Go Global Or Go Home!

A while ago I posted about shipping internationally. Since then Ebay has developed the Global Shipping Program. While I can see the allure of this, let me be the first to tell you it's completely unnecessary. I did actually sign up for it to see what it was all about. The main problem is the cost. It is more expensive to your buyer than doing it yourself. Another problem is they only offer shipping to 42 countries. Last time I checked there were almost 200 countries on Earth. Why limit yourself to 25% of your customers?
Let me be the first to say when I started Pioneer Valley Fashion over 3 years ago, international shipping was a complete mystery. For starters you had these confusing customs forms and special envelopes:

So I decided to not bother with it and just sold domestically. Eventually I changed my mind and tried it. By this time you could print international labels from Ebay. Boy did this simplify things. All you do is:

• Offer calculated International Shipping in your listing. Ship To "Choose Custom Location". Select all 9 check boxes. Add $1.00 handling charge.

• Go to the Applications tab in Ebay and find an app called ShipSaver. Sign up. More on this later.

When you do have an international sale:

• Go to the "Print Shipping" screen.

• Edit the description of the item. By default it is filled in with the auction title. Change this to a vague description. We don't want everyone knowing exactly what we're shipping, do we? For example when I sell Lego, I change it to "Plastic Toy Bricks". Ralph Lauren Shirt becomes Mens Shirt, etc.
• Print your label. I recommend using plain paper and not a shipping label in case the package needs to be opened for inspection. This way the label can be easily removed if need be.
• Tape label to the package, do not tape over the bar codes. (Taping over the bar codes is not bad if the tape is totally flat, but if you have bumps and bubbles it may not scan properly so I don't take the chance).
• If your label has EDelCon (Electronic Deliver Confirmation) service printed on it, you do not need to buy insurance as it has tracking. There are several countries that USPS offers this to, Canada being one.
• If your package is not trackable, go to your ShipSaver app and buy insurance for the it. The $1.00 handling fee you charged earlier pays for this. ;)
• Mail it! 

There are a few countries that I don't ship to. They are: Afghanistan, Russian Federation, Iraq, Italy, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Liberia, Nigeria, Somalia, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. These countries are not insured by ShipSaver so I don't take the chance.

I know you're thinking "but Lou, what if my package gets lost, if I used the Global Shipping Program I wouldn't have to worry about it, but because I listened to you, I'm responsible"!  Fret not! This is where that ShipSaver thingy comes in! I Your package needs to be lost for 45 days before you can file a claim. Do not issue a refund to your buyer until you are refunded from ShipSaver.
I have had several hundred international sales and have lost exactly....1 package. ShipSaver took care of it, I was happy, and more importantly my buyer was happy because she got her money back.
So give it a go for yourself and see what happens. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Lost

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  I had a perfect track record for items being delivered successfully until I sold this jacket to a buyer in Hungary on October 13th. On November 10th, I got a message from her via Ebay telling me that she had not yet gotten the jacket.  Uh oh!  I responded by asking her to wait one more week and see if it came.  She was cool with that.  A week comes and goes, and still no jacket.  Since I insure every international package with ShipSaver, I was not worried.
I opened a claim with ShipSaver and forwarded the documents they sent me to the buyer, who filled them out and submitted them.  A few days later, they told me that we had to wait several more days to file our claim.  Apparently, 45 days must pass before an item is declared lost.  She resubmitted the documents on the proper day, and within a day, the money was in my Paypal account.  I refunded the buyers money, and she was so happy, she left positive feedback!

So, if you do a lot of international shipping and don't use insurance, you should consider it.  It costs $1.00 for up to $100 worth of coverage. I just factor this into the price of the item.  It is well worth it just for the peace of mind it brings!  I also insure domestic shipments if they are fragile, or are worth over $50.00.

A Great 24 Hours!

Whenever Ebay decides to change things (and as we all know, this happens quite frequently), I always try to change with them. Lately its been:

• Optimizing for mobile devices
• Fast and Free shipping
• More, larger pictures
• Less wordy descriptions

I  have implemented all these things, and I have to say,  I think it has helped. November has been great so far, I am on pace to sell about 100 items for the month. In the last day I have sold 8 items (5 over night!), not a lot to some, but a whole bunch to me! Several of these items I had just listed a day or two ago. 6 shirts, a pair of SAS shoes, and a rubber stamp.
The best part was that I had one buyer purchase 2 shirts. One was free shipping, one was not.  He paid $5.04 shipping for the one. They are both heavy Polo Ralph Lauren rugby type shirts and together they weighed 2 pounds 5 ounces. After considering my options, I used a Priority Regional A Box (I am in MA, he is in NY) and the total cost for both shirts was....$5.04!!  That made my morning even better!
On the down side, my luck with not loosing packages may have come to an end.  I had a buyer from Hungary tell me that she has not yet received a jacket I sent her almost a month ago. It is insured, so if worst comes to worst, we will both get our money back. I asked her to give it another week and she was okay with that. If it doesn't arrive, I will issue a refund and file a claim with ShipSaver.