Foreign buyer problems on eBay.

<p>I've done a lot of eBay trading over the years, and consider it a fantastic resource for both turning old equipment into cash, and acquiring hard to find items. A few years ago I did have a hassle with a foreign buyer (France) who asked me to ship by the cheapest method, and "he would take full responsibility" for any loss. Well, he then claimed the item never arrived, and my paypal account wound up frozen for several months. Eventually I had to refund his money. (What actually happened to the item remains unknown, of course I suspected he got it, but my "proof of shipment" receipt and copy of his email wasn't enough for eBay to take my side of it.) Ebay's present "seller protection" policy requires tracking and/or proof of delivery.<br>

Now I've listed some items, with a disclaimer that foreign orders must be shipped with delivery confirmation. But what I've discovered is that a two-pound package can be mailed to Hong Kong for $40, but if you want delivery confirmation, you have to ship FedEx or UPS at a cost of $155! Has anyone else run into this, or figured out a work around? Obviously, I'm going to start listing USA and Canada only, but it seems a shame to lose the world market.</p>

<p>For this very reason I accept bids <em>only</em> from the lower 48 and require PayPal, certified check or money order, though I strongly prefer PayPal. I would neither buy nor sell <em>anything</em> to or from someone "across the pond".</p>

<p>Hmmm, I've sold hundreds of rare vinyl albums and singles world wide along with some inexpensive camera parts and have never had a problem. Granted these items have ranged from only $20 to $150 so I guess it depends on the value of the item on whether you're going to have a problem or not.</p>

<p>First I live in Alaska which is a part of the United States and not part of the lower 48. Whenever somebody says lower 48 in their listing I need to email them to correct the situation. USPS Priority works great anywhere in the United States. Alaska is part of the USA. I have sold many things to foreign buyers, I use USPS Global Express with insurance and it works well anywhere. I have extra forms at home and fill them out before going to the post office. The USPS web site works great for estimating shipping costs. I have no problems with deliveries or with customs or shipping. Global Express also provides tracking so it is worth the extra cost compared to Priority Mail. I have sold many things by being willing to sell worldwide. I also have made contact with many interesting people. I turn over my photo equipment looking for the mythical perfect system so I have sold lenses and cameras.</p>

<p>Why don't you send it registered mail for extra $12 or so. It has tracking # and has delivery confirm. It might slow it down a little bit, but very secure IMHO.</p>

<p>I've done a few overseas transactions to Europe, particularly Canada, Australia, NZ, Netherlands, UK, and Germany when I'm in a selling mood. Most times, it's inconvenient, and I go CONUS for a flat rate, with AK, HI, and US territories at actual shipping cost. Since 9/11 I especially include APO/FPO destinations, which could be anywere because it includes embassies as well as the military directly. I'm usually ok shipping to Canada in any case. The usual suspects, like Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Romania, and Bulgaria are out, as are any conflict zones.</p>

<p>I have had a couple bad experiences where a foreign buyer has won the bid and then tried say their paypal account had just been set up and wasn't working yet, so could they get my account info so they could pay me right away. Another time a buyer wanted to pay me almost three times what the item was selling for so I could use that to pay his broker for shipping. I contacted the FBI on that one and even after I told him I knew it was a scam, I had reported it to the FBI, and not to contact me, he still sent me two very bogus(obviously photo copied) checks. For this reason I do not accept foreign bids for anything, period. Thankfully, I am not a stupid person and didn't lose anything on these obvious scams, it still was a hassle convincing ebay that I was not at fault.</p>

<p>Phil,<br>

Being from Australia and regularly checking out the eBay USA site for Nikon lenses (and to the same extent the p.net classifieds) I think your recent policy to ship with tracking / PayPal etc and only to conUS is becoming rapidly the preferred method of private listings of lenses on ebay in the USA. <br>

I have been very keen to pick up an old 16mm fisheye particulary the f/3.5 Ais model - needless to say they don't appear all that often, (virtually never in Aust.) The last 3 copies listed on eBay USA have refused to consider shipping to me in Aust. despite my perfect feedback score etc. I'm always happy to pay a lot extra for a service that provides tracking but I think a lot of private listers such as yourself have had similar troubles with overseas sales. it's always the few who wreck the game for the many. Pity for me as the AU $ is now fetching US 0.90 and rising..........</p>

<p>I have sold on Ebay for years, internationally, and never had a problem. You have to make sure you understand all the Paypal rules, including only shipping to the address Paypal gives you. I now am reluctant to ship internationally because the customs paperwork has just gotten to be too much of a nuisance.</p>

<p>Insurance required, comfirmation required, they pay for it, thus far has been successful, USPS shipped, pay pal addresses only.</p>

<p>As long as you make sure the shipping is trackable, and serious overseas customers like myself are willing to pay for that, you should be fine selling overseas. There is no reason to avoid making an auction available to the whole world as long as you require a safe method of payment and a safe method of shipping.</p>

<p>Overseas customers are often used to higher retail prices, and so might be willing to pay more for photographic equipment...</p>

I've probably sold a dozen or so low cost cameras overseas with no problems. Although I have a hard time fitting some of those crazy addresses onto the shipping label.

<p>I have only sold a few items on eBay, but I remember there was some sort of drop-down box for listing where you were willing to send the items. I think if you just tell people up front what you expect in the ad that this may go better. Maybe try selling some items closer to home. </p>

<p>I've only ever had one problem with an Ebay buyer, and it was from a foreign buyer without much skill in English who told me he didn't read the listing. I attribute this more to his being an idiot than a non-American, but still, my policy for foreign buyers is I include overseas shipping at an exorbitantly inflated rate (e.g., $35 for something that will cost me $5 to ship) and consider the extra as a sort of insurance. I still get some foreign buyers who are willing to pay. I never negotiate the shipping price, unless it's to a US buyer buying more than one item.</p>

<p>One of the best things about eBay, IMO, is that it is a genuinely global bazaar. We can connect as individuals across borders. We can discover and obtain things we might never, in a lifetime of searching, find in our own neighborhoods.</p>

<p>Over several years I've really enjoyed browsing the various European and Asian eBay sites. In my personal experience, when I've asked politely in advance, sellers on other countries' eBay sites almost always have allowed me to bid on their items--even when their original eBay listings did not indicate delivery outside their own country or region.</p>

<p>As a result, I feel badly as an American, whenever I see sellers imposing a blanket "USA only" restriction, unless it's for a really good reason. It sends a message that contributes to negative perceptions of America, and it encourages the adoption of similar barriers on foreign eBay sites, against us.</p>

<p>Among all the international eBay sites, the American site is the largest and most active by far. When the many, many honest eBay members outside the USA find themselves rebuffed by an American seller as "seller policy" without any compelling reason, and despite the possibility of arranging safeguards for the seller, there is a corrosive effect over the long term.</p>

<p>Geographic exclusions are appropriate in some situations--obviously. But in most cases, a seller can adequately protect against fraud by specifying minimum qualifications for bidding/buying, or by requiring specific payment and shipping procedures. </p>

<p>I am very grateful to sellers on U.S. eBay who go out of their way to help honest bidders/buyers from other countries. When I as an American go onto eBay-Germany, or eBay-France, or eBay-Italy, or one of the others, I hope to encounter the same supportive and open-minded attitude. Usually I have.</p>

<p>It's a timeless truth: What goes around, comes around. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Of course there are compelling reasons. It's difficult and expensive to get trackable international shipping, and you have to go through terrible UPS service instead of the better and cheaper postal service. Some countries will hold items up in customs for weeks (ever been in Italy and try to have a box sent to you? It takes anywhere from 5 days to 5 months and there's no tracking) so you've got buyers getting pissed of at you when it's their government's fault their item is late.</p>

<p>It's just easier to get burned by a buyer. If a buyer puts in for a credit card chargeback instead of going through the Paypal process, you get backcharged by Paypal and there's nothing you can do about it - and is a credit card company going to be sympathetic to you if you can't write to them in your language? Ebay and Paypal policies are highly biased toward buyers - even though the seller pays the fees, and is therefore the client, he is assumed to be a crook unless proven otherwise - so why should a seller add an extra risk unless he's perfectly comfortable with it and thinks it's good for business? And don't get me started on the various scams that involve an overseas account that Paypal thinks it can money from but it can't. Why sell internationally if you can make the same sale to an American and avoid all that?</p>

<p>eBay is an interesting arena, one in which I just recently started playing. And already had a major bad experience that required going to the 'resolution' center.<br>

I also tracked and bid on a lens, that on closer inspection, was clearly given an exotic and intended-to-mislead title. The lens was a plastic fantastic EF 50mm f1.8, but listed as an f/1.4. Some poor soul purchased the used lens for quite a bit more than it costs brand new. I reported the seller, so hopefully things got resolved. Glad it wasn't my deal.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the responses. I have discovered that my problems began with a small town postal clerk who didn't really know the available options for overseas shipments. So I thought I had to use the very expensive UPS and FedEx options. At the big city post office, I discovered registered mail (as pointed out by Novisto) return receipt options, and insurance. Less than four pounds can be sent registered. Insurance and return receipt options vary widely, both in coverage amount and availability. Global express does have a tracking number that will indicate delivery. I think I'm back in business. I find the international bidders consistently outbid locals. Maybe its the weak dollar, or the high tariffs on new goods in many countries. Thanks, again, photo.net!</p>

<p>I sell on eBay a lot and just say that international bidder must contact me first. That way I look at their feedback and decide if I will let them bid. I have made a lot more money by allowing overseas bidders. Sometimes I have had problems but the higher selling prices on all of the good deals far outweigh the loss on the few problem sales. Even if the overseas bidder does not win the item they bid it up higher so the bidder in the USA pays me more.</p>

<p>As a regular seller of camera equipment on eBay for over 8 years, I'd say 30-40% of my buyers are from Europe or Asia. Rarely have I ever run into a problem with undeliverable or missing mail. Only once in the past 1000 or so sales this year has a package gone off radar - and that was in Italy; seems the postman there wasn't very reliable (sticky fingers ? ) and an investigation by USPS resolved the issue.<br>

I offer Priority Mail International service only , since First Class does not carry insurance, unless you send a 1st Class package Registered ( about $11.50 extra, so nearly the same price as Priority Mail).<br>

Once in a blue moon I'll offer First Class to overseas buyers if the item they bought is cheap and doesn't justify high-priced postage. <br>

EBay's getting to be a pain in the arse with unhelpful policy changes. They recently removed the insurance option on the invoice page and sellers must now calculate a handling/insurance fee into the final price. This often leaves calculated shipping costs to be inflated and mightr deter some bidders. I always charge the exact amount plus a buck or two for extra packing materials and I promptly refund any overpayment of postage.</p>

<p>The only time I got hosed as a buyer resulted from me cheaping out on USPS shipping to Canada by opting for First Class without insurance--a mistake that cost me the price of a NOS Nikon MD-4 drive I suspect the seller never shipped.<br>

Now I use USPS Priority Mail Int'l that's trackable, insurable and signature released to Canada, something most sellers insist on. I have noticed American sellers are steadily restricting international sales by posting lists of "no deal" countries or quoting steep shipping charges outside N. America to dissuade bids.Given the headaches, the Canada/USA restriction might be the solution.</p>

<p>I am insulted by this. Those who say that they only want to sell to Americans are extremely hostile - actually they are claiming that Amaricans are more decent end honest than anyone else in the whole world. That's a lot of rubbish.<br>

I am angry right now I'll admit that - but no matter what then I am proud that I am not an American!</p>

<p>Look, Jacques, Canadian bidders get excluded from auctions all the time. Many sellers want to avoid what they fear will be endless issues with shipping, fraud, refunds, payment, etc. when dealing outside the US; others will happily sell outside the US. Not everyone's going to love you, right?</p>

<p>I was searching for info on international ebay shipping and (luckily?) found this thread.<br>

I'm selling an expensive view camera and had a potential buyer from Bulgaria ask about a "gift" or a "lower value" declared. I'm not 100% comfortable (who cares, right?) with the lower value option if it will impact my required insurance value.<br>

Will the declared value for customs trump the insured value I pay for with shipping? I'm planing to use Express Mail International.<br>

I suppose anything I sell for less than what I perceive is the current market value is a gift, right? ;-)<br>

-DBaird</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I feel badly as an American, whenever I see sellers imposing a blanket "USA only" restriction, unless it's for a really good reason. It sends a message that contributes to negative perceptions of America, and it encourages the adoption of similar barriers on foreign eBay sites, against us.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It certainly does. I'm in the UK and 'postage to US only' on an item really annoys me especially as I have never had any problems posting items to the US (never sold though, just given away).</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Many sellers want to avoid what they fear will be endless issues with shipping, fraud, refunds, payment, etc. when dealing outside the US; others will happily sell outside the US. Not everyone's going to love you, right?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Because everyone in the US is honest and everyone from everywhere else is a fraudster, right?</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I am insulted by this. Those who say that they only want to sell to Americans are extremely hostile - actually they are claiming that Amaricans are more decent end honest than anyone else in the whole world. That's a lot of rubbish.<br /> I am angry right now I'll admit that - but no matter what then I am proud that I am not an American!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well said.</p>