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  • Take Advantage of eBid's Global Presence

    Are you tapping into eBid's global presence?


    When you sell online, it’s not only so you can sell to your neighbours – it’s for selling to a worldwide audience, to customers in countries you’d never reach without the help of a global marketplace like eBid.

    Do you only sell to buyers in your own country? If yes, you’re seriously affecting how much you could be selling, and you’re cutting your chances of success.

    Buyers expect to be able to purchase from anyone around the world now. It’s as easy to purchase from someone in your own town as it is from a country in a different hemisphere. Don’t make the decision a buyer “won’t want to pay the shipping price” or “would rather buy from someone closer to home”. Let the consumer decide; perhaps your item is rare on their home soil, and they are happy to pay any amount to receive it. Don’t limit your selling power!

    In the last few hours alone, buyers from 25 different countries have registered to buy on eBid, and you’d be foolish not to be catering to potential customers in Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Germany, Canada and beyond…

    We understand it can seem daunting to sell internationally at first, but it’s actually as easy as selling within your own country, with just a few things to consider:

    Follow our eBid tips to selling internationally and you could soon be making your first overseas sale



    Shipping price
    Don’t pluck a postage rate from thin air when you list an item. Weigh it and go online to your country’s postal service website to get an accurate price. You can then give international buyers all the information they need before they commit to a purchase. If you sell many of the same item, when you’ve done it once you don’t need to do it again.
    UK sellers: Royal Mail gives a comprehensive price list, and even offers guidelines to show how much a CD, pair of shoes or some books will cost to send to anywhere around the world.
    US sellers: USPS has a page for calculating domestic and international shipping rates.
    Australian Sellers: Australia Post lists the prices of different international delivery options.
    Canadian Sellers: Canada Post has various service levels and prices for sending worldwide.

    Customs Labels:
    If you’re sending outside of your own country, you may need to affix customs labels giving a description of the goods and a value. It’s not as scary as it sounds and is usually just one label where you enter all the info and stick on your parcel. This is to speed your parcel’s route through international customs and saves officers opening it to inspect the contents. UK sellers don’t need to affix a customs label if sending to other EU countries.
    Your post office will be able to give you any help if needed – but it’s very simple and shouldn’t give you any cause for concern.

    International Taxes:
    Each country sets its own level of import tax and buyers have to pay a percentage of the value of imported goods, usually before they can take delivery of the parcel. Some countries have very generous import allowances with virtually zero tax on imports; others are quite strict and buyers will have to pay their country’s VAT percentage rate as well as a shipping & handling charge. This can make the final price of purchase much higher than the buyer anticipated. So, if you plan on selling internationally, make sure you let potential buyers know that Import Duty may be applicable and you are not responsible for any taxes owed. Frequent international buyers will know the thresholds and spend accordingly, but new buyers are often caught unaware, so giving them a friendly heads-up means they can educate themselves on their own country’s laws.

    Standard Airmail or Tracked?
    If the value of your item is fairly low, standard Airmail will be the most economical. Depending on your own country’s postal system, sending a package with tracking and/or signature can be very cost-effective or cost-prohibitive. You can offer tracking as an additional upgrade or make it mandatory on high-value goods, but ultimately, you are responsible for the package reaching its final destination, so decide if you can afford to re-send or refund should the item not arrive. With tracking, it gives both you and the customer peace of mind, and you will have recompense in the unlikely event of it being lost or delayed. Check out the prices for insured, tracked and signed packages on your country’s postal system website and decide on the best options for the items you sell.

    Packaging:
    Many countries have implemented a PiP (Pricing in Proportion) system where a package has to fit through a slot to qualify for a certain postage rate. If your goods fit within this size it can be a money-saver, and specially sized boxes are available so you know it’s guaranteed to qualify.
    Remember your package may have to travel thousands of miles, so a little bit of extra bubble wrap or a protective box might be best to ensure it arrives in the condition it left you.

    There is a whole world of potential buyers out there keen to snap up what you have to offer – regardless of your location, so spend some time deciding if you can become an international eBid seller and clock up some extra sales.
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