Is it safe to sell & ship overseas?

[member368427]

I am relatively new to Selling, and just had an item that was sold (Buy It Now) to someone in Russia even though I had "ship to the United States" on the listing. This Buyer's address was in the cyrillic alphabet, and was requesting an invoice for the item. I phoned Ebay and they helped me cancel the sale, but I've been thinking about it, and wondering if it really is safe to sell items allover the world, what are the potential risks, how would I protect myself as a Seller, is it worth the extra trouble and what are the special handling needs required?

If anyone has any experience (good and/or bad) with this matter, please feel free to respond. Thanks.

[jia.li840531_4]

I would say it is... some markets are too good to missed but then it also depends on what you're selling i guess. Better do the math before start selling/ shipping overseas for sure! I can't be bothered so just had a company does it for me lol

[ednasattic-98072]

If something goes wrong ebay never backs sellers.

[ednasattic-98072]

Ebay could give a rats ass about us sellers and we are the ones that make it all happen!

[jkantor]

"lose"

[rs2014.pelje]

I am a byuer from Serbia. When I buy stuff from US I can see every step of delivery process, from your door to mine. Don't you see the same tracking history as I do?
It seem unlikely that Italy or Hungary are less advanced in postal services ( could be, I'm just wondering)

[classic-panache]

---

wrote:
I am a byuer from Serbia. When I buy stuff from US I can see every step of delivery process, from your door to mine. Don't you see the same tracking history as I do?
It seem unlikely that Italy or Hungary are less advanced in postal services ( could be, I'm just wondering)

---

Hello,

Some countries have agreed to supply tracking information back to the USA and some have not.  It doesn't have much to do with wether they are "advanced".  Some countries just don't participate, for whatever reason, in the tracking program.

USPS lists the countries that will not supply tracking information on their site.  The last time I looked, Serbia was listed on the "not supporting tracking" list.  Apparently, USPS gives tracking information to Serbia, but Serbia doesn't give this information back to USPS.... last I looked....

Have a great day!

[rejuvem]

Most countries charge import taxes once the item is more than around 30 dollars, but this varies from country to country.

 Also when you're selling certain types of products like Vitamins. You run into other issues involving local laws where you're not really supposed to sell that item..

International sales make up about 25 percent of my sales, but they also make up about 75 percent of my problems.

I get a lot of people that will say that they never received the product so now I add an extra couple of ounces to the weight of the item and use that extra money to buy insurance through shipstati.   Now if someone complains that they didn't receive it, I file a claim, send them the link shipstation gives me to confirm that they not receive it and give them their money back.

Some of them get angry that you are asking them to fill out a small insurance form that has 5 questions on it And still give you a bad review, but you can't make everybody happy.

It's definitely a lot more work than domestic orders and if I could afford to I wouldn't do international

[okamilobo]

Why would most sellers not send to Malaysia? I have someone from there asking me shipping there.

[destyni]

I do not put international shipping on my listings. But I also don’t specify that I will not ship internationally. So thee have been a handful of buyers that wished to have me ship to them over seas. I usually judge it on each situation, the item , the size of it, the cooperative attitude of the customer, and I consider all the pros and cons. That said, I have sold for 19 years and only had 2 international orders go awry. So I keep my door open to it if it seems like it will lend itself to it.

[international_technology_randd]

People in Russia probably can't read our alphabet? I can tell you've never been to Russia.

[denstat9]

This source has some ideas why: https://www.giftbasketsoverseas.com/Customs-International-Shipping-to-Malaysia.htm

[kelseyloo2011]

I did it once, never again. She claimed I never sent her the package( which I did) $150 later learned my lesson. Make sure the - ship International box is UNchecked! 

[cecilyalexander]

I choose to only ship to Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, France, & Japan. I've had good experiences shipping to these countries.

However, I don't sell high scam items. I sell antique & vintage toys & collectables mostly. Recent sales included a cookie jar to England, a model car to France, & antique baby shoes to Canada. All tracked door to door & good feedback left on 2.

I did pay a few bucks for insurance on the shoes as they were a higher value item. So, you do have that option for lost/damaged/not received packaged. 

However, if a buyer would open a snad case, for whatever reason, return shipping could be costly. So you have to consider that. And you have to pay eBay and PayPal fees on the higher shipping cost which chip at overall profit. Because of this, I don't offer any international shipping on heavy or oversized items. 

Just some things to consider. Have a good one, 

[loz0905]

What other sites do you use now?