International transactions?

Hi and good day,

I am new to Astromart and am running my very first ad.  I am in the U.S. and someone from Europe (Poland) has expressed interest in my item.  I've never done an international sale before and was hoping to get some guidance and perhaps things to look out for.  I've looked into using PayPal for the transaction, and there appear to be transaction and conversion fees involved.  There's also a fee for a commercial transaction, but I'm not a business, just an individual selling some personal gear.  The person interested has been a member since February of 2019 but has no ratings. I'm new as well, so I'd imagine that I don't have any ratings, either.

The item is small, an astro camera, but the shipping charges might get pretty large as well.

I've tried to do searches in the forums looking for international transactions, but haven't had much luck; I might just be using the wrong search parameters, of course.  I'm happy to do my homework if someone could point me in the right direction.

Thanks for any guidance you might be able to provide.

Ron

I have been around here for years and well over 100 transactions without any major issues. That said I have only sold one item outside the USA (Japan) and bought 2 items from outside the US (England and Austrailia)....All three went off without a problem but all of them were long after I was fully versed on buying/selling/shipping etc.

Were it me just starting out I would be very hesitant with out of country transactions. Though as the seller the risk is reduced from being the buyer. I would suggest paying a visit to the post office and asking for detailed info on shipping to whatever country is involved regarding costs etc before committing to the transaction so that you know exactly whats up......One of my primary concerns would be the lack of history on the buyer....they can fairly easily dispute the transaction even if it arrives in fine shape and cause you real headaches.....

Hi Greg,

Thanks for that information. Very helpful and kind of on the same path I was thinking.

Much appreciated.

Ron

Welcome..... To be blunt I am hesitant to deal with anyone that has little or no feedback history if I am the buyer unless of course its in person. A buyer who is willing to deal with you from another country when you have no feedback history throws a red flag on the play for me.

I have taken a chance a handful of times as long as its under $100 and thankfully had no issues.....

Yeah, I think I'm going to let that offer go.  He may be fine, but it just feels too risky to me.

Thanks again for the guidance; appreciate it.

Ron

Ron,
I have not sold much lately but have had many international transactions some time ago.  Due to shipping costs most international sales by necessity have to be small and lightweight but believe it or not I have shipped something as large as a C14 OTA to England!  Most international buyers know it's going to be expensive so don't be afraid to respond with higher fees for shipping, money conversion fees, or higher Paypal fees than whatever you originally agreed to in your ad.  Then the ball is in their court.  There is one international buyer who will try to get you to ship via International USPS and mark the item as "Other" on the Customs Form (to avoid Value Added Tax in his country) but the Post Office is likely to kill that avenue if they are wise to what's going on.
I would not have too much reluctance to sell to somebody with no rating as long as they are clear what it will cost to deliver the item and they agree to it.  Just make sure your payment clears.
Jim

Thanks, James.  Appreciate your input.  

Ron