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eBay: Will ship to US only

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marvelharvey

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Why?

WHY?

WHY?

Auction after auction after auction of you guys in the US only shipping to your own people... it`s been a thorn in my side in the past 6 years of eBay use. But the thing is, I can`t figure out why you guys do it. Do you want second hand games to not leave the US loop? Can`t you be bothered to add an extra stamp at the post office? (don`t forget that I, as a buyer, pay for it anyway). Even when I email someone thinking "surely they don`t mean that, I`ll pull them around" I still get a "NO" response ;(

Please note, I have limited access to the internet at the moment and won`t be able to reply quickly to any `America rules, why don`t you come over here and get it yourself?` comments... but I will be back... eventually... just have to wait for that new modem to arrive from the USA ;) haha
 
Because I'm a lazy American and I'm too lazy to figure out how to ship elsewhere. The post office is enough of a hassle as it is, I want to spend as little time there as possible.
 
I don't ship to Canada because Customs rejected two of my packages for no reason. They took a month to come back and the customer wasn't happy.
 
marvelharvey said:
Why?

WHY?

WHY?
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bjork said:
Because I'm a lazy American and I'm too lazy to figure out how to ship elsewhere.
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Yeah.

I don't see why active sellers do it anyway. I mean, people would rather make $0 on listing something nobody wants (like, say, Yanya Caballista for PS2) than make their $10 and send the game to Europe. I mean, I'd get it if a seller was offering something popular or rare or something, meaning he'll get his money from someone in the US anyway, but all these listings that nobody bids on and still they'll hit me with a big fat NO if I ask... Doesn't make sense.
 
I dunno. I usually just put up north america, then if someone from overseas wants it they just email me and I'll usually accept. Some guy from Japan was interested in a saxaphone I was selling at the beginning of the summer. The person who ended up buying it paid like 50 bucks shipping and handling just to get to NY, so I can't imagine how much it'd cost to get to Japan... so I usually don't post it just cuz I figure such a high price for shipping would drive off customers. But if they're interested after seeing such a high rate, then more power to them. I'll go the extra mile if they do too.
 
1) Too much hassle to get it done (getting the item branded for international travel, dealing with customs, finding a shipping plan that gets it there in a reasonable amount of time, etc.)
2)Costs too much (for both me and the buyer)
 
There is almost no extra work to ship something international. Filling the green paper wont kill you wich really is 90% of the work. As a rule ship your stuff with USPS.
 
we're just as annoyed to have to go through a intermediary like Rinkya (and get raped on service charges) because almost all Yahoo Japan auctions "ship to japan only"
 
Like shompola says, there is very little in the way of extra work. I buy from US traders all the time.

That said, it's the sellers right to set terms, and if he wants to lose out by restricting his market, then so be it, a bit shortsighted in my opinion, some some items you can get a quite a bit more cash by selling internationally.

(Finding the sweet spot between what is a "local" price and an international price can get you as much as an extra 50% on some items, when we're talking about a $300+ item that's quite a gain if you can be arsed).
 
Customs is something I totally forgot about... I remember some folks I knew on another forum who'd purchased different version of the old Megatron (gun-shaped transformer), and when it cross customs into Canada, the customs officer or whoever took the toy out and sent the rest of the package along.

So if you bought some MISB G1 Megatron and it got gutted, wtf. Is it worth it? :lol
 
marvelharvey said:
Why?
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Because shipping is expensive, FEDEX sucks sweaty tumorous balls and the sending process is a total bitch, specially when the terror alert is up and they retain your packet for a whole fucking month just for shit and giggles. And I am an European importer, I am sure that US sellers have similar complaints *plus* their own contras.

It is pretty bad because there are some really good prices on electronics, even better if you are from Europe.
 
Why you ask?

A) it's a hassel when you have to fill out custom forms.
B) It's a lot more expensive. I usuallly don't charge for shipping of my auctions and it eats into my sales BAD.
C) Customs can be a bitch.
D) It takes forever to get something overseas.

There's a lot more bad than good. Unless I'm going to get a large margin more for my auction, it's just not worth it.

It may be very little work for people who RECEIVE the items, sending them is a bitch. Besides I ship from an automated terminal 80% time.. US only. In order to do international shipping I have to go out of my way to the PO, wait in line, wait for the clerk to do their thing, fill out the customs form, wait some more for them t do their part, pay and leave. An average trip to the PO can take about a half hour on any given Saturday. I work during th week so I can only go on the weekends if it's something I can't ship through an automated postal machine.
 
I have personally had several bad experiences with customs when sending games to Canada.

Just ain't worth the potential for having the bidder yell at you and give you negative feedback for things beyond your control. Sorry.
 
Shompola said:
There is almost no extra work to ship something international. Filling the green paper wont kill you wich really is 90% of the work. As a rule ship your stuff with USPS.
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Well, it forces me to go to the post office during their normal business hours which is a major pain in the ass. Usually, I just use the kiosk they have that's available 24 hours so I don't have to stand in line with all the other wage slaves during our lunch hours. And, filling out the customs form is somewhat annoying too.

I do ship internationally for my auctions but it is a pain in the ass. I'd just as soon ship only to US buyers but I get so many emails asking if I ship internationally that I just go ahead and allow it now and hope that no one takes me up on it.
 
Because of you folks in other countries with your different laws, ways, and foods....

Seriously though, I won't ship outside the US because of the rampant fraud involved with eBay transactions when things are shipped overseas.
 
Because some jackass from Portugal won a $100 rare hardcover book from me, then cheaped out and chose SURFACE MAIL with NO INSURANCE for shipping (even though I warned him about doing that, but I hadn't required it in my listing so I had to let him), and THEN had the nerve to flip out and leave me bad feedback stating "Never received the book!" when he didn't get his book in a week. Of course, he got the book a week or so later, but refused to withdraw his feedback because "you shipped it late on purpose." It's the only negative feedback I've ever gotten, and it was enough for me. No more worldwide shipping in my listings.

If someone really wants an item bad enough they can email me, and I will make exceptions.
 
i for one have been ripped off by shipping overseas, so one bad apple ruined it for everyone else. also im tired of listing that i ship to the US only with verified paypal accounts and having people asking me to ship to their cousins hous in the us if they have a paypal account verified to a foreign country address. why dont you just tell me youll make me a millionaire if i wire you a couple thousand dollars to nigeria :lol
 
I haven't sold a whole helluva lot on eBay, but I happily accepted overseas bids. This includes the guy in Belgium who won my Virtual Boy auction. I was able to get the money from him eventually, but it took forever. During the interminable period of time spent waiting for the International Money Order to arrive I was worried that he'd flaked out on me and went to go see who the second highest bidder was. Turns out they were also from Belgium. I'm envisioning two Belgian guys sitting in a cafe having the following conversation:

Belgian 1: I'm buying a Virtual Boy from America via eBay!!

Belgian 2: Oh, yeah? Well, maybe I'LL buy a Virtual Boy from America via eBay!"

Belgian 1: Bastard!

And at that point they started throwing pomme frites at each other. Because of this I had a bit of extra hassle to deal with - getting international shipping right without screwing the buyer on shipping costs proved tricky - but made an extra $30 or so more than I would have otherwise. Besides, the guy came through eventually, so what the heck. Next time I sell crap on eBay, I look forward to sharing it with the world. Even Belgium.

FnordChan
 
What Phoenix and Eel O'Brian wrote. Honestly, the only hassles I ever get are from overseas buyers. You have less protection with PayPal if you don't use an expensive courier (and even then you don't), overseas buyers often want the cheapest shipping method but don't understand it then takes 4-6 weeks, and also don't get customs simply holds up deliveries often. It's just not worth it.
 
i'm in the US and i don't get this either. By shipping to the US only, you're reducing the number of people who'd otherwise bid on your auction, which affects your bottom line. And it's not that much trouble to to calculate shipping fees. If you're really not certain how much it'll be, just add a disclaimer for international bidders that says you'll need their shipping address before sending the package out. i also give international bidders more time to pay. It's a little more work than shipping within the US, but it's definitely worth it IMO.
 
aoi tsuki said:
i'm in the US and i don't get this either. By shipping to the US only, you're reducing the number of people who'd otherwise bid on your auction, which affects your bottom line. And it's not that much trouble to to calculate shipping fees. If you're really not certain how much it'll be, just add a disclaimer for international bidders that says you'll need their shipping address before sending the package out. i also give international bidders more time to pay. It's a little more work than shipping within the US, but it's definitely worth it IMO.
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You say this until you start getting hassles, which you will, guaranteed. It isn't about calculating shipping fees, it's getting three out of ten possible negatives because someone chooses slow shipping option, doesn't get it in a week's time or has it held up by customs and leaves a negative feedback or makes a PayPal claim that you can't refute. Trust me, it's only a matter of time.
 
brooklyngooner said:
You say this until you start getting hassles, which you will, guaranteed. It isn't about calculating shipping fees, it's getting three out of ten possible negatives because someone chooses slow shipping option, doesn't get it in a week's time or has it held up by customs and leaves a negative feedback or makes a PayPal claim that you can't refute. Trust me, it's only a matter of time.
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i don't allow international buyers to choose the surface mail option. Admittedly, the last two scenarios are possible, and i have had people get antsy when i sent things via media mail in the US. But this is why i note that i'm not responsible for lost, misdirected, or delayed (read: customs) packages. Seems to be working so far. :/
 
If I'm selling anything worth over $75, I open up to international shipping. More bidders = more $$$, even when I make them pay through the nose for shipping.
 
I used to do international shipping, but now that I don't have my own computer and can only get online once a week, it's almost impossible to do anything beyond the most streamlined of auctions. Without the ability to answer questions or converse regularly with a bidder, I have to have set terms and prices for everything so an auction can end and be finalized through Paypal without my constant attention (which 95% of them have lately).

That said, if I'm selling something that could go for a substantially higher price than my usual items (almost exclusively CDs and DVDs these days), I will go to the extra effort of allowing overseas bidders. It certainly does open up a much higher chance of getting a great final price -- getting $100 for a plain white Nintendo-logo t-shirt from a Japanese bidder was proof enough of that (also see: aforementioned crazy Belgian; incidentally, I too sold a Virtual Boy to someone in the Netherlands a few years back. Is there some odd demand for them over there?).
 
My auctions are always, always open to international bidders, and in five or so years of selling I have never had trouble with my bidders because of it. Filling out the customs form takes no time at all, and since I ship all packages over the counter at USPS offices, asking them for "air letter post" or "air parcel post" is no trouble at all. It's no skin off my back, it gets me a larger market for my goods, and it helps people overseas find what they're looking for. I see no reason not to ship overseas.
 
Hotarubi said:
(also see: aforementioned crazy Belgian; incidentally, I too sold a Virtual Boy to someone in the Netherlands a few years back. Is there some odd demand for them over there?).
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euro-veeb.jpg


FnordChan
 
I've always shipped internationally. But I've never had any problems outside of non-paying bidders (which I get from the U.S. too), knock on wood.

In fact, some guy from Israel bought my copy of Black and White, and I made about $15 on it. I just wanted to get most of my money back.

And maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't believe in leaving feedback for buyers until I know they've got the item and they're happy. It surprised me the first time I bought something and I got positive feedback the moment my money arrived. But I guess that's more or less the way things are done now. But IMO, I don't want to leave feedback until I know the buyer is happy, isn't going to be an ass if there's a mild hiccup, and is going to leave me feedback as well. (My feedback score is probably about 25% lower than it should be because a lot of people don't leave feedback... very annoying)

EBay's really taken away much of the communication from the process. In a way it's good, because some people don't appear capable of proper communication, but I'm guessing you're more apt to receive unwarranted negative feedback -- or negative feedback without any effort to get in touch with you -- than you might have been in the past.

I'm just getting ready to do my semi-annual "Dump stuff on EBay." I loves it when the money rolls in, but I'm really not a fan of the process.

And LOL to the Europe Needs VIrtual Boys.
 
1. Because international buyers need special circumstances not outlined in your description.
2. Because if the package gets held up in customs the seller invariably gets blamed.
3. Paypal fraud
4. It's easier to sue fellow countrymen in small court claims.
5. The hassle is never worth the increase to the bottom line.
6. I get an address I can conceivably get to and deliver my own brand of justice.
7. Feedback with terrible grammar and spelling.
 
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