I've been selling internationally for at least 10 years. These are the challenges:
Payment:
Many buyers now just want to do Paypal. Paypal offers Seller's Protection when selling to certain countries, but not all. Seller Protection is needed in case the seller tries to undo the transaction after the bass has been shipped, like trying to do a chargeback. Also, imagine that the bass is lost or damaged in transit. The buyer might claim that the bass was never received and try to get Paypal to refund the money.
So, unless I have some information about you (eBay feedback, or know you well from forum interaction) I would not like to sell via Paypal. Another option is wire transfer, where the buyer sends the money directly to the seller's account. This puts the buyer at risk, because once you send the money, it's gone for good. If you don't received a bass, the only thing you can do is cry.
Shipping:
Shipping to Europe and Australia is expensive. A regular bass' hard case inside a cardboard box measures 50"X20"X8", and weighs around 25 lb. This costs around $300 via Fedex or UPS to most of Europe. The alternative is the US postal service (USPS), but it has size restrictions to many countries, which don't allow to ship a box with such dimensions. To the countries where that size is permitted (Germany, the U.K., for example) it costs about $120 to ship - not bad. For those countries with smaller size restriction, you could send the bass without a case, and detach the neck (if it's a bolt-on, of course). This would cost about $90 to most Europe.
Insurance:
Damage or loss in transit is a risk. If you go Fedex or UPS, you are covered and you can claim any value you want, and expect to get paid if something happens (although it still is a long and tedious process with no guaranteed outcome). In case of damage, they would try to prove that the item was not properly packe, if that's the case.
With the US postal service, you can insure, but only for a few hundred dollars, and processing a claim could take a long time. Remember that the USPS tenders the package to your country's mail service, so there is more than one carrier involved, and tracking is not as certain as with Fedex or UPS.
I've been lucky that I've never had any incidents with either Fedex or the USPS (I don't use UPS because I have had many problem with damaged items with them). And I've never had any problems with buyers trying to scam me or try to do a charge back, etc., but I know it happens.
It seems easy, but there are risks involved. For example, I would never ship a high-price bass through the USPS, or I would never accept Paypal from somebody in a country that does not offer Paypal's Seller Protection. eBay offers some extra layers of protection and a feedback system, but forums don't. Unless you have been active in a forum and have a reputation among the members, you could be a scammer for all we know, and believe me, there are people who do nothing more but try to scam people in forums all day long.
Custom duties:
To ship a bass properly with full insurance, you have to declare to customs the same value as the insurance. This could mean that the buyer must pay a lot of money in taxes and insurance. Many buyers try to save money by having the seller declare a minimal value, but in case of damage or loss, that amount is all you going to get.
All in all, for me, the pros outweigh the cons. I've sold many basses a lot quicker because I decided to sell to Europe or Australia, simply because, as you mentioned, the lower prices here, and because the demand.
I hope this helps.
|
(Crikey!!!), the yen is stupid strong and especially as you guys in the US have it so good with basically everything cheaper than anywhere else in the world regards comparative salaries & cost of living, I don't see any viable reasons. I've bought plenty of stuff from the US on eBay & even a bass from Carmine so......Please explain!
