selling items to people outside of ConUS

Hi, this probably is not a problem but I have no experience in this and would like to get some feedback. Many sellers on our forums say ConUS only. Except high shipping cost, which would deter the potential buyers, what's not good about selling to people outside of US? If you get money from them via PayPal, then you ship with delivery confirmation, it should be OK, right?

For me, the stumbling block I have encountered on the sell side, has been the custom's form and the additional shipping costs. Previously when I have had Canadian buyer's that have inquired, I've stated that the additional shipping cost (which I've taken my time and effort to go to the post office and inquire about) is on them (provided a specific amount) and that I won't be dishonest on the custom form, I never hear from them again or get a bunch of whining and push back. So...after getting the run around previously on multiple occasions, it's just now a personal rule of my own that it's a domestic or local buyer only, no exceptions.

Delivery confirmation can be prohibitively expensive or just not available. So Shipping can be a risk, too.

Paypal only covers you with full chargeback protections when you ship to the following locations: USA/Canada/UK (when you live in said zones). If you ship anywhere else, you're not protected against one of the criteria for chargebacks. Coupled with the fact that paypal already isn't very safe if the buyer is intent on cheating you, ebay is rife with fraud from overseas buyers who abuse the system.

That's ebay though. IF you trust the buyers enough here, tracking it, insuring it, and having them sign for it (and/or registering it) is enough. Your concern HERE is to just make sure it arrives and isn't damaged/stolen while in transit. The assumption on boards like this is that forum members won't actively attempt to defraud you.

I would personally feel safe shipping to overseas forum members IF they were willing to pay all of the shipping fees--and agreed ahead of time to pay any and all import/duty taxes/fees associated with that insured/declared value. In some places, that import can be up to 15%-20% on tech goods--though optical lenses are usually in the low 2%-5% category. If they refuse to pay the fees when presented with the package, it will make the long and slow trek back to you, doubling the odds of it being lost or stolen in transit. The full insured value and tracking is an absolute MUST.

Because Paypal disputes seem almost always to favor the buyer, I wouldnt go outside the U.S.. At least here you have the promise of legal action.

MOkoFOko wrote in post #11913147
I would personally feel safe shipping to overseas forum members IF they were willing to pay all of the shipping fees--and agreed ahead of time to pay any and all import/duty taxes/fees associated with that insured/declared value.

A few years agoI bougth a lens from a Canadian member and I can honestly not understand how there can be ANY doubt whatso ever that it is the buyers responsibility to pay any and all import duty/vat and all shiping costs!. I was fully aware and fully accepted that buying a used lens from Canada would mean I had to pay 25% vat and 8% import duty. I would also never ask a seller to ship an item as a gift to avoid customs. What people seem to forget is that the people working in customs are not stupid and they may even read photo forums so of course they will know that a lens shipped as a gift is to avoid import duty/vat so I don't understand why any buyer would run that risk.