posted on February 4, 2005 02:52:03 PM new
Right now I only ship to the U.S. & Canada but am thinking about including other countries. Any I should stay away from? Any you'd recommend?
posted on February 4, 2005 03:10:44 PM new
lol-
seriously-I have shipped to Germany,United Kingdom,Australia,NewZealand,Japan,Netherlands,Russia,and Belgium.
So far the best were United Kingdom and ESPECIALLY JAPAN-They are most polite and are my favorite overseas customers.
posted on February 4, 2005 04:35:32 PM new
kraftdinner
I ship to just about anywhere in the world but there are a few I will avoid due to the high fraud factors like Indonesia and Romania. If they want it bad enough they can pay by Bidpay or cash. Japan is one of the best to sell to.
Have been selling worldwide for years and have had few problems. As far as selling to Canada I have never had that much of a problem at all. Have had the most problems right in the US.
posted on February 4, 2005 05:19:47 PM new
I'm with classic Canadians buyers s*ck, I have shipped a few items there and most do not pay there duties. And since I ship them fedex guess who has to pay for them. ME!!! not only that they are the most pain in the A** folks I have ever dealt with.
That is just my experience. I have had a few good ones but 75% of them they are just a pain. No Canadians for this seller thanks...
posted on February 4, 2005 05:26:09 PM new
I've never had any problems with Canadian buyers. All my Japanese buyers have been prompt, polite and they bid to win!
I really haven't had big trouble with international buyers but I do hate filling out customs forms.
On the otherhand I've had some very interesting conversations with people all over the world and that I like!
posted on February 4, 2005 05:44:31 PM new
Some countries can be a pain to ship to, not because of the people, but because of lousy or corrupt mail systems or harsh customs officials. Canada, Mexico, Italy and most Middle Eastern countries fall in this category. Also, a lot depends on what you are selling. Your items may be prohibited in some countries.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on February 4, 2005 11:20:49 PM new
beware of Italy, Mexico and most recently France. Be aware that when shipping Airmail Parcel Post right now to the UK, shipments are taking 2-3 weeks (something I get to explain in about 30 emails a day... JOY!!). I think British customs got a hold of the Canadian instruction manual
I just had a french customer ask me to package in an xray proof packaging because "all frenchmen are thieves".
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on February 4, 2005 11:25:14 PM new
If i remember correctly, carbon paper is xray proof. aluminium foil is too. apparently carbon paper stops any recognition or smell of paper money too.
posted on February 4, 2005 11:37:49 PM new
>>I just had a french customer ask me to package in an xray proof packaging because "all frenchmen are thieves".<<
It just goes to prove my theory. You can't trust anyone who eats snails.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on February 5, 2005 08:02:15 AM new
I ship tons to Canada. There are often minor issues involving allegged "gift orders" on customs forms (just say NO!) and Canadians paying American shipping rates. I sell enough to Canada that it's worth the hassles. I have not run into any real Canadian fraud problems.
Surprisingly enough, I rarely ship to Mexico. I dunno, I guess the Internet is just not big down there. Or maybe they'd rather eat than buy games.
Think hard and be careful with Italy, they are not crooks, but their shipping service is literally the worst on the planet. Brazil is also VERY SLOW with deliveries. Neither accepts priority mail, and surface mail can (AND WILL) take months and months to arrive.
As far as fraud goes, under no circumstance ship to:
Nigeria
Romania
Ukraine
Singapore
Indonesia
Or most of those little southeast Asian countries, although South Korea is usually OK.
Israel and Egypt are OK, but most of the other middle-eastern countries you should be careful with.
Definite Good places to start:
Japan
United Kingdom
Germany
Australia
and yes, even France
I've shipped to South Africa with no problems, but I don't really remember shipping anywhere else in Africa.
It kinda just depends on what you sell, how much it's worth, and if you can make enough additional profit to stand the occasional lost package.
If in doubt, accept BIDPAY only from foriegn countries. It'll week out the crooks and lazy folks and leave the serious buyers with actual "safe" payments.
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Replay Media - The best source for board games, card games and miniatures on the web! http://www.replaymedia.com
posted on February 5, 2005 08:44:59 AM new
I have a lot of problems with people from Canada. The people from Australia are OK but the type of items I sell get hung up in customs and that causes a problem.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
posted on February 5, 2005 09:22:42 AM new
I have shipped all over the world. Australia, New Zealand, UK, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, France, India and so on.
My biggest recommendation is to protect yourself against fraud. I've been selling for almost 7 years and have been burned by fraudulent purchases using Paypal for both International (including Canada) and Unconfirmed US paypal accounts. If you accept Paypal, don't do it for International unless you want to risk chargebacks and chargeback fees. You can block all International Paypal payments.
Just make sure to be very clear about your policies, especially for International. Many int'l bidders don't speak English as their primary language, so keep it simple. Don't use complex words when listing your policies. There are great buyers, and there are deadbeats.
The most expensive places to ship to seem to be Japan, Australia and the UK. I would use those countries to base your shipping rates on. That way you don't spend too much time searching for rates for each individual country. There is nothing wrong with listing a flat Int'l shipping rate.
Also, make sure to include "US FUNDS ONLY" and don't accept Personal Checks either. They are expensive to cash at your bank, and even more so if done in foreign currency. Accept BIDPAY or Postal/International Money Orders or Cashiers Checks in US funds only. This will save plenty of headaches.
The other thing to know is that USPS does not offer insurance for all International shipping services. If you want to cover your items with insurance, tracking the package, etc. I would recommend researching their rates, clicking on each one to see what extra services are available for each shipping method. They do vary.
Hope that helps. You will find there are definate benefits opening to a global market, but there are some headaches as well. I can sell up to 25% more a week to International bidders. Generally, it is around 10%, but if you sell $1000 a week, that could be $1100 to $1250 instead. Good luck.
posted on February 5, 2005 10:53:13 AM new
Part of the reason the we don't get many sales from Mexico is quite simple. Their version of ebay, "Mercado Libre" unlike most of the other international sites, has no option to see items listed in other countries. Mercado Libre is it's own seperate entity that only displays listings that were launched on it directly. There are some great deals to be had on there though if you are curious and have minimal communication skills in spanish.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on February 5, 2005 03:15:22 PM new
The one I hate id the Netherlands. They bid on you auctions without asking, and then they won't pay for the shipping.I have never had a buyer from the Netherlands pay for the auction. In fact I have a dead-beat from there now.
**********************************
Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on February 5, 2005 05:04:34 PM new
ROFL MAH! i just had my first paying bidder from the Netherlands. Before that I had five years of winning bidders but never a paying one.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on February 5, 2005 05:46:54 PM new
My ONLY NEGS came from the NETHERLANDS -- didn't read & then REFUSED to pay shipping
NEVER AGAIN will I ship to HOLLAND!
JAPAN & UK are da bestest!
CANADA sucketh!
"Who could have possibly envisioned an erection — an election in Iraq at this point in history?" Prez.Jim Beam, at the White House, Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2005
