[vcf-midatlantic] Ebay International Shipping Improvement

[william degnan]

If you're like me, you use Ebay to sell vintage computers to make space or
for extra cash (so you can buy other vintage computers...).  It's a nice
efficient way to sell.

Given the dollar exchange rate has declined 30% this year prices are
cheaper to an international buyer.   You maximize profit if you sell
internationally and given you are hit with 10% fee you want to maximize the
sales price.  Problem *was* there are too many variables and taxes to
track, custom forms, insurance, etc.  International shipping has always
been a problem because it's so hard to predict the actual cost, and I have
been burned a few times with shipping costs. Slowly Ebay has been working
to make this better.

Recently Ebay has made available a new shipping option called "Global
Shipping Program" that allows a person to ship their internationally-sold
items to a hub in the US (Kentucky), and after that I guess the buyer deals
with the shipping the rest of the way.    A lot of people bust on Ebay, but
this is really a nice feature and it really reduces the hassle for the
seller.  In short, now everything I sell is treated like domestic shipping,
no customs no guessing.   25-50% of my sales are international.

I don't want to get into a big thing about whether Ebay is good/bad but in
this case - Ebay: Well done.

Bill