shipping to France 0

[MIL0S]

I normally don't ship outside the country when selling on ebay due to the hassle/cost, but have received a plea to ship something to France. My understanding is that to satisfy paypal and prevent a claim of non-delivery the package must be fully tracked, is that correct? for those that sell internationally, what is the best option?   (The item in question would ship domestically inside a 9x12 flat rate priority mailer.) any info is appreciated, thanks!

[Shepherd]

I've used USPS Express Mail International that has tracking for that, or agreed with the buyer to send it cheaper, with no tracking, when he leaves positive feedback in advance (before I ship it) and agreed by email that he will not complain if the package is lost or damaged. I've sent both ways, and never had an issue. 

[Pete Marino]

1 hour ago, MIL0S said:

I normally don't ship outside the country when selling on ebay due to the hassle/cost, but have received a plea to ship something to France. My understanding is that to satisfy paypal and prevent a claim of non-delivery the package must be fully tracked, is that correct? for those that sell internationally, what is the best option?   (The item in question would ship domestically inside a 9x12 flat rate priority mailer.) any info is appreciated, thanks!

As much as it pains me to say it.  But if you want to really absolve yourself of any risk, you can use ebay's Global Shipping program.

You ship it to them, they ship it international, the buyer gets gouged for shipping.  But you can basically sit back and relax once the art gets to their warehouse.

[artcollector9]

eBay offers global shipping-- you ship to eBay (usually in KY) and they reship to your customer. The customer pays both shipping charges, but you are off the hook once the piece gets to eBay. 

Edited April 25, 2018 by artcollector9
typo.

[stinkininkin]

3 hours ago, artcollector9 said:

eBay offers global shipping-- you ship to eBay (usually in KY) and they reship to your customer. The customer pays both shipping charges, but you are off the hook once the piece gets to eBay. 

So this is a service ebay provides regardless of whether or not it was an ebay transaction?  Almost a shipping escrow service?  It never occurred to me that this might be an option.

[Pete Marino]

27 minutes ago, stinkininkin said:

So this is a service ebay provides regardless of whether or not it was an ebay transaction?  Almost a shipping escrow service?  It never occurred to me that this might be an option.

As far as I know, it's eBay sales only.

 

here's a summary of the program from their site:

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/shipping/global-shipping-program.html

[Madman1138]

3 hours ago, stinkininkin said:

So this is a service ebay provides regardless of whether or not it was an ebay transaction?  Almost a shipping escrow service?  It never occurred to me that this might be an option.

No, only items sold on eBay can use this program. It's super expensive for the customer so International folks aren't big fans. But it is a way to get US sellers that don't want the hassle of shipping internationally to agree to do so by releasing them of any liability. So it is just a regular domestic mailing job for them and eBay does the rest. But other than double shipping costs on the buyer it also adds extra tariffs on their side to get the packages, I believe. So it's both good and bad for most people.

[malvin]

28 minutes ago, Madman1138 said:

No, only items sold on eBay can use this program. It's super expensive for the customer so International folks aren't big fans. But it is a way to get US sellers that don't want the hassle of shipping internationally to agree to do so by releasing them of any liability. So it is just a regular domestic mailing job for them and eBay does the rest. But other than double shipping costs on the buyer it also adds extra tariffs on their side to get the packages, I believe. So it's both good and bad for most people.

never used it, but I assume it doesn't absolve the seller of any "item not as described" claims right?  Any claims around items not arriving would be covered, but I assume they don't authenticate or do any work to ensure the item shipped to them lines up to the item in the auction.

Malvin

[Bird]

1 minute ago, malvin said:

never used it, but I assume it doesn't absolve the seller of any "item not as described" claims right?  Any claims around items not arriving would be covered, but I assume they don't authenticate or do any work to ensure the item shipped to them lines up to the item in the auction.

Malvin

I use the ebay gsp, but my reasons for using it do not matter to the scammers of the world. I do not think that anyone trying to pull an international scam is going to be stopped by the item being shipped via the gsp. That said, maybe using it makes less sense than I initially thought.

[John E.]

I have shipped to France and its surrounding countries via eBay without any "problem." If I remember correctly, I shipped a sketch cover to France and it didn't arrive when it should. I called USPS to inquire and to make a long story short, the recipient had to pick it up from customs, but that didn't seem to be a problem for him and was happy overall. I think that's the worst experience I've ever had internationally. 

If you ship via eBay, you and your buyer automatically get a tracking number. I have see a disclaimer at mailing label time that says that "tracking is not available in this country" but it always tracks it. 

I don't know about buying insurance for int'l delivery because I've never tried. It's my understanding that if you want insurance you must ship Int'l Priority Mail and I think you can't buy more than $200 worth. There may be more flexibility (or not) if you ship Priority Mail Int'l EXPRESS.

Shipping overseas always makes me anxious but it has turned out well each time. Just make sure you pack well because it's a long bumpy ride from here to there.