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Overseas Question

I am getting a lot of questions about sending overseas, is it worth it to send internationally as well as to the EU? (3 so far)

Do I have to send the items tracked?
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Comments

  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,441 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    You don't have to do anything really just follow your normal procedure as you would if item was in the UK. If you always send recorded in the UK then look at signed for overseas, but be aware that the full tracked service is not available to all countries and there are some strange exceptions like Italy.

    If you normally use just 1st or 2nd within the uK then use standard airmail overseas as it covers up to £39 of loss just as standard mail does in the UK.

    My only caution would be items likely to go over £39, that's when it starts to get silly expensive using Royal mail overseas as you need to take out additional insurance coverage even if you are already using airsure. Personally I limit my over seas sales to items under £39, but it depends on what risks you are happy to take.

    Lastly mobile soverseas are a big no no as you cannot add any additional postal insurance over the £39 basic that RM allow.
    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.
  • soolin wrote: »
    You don't have to do anything really just follow your normal procedure as you would if item was in the UK. If you always send recorded in the UK then look at signed for overseas, but be aware that the full tracked service is not available to all countries and there are some strange exceptions like Italy.

    If you normally use just 1st or 2nd within the uK then use standard airmail overseas as it covers up to £39 of loss just as standard mail does in the UK.

    Well these items are less than £39, but just wondered 'if' the buyer claims the item(s) are lost, I have to refund, but if there is no receipt to prove value to RM, will it just be down to loosing both item and money?
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,441 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Well these items are less than £39, but just wondered 'if' the buyer claims the item(s) are lost, I have to refund, but if there is no receipt to prove value to RM, will it just be down to loosing both item and money?

    The situation is exactly the same as if you were selling things in the UK. So if you would normally send at your own risk knowing that you can't do an RM claim then nothing has changed.
    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.
  • Some more questions...

    Why is it on some eBay.com sites e.g. Germany, can they specify which countries to post to?

    On some eBay.com sites, PayPal is not shown as accepted payment? Is it different in other countries (e.g. Malaysia, Singapore).

    =========================
    Will update with more links regarding the above...
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,441 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Each ebay country has its own rules so if you list on ebay .uk it doesn't matter where you sell to you must offer paypal. If you are looking to sell overseas then paypal is probably simpler anyway for casual sellers, I certainly don't have any other payment methods offered for non UK buyers as I can't change overseas drafts or cheques.

    As for specifiying which countries you ship to yes you can within ebay.uk. However you have to choose regions, so Europe or Canada etc you can't exclude indivdual countries within that geographic area. There are a few exceptions, Australia, Japan, Ireland France and Germany are stand alone countries and you can opt in to sell to them without extending the sales elsewhere.
    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.
  • chja
    chja Posts: 913 Forumite
    If it's any comfort, I've sent loads overseas - US, Australia, Brazil, Spain, France, Germany & Italy - I've had one item to Italy go missing, which I'm sure is no worse a hit rate than UK postage.

    My seller preferences are set to block people with unpaid strikes, net negative feedback or no Paypal account.

    In my experience, overseas buyers pay faster and leave feedback quicker than UK buyers.
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,441 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Can I also just add that Australian buyers are great, I sell a lot there and they can be a little slow to pay but leave gushing feedback immediately on receipt.
    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.
  • mrcol1000
    mrcol1000 Posts: 4,795 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    I will sell to anyone purely as the more people who can buy off you the more your items will go for and the more items you sell. Just be careful of Asian countries and African countries as their postage systems often aren't as good as ours. I sell a lot to Thailand and will only send items International Signed For as standard no matter the final price. Africa I would avoid apart from South Africa due to the number of frauds based there.
    USA is my second biggest market outside of UK
  • neas
    neas Posts: 3,801 Forumite
    I turned off 'overseas' listing for anything greater than 7 pounds in value.. it just aint worth my time.

    I've had 3 overseas buyers claim they didnt receive it out of a total of 8 sent!.

    I have no original receipt so am out of pocket by about 40-50 quid if it dont arrive.

    Now i will only send in uk via recorded delivery at least i got more chance to get a signature then.
  • neas
    neas Posts: 3,801 Forumite
    While i may have been unlucky am sure the number of lost overseas parcels actually is 35%!
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