Would you post interntationally? If so to which countries? how do you work out costs and what if it gets lost?

[mumofdjandbabies]

would you only send an item tracked abroad.
many thanks

I never do bnut maybe I should!

[laura032004]

I send to anywhere buyers want. I don't send tracked, but it's usually only low value things anyway. I think you can still claim from RM for overseas items that go missing. I work out the costs on the RM website. Remember to add a bit more to P&P than usual as Paypal charge you extra to receive a payment from overseas (I think?) I don't put all the costs on my auction, just Europe usually, but say that I will post anywhere on the listing. HTH

[sixlostmonkeys]

sending overseas is just the same as sending within the UK. For more valuable items send with insurance - tracking can't be done once it has left the UK.
Don't send surface mail even if a buyer asks. It can take up to 12 weeks to arrive - this is outside the payal dispute time frame and often buyers get impatient and put in a claim early, and then no doubt the item will arrive.
Accept only paypal for non UK - there is no charge.
Put the p&p costs in the section on the listing as this is the only way it will show on search results.
Check the size and weight of your item as there are restrictions. RM website will tell you.
Choose the countries you wish to send to on your listing form - if there are some you don't send to remember to change the preferences to block bids from countries you don't post to.
The US is a good market for many items, although ebay have restricted visibilty, which is annoying.

[laura032004]

From Paypal website:

If your transaction involves a currency conversion, it will be completed at a retail foreign exchange rate determined by PayPal, which is adjusted regularly based on market conditions. This exchange rate includes a 2.5% spread above the wholesale exchange rate at which PayPal obtains foreign currency, and the spread is retained by PayPal. The specific exchange rate that applies to your multiple currency transaction will be displayed at the time of the transaction.

So you end up paying slightly more than you would to receive a UK payment.

[sixlostmonkeys]

if you list on co.uk in £s then there will be no conversion. If you list on .com in $s then there will be a conversion

[helenhismadwife]

I regularly send stuff overseas and its much less hassle than you would think, I would say check the postage costs I have underestimated a few times, I now tend to overestimate and give a refund.

If the item is high value I would not send it unless they were prepared to pay for trackable so that it was covered by insurance. Mostly I use couriers on ebay within Europe and for lower value small stuff I use royal small packages this is covered by normal royal mail claims providing you have a certificate of posting, it takes longer than the normal claims though I think you have to wait longer for it to be delivered

[mumofdjandbabies]

righto think I understand

so would you say offering international postage really does widen your chances of a sale?

for example a chap wanted me to send a foot muff to spain but i said no cos I was worried it couldnt be tracked and he could pull a fast one saying item not received or something.

so I could send it but it wouldnt be tracked would it but if I got a proof of postage that would be ok?

sorry being dim

[sixlostmonkeys]

Proof of postage will help you claim from the royal mail - up to £32. Anything else you would need to send using airsure or similar. - check the diff on options on RM, I think airsure is the one. Extra insurance can help too.

Most items do not show by default worldwide. Putting p&p in can help visibility. Not putting it in and your item is more or less invisible unless the buyer searches deeper and deeper - the new search, i believe, makes it almost impossible. Eg - some one recently did a search for an item and came up with no results. When he logged on to ebay germany he found loads of the items. So, you can see how doing as much as you can to help visibility can/may/should help