Sold item where buyer is based in Turkey but shipping address is in FL?

[danslai]

So I sold a ~$50 consumer electronics item and I saw that the buyer is based in Turkey. I especially noticed this when my sale got charged an extra 1.65% international fee. My listing said that I only ship within the domestic USA.

The buyer's shipping address is to a Margate, FL address, which I looked up to be a single house residential address. The name of the person to ship to is definitely not Turkish sounding. The buyer is an ebay member since May 2022 and has about 100 feedbacks received as a buyer (0 as seller) and has left about 20 feedbacks (all positive).

Do I have anything to be concerned about here? What might be going on here (is the person I'm shipping to not the actual buyer)? Is there anyway to restrict buyers to be based in the U.S. so that I don't get dinged for the international fee on my sales?

[richard1rst]

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@danslai wrote:

So I sold a ~$50 consumer electronics item and I saw that the buyer is based in Turkey. I especially noticed this when my sale got charged an extra 1.65% international fee. My listing said that I only ship within the domestic USA.

The buyer's shipping address is to a Margate, FL address, which I looked up to be a single house residential address. The name of the person to ship to is definitely not Turkish sounding. The buyer is an ebay member since May 2022 and has about 100 feedbacks received as a buyer (0 as seller) and has left about 20 feedbacks (all positive).

Do I have anything to be concerned about here? What might be going on here (is the person I'm shipping to not the actual buyer)? Is there anyway to restrict buyers to be based in the U.S. so that I don't get dinged for the international fee on my sales?

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First off the "ding" in 83 cents on a $50.00 sale.  Why would you give up a $50.00 because of 83 cents? Something about the nose and the face comes to mind.

He has 100 feedback so obviously he is a regular buyer. The Florida address is a way to avoid expensive international shipping fees. Might be a freight forwarder, might be a relative. But you are covered once it gets to Florida.

I get a lot of those and never hesitate.

[soh.maryl]

You ARE going to ship to the domestic USA, either a freight forwarder or a friend or relative of your buyer.

[dbfolks166mt]

     There are a couple of items here. The first is the international fee which is a relic from days gone by. Most ecommerce sites and CC companies have gotten rid of international fees. This really started to happen as travel companies introduced CC's with rewards programs and no international fees. EBay just continues to hang onto it. While you can specifiy you only ship domestically it matters little if the buyer has a domestic address but their registered account address is international you are going to get hit with the fee. 

     The second item is the shipping address. While it is domestic as others mentioned you have no idea, although googling the address may provide some clues, whether the buyer is using a FF, shipping to a friend or relative or is temporarily located in the US. While there is some added risk it is probably no more risky than actual domestic sales. For me it's more of a personal preference. While I currently only sell domestically I have canceled a number of orders, using problem with the buyers address, because there are countries that I will not sell or ship to under any circumstances. 

     Expanding a little you also have no idea with regards to a buyer using a FF, or when a seller makes an international sale, what happens to the item after it leaves the states. A lot of merchandise is flowing into Russia, around the sanctions, through FF's in China and potentially even the US FF's. This is not exclusive to eBay and in fact eBay is probably a minor percentage of that traffic. 

[danslai]

I realize the international fee being charged on this particular sale is not that much. But I am thinking also of future listings, perhaps if I list something more expensive or decide to list more frequently. The fees can add up and I'd rather not deal with an international buyer in case some complications or a dispute comes up later.

[monica-sells]

You posted:

"...My listing said that I only ship within the domestic USA..."

Then posted:

"...The buyer's shipping address is to a Margate, FL address..."

Not to be condescending here, but last I looked, FL (Florida I assume) was domestic USA

Also, I personally get more grief from domestic customers than international customers.....

and to not pay 1.65 fee for a $100.00 order is foolish

[danslai]

I did google the FL shipping address provided and as I mentioned before, it's just a single residential house. There were no results that indicate anything like a business being run out of the house. I thought freight forwarders were run out of commercial businesses/locations. Can a freight forwarder really be run out of a house by someone who works at home?

Another odd thing is that the buyer added a note saying that the order was for a gift and to not include the price, invoice or any ads on the package. (They specifically said "on the package", but maybe they really meant inside the package.) Not sure why they would request this. I thought a freight forwarder would just open up the package and take the item to re-package it to its final destination so their request didn't make much sense to me.

[ckimodog]

@danslai 

Perhaps that person moved to the US and hasn't updated their location as of yet.  They may be staying with family.  Was it a confirmed address in the US?  You may want to ask the buyer before shipping, just to be sure. 

[monica-sells]

I think you are way overthinking this...

It could easily be a friend here in the states...they will receive it..leave it in the package....put the new label on it and send it off to their brother in Turkey...

that being said....you have to do what YOU are comfortable with within ebay guidelines

[danslai]

I simply made those two statements to provide some context of my question. Of course since this international buyer is able to provide a US shipping address, they are able to purchase the listing. But no one wants to pay extra fees if they don't need to, and I think I could have easily sold the item to a domestic buyer. I'm also concerned there may be more hassles to deal with an international buyer if a dispute arises later like them claiming that the item is not as advertised or that it was damaged when it really wasn't.

[chapeau-noir]

I would simply ship and not complicate life for myself.  You'll get these orders from time to time - it's part of the business.  Also, I've sent a number of items where someone has purchased for someone else, explained that and asked me not to put in an invoice.

[joseh1445]

I have sold to oversea buyers, that use a drop shipper with out any issues.  1 watch that I sold was about $250.  No issues.  

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Nothing unusual about any of this, just ship the item.  I wouldn't be too concerned with 100FB buyer & the item is only $50.   There is no way to avoid these sales before they happen.  I get 1-2 a month.   Honestly, most of them I don't even notice, until I do the numbers for the month.   

ETA:  If it's a residence, then it is likely not a FF, they are typically in commercial warehouse type space. 

[soh.maryl]

Perhaps that FL address is that of the friend for whom the buyer is purchasing the gift.

Or perhaps, considering that request of no invoice or packing slip, that buyer is using you as a drop shipper.  

Regardless, you have a sale which you need to ship to the given address, regardless of what you believe it to be.  

[soh.maryl]

What extra fees would you be paying in this case?