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First eBay sale, is it wise to sell abroad

S

Sovereign

pfm Member
I have bought lots from eBay over the years, but never sold anything.
I put my first item up for sale last night and already I have had two questions akin if I would sell to Israel and Japan.
I know some people are cautious about this, but surely as long as funds are cleared then I don't see the problem.
Can people advise?
Thanks
 
Depends on the person you are selling to.

I've sold a Linn Akito tonearm to Japan without any problem and I know there is a lot of hifi enthusiasm in Japan. I've also been there so have a sense of the calibre of people, their sense of honesty, decency and culture.

I would get into a bit of a email conversation with the people to see what they are like, also look at their ebay feedback.
 
They can request PayPal take the money back - if the recipient says they haven't received the item for instance, along with 'damaged/not working' goods. There's a lot of experience on forums like this one in regards to EBay sales both in the UK and abroad: I would suggest reading some if the posts to glean some general advice & what to watch out for.
I don't do 'overseas' as it's just another complication in what can be a little worrisome process. Don't let me put you off though as all my EBay sales (Inc some of significant value) have been fine.
If you are not sure ASK someone on one of these forums and good luck with what you do sell.
 
Yes, sorry, been a while since I've done this. Wait for money to clear. Then transfer it out of paypal into your bank account.

I've found the most expensive the item the fewer the problems I've had.
 
If you don't offer to sell abroad you will reduce your market and, more importantly, your sale price. If you know what the item is worth I would strongly suggest a 'Buy it Now' only sale NOT auction for 30 days duration. Use www.interparcel.com for your shipping. Interparcel Economy service in the UK (which is UPS) - do not use Yodel or Hermes as the chance of damage is much higher in my experience. Use the Interparcel insurance as it is a fair £20 for £1000 worth of cover.

CJ
 
Warren Day said:
Wait for money to clear. Then transfer it out of paypal into your bank account.
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Be aware, though, that even after you've transferred the money out to your bank account that the buyer can claim that they haven't received the goods. If you haven't got an online trackable delivery then PayPal can still reverse the payment. This will leave your PayPal account negative and PayPal will start chasing you to recover the debt.
 
Depends what the item is. Some articles are much more sought after in Asia, for example, so you have to either accept a much lower price and sell UK only or be prepared to run the risks. I had problems with a sale to far east. The buyer demanded a price reduction after the goods had been shipped - paypal were completely on the buyer's side even though he was obviously a crook. So tread carefully.
 
Remember that PayPal is by no means compulsory. You can ask to be paid bank-to-bank, thus avoiding the PayPal commission and the possibility that PayPal might try and re-claim the money. And send the item with some kind of traceable, registered system. If you sell abroad you will get a higher price. In practice it is no more complicated posting abroad than to your own country.
 
The best bit about eBay is the feedback system, you get to see how reputable the people you are dealing with are. Obviously if someone only has a couple of votes for low value items then you may want to look more closely, but if someone has a good history then generally there is not thing to worry about. Most people on eBay are perfectly honest.

As a new seller I imagine most people would be looking at you with suspicion rather than the other way around... Which actually raises the question in my mind as to whether you are allowed under eBay/Paypal rules to sell internationally yet.. I think you normally have to go through a process of identity verification for both before you are allowed to sell abroad.
 
PaulMB said:
Remember that PayPal is by no means compulsory. You can ask to be paid bank-to-bank, thus avoiding the PayPal commission and the possibility that PayPal might try and re-claim the money. And send the item with some kind of traceable, registered system. If you sell abroad you will get a higher price. In practice it is no more complicated posting abroad than to your own country.
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PayPal is compulsory for new users.
 
Last time I spoke to Paypal (6 months ago??), they were absolutely clear that it was compulsory to offer Paypal. They didn't say it was because I'm a new seller. In fact I've been selling on ebay for years. This is for the UK - I think it varies by country. Curious - have they misinformed me?
 
And here is their payment policy from ebay.co.uk:
"Policy

eBay requires all sellers listing on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie to accept PayPal in their listings with the exception of listings in the categories of cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats, caravans, trailers, trucks (commercials), services and property categories. Sellers listing on eBay.ie are currently exempt from this requirement, but must offer PayPal in their listings if they wish them to appear in search on eBay.co.uk or eBay.ie. In most cases, other additional payments options, which are currently permitted onsite, may also be provided.

Sellers who list in certain categories or transactions may additionally be required to offer PayPal as the only payment method offered on a listing, and this will be messaged accordingly within the listing flows. "
 
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ajm said:
Is PayPal also compulsory for existing users on eBay?
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I dont know. They changed the rules some years ago. If you were a pre-existing member when they made the changes I think you could continue to offer bank transfer only, etc. But I think for new users you have to use PayPal initially, but it may vary by country. ...
 
Id never sell overseas now. Everytime it goes wrong. The most recent was this guy who bid and won a remote - id given him a quote of the cost of shipping before the auction ended but when it came to pay he said it was too expensive and he would only pay a small amount for the shipping. Anyway when I wouldnt budge he asked me to cancel sale which I did and forgot about it. A month or two later he gave me neutral feedback with a very snotty comment.
 
I have no problem selling overseas and it can dramatically increase what you get for the item. In the last week I have sent various Linn items to Japan, South Africa and Spain with no problems. Just use all the common sense precautions that others have suggested and make sure you send the item trackable and signed for.
 
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