How to Handle International Sales?

[Tony Buzolich]

Okay, what do you guys do when you have a sale from some one outside the United States? Obviously I want dollars but do all banks elsewhere use or have cashiers checks or money orders, or ??? Paypal ?

Shipping the item isn't a problem. I just don't know how to receive payment and make sure it's good.

Thanks, Tony

[Mike O]

paypal works like a CC, but you have to pay a fee for transaction. or take a cashier's check, and wait for it to clear the bank. you could have them send cash, but...

[midger]

I sell to many overseas buyers and use Paypal almost exclusively for this. Just make sure to charge adequate postage (you can check rates by going to the USPS calculator and selecting the country, type of package, and the package weight. Some countries have very high rates. You also need to determine whether you want to insure the item or not. On high priced items, I usually go with the insured rates which can run 3-4 times the basic postal rates, but that's something you'll have to determine on your own with the input from your buyer. On shipments of under $100 I generally just use First Class and so far, have never had a problem with the buyers not getting the item(s).

[JAWallace]

Paypal is great because there's protection for both buyer and seller. Just make sure you have good funds in your account before you ship, and be CERTAIN to have delivery tracking. One scam is buyers claiming they never received the merch and Pay Pal will freeze or pull back funds.

On shipping,don't guess. Weigh and measure and check USPS, FedEx, and UPS. You never know who is cheaper.

[James W]

Yep, paypal.
I now insure and track EVERYTHING including items sent within the US.
Theft of packages is epidemic in the US. They get left at the door, someone drives through your nice neighborhood and picks them up before you get home. No delivery without a signature!!!
Be cautious and you'll have no problems at all.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Be sure to ship in USPS. There might be some import duty protection there?

Years ago we shipping a fly rod by RHS to Canada and later I got back charged $132 usd for import tax which I had to pay.

That ended all out of the country sale for me.

[LNelson]

Paypal only. Ship USPS Priority Insured. If you build your own USPS label using the on-line site you receive regular tracking info and Delivery Confirmation for free. A three piece rod should be good to go in terms of length restrictions. Sending 2 piece rods to Australia and New Zealand forces you to use another shipper due to exceeding a length restriction. This rod should not present any issues.

[dynaflow]

I sell to many overseas buyers and use Paypal almost exclusively for this. Just make sure to charge adequate postage (you can check rates by going to the USPS calculator and selecting the country, type of package, and the package weight. Some countries have very high rates. You also need to determine whether you want to insure the item or not. On high priced items, I usually go with the insured rates which can run 3-4 times the basic postal rates, but that's something you'll have to determine on your own with the input from your buyer. On shipments of under $100 I generally just use First Class and so far, have never had a problem with the buyers not getting the item(s).
Worth comment here (sorry,been away for 3 weeks) is the fact that the USPS rates quoted on the internet are out of whack with actual costs and I always politely request "actual shipping cost" when buying from Forumites,and generally speaking they are happy to oblige.Additionally,many U.S.retailers with an online presence don't get that shipping costs are a major factor for overseas buyers in their purchasing decision making and charge outrageous "minimum rates" for small items.My 20c.
Thanks and Cheers from "down under".

[sprat]

I'm from Down-under too and have bought numerous items from the States, including from some forum members too. The service and quality has been outstanding.

Many of these items sold here are a complete rip-off, so we are dependent on you guys for hand-me-downs at good prices.

Paypal is the safest, insured and tracking, USPS has been very good - and I have not had any issues.

Cheers and thanks.

Greg