Today, I received the following email from a reader in France. I asked for his permission to share this with you, as it may give you the push you need to start shipping internationally.
He wrote,
"My wife and I live in France, and we check in on your site from time to time for ebay ideas. My jaw dropped when I followed your link to Kohls recent sweater sale.
It's so frustrating, though, to not be able to order items from some of our favorite stores : Kohls, Target, Office Depot, etc.
Why? They won't deliver outside the US? :(
Please encourage your readers not to make the same mistake!
As the dollar continues to lose its value against commodities and world currencies, people like us are cruising eBay for great deals.
And if I may, I would encourage Americans to use the US postal service exclusively. Sometimes w/ UPS, we get stuck paying outrageous customs fees or they won't hand over the package! Something that's never happened with the US Postal Service."
So there you have it. A direct request for goods from the USA. If you aren't already shipping internationally, what are you waiting for? If you are intimidated by international shipping, my eBook will help you:
eBay International Shipping Made Easy
I LOVE international buyers. They will pay top dollar for items. I mean, they do lots of "buy it now"s and make "high" offers. I have no problem making a trip to the post office (darn first class international).....It's SO worth it! Europe and Canada are my two "hot spots".
ReplyDeleteHi, Angie, thanks for your comment. I agree - I enjoy working with int'l customers too. Have you tried STAMPS.COM for your shipping? They offer First Class International. I almost never have to go to the post office. Check it out, if you are selling alot of items shipped FCI, STAMPS.COM is certainly worth the $15 a month. You will save gas and time since your mail carrier can just pick them up from your house.
ReplyDeleteI sell internationally since I started ebay 6 or so years ago. In the last months I've seen increase in my international sales, but not over the top. The shipping fees are high and when the international buyer adds up item price and shipping together, it usually doesn't end up as a bargain. And there must be a reason why mega stores like Target who are all about expansion, don't ship internationally. My wild guess is fraud, but that's just my opinion. Katarina, lattegirltoo on ebay
ReplyDeleteHi, Katarina, thanks for your comment. I believe the reason that mega stores don't ship internationally is because the process is labor intensive. Customs forms have to be filled out for each purchase. From what I hear from my international customers, they can't get enough of American products! Thanks for visiting.
ReplyDeleteGreat tip. Thank you for sharing. I began offering international shipping a month ago and have seen a large increase in profit. Thank you for your helpful hints, etc. I enjoy visiting your site and recently purchased one of your e-books. Also, I noticed you are a Queens College grad. I am from Charlotte, NC.
ReplyDeleteI am an ebayer from Spain with 100% positive feedback since 2002. I have always wondered why US sellers are so reluctant to sell to non US bidders. It is downright ignorance and small town thinking. It just doesn't make sense, they loose lots of business opportunities. I constantly see items go for prices I could almost double, but I am not allowed to bid even if I contact the seller and ask him to. Shipping is not an issue, if it is not a huge object USPS Priority is fine, and it does not require more effort than shipping from NY to San Diego or Miami to Buffalo! The fraud issue is pointless: what fraud is there to be if paid by paypal prior to shipping? It is the buyer that must worry for being tricked, not the seller! I never understood this fears, they flourish from plain ignorance. Amazingly, it only happens with US sellers, the rest of the world is eager to take offers from anywhere. And please remeber: Bernie Madoff is not what you can call an ilegal alien. There you have something to be really afraid of.
ReplyDeleteI've been leery of international bidders because it seems I've had an ordeal with every one I've ever dealt with. Scamming me etc.
ReplyDeleteOnly recently have I decided to branch out and try international sales again. We'll see how it goes.