eBay Hacks, 2nd Edition

Sell and Ship Internationally

Make shipping to customers in other countries go more smoothly with these tools and tips.

Nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people.

–Mark Twain, 1867

With some practice, your international shipments will be nearly as easy as domestic ones [Hack #86] . But it takes a little experience to know how to accept payments from customers in other countries, how to ship to other countries, and how to avoid fraud from deadbeats in other countries. Fortunately, the payoff is substantial: expanding your business to include bidders all around the world, while not without its risks, will make trading on eBay more interesting, more challenging, and more profitable.

Accepting International Payments

When you send payment instructions [Hack #84] to your customers in other countries, there are a few considerations you’ll need to make in addition to anything you already do for your local customers.

First, always keep the language barrier in mind. If your bidder’s native language is different from yours, keep your sentences short and avoid slang. Bidders in other countries expect you to write in your own language, but they will usually not have perfect command of it. If you find that the bidder is having a hard time understanding you, you can always try including a translation of your instructions [Hack #37] . Just make sure it’s placed alongside your original text in the email, so ...