Question for PSers Who Sell on eBay

[JewelFreak]

How do you handle international buyers of your stuff? Mailing costs, mainly -- do you charge extra if they get pricey? Have seen mention of ways to declare the contents to avoid customs wrangles, too, but can't remember what there were, any help there?

I'm about to put up some of my silver Tiffany stuff & get it outta here. Thanks!

--- Laurie

 

[that_someone_special]

I don't ship internationally. I have received a few threatening emails from people that wanted me too, but I WILL NOT DO IT.

Too many horror stories and I don't need to make a quick buck THAT BAD.
It's a hobby and I can run my hobby how I want

As far as Tiffany pieces, you can only list a very limited number of items for a very limited amount of time each month (that are Tiffany & Co.), I recommend 10 day auctions to get the most exposure...

 

[february2003bride]

I don't ship internationally. I have received a few threatening emails from people that wanted me too, but I WILL NOT DO IT.

Too many horror stories and I don't need to make a quick buck THAT BAD.
It's a hobby and I can run my hobby how I want

As far as Tiffany pieces, you can only list a very limited number of items for a very limited amount of time each month (that are Tiffany & Co.), I recommend 10 day auctions to get the most exposure...

Ditto! I only ship in the US and I used to ship to Canada, but no longer do that either.

 

[AGBF]

I haven't sold anything in ages, but when I did, like the other posters who contributed to this thread, I shipped only within the United States. There wasn't a great demand for the items I was selling anywhere other than in the United States, because what I was selling was a very American product. Then September 11 happened and I turned my efforts to eBay's Auction for America. I sold tiny jeweled American flag pins for the benefit of lost firefighers and policemen and their families. That, also, was more of an American thing despite all the international support for our people. We are the ones who tend to wear American flags, after all!

Deb/AGBF

 

[JewelFreak]

What do you say in the listing, then? Something simple like "No shipments outside the U.S.?"

Wonderful about the flag pins, what a nice girl you are!

--- Laurie

 

[urseberry]

If you don't ship internationally, it's best to block international bidders several ways. When you create the listing, under International Shipping, make sure No International Shipping is selected. Right below it, under Exclude Shipping Locations, click on Create Exclusion list to exclude everything except the US.

Finally, under Buyer Requirements, click Change Buyer Requirements and click the box to exclude buyers who have a primary shipping address to countries you don't ship to. While you're in there, I recommend that you block buyers who:

• Don't have a PayPal account
  Have received 2 Unpaid item Strike(s) within 12 month(s)
  Have 4 Policy violation report(s) within 6 month(s)
  Have a feedback score equal to or lower than -1

There is some way to make these settings your defaults for all new listings, but I did it a long time ago and now I don't remember how to do it.

 

[iLander]

When I sold on ebay, I didn't have any trouble selling overseas except for France. This Frenchman seemed to have a resentment of paying import duty. I always declared full value for the items I sold, and this particular item was over $300. He sent me emails for over a month, trying to get me in some type of scheme to get it out of the post office without paying the duty. I ignored him and finally sent him a nasty email saying I would report him to ebay. I also noted that with over 250+ purchases, that SURELY he had paid duty before. Never heard another peep.

One thing about ebay buyers; if they are a pain before the final bid (lots of weird emails- this guy had an elaborate story of buying this particular item 3 times over many years as a birthday gift and it getting lost in the mail, returned,etc.) they will be a pain throughout.

I did very well selling to the Netherlands, 3 Asian countries and New Zealand (these were very specific collector's items) and never really had an issue with any post offices, mailing, etc.

If you don't want to sell overseas, Urseberry's directions are 100% accurate.

When you list an item, the listing info will need to be filled out with shipping container (LxWxH) and weight. Then ebay will figure out shipping automatically for the buyer and add it to your listing amount.

I had the best luck with auctions that ended on Sunday night. People seem to be on their computers on Sunday night.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I don't accept international buyers - just not worth the hassle IMO. I do accept buyers overseas if they are military and I can ship to an APO address. When I do so, then I ship USPS Priority (we send care packages to my dad at an APO a lot so used to the drill). Of course, all of this is for electronics and stuff, not really big ticket items like jewelry.

When you create a listing, you can choose to exclude buyers based on what country they're in.

 

[JewelFreak]

Thanks so much for your advice, everybody. Big help to avoid hassles, some I didn't even know were there! Hope to get it up tomorrow, got to spend today getting ready for out-of-town guests. iLander, I printed out your advice, very useful!

--- Laurie

 

[lizzyann]

I don't ship internationally either. Not worth the trouble. At the bottom of my listing I put a note like this....

U.S. Shipping Only Please - no exceptions