( 
)International Buying and Selling:
Straight forward enough when dealing with an English speaking country (America Canada, Australia etc).
Bargains can often be found on international sites, and the pound is very strong at the moment, & can make the price even more attractive. Most items won't attract import duty, at any rate, I've never come across this problem. If in doubt, check the royal mail site. The easiest way to pay is via paypal, the seller simply sends you an invoice, in their currency, & you click on the pay button & the equivalent is taken out of your account. Shipping has to be taken into account, of course, and it's best to email the seller before buying. Ask for two quotes, most countries have economical (must be our surface mail equivalent) and priority. When purchasing from a non-speaking English country, it does become a little trickier. Babel fish will give you some idea of the item description, but if you are still unclear, try the local ebay community - there is usually someone prepared to translate for you. (We are a very friendly lot!)
Selling Internationally: Again, easy enough to tackle with. When you list, just tick the countries you are prepared to ship to, and your listing will appear when buyers from that country do a 'worldwide search'. It is going to be more convenient for your overseas buyers to pay by paypal, and probably cheaper than trying to convert currencey through banks. There are two services provided by Royal mail, surface and air mail, but there are weight limits. Over and above these weight limits, parcel2go offer very good prices for Europe & the USA. You should ask your buyer their exact address, (sorry but you'd be suprised!) and also if there are any special instructions required by their postal service. For example, the Canadian post office requires all addresses to be written in CAPS. Customs forms are required by USA and I think Australia, but your post office or despatcher will advise you on this. Don't forget to remind potential buyers from outside the UK that postage costs are going to be higher than those quoted in your listing for the UK!
It may sound obvious, but if you are tempted - (go on give it a go - think of all those extra customers)! then remember that even English speaking countries will use English slightly differently. Better to be overly courteous, even if it appears that your partner is being 'short', there may well be a cultural difference, even if speaking the same language.
Give it a go soon! Skies the limit!
Straight forward enough when dealing with an English speaking country (America Canada, Australia etc).
Bargains can often be found on international sites, and the pound is very strong at the moment, & can make the price even more attractive. Most items won't attract import duty, at any rate, I've never come across this problem. If in doubt, check the royal mail site. The easiest way to pay is via paypal, the seller simply sends you an invoice, in their currency, & you click on the pay button & the equivalent is taken out of your account. Shipping has to be taken into account, of course, and it's best to email the seller before buying. Ask for two quotes, most countries have economical (must be our surface mail equivalent) and priority. When purchasing from a non-speaking English country, it does become a little trickier. Babel fish will give you some idea of the item description, but if you are still unclear, try the local ebay community - there is usually someone prepared to translate for you. (We are a very friendly lot!)
Selling Internationally: Again, easy enough to tackle with. When you list, just tick the countries you are prepared to ship to, and your listing will appear when buyers from that country do a 'worldwide search'. It is going to be more convenient for your overseas buyers to pay by paypal, and probably cheaper than trying to convert currencey through banks. There are two services provided by Royal mail, surface and air mail, but there are weight limits. Over and above these weight limits, parcel2go offer very good prices for Europe & the USA. You should ask your buyer their exact address, (sorry but you'd be suprised!) and also if there are any special instructions required by their postal service. For example, the Canadian post office requires all addresses to be written in CAPS. Customs forms are required by USA and I think Australia, but your post office or despatcher will advise you on this. Don't forget to remind potential buyers from outside the UK that postage costs are going to be higher than those quoted in your listing for the UK!
It may sound obvious, but if you are tempted - (go on give it a go - think of all those extra customers)! then remember that even English speaking countries will use English slightly differently. Better to be overly courteous, even if it appears that your partner is being 'short', there may well be a cultural difference, even if speaking the same language.
Give it a go soon! Skies the limit!
Guide created: 04/10/06 (updated 08/21/08)
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