Selling on ebay internationally?

[Harajuku]

What is your experience of selling figures on ebay to international buyers? It seems like som people don't do it because of problems. Do you have any tips?

 

[a-dev]

I notice you're in Sweden, I'm in Ireland. On this forum we are the ''internationals''. People don't like selling to us
When we are selling we pretty much have to sell internationally or else we are limiting our likelihood of making a sale at all. Mileage may vary I suppose depending on how into this stuff your fellow nationals are.

 

[EVILFACE]

Unless you are a buddy, I don't like doing it because it can be a pain. The buyers don't like the full shipping charges for tracking and insurance to cover your ass. They also ask to declare less value so they aren't charged much on their end. But that nulls the insurance value coverage.

 

[Harajuku]

Hehe yes we are the "odd" ones. I'm just curious about selling on ebay via paypal. How common is it to get ripped of with disputes and fraudulent creditcards? The market here in sweden is so small so to get good prices as a seller you might need to go on ebay.

 

[jstep13]

I only sell on Ebay thru Global Shipping Program,,,beyond that you're SOL

 

[pixletwin]

Unless you are a buddy, I don't like doing it because it can be a pain. The buyers don't like the full shipping charges for tracking and insurance to cover your ass. They also ask to declare less value so they aren't charged much on their end. But that nulls the insurance value coverage.

Yup. "Internationals" are far too high maintenance. Made that mistake a few times, won't again.

 

[snowpiercer]

Well, not limited on figures of course I always offer international shipping and till today there was never a problem.

My personal rules:

I ship items internationally with a value over 10 Euros/Dollars only with a tracking number (comes with insurance). This gives confidence for both sides and no one can claim "the parcel lost" without controlling it. If the buyer refuses this, I do not accept his bid.

The buyer has to be aware that his local customs may charge him some fees and this is not the sellers fault or problem. Nor can you tell him the costs.

I never state a lower value then the real auction price on the customs declaration. If a buyer insists on this, drop him from your list. This is a tax violation and can lead to stressfull moments.

Anyone refusing these points is not of interest to me.

I hope this helps.

 

[Harajuku]

Thanks for the input. Yes I will do all that. Good to here that it works well for some people.

 

[Collectorcol]

Recently sold to collectors in Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal.
I pack well with loads of airpockets and thankfully had no issues.

Selling outside Europe is something I avoid.

 

[Pork Chop Express]

I've sold internationally to multiple locations. I won't ship anything (hi dollar) uninsured or I'll calculate the cost with freight. Make sure you have exact weight/dimensions on whatever your shipping and quote freight correctly. Make sure its well packed. Some destinations have size/weight restrictions which can usually be looked up easily enough. There's a bit more paper work involved but not all that difficult.

I've had people request I label description/price to their preference which I've done without issue but only on items I wasn't really "worried" about. If your not 100% confident (or close enough) don't ship.

 

[Harajuku]

Another question. If someone bids and win on ebay but I feel that something isn't right. How does it work with ebay if I don't want to sell to that person.

 

[potato]

Another question. If someone bids and win on ebay but I feel that something isn't right. How does it work with ebay if I don't want to sell to that person.

you can always open a case to cancel the trade, any paypal payment already made will automatic be refunded. not sure whether the buyer has to agree or not though, there's a few options like seller made a mistake, item is no longer available etc.

rule of thumb is always ship at minimum via air and registered/recorded that requires recipient's signature that comes with tracking number and make sure the address given tallies with their paypal addresses. regarding the value insured, to be honest it's quite difficult to get full compensation especially goods that arrive but damaged. as the seller you should always pack it as secure as you can. and if buyer's from a taxing country, marking it as a gift won't hurt unless you run a business and is subject to huge penalties for falsely sending a merchandise as a gift.

SAL is much cheaper but takes longer time in transit and you never know when another port will go on strike.

 

[Mr Quimper]

I've never had an issue selling (or buying) from fellow europeans.
The key is to be honest in your listings, and don't try to cover up any damage (not saying you are, but you have to expect a response if this happens).
Yes, there are horror stories on ebay but there are also thousands of transactions that go without any problems.
I've sold plenty (and have a few PF's on ebay now) so I'm not too worried.
Actually, I worry until they leave feedback but mostly its unjustified anxiety.

Good luck with you sales!

 

[ZE_501]

I sell from Canada internationally only via Tracked Packet International (overseas) or Expedited (to the US). With tracking and delivery confirmation I generally feel I have enough protection.

Back when I started I've only ever had three problems: Spain, France and Singapore. All three were items that in my inexperience (very early on) I sent without tracking/delivery confirmation. The Singapore item was inexpensive so no big loss refunding; the France and Spain items weren't going to break the bank but in truth I have no idea if the buyers were honest or not (no way of knowing) and I got dinged a bit.

Since then I always use tracking and confirmation, and it helps to let buyers know that customs delays and charges are outside of my control.

Relatively inexpensive items I don't send overseas as Tracked Packet International is usually too expensive, but it still leaves me all of the US and Canada as a market.

Cover your ass with tracking and confirmation.

 

[karamazov80]

I'm a U.S.-based seller, and years ago I would sell internationally all the time, but I ran into some issues that put me off to it, with a package missing going to Canada, and one taking weeks and weeks to arrive to its destination in France. So for a time I just stopped doing it altogether (though I should note that I've probably sent a hundred packages to the UK without incident), but with eBay's Global Shipping option, I've started doing international shipments again. That is only for pricier auctions though ($50+, I think), and I'm not sure if it is available to non-U.S. sellers. It's nice because all you have to do is get it to the distribution hub (in the U.S.), and so long as it gets there, you are no longer liable if it goes missing or gets damaged en route to the destination country, and otherwise, with eBay, you have to use some form of signature confirmation and insurance to cover yourself, which can be hit-or-miss. I sent a very expensive package to Australia last year via the Global Shipping option. It went missing, the buyer was reimbursed, and I got to keep the money he paid.

I will still send packages outside the country for folks I know, but not on eBay.

 

[HYMN]

I made to many international selling and am living in Turkey. Shipped to many countries; USA, France, Italy, Hungary, UK, Mexico even Australia. I'm not a store or reseller. Moreover I'm an academic in university and a common collector like you. Just selling some figures or statues to buy new ones. International selling is not a big deal. Ebay and paypal are trustworthy. I did not have any issue so far.

 

[Collectorcol]

Ebay and paypal are trustworthy.

True but not all buyers are and PayPal always sides with the buyer even though the seller pays the fee.

 

[franpincho]

As long as you don't ship to Brazil, you are good.

 

[Underaglassbell]

I think we often get a unjust bad rep

I've purchased many things via non-UK sellers and never really had a problem to report of. I may ask on occasion if it can be marked as gift, but I don't ask for the price to be declared as something then it's not, and always take on the Paypal fees and actual shipping costs.

Unfortunately I have missed out on a few items though because the seller would not ship outside of the US.

 

[Payton collectibles]

Hi There

I would just say cover yourself. I have sold to other countries, in Europe and outside of Europe and so far it has been ok.

eBay have improved their seller protection which is a plus. what i do:

take photos of the box before and after packaging
ship with a courier that will insure the item
signed for on delivery

outside of Europe a lot of the time someone is going to want a lower invoice amount which is fair enough, who doesn't want to pay less for something ? but do you want the sale or do you want to be covered because if they want it that badly they will stick to your rules? and let the customer know that the lower you put the invoice then the item will not be covered. If you put it as a gift which I do then i do not think the duties are as high (not an expert but Ive had no problem so far). subtle changes to the invoices helps at customs at the other end - marking as A Toy helps if it is marked as a gift!

I am sure most will agree, people buying Sideshow / Hot Toys figures know they want it and are collectors so getting it in the best possible way possible and insuring it matters

As long as you cover yourself you should be ok