International Shipping Questions


designerthriftshop
Free Member
  • Posts: 292
  • Joined: 27 Sep 07
  • Karma:
14 Sep 08 05:14:24 pm
Hello & happy Sunday! I am a US based eBay seller & am having trouble deciding whether or not to ship internationally. I know Priority Mail is the best way to go because of delivery times, however I am not sure what to charge. I know there are flat rate envelopes & some of my items would fit into those, others would not. I would charge $12 for a flat rate envelope but I have no idea what a safe dollar amount would be for anything that will not fit in those. I need an opinion or a suggestion of what you all do? I definitely do not want to lose money!

Also, what percentage of your sales come from international buyers & is it really worth it to ship internationally or to just Canada or just stick with the US?

Thanks for your input & ideas.

Lisa


fudjj
Site Admin
  • Posts: 6496
  • Joined: 27 Jul 07
  • Karma:
25 Sep 08 10:38:54 pm
I personally use a set of scales to weigh and a tape to measure all my items, then logon to my shippers site and key in the stats for an accurate quote.

If the items are small enough, I always include an international shipping option at cost price to cover as much of the market as possible.

I haven't really taken the time to look at my stats, but I would take a guess and say that the international orders make up less than 10% of my online selling business, but like I said, I like to cover as much as the market as I can to maxmise my chances of a sale.


Mark (fudjj)

Community Manager
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