Chances are your normal method of shipping won’t work for your international shipments. For example, you can’t use Priority Mail to ship outside the United Statesnot even to Canada or Mexico. This means you’ll need to evaluate new shipping methods, and possibly new shipping services.

If you want to stick with the U.S. Postal Service, you can check out Global Priority Mail (reasonably fast and reasonably priced), Global Express Mail (fast but expensive), Airmail (almost as fast, not quite as expensive), or Surface/Parcel Post (slow but less expensive). In addition, UPS offers its Worldwide Express service, FedEx offers its FedEx Express service internationally, and DHL is always a good option for shipping outside the United States. Be sure to check out your options beforehand, and charge the buyer the actual costs incurred.

Given the increased chances of loss or damage when shipping great distances, you should purchase insurance for all items shipping outside North America.

You’ll also have to deal with a bit of paperwork while you’re preparing your shipment. All packages shipping outside U.S. borders must clear customs to enter the destination countryand require the completion of specific customs forms to make the trip. Depending on the type of item you’re shipping and the weight of your package, you’ll need either Form 2976 (green) or Form 2976-A (white). Both of these forms should be available at your local post office.

When you’re filling out these forms, describe the item in terms that ordinary people can understand. That means using simple, generic terms. A “greatest hits CD compilation” becomes “compact disc.” A “SimCity extension pack” becomes “video game.” And so on.

You should also be honest about what you’re shipping. Some buyers will try to talk you into describing the item as a gift so that they can save on duties or tax on their end. That’s lying, and you shouldn’t do it.

eBay offers several pages of advice for international trading at pages.ebay.com/internationaltrading/.

In addition, there are certain items you can’t ship to foreign countriesfirearms, live animals and animal products, and so on. (There are also some technology items you can’t ship, for security reasons.) You need to check the government’s list of import and export restrictions to see what items you’re prohibited from shipping outside U.S. borders. Check with your shipping service for more detailed information.

Finally, note that shipping across borders takes longer than shipping within the United States. This is especially true if an item is held up at customs. Make sure your international buyers know that shipping times will be longer than what you might state for domestic buyers.

The post eBay International Shipping first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.

The currency issue is simplified somewhat when you specify bidding and payment in U.S. funds only. This puts the onus of currency conversion on the buyer, which is a plus.

The payment process can be further simplified when the buyer pays by credit card or, even better, by PayPal. PayPal is now active in 45 countries (including the United States) and can handle all the payment, conversion, and deposit functions for you.

The post Accepting foreign payments on eBay first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.

The pros of opening your auctions to non-U.S. bidders include the following:

• You might be able to attract additional bidders and thus sell more items at (presumably) higher prices.
• You can offset some of the seasonality of the U.S. market; when it’s winter here, you can still be selling swim suits to the summer market in Australia.
• You establish a reputation as a hard-working global trader.
• It’s fun (sometimes) to interact with people from different countries and cultures.

The cons of selling outside the Unites States include the following:

• You might run into difficulties communicating with bidders from outside the United States.
• You might have to deal with payment in non-U.S. funds, on non-U.S. banks.
• You’ll have to put extra effort into the packing of an item to be shipped over great distances.
• You probably won’t be able to use your standard shipping services which means investigating new shipping services and options.
• Shipping costs will be higher than what you’re used toand will need to be passed on to the buyer.
• You’ll need to deal with the appropriate paperwork for shipping outside the United States including those pesky customs forms.
• If there are any problems or disputes with the item shipped, you have an international-sized incident on your hands.

Just looking at this list, it may appear that the cons outweigh the pros. That might not always be the case, however especially if you’re a real “people person.” Many eBay sellers get great joy from interacting with people from different cultures, sometimes turning foreign buyers into lasting friends. I can vouch from my limited personal experience that most non-U.S. buyers I’ve dealt with are exceedingly polite and tolerant of the extra effort required to complete an international transaction.

If you decide to sell outside the United States, you’ll want to state this in your auctions, along with a line indicating that “shipping and handling outside the United States is higher,” “listed shipping charge is for United States only,” or something to that effect. If, on the other hand, you decide not to sell internationally, state that in your ad also with a “U.S. bidders only” type of notice.

My personal opinions on international sales are sure to invite argument. No offense to non-U.S. users, but I don’t ship internationally, period. I’ve done it in the past, and the hassle factor simply isn’t worth it. Even if the transaction goes smoothly (and it often doesn’t, all things considered), the big issue is that the procedures involved are just too different from what I have set up for my normal day-to-day auction activities. In other words, international auctions are unusual transactions that mess up my normal domestic auction production line. My apologies to buyers outside the United Statesmost of whom I’ve found to be wonderful people to deal withbut I can’t let my normal activity be jeopardized by these high-maintenance shipments. (I do, however, make the occasional exceptionprimarily with small items shipping into Canada that can be handled without much additional paperwork or hassle.)

The post Selling Internationally on eBay first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.

The list of eBay’s international sites includes the following:

• Argentina (www.mercadolibre.com.ar)

• Australia (www.ebay.com.au)

• Austria (www.ebay.at)

• Belgium (www.ebay.be)

• Brazil (www.mercadolivre.com.br)

• Canada (www.ebay.ca)

• China (www.ebay.com.cn)

• France (www.ebay.fr)

• Germany (www.ebay.de)

• Hong Kong (www.ebay.com.hk)

• India (www.baazee.com)

• Ireland (pages.ebay.com/ie/)

• Italy (www.ebay.it)

• Korea (www.auction.co.kr)

• Malaysia (www.ebay.com.my)

• Netherlands (www.ebay.nl)

• New Zealand (pages.ebay.com/nz/)

• Philippines (www.ebay.ph)

• Singapore (www.ebay.com.sg)

• Spain (www.ebay.com.es)

• Sweden (www.ebaysweden.com/)

• Switzerland (www.ebay.ch)

• Taiwan (www.tw.ebay.com)

• United Kingdom (www.ebay.co.uk)

Although these sites were designed for trading within a specific country, there’s nothing keeping you from searching them for items to buy which will put you on the opposite side of the international buyer/seller argument!

The post eBay International Sites first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.

One of the issues with selling outside the United States is in dealing with foreign currency. First, you have to convert it to U.S. dollars. (How many lira to the dollar today?) Then you have to receive it in a form that is both secure and trusted. (Do you trust a personal check drawn on a small Spanish bank?) Then you have to find a way to deposit those fundsand convert them to U.S. dollars. (Does your bank handle foreign deposits?)

The post Accepting Foreign Payments first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.

The solution to this problem isn’t always easy. It’s one thing to say you should send non-English-language emails back to the buyer, requesting communication in English. But if the buyer can’t read or write English, how is he supposed to read your request? This problem is a tricky one.

I have found, however, that communication goes more smoothly if you keep your written communications short and simple. Use straightforward wording, and avoid slang terms and abbreviations.

In addition, you have to deal with the time difference between the United States and many other countries. If you’re dealing with a buyer in the Far East, you’re sleeping while he’s sending emails, and vice versa. This introduces an unavoidable lag into the communication that can sometimes be problematic.

The only advice I can give you here is to be aware of the time differences, and plan accordingly. Don’t expect an immediate response from someone on a different continent, and try to avoid the kind of back-and-forth communications that can go on for days and days.

The post Communicating with International Bidders first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.

The pros of opening your auctions to non-U.S. bidders include the following:

• You might be able to attract additional bidders and thus sell more items at (presumably) higher prices.

• You can offset some of the seasonality of the U.S. market; when it’s winter here, you can still be selling swim suits to the summer market in Australia.

• You establish a reputation as a hard-working global trader.

• It’s fun (sometimes) to interact with people from different countries and cultures.

The cons of selling outside the Unites States include the following:

• You might run into difficulties communicating with bidders from outside the United States.

• You might have to deal with payment in non-U.S. funds, on non-U.S. banks.

• You’ll have to put extra effort into the packing of an item to be shipped over great distances.

• You probably won’t be able to use your standard shipping services which means investigating new shipping services and options.

• Shipping costs will be higher than what you’re used to and will need to be passed on to the buyer.

• You’ll need to deal with the appropriate paperwork for shipping outside the United Statesincluding those pesky customs forms.

• If there are any problems or disputes with the item shipped, you have an international-sized incident on your hands.

Just looking at this list, it may appear that the cons outweigh the pros. That might not always be the case, however especially if you’re a real “people person.” Many eBay sellers get great joy from interacting with people from different cultures, sometimes turning foreign buyers into lasting friends. I can vouch from my limited personal experience that most non-U.S. buyers I’ve dealt with are exceedingly polite and tolerant of the extra effort required to complete an international transaction.

If you decide to sell outside the United States, you’ll want to state this in your auctions, along with a line indicating that “shipping and handling outside the United States is higher,” “listed shipping charge is for United States only,” or something to that effect. If, on the other hand, you decide not to sell internationally, state that in your ad alsowith a “U.S. bidders only” type of notice.

My personal opinions on international sales are sure to invite argument. No offense to non-U.S. users, but I don’t ship internationally, period. I’ve done it in the past, and the hassle factor simply isn’t worth it. Even if the transaction goes smoothly (and it often doesn’t, all things considered), the big issue is that the procedures involved are just too different from what I have set up for my normal day-to-day auction activities. In other words, international auctions are unusual transactions that mess up my normal domestic auction production line. My apologies to buyers outside the United Statesmost of whom I’ve found to be wonderful people to deal withbut I can’t let my normal activity be jeopardized by these high-maintenance shipments. (I do, however, make the occasional exceptionprimarily with small items shipping into Canada that can be handled without much additional paperwork or hassle.)

The post eBay International Selling first appeared on Tips For eBay Sellers & Buyers.