Shipping international has become increasingly simple over the years.  Many new sellers I speak to are reluctant to ship international because they say they don't want to "fool with the post office and paperwork."  Truthfully, it's easier than ever if you print out your shipping labels from the ebay-USPS system.  It automatically subtracts payment from your paypal account, making the process even more simple.  Then the tracking is directly linked to your auction, making it simple for the seller to follow up on any auction- and a very nice feature once you start sending out more than ten packages a week!  Beyond this one can also request mail carrier pick up at their front door at no additional cost. 

Now, when you print out international postage, a window will pop up that specifically says what items you may not ship to your country of choice.  If you were to sell a prohibited item to a buyer overseas, you can simply refund their monies at this point and explain the situation.  I generally put a disclaimer in my auctions that covers these points:

•   buyer is responsible for all tariffs, taxes and shipping costs
•  we will not ship to countries where this is prohibited
• by purchasing this item you acknowledge that XXXX item is legal in your country and location. 
• by purchasing this item you acknowledge you are at least 18 (or 21) years of age (this is extremely important if you are posting anything in the adult category, but also important if you are posting them in the regular category but they might be construed pornography or graphic nude items in different parts of the country/ different countries (ie- nude art) 

Also make it clear to your buyers that this is a business transaction and that you cannot mark it as a gift nor can you change the value for insurance reasons.  One time we had a buyer who sniped a rather large item at the last minute for in excess of $500.  They were very angry that their customs (Italy) charged them extremely high import tariff.  It's much easier altogether if you disclose everything to the best of your ability before the auction.

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