posted on May 13, 2001 12:39:49 AM new
Hi everyone! This is my first post here.
Can any of you nice guys and gals tell me why there are so many sellers on Bidville, EDeal, TBay and most of the newer sites who do not accept bids from International bidders? It is not only private sellers but business folk as well.
I'm in Australia and I have a PayPal account, lots of $US to spend and then I come up with NO INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS on a whole heap of listings I'm interested in.
I thought, reading these posts, that things are tough for sellers.
I tried to buy lobby cards and other movie related items on five different sites and all but one listing stated they only sold in the USA.
One seller (who said nothing about not selling internationally on the listing) was very upset by my $65 bid and won't go through with the sale even though they take PayPal and I could have paid in seconds. The response was an inpolite: "Can't you have them mailed to an address in the USA!"
Are these sellers just too lazy to make money, too tired to go to the Post Office, or is there something I don't know about?
After all, I can bid on EBay, QXL, Epier, and Yahoo in four different countries without being made to feel like a social outcast.
So what's wrong with these sellers? Please enlighten me.
posted on May 13, 2001 04:46:59 AM new
Hi AussieGirlDownUnder! Welcome to AW!
There are a few problems with international selling that causes many sellers to be skittish about selling overseas.
Some of the problems involve exchange rates, cost of shipping (especially when using UPS etc.), Some folks overseas demand you use their credit cards, international charge backs that are very difficult to deal with especially with PayPal. Shipping USPS surface mail is very slow and can take weeks to reach it's destination (and in my case has a tendency to get lost), Some International bidders insist that you accept their Personal check or regional money order (most banks frown on this and charge accordingly, especially if it bounces sometimes the fee can be more than the check itself). I would think that the main reason that a number of sellers are against international sales is due to the time it takes to complete the transaaction (from payment to the buyer receiving their product). The mail in a number of countries leaves much to be desired and can get lost or stolen in a heartbeat....
With that said, I've had probably a hundred or more intenational sales to England, the Netherlands, Austria, Australia, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and some the various Islands. I've had no problems with any of the sales (other than lost mail sent USPS surface) and an occassional frustration understanding the written word (translation).
All of my sales were to very nice folks, it just takes patience and an understanding on the part of the seller. There is not that much difference between the domestic sale and an intenational sale.
If I was to have a sale to an eastern block country I would have my reservations and there are some countries that some types of items are not allowed. the seller just has to have their ducks all in a row.
Personally, I will continue to have international sales and I would expect that there are many sellers that will do the same.
posted on May 13, 2001 05:19:34 AM new
Hiya AussiegirlDownUnder
While I hold no claim to being an expert, I would proffer the suggestion that many sellers do not ship internationally based on 2 things:
1) The money issues so professionally outlined by elecdata1 (Bill)
OR
2) The simple fact that some sellers have either never shipped internationally before or have and encountered problems that made the seller hesitate to risk a repeat occurence.
FYI, I know that Bidbay.com and Bargainandhaggle.com both have numerous international sellers. Perhaps one of those sites might have the items you are searching for.
posted on May 13, 2001 07:20:26 AM new
I ship to Internaltional buyers just about weekly here is one of the things that may put other sellers off.
I can go to online postal calculators check postage and international postage can be very confuseing.
A few times I have got shipping amounts for $23 and when I got to the PO they charged only $5.50, other times the on line calculators will give me shipping rates of $4 to$6 and when I get to the PO the shipping turns out to be more like $12 to $20.
also the people at the postoffice have diferent reasoning for the differences in the online rate and there rate and no one person at any po uses the same rules for setting there rates.
another reason some sellers dont sell internationally is the extra time it takes to do the paper work Im a small seller and to me a sale is a sale but some sellers have 20, 50, 100 sale per day or week and filling out the forms can take up tons of time.
another reason could be all the talk about international Credit card fraud.
I have a rule if a international buyer has good feed back and has been buying over a year I accept there billpoint and paypal payment they have been buying sucessfully for a while more then likely useing credit cards my agreement with the buyer is to only send to the billing address from paypal or billpoint.
if the buyer has litte feed back and been around less then 7 months they can use a credit card but only if they pay through bidpay so I get a money order and even then I will only ship to the address I get for the buyer from bidpay.
what it boils down to is that every international auction winner takes extra time some seller dont want to take that time.
posted on May 13, 2001 10:44:13 AM new
Hello & welcome! I ship internationally (though not selling anything you've been searching for unfortunately) and here's what I've found.
On BidVille, you have to click the box for international shipping for every auction you list. While it's a minor inconvenience it's easily over-looked.
I know many sellers get burned once and that's the last time they'll do something. Personally the worst international bidder I had was one who asked me to mail the package to an address in the U.S. He's the ONLY one I never heard from when the package arrived and the ONLY one who didn't at least attempt to leave feedback. He was really rather snotty through the entire transaction. By the time I figured out he was out of the country he'd already mailed payment and didn't bother telling me the item was to be shipped within the U.S. until I wrote to him saying I had sent him the wrong shipping amount. Anyway, the story gets longer but I won't bore anyone with the details.
The best way I've found (especially since USPS re-named all of the international shipping rates) is that as soon as I know I have an international sale, I package the item up, weigh it, then get the shipping quotes for the various shipping methods. I then e-mail the buyer to let them know their options. They choose surface or air or whichever. I write down their preferred method along with the cost quoted at the website. When I take the package to be mailed I tell the postal worker exactly which method and what the cost should be. Otherwise they'll come off with some bizarre method and even more bizarre price for shipping.
Earlier in the year USPS changed what used to be 'small packet' to something like 'letter parcel'--it's extremely confusing, makes it sound like you can only use that method to mail letters. USPS didn't bother to give their workers any information on it, either, so it took a bit to get it all figured out.
Sure, it's a little extra work to mail internationally but I've found I've made a whole lot of sales by offering international shipping that I wouldn't otherwise have made, so to my mind it's well worth it.
posted on May 13, 2001 05:16:16 PM new
I just request BidPay or international money order for International bidders. I don't have very many though. I wish there were more. A sale is sale. I don't care where the bidder lives as long they pay!
posted on May 13, 2001 05:29:38 PM new
Thanks to electradata1; dman3 and wallypog for your inrelligent reasoning and for taking the time to reply.
I always offer to pay via PayPal (from my credit balance) or in $US via insured mail. I would never demand they accept cheques (we Aussies can't spell checks), or an international CC.
Even, at times, when I have gone to the effort of asking whether they will sell internationally and accept cash, they often answer in the negative.
This leads me to think that the paperwork involved may have something to do with it.
On the subject of feedback, there are numerous problems confronting the international buyer. For example, my feedback on ebay and some of the Aussie sites runs into the hundreds and yet on these newer sites it is zero for the simple fact that I am new to them. So how can a seller use feedback as a guide to supply or non-supply?
I can see that from a seller's point of view that it may be frightening to see a bid for hundreds of dollars from a zero feedback bidder. However, we are not talking about that sort of bid. Generally, my bids are in the $5 - $80 mark.
On a brighter note, I have just converted a "no-international sales" seller. I spent $72 plus $19.50 postage with her. She had my PayPal payment five minutes after close of auction and she is going to alter her future listings to enable international bidders to bid.
Not all international buyers will give you a hard time, just as not all US sellers are easy to get on with. In three years of buying and selling on the net I have never let a seller down but about 2 out of every 100 sellers let me down in one way or another.
But it's a small price to pay because I've ended up with lots of nice goodies for my several collections.
posted on May 13, 2001 05:46:47 PM new
And thanks also to jwoodcrafts.
I can understand why some sellers won't accept PayPal but by insisting on BidPay or an international money order adds up to $AU13.50 ($US6.50) to our cost.
What's wrong with good old Yankee greenbacks?
Although there are millions of transactions going on daily between buyer and seller there is still a lot we don't understand about each other. And that's a bad thing for both buyer and seller.
Picture this: I bid $5 on an item. Postage will set me back around $9 depending on size and weight. Then add $6.50 for an international money order. My $5 bargain has just cost me $20.50 when it need only have cost me $14.
posted on May 13, 2001 07:01:22 PM new
You have a valid point. I hadn't thought about it that way. I should have.
I know that shipping is sometimes high. I kinda figured that was why I did not have a lot of international bidders. Maybe it is because of the fees associated with Bidpay? Maybe a combo of both. Who knows. Maybe international buyers just don't want my items!
You are right, as buyers and sellers, we do have a lot to learn. I just learned something from you tonight!
I however don't think my personal account with PayPal can accept International sales. I would have to upgrade and I am putting that off as long as I can. I am fee'd to death now as it is!
As far as cash goes, I would gladly accept it, but what if it got lost somewhere between me and the buyer?
posted on May 13, 2001 07:25:22 PM new
jwoodcrafts
You are so understanding that you deserve a lot more international bidders.
I think you will find that you can accept international on Paypal. If I can do it from Australia, then so can you. I think that the trick is to get paid from their existing balance. This saves you charges and also eliminates being paid with a "hot" credit card and the ensuing chargebacks.
As for cash, it should be sent insured (registered)or well wrapped. However, there are some Asian, Central European, Middle Eastern, African and Latin American countries where it wouldn't be safe to do this even with insurance.
Buyers and sellers do have a lot to learn about the other. For example, I didn't understand that you can sometimes get different prices for mailing a parcel. Over here, as long as you know the weight and the destination country the price is always the same.
Another thing. There are sellers who insist on receiving payment within 7 days of auction close. This is sometimes impossible with international buyers. Our PO's aren't open weekends so an auction closing on Friday can't be paid for by MO until Monday. And even between Sydney and New York (let alone the remote states), delivery time can vary between 5 and 12 days depending on the number of coffee breaks along the way.
posted on May 13, 2001 07:53:22 PM new
You are right again. It would be hard to get a payment from another country in 7 days. I have payment to be recieved in 10 days in my auctions.
I just never really thought that applied to international bidders. I guess I thought it went un-said, but maybe it doesn't. Maybe I should also state in my auctions that international buyers have extra time to get payment to here. I just always assumed they would know that.
It looks like I have a few fine points to work over in my auction descriptions.
I am so glad I found your post tonight. I have always wondered why I didn't have a lot of international bidders. Maybe these are a few of the reasons.
posted on May 14, 2001 12:09:17 AM new
Woah! That's a steep price to have to pay for the use of BidPay. I've only had one overseas customer use it and maybe that's why. Generally speaking they send me cash or a check drawn on a U.S. bank.
I don't really like my buyers sending cash because of the risk but so far there's been no problem with everyone who has (from France and Australia). I think most buyers realize that if they do send cash they're the ones who are at risk. I also believe they know enough to check a seller's feedback to make sure they're reputable.
I've heard from some sellers that there's too much paperwork involved to ship overseas. IMHO that's a bunch of hog wash. Granted, the seller needs to know what they can and can't ship, but the custom form takes about a minute to fill out. I keep a stack of them in with my Delivery Confirmation and insurance forms so they're ready when I get to the post office.
I originally had my TOS to read that payment must reach me within 14 days. After my sister had a payment show up at her place over a month after the postmark (and it was mailed within the U.S.) I changed that to the payment must be postmarked within 10 days. I think when a seller states a set time for payment and say they ship internationally it tends to turn off the international bidders as they know how long the mail can take. Generally speaking a payment from Australia will take two weeks but it can take as long as four. If the buyers want to pay me by mail I figure if they can wait that long for their item I don't have a problem with waiting for their money.
It's also really a neat feeling too, to find something that originally came from a certain country, list it on the auction and end up sending it 'home'. My first international sale was an extremely old Spanish language textbook. My buyer was in Spain. My sister found some Korean war era Christmas cards and sold them to a bidder in Korea.
Well, I'm fairly well rambling and it's late and I need to haul my tired self to bed.
posted on May 14, 2001 02:20:43 AM new
Thanks again wallypog,
You guys are a very understanding bunch.
Costs on obtaining instruments of payment vary from bank to bank and institution to institution. On small amounts BidPay costs us $US5.00 extra but can go much higher depending on the amount sent. A Western Union Money Order is about $US6.50 and a bank check starts at about $US11.50 even for a small amount, and can be as high as $US25.00 depending on which bank is used. Electronic transfers start at about $US20.00.
That's why we like to use PayPal wherever possible or send cash. Insurance on a letter sent by airmail costs about $US3.50 and between most civilized countries is as safe as a bank.
Even to buy $US cash from a bank (if you don't have any)costs $2.50 plus an exchange rate "loading" of around 4 cents in the dollar.
So if any of you have ever had a deadbeat bidder from overseas it could possibly be because they haven't realized the cost involved in getting the payment to you. And a lot of sellers don't really realize (or care)that much of the added cost is due to their unreasonable demands on how an item should be paid for and when. They would rather relist an item countless times than wait a few extra days for payment.
Sellers seem to place a lot of importance on the numbers in the buyers feedback. This may be noble but on these new sites it's a bit unreasonable. You complain about the lack of bidders on these sites but half the time it is due to the barriers erected by the sellers. I would rather buy on the smaller, newer sites because the prices are better and there isn't much competition. There are some really nice things listed there. Most of these newer sites charge no fees and the sellers try to make up for the lack of bid interest by imposing unnecessary and unreasonabledemands and hardships on the buyer.
posted on May 14, 2001 04:34:06 PM new
AussiegirlDownUnder
I've only had a couple of international bidders.
The first was a lovely man in Great Britian and the transaction was very easy. He sent cash and sent $5.00 too much and asked if I could just include his change in the box in ones since ones are very hard to get there.
The second was a nice man from Holland who was appalled when he was told what shipping would be even by the slowest method available. I let him out of the bid and just asked for FVF credit, and told eBay it was a mutual agreement.
I felt very sorry for the man, he just did not have enough understanding of English, for me to read his e-mails.
Yes, I lost the listing fee and since then I have not been selling internationally. I suppose I should try them again.
It can't be MY "fault", I've NEVER owned a "fault"!
posted on May 15, 2001 01:45:32 PM new
Hey, Aussiegirl! I sell to anyone that wants to buy, whatever I happen to be selling on a particular auction. It doesn't bother me if they live in Antarctica - if I can get it shipped there, I sell it to the individual.
I have one great customer from England right now on Bidville that buys movie-related trading cards from me - it isn't a problem for me to pop the card in an envelope and send it airmail, and he always sends cash.
I have another buyer from your neck of the woods that is a big X-Men fan, and he keeps track of any X-Men cards that I may list on Bidville - he's turned out to be a great customer!
Some of us don't mind selling to folks outside the US, and I'm one of them - so, if you go to Bidville, look up my username - djay3 - and if I have anything listed that you might be interested in, bid away!
posted on May 16, 2001 03:20:58 AM new
Aussiegirl,
U.S. postal rates to foreign countries USED TO be fairly simple---surface, airmail, Global Priority, Global Express---and extras like insurance, registered, proof of delivery, etc. were easy to add on to the total.
Since the rates went up January 7th, the international rates are an ambiguous, **totally confusing** chart of mish-mash, difficult to decipher, and vary from country to country.
I sell many books, and I used to ship either bookrate surface or bookrate airmail. There IS no longer an international bookrate. Where surface bookrate used to cost $1.85-$6 or so, the only surface rates NOW available, letter and parcel (the difference between them being maximum size and girth), cost $7-$20up---usually HIGHER than some airmail rates for the same item.
The airmail rates are usually parcel, letter, three rates of Global Priority, and three rates of Global Express, all differing on maximum size and girth. It really gets COMPLICATED when the buyer requests insurance or some form of delivery confirmation like signing for the package, because "options" have been drastically scaled back on most rates to ALL countries. Each rate now has only one or two options available, which may be "return receipt", "registered mail", "pickup" (whatever THAT is), "certificate of mailing" form 3817 or 3877, INSTEAD OF the requested insurance (which is only available now on outrageously expensive Global Express mail).
And dman3 is right that a seller quotes one shipping rate and gets BURNED at the Post Office by a much higher (or sometimes lower) rate when the postal employees try to figure it. I now meter my own postage, so that doesn't happen to me anymore, but I'm truthfully not sure I'm putting the correct postage on an international package every time I do it.
Many sellers only use UPS or FedEx ground delivery services, which are prohibitively expensive for most foreign shipments. Many sellers meter their postage with Stamps.com or one of the other services that prints the postage and mailing address ON THE SAME LABEL, so the address must verify in order for the postage to print. Only U.S. addresses will verify, since only U.S. addresses are in the Post Office database. So mailing a package to a foreign country for many sellers can mean standing in line at the Post Office for 45 minutes just to mail ONE package.
There's also the problem of the customs form and the foreign buyers who ask that it be falsified to save on their customs charges.
After learning the hard way which countries are liable to "lose" packages to thieving airline employees, customs agents and postal workers, there are some countries to which I no longer ship.
I have some foreign deadbeat bidders, as well as American deadbeats, but I have more time invested in the foreigners because of extra rate look-ups and emailing I have to do, and I give them more time to pay me, sometimes resulting in problems with eBay deadlines for relisting and NPB claims.
Besides the foreign buyers who barely speak English (and are difficult to understand in emails), you have to realize that MANY, MANY sellers are either lazy or not very sophisticated, so they don't want to do anything more complicated than sticking something in a free domestic Priority box with a Priority stamp on it.
posted on May 16, 2001 04:19:01 AM new
Hi granee:
Instead of selling books you should be practicing law. You have given a fantastic resume of the problems you guys encounter in selling to International buyers. I had no idea it was so complicated.
I guess that in "Orstralia" we are very lucky that we generally have only three rates for overseas. We have Asia/Pacific, North America and Rest of the world and our rates are so much cheaper.
I think that it takes a discussion like this to make both sides see the problems each party has to contend with. Ours is excessive bank charges and unreasonable demands from overseas sellers and yours is USPS and probably excessive bank charges also, with a few unreasonable buyers thrown in for good measure.
However, there are exceptions worthy of consideration. You guys, I'm told, are coming into a slow selling season where our selling season is beginning to hum. Whilst you are out enjoying the good weather we are huddled at the computer buying stuff. Our small country (population, not size), may not make up for the loss of US bidders but small fish are sweet providing you don't have to give an arm and a leg in time and energy to catch them.
Your reasons are all valid ones but I'm certain most sellers could make some adjustments if they wanted to. What I don't understand is why some sellers would disassociate themselves from the rest of the world for years just because they once lost a 35 cents listing fee because of an international bidder.
posted on May 16, 2001 12:12:18 PM new
I think you give a valid point in your last paragraph about a seller giving up after losing one 35-cent listing fee. However, sometimes the scenario runs more like this.
The basic listing fee is 30 cents on eBay. If you run the auction for 10 days that's another 10 cents. If you list in two categories, double that price. If your opening bid starts at over $9.99 the listing fee is higher yet. Now add a few features like gallery, featured or whatever. Sometimes a listing fee can end up being quite a bit more than the basic 30 cent.
Now, on top of that eBay allows sellers to file for a refund of the Final Value Fee within 45 days from the end of the auction. IF an international bidder should decide not to send payment the seller may or may not know that for a good 30 days. So, they may then start the FVF process. Once that's started, the seller must wait an additional 10 days to request their final value fees. If they're not right on top of things the 45 days runs out before they even realize what is happening, so not only do they lose what may've been a substantial listing fee, but lose out on the refund of the Final Value Fee, too.
Now, of course, this is only one side of the coin. I'll keep listing for international sales. So far (knock on wood) I've yet to have an international bidder not pay for their auction. I suppose it might happen eventually (after all ever so often I get one from the U.S.) but considering the type of items I sell one dead-beat bidder isn't going to keep me from shipping worldwide.
I definately have to agree with Granee's post--when USPS changed our shipping rates in January they made everything way more confusing. You should've seen the tirade I made at the post office when the clerk told me a package I wanted to ship was going to cost $12.00 when I'd quoted the buyer $4.00! I was lucky in this case--the auction had ended just before the rates increased so I had a few days to do some research and checking around. My sister was shipping out of the country quite a bit right then, too, and she had already figured it out (she's such a brainiac!). We got it all figured out and the package shipped for the same price I quoted. (Phew!)
I apologized to the postal clerk for my rant and went on from there. Now I keep a tape measure on my desk because if the box isn't just so-so it won't ship for the price quoted. And the funny thing is, when I took more packages to go internationally into the post office, the guys stand there and look at me and say, 'Now, did you measure this?'
posted on May 16, 2001 01:41:09 PM new
AussiegirlDownUnder
"What I don't understand is why some sellers would disassociate themselves from the rest of the world for years just because they once lost a 35 cents listing fee because of an international bidder."
Well, when you look at it like that, it is true.
The thing I found so frustrating was not being able to understand what my bidder was trying to say to me. I am still not entirely sure the poor man really understood what I was trying to say to him.
It is also true as wallypog said listing fees are not always just 35 cents. Some of us have even listed featured items.
It can't be MY "fault", I've NEVER owned a "fault"!
[ edited by JMHO on May 16, 2001 01:44 PM ]
posted on June 2, 2001 02:50:58 PM new
Hi AussiegirlDownUnder,
You and the other posters to this thread have converted me back to being an international seller. I started out that way but after a couple of bad transactions I decided that that was enough...no more. Thanks to all of the good arguements, on both sides, I will now be accepting any & all international bidder's bids on my auctions. Thanks for starting this subject. It needs to be discussed more often!
posted on June 2, 2001 06:36:05 PM new
Hi noahsglobalemporium & others:
Since I started this thread I have noticed a relaxation in sellers willing to sell internationally. I hope they don't get let down for their efforts because for some it is a big step into the unknown. And there are some regions where I wouldn't be brave enough to sell to.
I have learnt many of the reasons why some sellers don't want to sell internationally and a lot of it has to do with your postal services. However, many of the listings are so marked because the seller has neglected to tick the right box for international bidders. When contacted they are usually very obliging and will accept a bid.
What surprises me is that many of the so-called PowerSellers refuse to ship overseas. Business is apparently so good for them that they can't be bothered doing even the slightest bit of extra work.
I do not dispute a seller's right not to sell internationally but I do wish some of them would have the decency to reply to emails.
I sincerely hope that those converted to selling internationally will see a worthwhile increase in sales to justify the extra effort.
posted on June 3, 2001 01:42:38 PM new
I love my international bidders!!
In my auctions I state international Bidders need to pay by Paypal & Billpoint.
When I started on Ebay almost 4 years ago I sold internationally then stopped after 6 months due to payments taking up to 6 weeks. 2 years ago after many requests I started international with payment by CC now I use Billpoint and Paypal.
I even buy stuff from a guy in Singapore in bulk and sell on Ebay.
I can get 3 times what he gets when he lists the widget because people are reluctant to buy internationally.
I have purchased beautiful amber necklaces for my Mom for $20 that would cost $150 in NY not to mention Jade from China, Butterflies from Malasia, and a beautiful carved pipe from Turkey.
If you avoid buying and selling Internationally you are missing making some good money and missing some super deals on pricey items.
posted on June 3, 2001 01:45:37 PM new
I enjoy selling to overseas buyers and in fact have a wall map where I keep putting up little dots to show where I've shipped. I finally nailed Japan yesterday! I get Australia reasonably often. Sometimes the shipping options get confusing, but not a major problem.
Also, I've never had a deadbeat, which I can't say for US buyers.
posted on June 3, 2001 02:41:23 PM new
A very interesting topic...I've learned a great deal by reading everyone's posts. And I thank you all.
Do I sell / ship internationally? Sometimes!
I sell on both ebay and Bidville. My bidville auctions are mostly lower end paperback books. For these I sell to US only, as it makes no sense to offer a 99 cent book and charge $8-$10 bucks for shipping. However, With my more collectable signed modern first edition books- I want the entire globe to have the opportunity to bid, and I'll bend over backwards to give my international buyers the best service possible...Now if only I could convience Bidville to add my "signed first edition" catagory...I might be able to do some business.
posted on June 5, 2001 12:45:09 PM new
You have all made valid points. Please allow me to share almost 40 years of international shipping experience. (Yes, there was international commerce before the internet) Shipping charges are at the whim and whimsy of the clerk behind the counter. We have had identical items to identical countries charged $5 at one PO and $13 at another. The online rate calculators only add to the confusion. We have had international surface shipping take 9 months to deliver. In the recent past, we began to lose 20% of surface shipped packages, so we dont offer surface as an option anymore. This precludes international bidders from buying items that weigh over 4 pounds, it's just too expensive.
I could go on and on, however, the biggest concern and my personal 'pet peave' about international bidders are their constant requests for me to lie on the customs forms. Even though we clearly state in the ad copy that "we abide by all customs rules and regulations". MOST, and I say that easily because more then 50% do ask, MOST of my international bidders TELL me to declare the item a gift, value it under $10, ect, ect.
It amazes me how people can ask me to commit a crime on an almost daily basis. Then email me angry letters when I don't cheat for them.
Other countries tariff laws are not my fault. I'm sorry you have to pay taxes on the item. Take it up with your assemblyman, politico, secretary, chief or warlord, whomever writes your laws, but PLEASE, stop asking me to commit a crime against the United States government. I assure you, they don't even get the joke.
Thats my two cents worth, your change is in the mail.
Thor
“We have had identical items to identical countries charged $5 at one PO and $13 at another” …..
It seems to me that you guys should be taking it up with your assemblyman, politico, secretary, chief or warlord, whomever writes your laws. How can a civilized country put up with the inefficiency of your postal department?
“MOST of my international bidders TELL me to declare the item a gift, value it under $10, ect, ect.” …..
Most USA bidders purchasing items over $100 tell me to mark it as a 100-year-old antique. So you see, “international bidder” has different meanings. To me, you are an international bidder. I won’t lie on a Customs Declaration form and I don’t expect you to lie either. There are, however, some subtle differences that may help. If I put down the value as $AU200 the recipient in America can rightly argue that it equates to $US100. And if you mark my $100 purchase as $100 as is usually the case, the customs man here may think that it means $AU100 instead of $AU200. Nobody has to lie.
Different countries have different laws and different mentalities so why lump them all into “No International Bidders”? After all, it’s the seller who loses, not the bidder. You receive fewer bids or no bids. In Australia there are now at least 9 online auction sites doing a moderate trade and it could be due, in part, to you guys. Of my last 80 sales, 43 have been to international bidders. I love them!
posted on June 7, 2001 07:48:46 PM new
As a seller, I LOVE International bidders! But there are a lot of sellers who are (I suspect) afraid that they will...
(1) Have a bunch of "extra" forms to fill out and extra hassles in shipment, and
(2) Have to worry about money exchange or foreign bank checks, and
(3) Get ripped off.
Here's my antidotes to the above:
(1) See my International Shipping Information Page at: http://www.kenzy.com/ebay/SHIPINTL.HTM
(2) Request international payment in the form of cash, international MO, or check drawn on a U.S. Bank. I've heard of (but myself have NEVER had) problems with electronic payment sites such as PayPal.
(3) Ripoff potential is probably no higher than for U.S. buyers. Every international customer that I've had has been friendly and cooperative.
