When I first started selling on ebay in 2007, I did not ship internationally. Now it makes up about 25% of my sales, often the more expensive items I have for sale! The first time I shipped an international package, it took me 2 hours to figure out everything. Now it takes me about 15 minutes. (I never use multi-label shipping to avoid putting labels on the wrong package - I usually ship 4 items a day and do it one by one.)
- Order the proper packing supplies: various sizes of priority mail and express mail boxes and TVEK envelopes -- do NOT use cardboard flat rate envelopes as they rip up terribly. Order the new padded flat rate envelopes only available on-line for free. Also order rolls of EXPRES MAIL stickers and PRIORITY MAIL stickers so you can use them if you ship in any box, not just USPS boxes. I put one label on each side of the box.
- Start shipping internationally small -- my biggest sellers are Canada and Australia. I ship anywhere but I sure pray over those packages especially to those new countries I've never heard. I ship first class mail and priority mail only to Canada.
- Decide what shipping services you will use. I only use USPS as the carrier comes every day to my porch and picks up all my packages, scans them into the computer, and they are ready to go. I get complaints from customers about priority mail taking too long (I put in my listings and my email that International Priority Mail may take up to 4 weeks, but they think its 7 days.) I do NOT ship first class mail international to any country but Canada as it would take to long. If the delivery takes to long, people will file a complaint with ebay or paypal.
- Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate envelope is usually $13.00+. I add in a shipping fee to cover Ship Cover or Auctiva Shipping Insurance. (If you don't have ship cover, you can use Auctiva Shipping insurance for priority mail flat rate envelopes as the USPS REFUSES to track (unless you register it at the post office for $10.50) OR INSURE flat rate envelopes. The only packages I have lost have been flat rate envelopes.
- I recommend insuring everything international as it is only $1.25 with ebay Ship Cover, and First Class Mail international has about $1.75 per hundred dollars value with Auctiva Shipping insurance. The US Postal service is $2.30. Or if you ship with Express Mail (most customers aren't willing to pay to upgrade to it, but if the difference is only a few dollars I often upgrade them for free) you get $100 Express Mail insurance free.
- How international insurance works: you are required to wait 30-45 days to file a claim. Some companies will make the customer fill out a form. Most customers are not willing to wait that long before complaining to ebay, so I tell them I will refund them immediately and just need them to fill out a form on day 30 or 45 (depends on countries). The one claim I had the lady actually mailed it to me internationally but not everyone will, so that is a risk. I didn't always mail insured and lost a $100 pair of designer jeans in Germany and was out all that money. I lost another pair of jeans in Australia I got my refund internationally from Auctiva Shipping Insurance about 6 weeks AFTER I refunded the customer as she filed a claim with paypal. Do not make the customer wait until you get the insurance refund. Refund before they file case.
- Be sure you always keep enough money in your paypal account to immediately refund a claim. Otherwise paypal will give them a refund via instant transfer which takes 2-5 days AND THE CUSTOMER WILL NOT BE HAPPY. I keep as much money in my paypal account for refunds as I usually sell in a week, and just plan on that being part of the business. There is a much greater risk with international shipping.
- Be sure you know the regulations to that country. My neutral feedback is in German by an angry customer as I didn't know I had to put a invoice/packing slip on the OUTSIDE of the package so he got charged a bunch of customs duties. So now when its a country I'm not familiar with the shipping rules (like today I had Uruguay and Ireland), I google "USPS to Ireland" and found that many of the European countries require you to put single or duplicate invoices on the outside of the package along with the regular customs labels. I made two copies of the packing slip and put them in a plastic pouch next to the USPS pouch. Also, some people may want you to split up an order. I thought I was being nice by shipping to the Netherlands two pairs of cargo shorts in one box, and I paid to upgrade to Express Mail. Turns out in the Netherlands if the SHIPPING plus COST is over $100 it is 30% customs duty. I should have shipped each pair in a separate padded flat rate envelope and both of us would not have been out any money. I refunded him the duty as it was my fault for upgrading the shipping which pushed him over the mark..
- Feel free to contact your customer and ask if there is any special shipping policies in their country.
- Weigh the pros and cons -- if you have enough domestic business, you may not want to take the risks. If you need to increase revenue and US customers are not buying up your more expensive items, consider starting with Australia or Canada. Australia customers have told me they pay no duty on anything up to $1000, and their prices are twice what the US prices are. Apparently the stores are trying to change it, but now apart from the US I believe they are ebay US's biggest international market. They speak English so its easy to communicate. If someone doesn't speak English, you can copy and use google translator to translate the message. (That's how I found out what my German customer said in his complaint.)
- Flat rate priority mail international envelopes HAVE NO TRACKING. Some of the boxes priority mail are tracked, some are not. (I can't figure out why.) Express Mail international is ALWAYS tracked. No tracking of First Class Mail international as well. You might tell your customers if they want tracking and faster delivery to choose express mail international.
- My biggest thing - I pray over the packages to get there safely!! So far out of hundreds of international have only lost 2 which is a miracle!
- Happy Selling on Ebay!
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