eBay: The Missing Manual

Selling Internationally

eBay is a worldwide marketplace—with eBayers in more than 150 countries—and you can expand your sales reach dramatically if you're willing to sell beyond the borders of the U. S. And theoretically, the more bidders you attract to your auctions, wherever they happen to live, the higher your selling price. That said, if you're thinking of selling internationally, you need to consider the hassles and extra expenses involved, including how you'll communicate with buyers, how you'll get paid, and how you'll deal with shipping and customs issues. Knowing both the advantages and the difficulties of international selling lets you make an informed decision about whether to expand your business overseas.

Parlez-Vous eBay?

One of the first difficulties in selling internationally is communicating with your potential buyer. Their English might be hard to understand, and your ability to speak French or Portuguese or German or Italian or Spanish or Dutch—to name just a few possibilities—might be nonexistent in a transaction already made more complex by customs, tariffs, and other restrictions. The result? More misunderstandings and, possibly, negative feedback for you.

Tip

When you're communicating with a buyer whose native language isn't English, try not to use slang or abbreviations. Avoid words the reader can't look up in a dictionary.

If you've received an email in a language you don't understand, visit AltaVista's free translator, Babel Fish (the name's an homage to Douglas ...