Ebay international sales/shipping - do you or don't you?
jaderock
Posts: 185 ✭✭
Just curious to those that sell on ebay, do you open your listing up to international buyers? Why or why not? Are there specific countries that you have had issues with?
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Vintage Football Card Gallery
They went ahead and gave him his money back 14 days after the transaction, so now he has a free card, courtesy of me.
It's only $8, but now I have to charge my international customers $6 shipping for a baseball card, so I can do global priority.
Thanks eBay!
Only an idiot would have a message board signature.
Repeat Info:
Currently, the ONLY PayPal bulletproof USPS shipping methods to Canada
are STILL Express Mail International and Global Express Guaranteed. The
cost is in the $30 range.
NO Priority Mail configuration to Canada is PayPal bulletproof. BUT, items can be
insured; this will allow the Canadian buyer to defraud the seller with a premature
or bogus PayPal INR-claim, but will usually allow the seller to recoup the loss
through the USPS insurance.
While ALL INR/SNAD claims cumulatively HARM sellers, such claims from INTL
buyers are calculated "differently." The calc method is not public information,
but is less damaging to sellers than the domestic calculation is.
In off-EBAY transactions, sales to Canada work perfectly with the use of
International Money Orders.
.............................................
When heck freezes over, I will resume international sales to strangers on EBAY
using PayPal.
Last night I sold a hockey puck that I wanted to have DC on. The buyer was from Canada and the shipping address is to Florida. I think the buyer knows someone is Florida and saved the $30ish in shipping.
I basically stopped selling hockey because of the hassle.
<< <i>Depends on how much the item is worth. Anything over $100, I do not sell internationally unless they pay for Express Mail. I had to block out international countries in my listings because too many of them bought and items paid for the shipping rate they thought was fair, which is never Express Mail.
I basically stopped selling hockey because of the hassle. >>
It really is a hassle to sell to Canada. Most of the items I have are hockey and I always find myself having to drive to the post office, fill out those forms, wait in live for 30-45 minutes (yes my post office is horrible) and then HOPE the item arrives or the buyer decides not to scam.
<< <i>Repeat Info:
Currently, the ONLY PayPal bulletproof USPS shipping methods to Canada
are STILL Express Mail International and Global Express Guaranteed. The
cost is in the $30 range.
NO Priority Mail configuration to Canada is PayPal bulletproof. BUT, items can be
insured; this will allow the Canadian buyer to defraud the seller with a premature
or bogus PayPal INR-claim, but will usually allow the seller to recoup the loss
through the USPS insurance.
While ALL INR/SNAD claims cumulatively HARM sellers, such claims from INTL
buyers are calculated "differently." The calc method is not public information,
but is less damaging to sellers than the domestic calculation is.
In off-EBAY transactions, sales to Canada work perfectly with the use of
International Money Orders.
>>
That's what is tricky about international sales...if an item is $5, $10, $25, $50, they are likely to balk at $27 Express Mail. Unfortunately, that's the ONLY way to be protected as a seller (Priority nor registered mail qualify). When speaking to a paypal rep, they basically said it's a seller's business decision - is it worth it to them. They know international tracking is a tough guideline (since the options are limited and expensive), but without it, it would be a free for all and a constant battle of he said, she said.
Anyway, I do allow listings for international buyer and OVERALL it does go smoother than my sales in the USA, but here are a couple hiccups I've had along the way.
Before any problems ever arised, I just sent cards in bubble mailers without the custom form...nothing went wrong until a sale to Costa Rica was delayed. The guy, a professional basketball player in that country, was really patient and this dragged on for OVER 45 days (which technically would be after the buyer's protection ends). I kept in contact with him and on day 49 (one day before I was to mail replacements), it was delivered without any postmark - departure or arrival. Since then, I make the customary trip to the PO and turn in the PS Form 2976 on all international orders.
I've had to refund TWO sales this year, one to France and one to Saudi Arabia. The France mistake taught me that the custom form can be TRACKED, but isn't always followed by all countries, so it is hit and miss, but at least if it says "delivered" then the buyer CAN'T say it was not received! Until recently, the custom form # was useless on USPS.com, but now some of the information is in the system (at least acceptence).
The Saudi Arabia case ended up as fraud, but I didn't know until 3 months later. In August I sold a Kobe Byrant insert to kobelbjbrady which he claimed after 7 days as "not received". After another 10 days, I refunded his money ($16.27). Oddly enough a couple of days later, the user name became "not a registered user (NARU)." In a follow up feedback, another seller said "beware of scammer - proceed with caution" and I confirmed with him that the buyer was just filling out claims of non receipt. Regardless, paypal didn't give a crap about anything I said since "tracking was not used".
Fastforward to November 7th, I sell a Tom Brady RC to a rocketman26-10 (BLOCK THIS ID). He promptly paid and I noticed that the shipping address looked somewhat familiar. I checked the email that he used for paypal in my yahoo mail and sure as sh*t, it was the same guy (everything from Name, address and city are ALL slightly modified). A NARU member cannot register another account which is against ebay rules. Ebay was very apologetic about the system not catching this, but how could they since the names/addresses were modified and he used a different email to register. However, he DID NOT change the paypal email address which is how he got caught.
I called ebay (then transferred to Trust and Saftey and then transferred to paypal) and I was advised not to complete the sale and to request a "cancel transaction." Ebay would refund the selling fees and eventually paypal extended a "one time courtesy payment" of the cost of the sale on the August sale. Although it took 2 hours on the phone, it was worth it. Unfortunately, their investigation team is slow since rocketman26-10 is still active (he's bought about $4000 worth of stuff at last check).
Anyway, sorry for the long read, but it is an ongoing learning experience for me.
However the ebay/pp changes that basically ask buyers to scam sellers have made me reduce my risk.
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
Everything i ship has Delivery Confirmation. I won't ship with out it. That way their is no saying it was not delivered, I can just check on line.
I have shipped to Austrilia, it was a T206 reprint set. They purchased it off ebay and paid for Priority shipping with DC. Actually shipping cost was like $24.50 if I remember correctly.
I just don't take the risk.
Dave
<< <i>
I've had to refund TWO sales this year, one to France and one to Saudi Arabia. The France mistake taught me that the custom form can be TRACKED, but isn't always followed by all countries, so it is hit and miss, but at least if it says "delivered" then the buyer CAN'T say it was not received! Until recently, the custom form # was useless on USPS.com, but now some of the information is in the system (at least acceptence).
The Saudi Arabia case ended up as fraud, but I didn't know until 3 months later. In August I sold a Kobe Byrant insert to kobelbjbrady which he claimed after 7 days as "not received". After another 10 days, I refunded his money ($16.27). Oddly enough a couple of days later, the user name became "not a registered user (NARU)." In a follow up feedback, another seller said "beware of scammer - proceed with caution" and I confirmed with him that the buyer was just filling out claims of non receipt. Regardless, paypal didn't give a crap about anything I said since "tracking was not used".
Fastforward to November 7th, I sell a Tom Brady RC to a rocketman26-10 (BLOCK THIS ID). He promptly paid and I noticed that the shipping address looked somewhat familiar. I checked the email that he used for paypal in my yahoo mail and sure as sh*t, it was the same guy (everything from Name, address and city are ALL slightly modified). A NARU member cannot register another account which is against ebay rules. Ebay was very apologetic about the system not catching this, but how could they since the names/addresses were modified and he used a different email to register. However, he DID NOT change the paypal email address which is how he got caught.
I called ebay (then transferred to Trust and Saftey and then transferred to paypal) and I was advised not to complete the sale and to request a "cancel transaction." Ebay would refund the selling fees and eventually paypal extended a "one time courtesy payment" of the cost of the sale on the August sale. Although it took 2 hours on the phone, it was worth it. Unfortunately, their investigation team is slow since rocketman26-10 is still active (he's bought about $4000 worth of stuff at last check).
Anyway, sorry for the long read, but it is an ongoing learning experience for me. >>
Good lord it took ebay 14 days before they NARU'ed this mofo's 2nd account: rocketman26-10 !! You should check his past weeks buying spree!