only accept cash or international money order in U.S.$ Go for it!
posted on February 16, 2003 07:05:45 AM new
Thank you so much for your encouragement. I have included an international shipping section in all of my new auctions. This is what I've stated:
We are now accepting bids from our worldwide neighbors. If you would like to know how much shipping is to your country, simply send me an email and I’ll give you the shipping charges. All international bidders wishing to bid on this auction must agrees to the following terms and conditions:<p>
Shipping charges, as stated in this auction description, are for delivery to the US only. Any international shipping charges will be given upon request or at the end of the auction.
The high bidder is responsible for all taxes, tariffs and other fees associated with receiving a package from the US. We will mark all custom forms as “Merchandise” and will state the final high bid as the value of the package. Please do not ask us to mark “Gift” on the package or state a lower value.
All payments must be made in US dollars. We do accept PayPal but would highly recommend that you use BidPay to send a money order to pay for your purchase.
Any comments? Did I leave anything out? I know that it is very important to state terms up front so want to make sure I've covered everything.
posted on February 16, 2003 09:26:23 AM new
Sounds great! The only thing I would suggest is to be more specific with the forms of international payment you accept. Are Paypal and Bidpay in US dollars the ONLY forms of payment you accept? Your terms need a little more clarification in that department
, and you are just asking for some weird payment requests AFTER the auction is over. I get requests for "wire transfers" which I do not accept...yes, even though I state I only accept Paypal, Cash and Bidpay all in US dollars from international buyers in the description, but maybe I would get more odd requests if I did'nt?
Congratulations on broadening your horizons! Good Luck!
posted on February 16, 2003 01:39:18 PM new...any advice?
Yeah. Don't.
Oh, but you're all set to go, I can see that. You can have the fun I had this morning, cancelling bids and blocking bids from the 20 different Romanian newbie IDs that sprung up yesterday and decided to infest my auctions. (Yeah, they're all with the same ISP.)
I don't know what's going on, but I don't have to care, because...
I don't take international bids.
Life is SO good.
So, a base of 280 million people isn't big enough for you? I humbly submit that an expert seller can and will make money limiting herself to that potential buyer set.
But don't let me stop you.
--
Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more. --George W. Bush, 02/01/03
posted on February 16, 2003 09:09:58 PM new
Thanks fluffy. I, too, have done very well with the 280 million people in the US market but my New Year's resolution this year was to make more money. I've been doing a lot of researching and trying to find ways to better my business. Shipping internationally seemed like a good way to expand my market. Considering that many of the sellers in my category do not ship outside the US, I thought it would be good to test the waters. It may work to my advantage, it may not. I'll just have to wait and see. Like Roadsmith said, I can always change back if things do not work out.
I do thank you for taking the time to post your opinion on the matter.
posted on February 17, 2003 01:00:06 AM new
Hello again,
Pushing BidPay over PayPal might be questionable. I believe the international rate varies. Not the flat $5 fee in USA. We will gladly accept either way. The majority come in through PayPal.
PayPal charges an extra 1% for international transactions. You need to consider this and add to cost/price.
Our international sales are probably around 5% of total. Nothing to brag about, yet every sale works for me. Most items sold are quality items that they could not find locally at discount.
We have no experience with Romania or other eastern European countries. We shall be aware now, yet it is a given that area would be of potential trouble.
On our sales, we simply say posted shipping fees for continental U.S. only. Freight to be determined elsewhere. Payment terms also stated in regular ebay settings.
I agree, definitly stay away from wire transfer requests asking for bank routing numbers. The risk is not worth it. Just walk away.
Even though PayPal is accepting some foreign currencies, only list for payment is U.S. $.
Some international people will automatically hit PayPal pay now button which will use shipping fee posted for U.S. only. Another ebay flaw, what a suprise.
Ebay is nice enough now to give us zip code or country of buyer, yet they let international buyers punch through on pay now when set shipping price does not apply.
Canadians do this one out of four. Either they are shipped at cheapest rate, or extra fees are needed to negotiate. That also means extra PayPal fees to be considered.
International sales are still recommended from our opinion my friend.
posted on February 17, 2003 07:17:43 AM new
tomwiii, what does your TOS say about international bidders. Do you state payment by BidPay only?
Just curious.
posted on February 17, 2003 07:51:32 AM new
Thanks for the info! I'm not familiar with eflow or payingfast. Care to share some info? I'll go to their site and check them out later (am processing auction payments right now) Can you give me the basics on these services?
no matter how fat it is.
