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Ebay Buyer In America

looie
Posts: 706 Forumite
Hi, I would like some help please. I have sold an item on ebay uk postage £3.50. Someone has bid and won and that person is in America. What can I do as it is going to cost more than £3.50 to post. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Just send an invoice shoiwng the correct post and packing charges to the US, buyer cannot expect to get it at the UK cost.
Also, if you don't want to sell overseas then reset your seller preferences to exclude bidders from countries that you do not ship to.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0 -
First of all find out how much postage to the states will be ( check on royal mail price finder) then email him with the cost of postage explaining that although it was actually an auction for uk bidders you will gladly post to him for the extra cost of the shipping. If he agrees to this then all fine and dandy - if not then you may have to either report him as a non-paying bidder or just cancel the transaction and relist your item - just as happened to me recently with a buyer from Portugal who expected the same postage fees as i had stated for the UK.
Also in future you may want to edit your buyer requirements in seller preferences to exclude bidders from countries to which you are not willing to post to as this seems to be quite common problem.0 -
thanks for the quick reply, i thought there might be some way round it but i was just a bit unsure. Next time i will take your advice about shipping overseas.0
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could I ask one more question, me being a bit thick. how do I change my seller preferences to maybe block us bidders in the future. I am still quite new to ebay. I have only ever posted to uk and european countries before.0
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You can invoice the buyer with a couple of options eg surface mail/airmail and let them make the choice and explain in the message to seller part that costs to USA are obviously more than £3.50, and that you have checked the correct postage to USA with Royal Mail and have given them the options. Also if the purchase is over the customs limit (about £20) inform them that they are liable for these costs.0
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On your "my ebay" page click on "site preferences" (should be on the list on the left hand side), then look for "buyer requirements" - click edit and it will give you various options such as blocking buyers with unpaid item strikes and blocking bidders from other countries etc.
Like the man said above sometimes it pays to sell outwith the UK but it depends on what you are selling, ie really bulky heavy items not so good but smaller goods like rare books, console games or cds etc may net you more cash if you sell internationally.0 -
Why restrict your market place to the UK ?
More overseas buyers are bidding due to the value of the £ vs $ or euro. With the Royal Mail website you can easily work out the cost of shipping overseas and the standard proof of posting insures you to £36. I normally quote the most expensive postal zone as "sellers standard international rate".
I've had less hassle from overseas buyers than I have UK based ones.0 -
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