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eBay internation seller- tips
Comments
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OP cannot start off though as a private seller if he is a business- it doesn't work that way.
Obviously he can see a few things that he already owns, but the moment he buys to sell, as suggested by the OP he is a business.
We agree with the general point to buy privately to familiarize himself with eBay first.0 -
MissGivings wrote: »Yes of course that's true, just helpfully pointing out what OP himself said to highlight his thinking.
We agree with the general point to buy privately to familiarize himself with eBay first.
Sorry - yes I agree. I would worry that a newbie might not appreciate the seller costs involved before they spend a lot of money buying stock.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 -
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And don't forget that you have to register with HMRC as self employed even if you only sell one pair of knickers.
As for posting, to be completely safe it needs to be trackable to the door. Not one single service Royal Mail offers can do this outside the UK. DHL in my experience has the best overseas tracking of any courier I've used. Book through Parcel2Go or Parcelmonkey to start with as it is cheaper than going direct until you've got decent quantities.
A word of warning though - postage will be the one thing that kills your competitiveness against a company in that country selling the same thing.0 -
And don't forget that you have to register with HMRC as self employed even if you only sell one pair of knickers.
As for posting, to be completely safe it needs to be trackable to the door. Not one single service Royal Mail offers can do this outside the UK. DHL in my experience has the best overseas tracking of any courier I've used. Book through Parcel2Go or Parcelmonkey to start with as it is cheaper than going direct until you've got decent quantities.
A word of warning though - postage will be the one thing that kills your competitiveness against a company in that country selling the same thing.
ISF is a white elephant, doesn't insure, doesn't always track and will definitely (as opposed to possibly) push your postage costs up to a point where it is no longer tenable to do business if you have competitors that dispatch internally.
Obviously if your items are unavailable inside that country, then you may fare a little better, but ISF costs nearly £5 so it's really not worth you or your buyers shelling out for."Well, it's election year, Bill, we'd rather people didn't exercise common sense..." - Jed Bartlet, The West Wing, season 4
Am now Crowqueen, MRes (Law) - on to the PhD!0 -
Depends on what the item actually is and how much it costs - that's fine for laptops - which I know you sell - but for anything worth less than £46 an item is insured by a certificate or proof of postage.Obviously if your items are unavailable inside that country, then you may fare a little better, but ISF costs nearly £5 so it's really not worth you or your buyers shelling out for.
Italy, which for some reason seems to be one of the dearest places in the EU to send, costs £11.76+VAT for a 500g package 20cm x 10cm x 2cm...0 -
That is nice for you. Doesn't protect you against someone claiming INR. Without proof of delivery, Paypal will refund the buyer.
Italy, which for some reason seems to be one of the dearest places in the EU to send, costs £11.76+VAT for a 500g package 20cm x 10cm x 2cm..."Well, it's election year, Bill, we'd rather people didn't exercise common sense..." - Jed Bartlet, The West Wing, season 4
Am now Crowqueen, MRes (Law) - on to the PhD!0 -
The official link to paypal acceptable couriers page https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/protections-pop-outside
where to buy these couriers:- https://www.parcelmonkey.co.uk
- https://www.interparcel.com
- https://www.parcel2go.com
- https://www.parcelsplease.co.uk
- https://www.collectmyparcel.com
- https://www.pharosparcel.co.uk
- https://www.parcelflight.co.uk
- https://www.transglobalexpress.org.uk
- https://www.collectplus.co.uk
- https://www.myhermes.co.uk
- https://www.interlinkdirect.co.uk
- https://www.gwizzcouriers.co.uk
- https://www.thepackagedeliverycompany.com
- https://www.ipostparcels.co.uk
EBay accepted couriers not mentioned on the above link:- UKMail
- CityLink
- myHermes
- interlink express
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Depends on what the item actually is and how much it costs - that's fine for laptops - which I know you sell - but for anything worth less than £46 an item is insured by a certificate or proof of postage.
ISF is a white elephant, doesn't insure, doesn't always track and will definitely (as opposed to possibly) push your postage costs up to a point where it is no longer tenable to do business if you have competitors that dispatch internally.
Obviously if your items are unavailable inside that country, then you may fare a little better, but ISF costs nearly £5 so it's really not worth you or your buyers shelling out for.0 -
thanks everyone. as always invaluable sincere advice.EDIT: Just thought of something. If the country you have in mind has an eBay site of its own, then look at their site and work your way round their rules and regulations, including any import restrictions and red tape. Whilst many eBay regulations are common to most sites, some restrictions - e.g. the use of Paypal - vary from country to country - for example the US mandates that payments are made electronically but doesn't - and ironically can't - force the acceptance of Paypal exclusively - but in Germany, although plans are afoot I believe to mandate the offering of electronic payments, I did see a forum post suggesting an e-wallet system - like Amazon payments, essentially - may be being trialled there. You will also need to know the local marketplace - e.g. what the buyers in a specific country want to see from a seller - there is no advantage to offering Paypal only as a payment system when that country's buyers prefer to use bank transfer (more people in European countries use it than they do over here).
Just some suggestions. One final point: Your customers ALWAYS come first - and they are human beings - they are an essential part of being in business anywhere - so you need to get to know eBay buying from a customer's perspective first. You need to consider their feelings and what laws exist before you create terms and conditions. I really can't stress this enough as amazingly people tend to forget that money isn't just deposited randomly in people's accounts by eBay and that customers can be put off by a lot of different things in listings that scream I AM TAKING YOU FOR GRANTED.
Really - good luck but it's hard, hard work.
sound advice. the country has ebay. problem is when i tried to sign up it wanted address in that country and telephone in that country. the last thing i want to do is setup a successful business with ghost person.SECRET OF SUCCESS IN LIFE:
Patience, patience & patience.0
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