# ebay shipping



## Plow Boy (Jan 1, 2004)

If I was to sell things "World Wide" How do you know what to charge for shipping to a Country other than the US?
Has any of you sold to Japan, China, or any other place. How do you do the shipping.. I think you have to state what shipping is...

Thanks.

Plow Boy


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I just note in the ad that international shipping is available, and then take the items to the post office for each request. "How much to ship this to Japan?" I will ask.

It is a good thing I live close to the PO! Some of the international shipping is a pain, but it helps your bids if you offer international shipping.


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## Plow Boy (Jan 1, 2004)

Thanks Clovis... So you don't have to state the shipping cost for international shipping at the time of post? Now that I think of it, I guess not because you don't know who will be bidding on it and from what country..
So I'm thinking that if you sell international, you pay the shipping?


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

I have noticed in some auctions the seller says "international shipping is available" and will be charged according to destination, or something to that effect. Like what clovis is doing. If they NEED to know what the shipping is, they need to ask before they bid.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

eBay's shipping calculator will give the quote for you.

Just have the weight available when you're creating your listing and it connects to the USPS site where they tell you what the going rate is today... And it'll be very nicely available to your potential buyers behind the "Shipping" tab.

No, you don't have to pay international shipping any more than you have to pay domestic. Unless you want to, that is. 

As an example, I ship world wide. 
So, a yard of fabric weighs 6oz. When I create my listing, _I _put my domestic rate in (since that's a flat rate), then put the weight in so that it's available for international calculation. 
When a buyer goes to my listing, their browser automatically tells eBay's site what country they're accessing from and the shipping calculator shows the quote for their country. (As well as displaying the sales price in their currency).


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Erin is right about the shipping.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

Another option you can consider is "Free Shipping". It will get the attention of the bidders. I have eBay and I have a retail website. I ship worldwide. I ship about 300 orders per month. Everything is under 13 ounces so I ship everything First Class and First Class International. About 1/4 to 1/3 of my orders go worldwide.

Since I make and sell my items, I know how much each one costs to ship domestic and international. I figure the cost into the retail price of the item for anything to the US and Canada. Anything outside the US and Canada, I add 2.00 for shipping that they must pay. With the amount allowed for domestic shipping calculated into the retail, the additional two dollars covers the extra cost for international shipping. 

When you list an item, if you know the weight, you can have the shipping calculator determine the cost of shipping. If you know the weight of the item plus packaging, you can look up the cost at usps.com under "calculate shipping". Then you can set the amount for the shipping and not let the calculator do it. By the way.. there is absolutely nothing wrong with making a little on the shipping, too. Most of the "seasoned" eBayers do that.

Another thing. If you are using PayPal, and have a business account, you can access the "Multi Order Shipping Tool" from your "Overview" page. I only ship 2 to 3 times per week. So that tells you that I can have anywhere from 20 to 50 orders at a time to print shipping labels. It is a royal pain in the rear to have to go and click on each customer and print the shipping label.... so, the Multi Order Shipping Tool allows you to access and print all the shipping labels at one time. It is really nice, saves a lot of time, and the cost is automatically deducted from your PayPal balance. All of this costs nothing in addition to what the Post Office charges.

Keep a couple things in mind. If you ship anything over 13 ounces, it cannot go First Class or First Class International. Also, if you ship international, all your packages must include a customs form. I use form number 2976 from the Post Office. They are free.

If you need more in depth answers, I will be glad to help. You can PM me, if you wish.

Also... don't forget to take into account your eBay fees when you set your prices. I set all mine as Fixed Price and "Good Till Cancelled". That is because I am making and selling a product that I don't want to auction. I want a set price and I want it to stay listed until I cancel it.

Good Luck.

P.S. By the way, if you are going to be doing a lot of selling and shipping, it would be in your best interest to look at buying a postal scale. They are available at the Post Office. I've had mine 3 years and it is still perfectly calibrated. A kitchen scale is not calibrated well enough to be exact when dealing with postage. You can also get them online at usps.com. I have the little 10 pound blue scale that takes care of all I sell.


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## lhspirited (Jan 31, 2010)

This is great information PaulNKS. I can use the information about the Paypal shipping labels. You said they get deducted from your Paypal account and then you say they're free???????????

I'd also love a link to your listings to see what you make.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

We sell old car parts internationally. We list the shipping price for the people in the US and put "Foreign bidders, please email for a shipping quote" We only ship Priority to Foreign. Have shipped to Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Latvia, France, India & Canada. So far. no problems. By sending Priority, they get it in 10 days. And there is a confirmation number to check on it. The labels are just as easy now as the local ones. Just enter the weight, print the label and hand it to the Postman.
I ship most items in the states by Flat Rate (iron is heavy) but to other countries, it sometimes is cheaper to use a regular priority box or regular box with priority stickers than it is for flat rate. You just have to check all the time with the USPS site.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

lhspirited said:


> This is great information PaulNKS. I can use the information about the Paypal shipping labels. You said they get deducted from your Paypal account and then you say they're free???????????
> 
> I'd also love a link to your listings to see what you make.


sending you a pm


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

lhspirited said:


> This is great information PaulNKS. I can use the information about the Paypal shipping labels. You said they get deducted from your Paypal account and then you say they're free???????????


What I meant is that the cost of the postage is deducted from your PayPal account, but the service costs nothing and PayPal doesn't add any costs to use this service.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

mosepijo said:


> We sell old car parts internationally. We list the shipping price for the people in the US and put "Foreign bidders, please email for a shipping quote"


For some circumstances that works great, but in my situation, I would lose too many customers to my competitors. When someone is bidding, the last thing they want to do is stop to email for a quote and then wait the time for a reply... if you have competitors that are competitive and they don't have to wait to make the purchase.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

PaulNKS said:


> For some circumstances that works great, but in my situation, I would lose too many customers to my competitors. When someone is bidding, the last thing they want to do is stop to email for a quote and then wait the time for a reply... if you have competitors that are competitive and they don't have to wait to make the purchase.


Most of the time, they email after they win. I have found that the Australians especially, don't worry about the cost of the shipping. After all, where do you get your car parts out of the teens and 20's? Many of the foreign bidders ask several days before the end of the auction.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

mosepijo said:


> Most of the time, they email after they win. I have found that the Australians especially, don't worry about the cost of the shipping. After all, where do you get your car parts out of the teens and 20's? Many of the foreign bidders ask several days before the end of the auction.


True.... It probably has a lot to do with the type of product you provide.... I like my Australian customers. lol


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

PaulNKS said:


> True.... It probably has a lot to do with the type of product you provide.... I like my Australian customers. lol


I agree, they are the best. They really like their old car parts.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

If you print postage you get a small percentage price break and free delivery confirm is included. If shipping small flat rate boxes on up this is a nice savings. I only use it when I have enough paypal money to cover the shipping as I seldom sell on ebay now. When folks send you the payments in the mail, you end up having to pay those delivery confirm fees, up to .80 on a first class box and I think it is .70 on a flat rate priority box. So if you print a small flat rate postage mailing label, you can do it for $5.00 including delivery confirm online. If you do this at the post office in person, it is $5.20 plus the .70 so it is at least $5.90 now. For ebay sales this is irrelevant since they have to pay you with paypal which allows you the balance to print the postage, always always print your postage if you can...this is so important for small sales. For personal knowledge for selling on sites like the barter section on this one....folks like to send cash and postal money orders quite a bit. I sold my German Purple Striped Garlic Bulbils to different countries two years ago. I just went to the post office and had them weigh it, they told me how much and I would look it up online. I did buy a scale but it is not calibrated to the post office one. I have noticed a discrepancy but funny thing is...mine seems to match the other post office?????


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

For outside the U.S. I go to www.usps.com, Calculate Shipping, indicate what country it is going to, then package weight. It will give costs for Express, Priority and In't First Class as appropriate.

You then have to fill out one of two customs forms depending on weight. (Post Office can give you a supply.)

Due to the UniBomber you cannot put anything in the blue boxes or your mailbox 13 ounces or heavier with stamps. These must be presented to a Postal Clerk.

All payments from outside the U.S. it is payment via PayPal only. Although I will accept a Canadian postal money order in USD.

I have a deal with my local Post Office I can have the carrier bring in items with a personal check from me, a customs form if required and an unstamped return envelope. When processed they will have the carrier return the receipt.

Just a note USPS is developing a point-to'point tracking system on Delivery Confirmation items.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> Due to the UniBomber you cannot put anything in the blue boxes or your mailbox 13 ounces or heavier with stamps. These must be presented to a Postal Clerk.


Yet another reason to print from your PayPal account. (Or a USPS account, if you prefer). Then you can put pretty much anything you wish in the dropslot. 



> If you ship anything over 13 ounces, it cannot go First Class or First Class International. Also, if you ship international, all your packages must include a customs form


Not true.
You can ship First Class International up to a max. of 4 pounds, I believe. After that, I always go with Priority, but I'm sure there are other options as well. 
And you don't actually need a customs form if it's less than 13 (I think that's the magic weight) and less than 3/4" thick. 
I always ship mine with a form anyway, though, even if it does fall in the excluded range. It's just easier that way.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

ErinP said:


> Not true.
> You can ship First Class International up to a max. of 4 pounds, I believe. After that, I always go with Priority, but I'm sure there are other options as well.
> And you don't actually need a customs form if it's less than 13 (I think that's the magic weight) and less than 3/4" thick.
> I always ship mine with a form anyway, though, even if it does fall in the excluded range. It's just easier that way.


No, the poster was correct. First Class is limited to 13 ounces. Anything over 13 ounces has to go Priority Mail.

http://www.usps.com/send/waystosendmail/senditwithintheus/firstclassmail.htm

According to my Post Office the rules on customs forms have changed and all international orders must have them... according to my Post Office branch. I haven't verified it online. 

You can leave as many packages as you want up to 70 pounds without having to take them to the Post Office. But... the limit is 70 pounds each and any of them over 13 ounces have to be Priority Mail.


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

That is only for the US. If shipping internatioally it is International First Class up to four pounds and Priority or Express Mail after that.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

My mistake. For international, you are correct. I was wrong.  I was looking at domestic.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

PaulNKS said:


> According to my Post Office the rules on customs forms have changed and all international orders must have them... according to my Post Office branch. I haven't verified it online. .


Nope, less than 16 oz and 3/4" thick, so long as it's not something dutiable. Ie documents, etc.
http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc1_008.htm

Much as I like my local POs, I never take their word for _anything_. lol I've had to correct them far too many times. 

I have a copy of the IMM and DMM rules, that are pertinent to me, in my wallet at all times so I can correct anyone who says I'm doing something I can't. lol


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

ErinP said:


> Nope, less than 16 oz and 3/4" thick, so long as it's not something dutiable. Ie documents, etc.
> http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc1_008.htm
> 
> Much as I like my local POs, I never take their word for _anything_. lol I've had to correct them far too many times.
> ...


I was not referring to documents. I was referring to packages. I don't take their word either. I always verify, online, anything my postal worker tries to tell me.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

No big deal. 
I thought you'd said ALL international shipments.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

PaulNKS said:


> I always verify, online, anything my postal worker tries to tell me.


Ain't that the truth?

Some of the postal clerks know only the basics. The clerks that really annoy me are the ones that don't know a thing, but act like they know it all.

I once had a clerk that kept giving me shipping rates to Austria, even though I ask for Australia. After losing $3 or $4 on each package I sent (about 10 packages total), I asked the clerk. "Austria and Australia are the same place aren't they?" 

Part of the problem with the post office is that one day you'll get a teller that knows nothing but tells you something anyway, and the next day when you return to ship the item, you get the teller that is going overboard following the postal code past what it was intended to be. It can be more than frustrating!!!!


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

That's one thing I like about UPS. As long as it is very close, they don't send it back. For example say you weigh something as three pounds, 15 ounces and they weight it as four pounds, one ounce.

I have asked the local Postmistress why 13, 14 and 15 ounces are considered to be one-pound. She didn't know and called the regional manager. He didn't know either and called DC. No one he talked to knew. Apparently it has been in place so long no one is willing to charge it.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

clovis said:


> Ain't that the truth?
> 
> I once had a clerk that kept giving me shipping rates to Austria, even though I ask for Australia. After losing $3 or $4 on each package I sent (about 10 packages total), I asked the clerk. "Austria and Australia are the same place aren't they?"


Just for clarification, the clerk at the post office thought Austria and Australia were the same place.


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