How to Ship Internationally as an Online eBay Seller

Why limit yourself to purely a domestic market when offering to ship internationally can give you thousands more potential customers? Shipping items out of the country can make the difference between a sale and an unsold item, and vastly increase your final sale price. Especially with the weakened dollar, American goods are more attractive to international buyers than ever. If you've never had occasion to send an item out of the country before, the process can seem daunting and mysterious. But it is well worth the extra steps.

Things You'll Need

• An item you are thinking about selling online and an eBay account.
• Ability and time to enter a post office to ship. International packages can't be dropped off in a mail drop.

Instructions

1. Decide which kind of shipping to offer on your item. If it is small and light, I would recommend First Class International. This is the cheapest way to go, and the less money your customers shell out for shipping the better your item will sell. There are a few drawbacks. First Class International is not insurable through USPS (though Auctiva DOES offer insurance for these packages, see related article in resources). There is also no guarantee when it will arrive. It takes anywhere from about a week to a month. In rare cases, it will take even longer. I will say that in my experience the average seems to be around 10 days, and I've never had a problem. Also, by offering this among several more expensive but faster choices, you can cater to your customer's preference. These packages have a 4 lb weight limit, with the maximum length of 24 inches. Height and thickness combined cannot exceed 36 inches.

2. For larger, bulkier packages or those that you wish to insure, Priority Mail is a good option. You can also find when it has been delivered by entering the number on your customs form, though there is no tracking while it is in transit. Priority mail packages are automatically insured against loss, damage or rifling; the maximums determined by weight. The flat rate envelopes have easy postage: $9.95 for Canada, $11.95 all other countries. These cannot be insured. The regular flat rate boxes to Canada are $23.95, $38.95 to all other countries. The large boxes are $29.95 to Canada and $49.95 to all other countries. Weight limit, 20 lbs. For regular Priority, the maximum length is 42". Maximum length and girth combined is 79".

3. Express mail is a fast service that carries its own insurance up to $100. You can also insure up to $5,000 for an additional fee. The maximum weight limit ranges from 22 lbs to 70 lbs depending on the country. It offers a date-certain guarantee to select countries, and tracking. Of course this service is very expensive.

4. Global Express is the best of the best. It is extremely fast and its guarantee includes money back if the delivery is delayed. It also has the same insurance options and tracking as Express. The maximum weight is 70 lbs for most countries. It is astronomically expensive.

5. So with these options, you should have some idea of what kind of shipping would be best for your goods. Now, go into your eBay profile under shipping. Choose whether to ship worldwide or just a select few countries. (I ship worldwide and don't really understand the paranoia. The more people that see my listings, the higher price I'll get. But then, I don't deal in high end items.)

6. Unless you are using a flat rate service, I would advise you to use the automatic calculator option in your profile. That way for each item all you have to figure out is the weight and the shipping method. Your customers will be able to know what your shipping is without bothering you, and you won't drive yourself crazy trying to figure out a one-size-fits-all shipping price from anywhere.

7. After your item sells, you need to package it carefully as you normally do. After you have done so, if you are using Priority or higher, you should be able to print out from Paypal as usual, if that's how you ship. First Class International will not print out (the lowest option is Priority), so you need to hand write the address on. USE ALL CAPS. People will be reading this who do not read English and all capital letters are more distinctive and universal.

8. Fill out the custom form. For First Class International and small items, it will be PS Form 2976. For heavier, larger, or more valuable items it will be 2976-A. If possible, drop by the post office beforehand and take some custom forms home. It will be much easier to fill out the form in the comfort of your desk than to do it at the post office.

9. Your item is completely ready to go. Now it's time to take it to the post office. Because of the customs form, you have to deliver it in person to an employee, you can't just drop it off in a drop box. It is probably the biggest pain about shipping internationally. But if I can do it with my two-year-old and four-year-old in tow, so can you.

10. When you get home from the post office, email your customer to let him or her know it has been shipped. Please do not skip this step, particularly on international shipments. If there is a delay, half the worry is that the item didn't get sent out in the first place. In 15 seconds you can set their mind at ease. If you do it the day it was sent out, then you both have a record. And, of course, make sure you keep your reciept from the post office.

11. Happy selling! Imagine how fun it will be to think of an item of yours somewhere truly exotic!

Tips & Warnings

• For Priority shipping on up, the post office provides free envelopes and/or boxes. Do take advantage of it!

• When it's time to ship, don't automatically troop down to your local post office and dutifully wait in that long, long line. Many small post office branches operate out of local gift, card, or hardware stores. Do some research in your area. These small places will be happy to ship internationally for you (the one I use can handle everything except Global Express) and you won't have the lines. There may also be a regular post office in a neighboring town that is much quieter than yours.

• Make sure your terms reflect your new worldwide shipper status. For instance, you may want to only accept Paypal for international customers otherwise you'll choke on the exchange rate. Paypal takes care of that for you. Also, be up front about what you will and will not do on your customs forms. If you don't specify, some buyers will try to get you to claim the item as a gift. Which is illegal, and can also result in a delay at customs.

Resources

• First Class International Shipping Requirements
• Priority Mail International Shipping Requirements
• How to Use Auctiva to List Items on Ebay