International Shipping

As an eBay Power Seller, we ship hundreds of International packages each year. International customers are generally very pleasant to deal with. Over the years we have made many International friends. Some, have even dropped in our store to see us from: Japan, Australia, Great Britian and even Africa! Many of our International customers buy from us on a regular basis.

This is the upside to International sales. However, the largest problem we have encountered comes from shipping products. Unfortunately, we had to learn by trial-and-error and it has been a long tough road. Now, we are not claiming to be an expert on the subject, but we have shipped thousands of packages Internationally. All references in this guide are based on our personal experiences shipping with USPS. WE DO NOT REPRESENT USPS! It is our hope that by sharing our experiences, that this little guide will better assist you when you ship your next international package.

First of all, most International customers realize that there are two ways you can ship to them. Either ECONOMY (The package is loaded into a large bin on a slow boat with all manner of packages from paper clips to diesil engine parts.) This type of shipping usually takes from 4-8 weeks or more just to get to the country, due to slow ports, customs, etc. You can expect several emails, "Hey, where is my package?" Economy shipping is not suggested, even though it is the least expensive. If the customer thinks your shipping rate is too high, simply respond by telling them you do not suggest a cheaper shipping method and explain to them what they can expect if they choose ECONOMY shipping. The best shipping is AIR MAIL. There are several types of air shipping: AIR MAIL LETTER POST (smaller packages, or envelopes) or AIR MAIL PARCEL POST (packages over a specified weight). Air packages are loaded onto a plane, usually one way. Then, offloaded and trucked directly into customs where your customer can claim the package and pay the proper duty (tax). We have found this method to be almost TROUBLE FREE!

Alright, now that we know what service we will use, let's talk about proof of shipment. Usually, you will have to respond to a slow or unreceived shipment with a shipping number. Especially if a claim is filed via PayPal. Most sellers do not know that if an International customer files a dispute with PayPal, PayPal can reverse your customer's payment and take the money back out of your account until the matter is resolved. That can hurt your finances big time! The best way to keep this from happening is to make sure you have a shipping number and email it to the buyer immediately! All International shipping numbers are considered to be a DELIVERY CONFIRMATION number is NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A TRACKING NUMBER! Tracking is different, it will show package progress as it moves along it's shipping path. These International numbers simply show ACCEPTANCE by your local post office (proof of shipment) and RECEIPT by International customs (proof of delivery). There are THREE types of  numbers available for an International shipment:

•  CUSTOMS NUMBER (located on your customs slip, usually starts with a C followed by a series of digits and ends with US).
• If you ship with additional INSURANCE (strongly suggested), there is a number on that slip similar to the customs number.
• Finally, if you ship GLOBAL PRIORITY there is a number on the envelope, (starts with a Z followed by a series of digits and ending with US).

Keep in mind, USPS will ALWAYS scan all of these slips. International customs my ignore them. So there is a fine line drawn when it comes to the BURDEN OF PROOF. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your customer receives the package...

• Write the customer's International telephone number on the package this will enable customs to call them if the customer fails to pick up the package after an unspecified amount of time.
• Ship the package CERTIFIED MAIL, this is the closest to GUARANTEED DELIVERY you can get on an International package. It usually costs a bit more.
• Purchase additional insurance, above indemnity. Indemnity is an amount the package is automatically insured for. In some cases you can purchase additional insurance. Unfortunately, there are some countries that you CANNOT get insurance for.
• Make sure your return address and telephone number are CLEAR!

If you do all of these things, and your package does get lost or damaged, you can easily file an indemnity and/or insurance claim to recover your loss for a reshipment or refund!

Final Note: Remember, if customs runs across your ECONOMY shipped package and it is improperly labed, addressed incorrectly or the receiving country does not take the time to scan the labels on the package. It will be placed on a shelf and if noone comes to claim it and pay the duty, they will send it back to the states or it may get stashed somewhere for a LONG period of time. This complete cycle can take about 14-16 weeks to transpire (6 weeks to ship, it lays in customs bins for several weeks, then 6 weeks on the return and another week or so for USPS to contact the original shipper). Economy shipping is the worst, even though it is the least expensive.

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