posted on August 18, 2001 10:51:23 PM
OK I admit I like foreign bidders. Until now I have not had any real problems with them. But recently I got two who have not made good. One is NARU'd and the other just incurred two negs from me along with FVF credits-warnings from eBay. One was a real deadbeat and the other was probably the victim of postal incompetence, but 31 days is long enough.
I do not list as selling to foreign bidders, but do not turn them away if they ask. I'm wondering if it will be necessary to change how I deal with them in the future. I'm thinking a feedback rating basis. I hate to turn away bidders, but I do not have the time to play games.
posted on August 19, 2001 07:22:53 AM
i do not charge extra handling fee for foreign buyers,but when i estimate postage,i pad a little in case i get a nasty surprise at the post office.
most of them are good customers and willing to bid high to win the item and more are using online payment methods.
the number of good customers outweigh a few bad apples,so it is worthwhile to court them,
dont let a few bad ones spoil it.
the ones from the affluent,industrial countries are better customers (german,scnadinavian,canadians,japanese).
it is not that easy for foreigners to come up with that greenback these days!
posted on August 19, 2001 07:44:56 AM
I don't know your auctions, but maybe you can include some sort of online payment methods in your auctions. The international bidders who have credit cards might feel more confident bidding as well if they don't have to risk sending greenbacks through the mail. Don't forget about www.bidpay.com. It is more expensive for the bidder, but might offer both of you more peace of mind.
posted on August 19, 2001 01:59:46 PM
I think maybe BidPay would be the best choice for foreign bidders. If they have to cough up $5 for a money order, that should do it.
Most of my stuff is low dollars and I can't waste time with any deadbeats.
posted on August 19, 2001 02:09:11 PM
hwah. I am really hurt!!!! We are an affluent, industrialised country. You are more likeley to get greenbacks from Third World Counties, where they are a form of insurance against the local currency.
posted on August 19, 2001 05:17:13 PM
I'm not against any bidder from anywhere, I just want to be paid promptly as eBay wants its money every thirty days. I will not bankroll deadbeats regardless of their locale and I do not want my good bidders to shoulder the deadbeats burden either. I always have allowed extra time for foreign bidders, but there's no real excuse anymore. So I 'm going to start treating the foreign bidders in the same fashion and will issue NPB alerts or FVF credits on the exact same timetable. If the bidders are good; they have no problem.
It's the ones who aren't that have to worry.
posted on August 19, 2001 06:00:56 PM
Can't argue if they don't pay up fast.
I think maybe international transactions not done via BidPay or CC should be with more communication. Such as "I mailed you payment today via airmail(or snail, carrier pigeon, USS Enterprise, bottle thrown in ocean) and it should be there by xx/xx/xx." If the understanding is that if a payment is not received by that date, then it should be resent. A seller can always refund a double payment, but if he doesn't get a timely payment, the bidder is out of luck and the seller has no recourse but to file for credit.
I've had more than one stateside deadbeat assure me payment was on the way and then expected me to sit waiting for another payment 30 days out. Life isn't like that and none of those missing payments ever arrived.
posted on August 19, 2001 06:07:36 PM
greetingsfromuk-my apology ,i left out UK as one of the affluent industrial nation.
somehow i think a lot of items we have here you guys have it there too,and not that expensive.
third world countries do like to hoard the greenback,,better than gold,but do they really want to swap for collectibles like mickey mouse??
some places you can open a us dollar account with the bank and get higher interest .
you cant do that with worn vintage mickey,your fellow citizens may not appreciate mickey as much as you do.
posted on August 19, 2001 06:57:30 PM
Wish I had some good advice, I know I've waited 5 weeks for airmail to get to the US from Auatralia, then the buyer had to wait that long after I shipped airmail to him!
Then from France, the mail is quicker than some US mail? Most other countries only seem to take 3 or 4 weeks.
So the good people in Australia, do I make them pay online, or tell them to go away? Or wait weeks for payment? Last week I sold to a guy in New Zealand, yikes....luckily he paid online, I wonder how long it will take for his package to get to him?
Well, for me, foreign sales are a small percentage, and waiting a little longer for payment isn't going to hurt that much. I would rather see ebay be worldwide than narrowed down to only select countries. It is too bad some mail takes forever, but I say push ahead, make the sales, open up worldwide commerce....besides, the emails are more fun to read with the different accents and ways to phrase things.
So I'm going to try patience for now and enjoy the diverse world we live in.
Jon
posted on August 19, 2001 07:03:24 PM
Hey, to me any money is good money no matter what part of the world it comes from. Dealing with foriegn bidders is just a part of doing business in eBay's global marketplace.
"Anything the mind of man can believe and concieve, it CAN ACHIEVE!"
posted on August 19, 2001 07:27:37 PM
Send them my way! I've had 3 in the past 2 weeks (Germany, Austria & Italy), with 2 of them paying within 48 hours, the 3rd within 4 days! I'll be glad to fill out the custom form!
Best of all, I've noticed many more bids and considerably higher ending amounts since I state I ship anywhere!
posted on August 19, 2001 07:39:48 PM
As I stated before I have no issue with a person's residence, it's their conscientiousness in folllowing through. I almost never took more than 48 hours to pay a seller and I have purchased overseas; if a bidder doesn't follow through and get their money in on time, that's too bad.
posted on August 19, 2001 07:39:57 PM
It is easy to start thinking that all buyers outside the US are a risk. I have had the same thoughts from time to time, but it seems just a statistical fluke.
If transactions outside the US are a small percentage of your sales and you have a few bidders within that group pooch out, you begin to think it's a problem with international bidders. I have decided it isn't, it's just the international deadbeats stand out because they are such a small percentage of my buyers. I am actually an evil non US type (Canadian) and have had seemingly disproportionate problems with English bidders. Should I stop offering my items to the UK? No that would be foolish and insulting. As Disraeli said "There are lies, damn lies and statistics"
posted on August 19, 2001 07:43:14 PM
So, I guess you're in the U.S.
I trust you won't be applying any double standards -- after you get a couple more deadbeat U.S. bidders, you might consider not selling to U.S. citizens either.
posted on August 19, 2001 07:43:16 PM
I must say that of the very few customers who would not honour their bid, they were all from the States.
I sell to Japan and Canada, and have never had a problem. In July, out of the first 4 sales , two were to the States, one to Japan and one to England, although I do not advertize shipping to England. The English Lady was truly a Lady! Wrote to me first, asking if I would consider making an exception... Right there, she had won me over
Both Foreign Payments ARRIVED BEFORE the American payments...How is THAT for courtesy! And the only two feedbacks left were from the FOREIGN bidders.
As to bad deals, I shall cross that bridge when I get to it.
********
Gosh Shosh! My "About Me" Page
[ edited by shoshanah on Aug 19, 2001 07:44 PM ]
Perhaps you are just having a run of back luck. These things seem to come in groups, then go away almost as quickly.
If it continues, then you can always decide to tighten your requirements.
The first time I got a bad check, I was all ready to rewrite my TOS to not accept checks. Then I realized I'd be penalizing 99% of the people for the actions of one.
These are pretty aggravating right now but think of all the good ones you've had.
posted on August 20, 2001 08:44:48 AM
My latest nemesis was the victim of poor postal service. Unfortunately this problem was not communicated earlier and I cannot be a mind reader.
I probably will have to put an international bidder clarification in my future auctions.
posted on August 20, 2001 08:51:18 AM
Lanefamily is right, "foreign bidders" sounds xenophobic.
Maybe they should relabel the site "EbayUSA."
Anyhow, I have sold to UK, New Zealand and Austria with delightful results.
I have bought from Japan, Hong Kong and my favourite seller in the world is Swiss.
Bring 'em on!
(spell! dammit!)
[ edited by Capriole on Aug 20, 2001 08:52 AM ]
posted on August 20, 2001 02:24:52 PM
hwah. Apology accepted. I do my Xmas shopping on eBay USA, and will outbid any US buyer on lots that are not available in UK. Edited to add a P.S.
I have a 1930's Mickey Mouse clock somewhere in my house. Should I find it?
[ edited by GreetingsfromUK on Aug 20, 2001 02:28 PM ]
