Speaking as a non-US member.
Costs can be higher for international shipping,
The buyer pays for shipping. Not the seller.
And yes, some will whine. No one likes to pay shipping, which is why Free Shipping is such a good sales gimmick.
rates may or may not include pickup and door-to-door delivery with customs clearance.
In the USA? The seller only has to ship to Kentucky.
In the destination country? That's the buyer's problem.
with customs clearance.
Customs is handled by the GSP, before the parcel leaves the plant in Kentucky.
Customs regulations vary by country
Customs has never been the responsibility of the seller.
If a buyer buys something that cannot be imported into his country and it is siezed (like an artificial Christmas tree shipped to Saudi Arabia) that's his problem.
The GSP deals with customs assessment and pays appropriate duty and sales taxes from the import fees paid by the buyer on purchase.
not all carriers ship to all locations.
The GSP handles shipping and chooses the carrier.
As one of the largest delivery companies in the world Pitney Bowes, who run the GSP for eBay, has a pretty good grasp of who will and who will not deliver.
Make sure that your listing clearly specifies who is responsible for paying these additional fees.
Whether you use the GSP or not, eBay did at one point give sellers some boilerplate that could be added to our Terms of Sale.
Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.
As a Canadian, I am required to detest the GSP (spit spit spit) , but it is a decent Seller Protection program. It does nothing for the buyer and often is more expensive for her.
