Scared of international!

I've done a few deals internationally and I've always shipped via USPS. Never had any problems.

I just write the address and everything like I was mailing it within the US, then fill out the customs form.

You fill in the worth of the object on the form, the recipient pays customs based on that amount (or the actual amount if they check inside the package and find out you didn't fill it in truthfully).

Sender pays for postage and insurance.

That depends on the goods and the border crossed. Different countries have different custom rates. Different goods have different custom rates. In any case, customs isn't something the sender should worry about. Customs charges are collected by the government of the destination country from the recipient of the goods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coupe 

You make it sound so easy.  How much is customs percentage of value wise?

Customs duties vary from country to country.

In Australia you are only liable if the value of the imported goods is greater than $1000. I can't recall the exact figure, but I think it was in the vicinity of 10-20% of the item's value.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coupe 

You make it sound so easy.  How much is customs percentage of value wise?

What the customs percentage is doesn't affect you. It only affects the buyer who will be billed by the customs in his country.

Here's how to handle international transactions:

1) State that you will ship by USPS priority -- this is the cheapest service that offers a international "tracking number" which is of the form yyxxxxxxxxxUS where y is a letter and x is a number. Depending on the country it should take around 7-10 days (you should ask the post office to make sure). Say that if they want it faster they can pay more for USPS express which should take half the time.

2) Either:-

a) Ask the buyer how much they want you to declare the value. Usually, European buyers will ask you to under declare the value so they have to pay less customs tax. You have to remind them that you can only get insurance up to the declared value and any loss incurred exceeding the value will not be your responsibility.

Some countries don't have import tax (or only have tax after a certain value) so won't be affected by this --  in this case you should declare the full value and get the package insured for the entire amount. Note that, technically, undervaluing the package constitutes fraud but the "value" of a package is sometimes flexible. 

b) Tell the buyer you will only declare the full value and buy insurance up to that value. This protects you and the buyer fully from any loss.

3) Make sure you package the item well. International shipping can be hard for the package!

4) Send the package using USPS priority. The tracking number will be printed on the receipt. Send this number to the buyer and tell them they can track the package using this number on the USPS website until it leaves the US. When it arrives at the destination it can then be tracked using the Post office website of the destination (not always possible).

By the way, if you're worried at first, you can choose to sell to international buyers with decent feedback. 

make sure you get the paperwork filled out correctly.  also its best to actually bring your package to the post office so that they can make sure you have done everything right, and that you attach all the paperwork correctly to the package.

Usually I put the item in a box, address it, take it to the post office and tell them I want it to be sent to the address on the box. Works every time.

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Originally Posted by labrat 

 

Declaring value correct or not would be upon agreement between the seller and receiver, but for insurance correct value is necessary!

Apparently in North America, they cannot cheat and put a different value for the insurance and customs declaration...I always declare $10 value and $200 insurance, Europe allows this kind of trick.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry 

Quote:

Originally Posted by labrat 

Declaring value correct or not would be upon agreement between the seller and receiver, but for insurance correct value is necessary!

Apparently in North America, they cannot cheat and put a different value for the insurance and customs declaration...I always declare $10 value and $200 insurance, Europe allows this kind of trick.

... and we thought people in the US were dumb