Why offer international shipping?
Simple - it increases your customer base. More potential customers equal more sales. If you run auction style listings, remember; International customers not only increase the value of the items they win, but also the ones they don't.
What service to use?
This guide is targeted at items weighing under four pounds shipping weight. In this case, the answer is almost always USPS First Class Mail International. Why? Simple - it's the cheapest possible option, it's dependable (from the US. More on destination countries later), and it's relatively quick. An inexpensive shipping option will raise the potential value of any item you offer it on.
But what about PayPal Seller Protection? Am I covered?
No, but you don't care. Read on.
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In almost no case is USPS First Class International Mail covered by PayPal Seller Protection. Contrary to popular misconception, neither is USPS Priority Mail International in most cases (it is trackable to "some destinations" - the problem here is there's no readily available list of what those destinations are). USPS Express Mail International is the only international service to consistently meet the requirements of PayPal Seller Protection in every case. To make matters worse (or so it would seem), USPS First Class Mail International can't be insured at the Post Office. For this reason, many sellers who ship international choose to offer only USPS Express Mail International. While there are no hard data, common sense would dictate this would drive away many potential customers, and significantly lower the item value for those who stay.
The answer? Third party insurance. And it has other advantages as well.
You absolutely CAN insure USPS First Class International packages. You just can't do it via the Post Office. There are at least two third party insurers available to eBay sellers. Either will allow you to insure individual packages "on the fly". (Either one will let you start an account to insure all of your packages. I only use them to insure individual packages, though)
http://www.shipsurance.com
http://www.u-pic.com
(You have to cut-and-paste or type them into your address bar. eBay doesn't allow links to outside sites in guides).
Even better? Third party insurance is superior to USPS insurance for eBay sellers. To qualify for PayPal Seller Protection, a seller has to provide online proof of delivery. ONLINE proof of delivery. When using USPS insurance, you can find yourself in a position that a problem shipment satisfies the criteria for neither USPS insurance nor PayPal Seller Protection. As an example, consider an insured package that's gone missing, and the buyer files a PayPal claim. You file for the insurance with USPS, they investigate and they come back with "We show it delivered: no claim". You go to PayPal and tell them USPS shows it as delivered, they reply "This does not qualify as online proof of delivery. Buyer refunded". In this case you lose everything. With third party insurance, you can't get into this situation. You forego PayPal Seller protection up front, but you're covered on the back end.
Great! How do I get started?
So - you get more customers, more money, and have all the peace of mind you need. Now the bad news. There's no free option for printing USPS First Class Mail International postage online (You can't print it through Paypal or the USPS website). If you're just getting started, you'll probably want to start small. Address the package, fill out the Customs form, and take it to the Postal counter. They'll have you on your way in about a minute.
The customs form for most USPS First Class Mail International shipments is the "small" form: 2976. If the value is over $400, you need the "large" form" 2976-A. You can complete either of them online and print them out at https://webapps.usps.com/customsforms (again, you'll have to paste that in manually).
If you rely on Carrier Pickup and find that you're ONLY going to the Post Office for USPS First Class Mail International, as your business increases, you'll find that the gas and time spent doing it is worth more than $10/month to you. At this point you'll want to look into a paid postage printing solution, nost notably Endicia at endicia.com
With online postage (the default for Endicia is to print the customs label and postage all on one label), you can leave your packages with your regular Carrier Pickup and never bother going to the Post Office. Next time you're there, though, ask your favorite counter person for some "Air Mail Labels". They're not strictly required, but they're a nice touch, and not available for online ordering.
Are there things I shouldn't ship internationally?
Certainly - and they fall into two categories. Things that are dangerous and things not allowed or otherwise restricted by the receiving country. Assuming you're not mailing gasoline or propane, the only "gotcha" for most eBay sellers from the first category are things like perfumes and colognes. The second category is a little more interesting. These are things you shouldn't ship to individual countries, or are somehow regulated or restricted by the country. Whenever you ship internationally you have to sign or check something stating you understand these, so it's a good idea to understand them. Start here...
Type in the name of the country, clear any checkmarks in the "Domestic" category, and make sure "International Mail Manual (IMM)" is checked on the international side. One of the very top results will be the name of the country which should be a link to their "Country Conditions for Mailing" page. Most of them are fairly understandable - body parts, currency, etc. The only ones I've ever encountered as a clothing seller are a couple country's requirements to include a statement saying the garment is clean.
Who pays for the insurance?
That's up to you, too. Some people charge the customer - some don't. Personally I send very low value items without insurance, and pay for high value item insurance myself, but you'll want to come up with your own system.
Who pays for Customs fees?
The customer. Every. Single. Time. You don't have to worry about customs fees, VATs or anything else on the receiving end AT ALL. There are a very few customers who don't always understand this, so you DO have to include a blurb in your listings about it along the lines of "International Customers are responsible for all associated customs, fees, and taxes. Customs forms will be filled out properly and legally". That's my own line, but the relevant information from the eBay help page reads...
Reports of a request to falsify customs documents only will be reviewed by eBay if the listing description clearly and prominently specified who is responsible for paying any applicable customs fees, duties, import taxes, etc.
Buyer requests, or seller offers, to falsify customs declarations or have an item marked as "Gift" in order to evade Customs fees is illegal.
Basing Feedback ratings upon another member’s decision not to engage in illegal activity may be considered Feedback Extortion.
I have more questions!
Feeel free to contact me through eBay with any questions, concerns, or comments.
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