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Poll: International eBay listings and the shipping situation
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Poll: What is your view on addressing shipping costs for international eBay auctions for 100's of items in one category?

Poll ended at Mon Feb 01, 2010 8:42 pm
Method of approximate weight: item weighs between one - two pounds 18%       18%  [ 4 ]
Method of precision: Enter a custom item weight including package/buffer 36%       36%  [ 8 ]
Method of inqury: Have the international bidder contact the seller for a quote 36%       36%  [ 8 ]
Conduct eBay auctions in just your country 9%       9%  [ 2 ]
Total votes : 22

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HexMapper
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Post Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:42 pm 
 

Have to go with the method of precision. Even if the typical shipping service would be media mail for 100's of book listings, there's often a $5 to $10 range for comparable intl. shipping methods. More work on the seller's end in listing - on the flip side.
  

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beasterbrook
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Post Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:33 pm 
 

I did "Method of inqury: Have the international bidder contact the seller for a quote"

I would much rather a note in the auction saying somthing like "ecaxt postage costs charged" and also if you plan of charging a handling fee etc.. most poeple overseas know how much its goiung to cost, they just don't want to be ripped off.. When they ask you can also find out what way they want to send and where etc.. you may not want to send a certain way for some people or in some countries etc..

Brette:)


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TheHistorian
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Post Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:02 pm 
 

I do a combination of 2 and 3.  I list the cost for one item, and then highly recommend that international bidders contact me for a quote if there is any question.
  

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Mars
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Post Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:47 pm 
 

I always end up doing method of inquiry.  It gives you a personal quote and you can then find out how much the seller wants to change for handling.

For most items, posting a rate is not very useful.  If you are in Canada, the postage is dependent on which province or state you are shipping to so there really is 8-10 different rates for North America.  International is actually the easy part since there is basically 1 rate for the rest of the world.

For experienced Ebayers or buyers, stating the handling fee is really what matters most - they know the cost of shipping.
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mbassoc2003
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Post Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:22 am 
 

I quote international shipping costs for individual items based on experience. If I get it wrong I just absorb the cost and learn from the experience. I only get a quote and deal with specifics if someone buys multiple items to the point where it becomes prohibitively expensive (abobe 1.8kg). At this point I start shopping around between Royal Mail, Parcel Force, UPS and DHL, and value, tracking and compensation amounts all come in to play.

Getting individual quotes for international shipping every item you sell is asinine.


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HexMapper
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Post Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:14 pm 
 

Mars wrote:If you are in Canada, the postage is dependent on which province or state you are shipping to so there really is 8-10 different rates for North America.  International is actually the easy part since there is basically 1 rate for the rest of the world.


As a shipper from the US, if you were to compare the USPS first clas intl. rate tables for Iceland, Russia, and a middle-eastern country - there are actually differences (although, to some, it could be very trivial)

A stinky issue is that for Priority Mail International, not every country has an agreement with the US to offer insurance with this type of service. An example is Mexico. Seems ridiculous as both countries are on the same continent (hemisphere).
  

HexMapper
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:10 pm 
 

It's almost silly when considering shipping from the US either domestically or to Canada. A shipment could cost less shipping it to Canada when shipping media mail in the US. Whether International or domestic, USPS first class shipments may differ only by a quarter in regards to Canada.
  
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