eBay = Evil Bay

digitalintrigue said:
Set up your auctions to prevent international buyers, if you don't want international buyers.

International shipments over $250: use express mail.
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Yes, I just discovered the shipping preferences link, that was inside the site preferences link that was inside the Account link, after having dug through a stinking pile of previously asked questions in the Help link all morning.
 
zerobuttons said:
You obviously didn´t bother to investigate what the possibilities are, regarding shipment tracking. Please edit your posting and remove this misleading information.
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I have a better idea. You post all the pertinent information that corrects my supposed misinformation, thus solving the problem.
 
For full tracking information you need a carrier that takes the parcel all the way to its destination themselves, like UPS, or DHL, etc. This can be expensive and will often put foreign buyers off. But up to a certain weight, and to certain countries door to door tracking is possible for a very reasonable fee via the regular postal system. A package from the UK to the US would go via Royal Mail Airsure, and it would then be handed over to USPS for delivery when it arrives. A great system, but it doesn't work to all countries.

Steve
 
I shipped a Rolleiflex to China from the UK, once. It took a bit of time for it to get there but I kept sending the buyer reports from the tracking screen and when it finally did arrive, he sent a very polite note of thanks. That's my most extreme example but I find that, if you treat people with respect, they generally do the same to you.
 
thomasw_ said:
This is false. I have received many packages from the US sent through USPS; tracking and signature confirmation work just fine. it is some type of EMS service and most first world countries have a form of it.
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Indeed they do.

Some countries are less efficient than others - you will hear plenty of rumours about the Italian system, but it does indeed offer confirmation of signature. I've shipped many items to Italy, Spain, Latvia, China, Malaysia and other 'problematic' countries and always found the buyers reasonable - they tend to be aware if delays are down to their own postal service. I've taken risks with pleasant buyers - one eccentric in Poland who collected spherical '70s TV, which cost a bomb to ship so we sent regular international parcels, without problems - and always been repaid with courtesy, and probably higher auction prices.

When it comes down to it, it's the purchaser pays postage, so send it whatever method you feel comfortable with. It's not that hard!
 
I guess I've been pretty lucky with eBay since my only problems were with a new cheap flash that didn't work and a crummy OM-1 with a badly dented dented filter ring. Both were sent from and to the US. All the items from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Canada were fine.

Items from China arrive amazingly quick!
 
Why would the seller care how much the shipping costs? The buyer pays for it. If the buyer feels that the cost of the goods plus the shipping is a good deal why would you care? I buy my film from B&H, UPS charge US$50 to deliver to me here in Auckland, NZ within 3 days. Film cost plus US$50 is still half price of what I can buy it here for. Do B&H care? When they give shipment to UPS the delivery becomes UPS's problem not the shippers and I pay for it. If an International buyer has a problem with using a reputable courier that is probably the perfect test on whether you should sell to them. I wouldn't send any sale I made to anyone or anywhere in USA via regular mail because I couldn't guarantee its arrival. If I use a courier I can insure it and it is the couriers problem. Seems like a common sense issue to me
 
I have won lots of Ebay things from the USA and Canada, UK, Japan with no problems with it arriving safe in Australia. I have also sold lots of things to UK and USA with no problems. However I had one problem with a recent sale to Spain where the goods were 'lost' in transit which meant I footed the bill - so no more shipping to the 'PIGS' for me ...
__________________
Mike Alus

I hope the I in PIGS was Italy and not Ireland. Our postal service is excellent.
Onee of the good things the Brits left us!
 
From my many years of buying and selling on the web all I can say is that every time I've bought something from overseas, no matter whether it came from China, Italy, Portugal, the Ukraine or other ex Soviet Republics, the UK, Ireland, Spain, etc it got to me. Every single time, sooner or later. Whenever I've shipped out of the US, the results have not been the same, for whatever reason. I am no expert on shipping, insurance, tracking or customs. I DO understand losing money on things that I did everything right with, so I've altered my "out" shipping to fit the realities of this. Make of this what you will, it's very simple, not complicated at all.
 
Funny how this only seems to be an "out of USA' thing. Rest of us can happily send things throughout the world with minimal issues but try sending something from the mighty USA and the sky will cave in.
 
Steve can you really say you did everything right when in the sentence before you said you weren't an expert in tracking/customs etc? Does this really mean you did whatever you thought was right but didn't have all the info? Seems to me US shippers are always looking for reasons not to ship rather than educating themselves how to ship. Big difference. Have a look at shippers on eBay who ship worldwide, they always have a 20% minimum premium. That means not only do they expose themselves to the worlds market but they make more money doing it. That is not complicated at all just shows intellect not ignorance.
Reason you can easily import from all the countries you mention is that they are willing to ship to you. Again very simple.
 
I will ship international at buyer's risk. No exceptions.

ebay has gone downhill. fees need to be closer to 5% instead of then 10+ they run now when you combine ebay + paypal fees.
 
Using eBay a seller has access to an international market and the prices for say, Leica, are at a premium.

The downside is that there is a risk. The honest seller is at a disadvantage these days as eBay puts all the burden of proof on the seller, and if for whatever reason if the buyer feels they want to return the item the seller is obligated to comply and responsible for at least the shipping costs to the buyer and loss of time and whatever problems come from a non-sale including negative feedback (which the seller now can not give to a buyer no matter what).

As for shipping itself. I always send it insured and with signature required. Never a problem with even high priced items to many countries. Always send to the Paypal verified address even if the buyer requests otherwise.
 
Stop and think for just one minute.

Stop and think for just one minute.

Does anyone following or participating on this thread remember International Purchase and Shipping before eBay and Paypal. Give them a break.

As soon as anyone comes up with as good a system as is offered by Paypal and eBay, I'll take a look. Until then, and for the last 8 years eBay/Paypal have been 100% positive for me. No bad sales and no money lost. I'm not saying there have been no glitches occasionally, but nothing that couldn't be worked out.

It's a system that requires scrutiny on every deal, buying or selling and risk is very manageable. My criteria is tough, but it works for me.

I can look closely at almost every deal that has been reported as having gone sideways and find where the buyer or seller should have seen a red flag. I am a strong supporter of the feedback system, and it governs almost every deal I end up making.

One mistake I see sellers making most often is presuming that you must leave a person with bad feedback on the bid list. NOT SO!!!. I take them off, I tell them why, I ask them to contact me before bidding to explain their feedback situation, and if necessary I black list them from bidding. With the millions of potential buyers out there, you are not going to hurt your position on eBay. And, if you don't let them buy, you can't get a neg feedback from them.

Simply know the system and control your auctions to manage the risk. I don't care who you are and how bad you think you want my item. If you are not on record as a good eBayer, SOL to you.

It's a good system world wide and again, when somebody shows me something better I may look.

Lastly, due to the US economy (I am US) the sales in the US have sucked for about 2 years, and International sales have bailed me out over 50% of the time.

Thank you World Buyers!!!
 
hausen said:
Funny how this only seems to be an "out of USA' thing. Rest of us can happily send things throughout the world with minimal issues but try sending something from the mighty USA and the sky will cave in.
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Most countries other than the US inspect packages and some of these customs agents are thieves..or customs will hold the package for duties without contacting you the buyer..

One reason I quit selling outside the US and Canada is because of the scam where the buyer claims the item was not described correctly. However they don't want to send it back so if you the seller will refund shipping as well as up to half of the selling price they'll call it even...IT'S A SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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