overseas bidders - ebay question

ldferg

i had a buyer ask a question regarding a clemens rookie i've got up this week. the bidder location states austrailia. does that mean the bidder is physically located there or just bogus? i know you can make it say anything. however, the bidder asked if i had a buy it now or best offer on the item. i replied that i had a buy it now for united states bidders as i did not ship overseas (this is stated in the auction as well). the bidder has made a bid, am i to assume he is not located in austrailia? is there a way to block overseas bidders?

themetalsign

I just had an aussie ask me to purchase something from my store. I said no. I have shipped out of country many times but from now on I would rather leave my stuff in the good ol' USA. Takes too long to get there and you can easily get burned plus a host of other issues.




Dave D.

themetalsign

You can block overseas bidders. If I recall correctly you have the option to accept or not in your selling format for your store.



Dave D.

ldferg

thanks. i've added the following:

Buyers in countries to which I don't ship
Block buyers who are registered in countries to which I don't ship.
This requirement can help you avoid buyers who agree to purchase your items without realizing you don't ship to their location

i've also emailed the bidder and asked if they are registered in the u.s. and let them know i do not ship overseas. i hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but i'd rather not ship overseas (i've done it in the passed and have had mixed results so i choose not to do it now).

Boopotts

A little common sense goes a long way in these types of situations. If you have someone with a feeback of over 50, in the 99%+ range, and a lot of recent transactions for items similar to the one you're selling then you can be almost 100% sure that the buyer is legit. So long as whatever it is I'm selling isn't over $50 or so I'll accept payments from anyone, and ship anywhere, since the chances you'll have a problem with a 'good' buyer are very, very small.

envoy98

I have them blocked on mine as well, but just a bidder from Italy ask me to ship. I politely responded that I do not ship overseas, but wished him luck and thanked him for his interest.

-Josh

ndleo

I have to agree with Boopotts. Some of my best sales are to overseas buyers. Checking out the history of the buyer will go along way to avoid problems.

If it is a high dollar card, insist that the buyer pay for registered mail. That should protect you on Paypal. Another option is to ask for a payment in U.S. funds through a money order.

Most of the scams I come across are from the good old USA.

Stone193

I would say - never send something to a place you can't find on the map.

And never - to a place you can't spell.

ldferg

ndleo,
to me it is a high dollar card. i like the registered mail idea. i've not thought out my options on this one as far as payment is concerned.

storm888

PayPal is really the only thing that deters me from
doing lots of international sales.

If you accept MOs, there really is no reason not
to go global.

I am not sure if you can state in your listings,

"International Buyers Must Fund Their Purchase
With An International Money Order Payable In
United States Dollars."

...while, at the same time accepting PayPal from
US buyers.

Anybody know for sure?

jimq112

Before you go too far with international registered mail keep in mind they only cover you for $44.00 of value. You send a $1000 card to australia and it gets lost you get a check for $44.86.

Mike is right about only taking money orders from overseas. Then all you have to worry about is whether the MO is real or not.

I have sold stuff on ebay to an international buyer who arranged for a friend to take delivery in the US and forward it on to him. After being burned a few times I won't do it any other way.

ndleo

I think you can get a higher insurance level from the USPS over the $44. I would check with the Post Office for options. The two markets I have no problems with are Japan and Australia. The last card I sent to Japan was for $475 and it went smooth. I am thinking about going MO only for international, but I'm reluctant to since it may discourage bidders. The foreign bidders usually bid strong.

I state in my listings that international bidders need to check with me first prior to bidding, then I can research their history. My biggest burn was from a loser in Ohio, so you never really know.

ldferg

thanks for the info guys. first, he needs to win the auction. he has been outbid so hopefully it will not be an issue.

Boopotts

<< <i>I think you can get a higher insurance level from the USPS over the $44. I would check with the Post Office for options. The two markets I have no problems with are Japan and Australia. The last card I sent to Japan was for $475 and it went smooth. I am thinking about going MO only for international, but I'm reluctant to since it may discourage bidders. The foreign bidders usually bid strong.

I state in my listings that international bidders need to check with me first prior to bidding, then I can research their history. My biggest burn was from a loser in Ohio, so you never really know. >>



One other interesting thing-- if anyone here has any Jordan cards they are planning on selling you are really, really going to screw yourself if you don't allow Australian buyers. I don't know why, but the Aussies go crazy for PSA MJ cards. I've probably sold 85% of my MJ's to guys from Down Under.

grote15

I also agree with boopotts. I've shipped many times outside the U.S. with no problem, and bidders outside the U.S. tend to bid higher because their options are more limited. For anything $50 and under, it's worth it to me, especially if their FB is good. You can get burned just as easily by a scammer in the U.S., perhaps even more so, IMO.

boxingcarddigest

Just to let you guys know, I have been trading on ebay for a few years now, had hundreds of transactions and bought and sold cards worth thousands of dollars. I have also won auctions from major auction houses in the US.

I would say 80% of my transactions are with the USA and UK.

In all that time, with all those transactions, I have had one solitary problem. Supposedly the card was involved in a mailbox burning in the States, so the seller refunded my money.

If you want added security, send it insured. I recently won a $500 auction from the US and it cost about $25 for the seller to send it with insurance to cover the $500 purchase. I got the card couriered to my door within a week.

Most items between US and Australia take between 5 and 10 days to receive.

I must also admit that it is frustrating when US sellers don't allow international bidders. The mail has the same slim chance of getting lost, the buyer picks up the extra postage charge and the majority of ebay users pay via paypal so I don't see the problem.

Ebay ID: boxingcarddigest

cardpool

If anyone has a problem with international buyers on ebay, refer them to my store!

While football is king in this country, other major sports appeal to international buyers: baseball, hockey and basketball.

I've shipped cards to Australia, Finland, Taiwan, Japan, Spain, all over the UK, France and Germany to name a few.

Rarely have I sold a football card to someone overseas unless it's someone from the US who is living in another country temporarily (ie, military).

ldferg

well, the aussie didn't win the clemens. however, i sold some hockey packs to a guy in canada. he paid with canadian MO and i didn't realize this until the bank deducted my account $9.25 for having to do whatever they do in order to get the money....argh.

i need to specifiy US funds only.

storm888

"..i sold some hockey packs to a guy in canada. he paid with canadian
MO and i didn't realize this until the bank deducted my account $9.25
for having to do whatever they do in order to get the money....argh."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Buyers who pull that carp are doing it on purpose.

5STAT

One other interesting thing-- if anyone here has any Jordan cards they are planning on selling you are really, really going to screw yourself if you don't allow Australian buyers. I don't know why, but the Aussies go crazy for PSA MJ cards. I've probably sold 85% of my MJ's to guys from Down Under.


Agreed 100%.....I just sold 57- PSA 10 Jordans.....35 of which went to Australia. Same with Grant Hill and Tim Duncan.

ldferg.....when workinf with Canada......ask for paypal in U.S. funds...or even a Canadian Postal Money order in US funds. The banks here take Canadian money orders just like American...as a courtesy.

My bank is the same....whack me for any and all international checks..EVEN money orders in US funds. So it's Paypal...or c'ya later!!

As for shipping taking to long to Australia....I just had a package with 15 graded cards get there Air Letter Post (4-6 day service).....in 5 days!! It was faster than the same type package took to get to Alberta, Canada......go figure.

There's alot of great buyers from Australia...several are board members here....hill_33 is great...Graham has bought several high end cards from me...and I would ship to him 7 days a week..if I had too!!

ldferg

the buyer is telling me the MO was in us funds. he's faxing me a copy. looks like i may need to take this to my bank and let them explain. waiting for the fax any minute. will keep you posted.

grote15

ldferg,

If I recall correctly, it doesn't matter if the amount is in US funds, but where those funds are dawn from. In other words, unless the bank address on the MO is from the US, a bank here will charge you a foreign check fee.

f2tornado

I sold cards to every corner of the world. Asian collectors love players from their repective countries and bid appropriately. Canucks love hockey and bid appropriately. I have also sent many hockey cards to Sweden and Finland. The Aussies have a passion for basketball but some of my baseball cards have ended up there as well. I have never once had a problem buying or selling internationally but I also don't deal with high end cards which tend to atttact more of the scam artists. Based on all the talk on the Beckett boards, Taiwan does appear to have a higher concentration of unsrupulous traders. That would be the only place where I'd be real nervous buying or shipping spendy material.

I'd estimate two out of three of my hockey card buyers are in Canada. Sellers of hockey cards are definately not getting full bid potential by cutting off the Canucks. Many times the winning Canadian more than doubled the ending price with a bid on one of my auctions. They are also more quick to hit the BIN's. I did have one buyer in Alberta send me a Canadian check without notice but added the 11% exchange rate difference. My bank only charges 25 cents to deposit them and they clear within a few days so no huge hassel there.

ldferg

buyer has faxed me a copy of the money order. i can't make much out other than it states US $20. i don't know what the bank is actually looking for... maybe tenneseebanker can chime in (haha )

buyer has been very cooperative in providing me with this information. he says the MO was sent with Fee Code 1, Currency US, Amount 20.00. Cost him 23.80 CDN for 20.00 US and 4.95 to get the money order made.

i know this is chump change to most, just thought i'd express my experience. i'm sure it will all work out in the end.