An introduction to buying internationally.

Extending your online Ebay shopping experience internationally is a great way to find exactly what you want or things you could otherwise only have wished forand atthe price thatyou want to pay. Whether your a destination buyer that knows exactly what itemyour chasing or an impulse buyer who likes to buyitems on the fly, buying internationally on Ebaycan help you get what ever it is you so desire. This guide is written from personal experience and isdesigned to give a strong introduction on how to make international buying not only cost effective, safe and trouble free but most of all fun.Section 1. - Extending the possibilitiesMaking Ebay work for youWith the huge online marketplace that is Ebay Australia there is almost nothing you cannot find. From electronics to jewelry, craft to clothing, if you want it chances are you can have it with Ebay's diverse array of items available at the click of a mouse. It could be said that on Ebay you can have almost anything you want but the kitchen sink (which would actually be a lie considering a search on Ebay for "kitchen sink" returns well over one hundred search results in Australia alone!). However, every once in awhile perhapsyou'll be unable tofind an item your desperately chasing, or you've foundsomething similaron Ebay Australia but it's not at the right price or for some other reason doesn't exactly suit. Thisright here is where international buying can extend your shopping possibilities and best of allit's just a click away.Showing items available internationallyWhen you perform a search on Ebay Australia the results shown by default are those available for sale within Australia. However, when you scroll to the bottom of the page there is a link you can press to show all items including those available from international sellers.As an example, click on the link below which was a search done with the keywords "gold watch". When the page comes up, look down the bottom below all the listings on the first page and you'll see a link saying "See all items including those available from international sellers".gold watch searchWhen you click this link a whole new array of items can appear from international sellers who offer shipping either worldwide or to Australia specifically. All of a sudden an Ebay search on something like "gold peacock brooch" returning three items in Australiacan become a list of fourty or fifty items as your search is expanded to show items available from international sellers. These are justtwo very simple examples of how buying internationally can open up the doors to a whole new marketplace.The Australian Ebay market versus the International Ebay marketWhile the Australian Ebay market holds some of the best bargains on some of the most sought after products you'll ever find, the International Ebay market extends this even further. More sellers means more competition and for the buyer this can only mean lower prices.Section 2. - PostageThe important factor - $$$A question that often seems to arise regarding international buying goes something along the lines of "But it would need to be shipped overseas, that certainly cannot be cheap?". This is a very valid question and yes it does have an answer. Shipping is for the most part determined by the weight of an item, its destination and how far this destination is from its sending location. Smaller items such as jewelry for examplecan often be shipped quite cheaply even overseas as it is generally small and lightweight. Often items such asjewelry or a small piece of clothing such as a beanie or a top can be shipped foraround $10.00 AUDor less, even fromoverseas! Heavier items can get more costly to ship overseas, however the benefits or price that can be had on an item itselfsent from overseas can often outweigh the extra cost of shipping.The benefits from an excellent price on an item outweighing thecost of international postage - an exampleA personalpurchaseexample that suits this scenario involves a brand new car audio subwoofer speaker being bid on andsent from the United States of America. The make and model of this particularsubwoofer being bought from shopsbrand newin Australiahas a heftyrecommended retail price of around $800 - 1000 AUD andaround $400-$600 USDrecommended retail pricewhen soldin the United States of America. After winningwith a final bid of only $152.50 USD postage costs on this item came out to roughly $70.00 USD sent economy parcel postwhich included postage insurance on a package weighing 28 pounds (approximately 13 kilograms). This brought the purchase to a total cost of around $222.50 USD,which isbelow half the recommended retail price for this item even when soldin the United States of America.Paid for using Paypalthere was a currency conversion rate of$1.00 USD being equal to approximately $0.72 AUD. This brought the total purchase cost to around $310.00 AUD. This meant a massive saving of well over $500.00 AUD on an item retailing for up to $1000 AUD whenbought in stores! While there are many great bargains on Ebay Australiait issometimes only possible to find bargains this big onveryspecific items youraftercoming frominternational sellers.What are your options?While international sellers will choose to offer varying postage methods, there are some generic options which are seen readily available. Usually there will be two or three international postage options given by sellers. The time taken for an item to be delivered to you will often differ to suit the method of postage youchoose, as will the price. While an item can often be had within as little as 1 to 3 business days of payment being recieved this can be quite costly whereas other postageoptions taking 4 to8 weeks can be a betterchoice when money but nottime is of the essence. In many cases international postage costs are not given directly butinstead calculated through the use of Ebay's built in postage calculator. Other times the postage calculator will only work for postcodes within the country that the item is located in. In scenarios such as this communicating with the seller is essential. It is often founda simple message sent through Ebay to the seller of the item will be replied to within 24 hours statingthe cost of postage tothe specific postcode and country supplied. From personal experience it should also be noted that if a seller, especially a private seller is only offering express international postage options on an auctioned itemthere is quite often a chance they will be more than happy to send you the item through other more economical postage options upon your request. In the example scenario using a car audio subwoofer above this was the case. Postage had originally been quoted as $350.00 USDexpress posted to Australia however upon request the seller was more than happy to agree to post through economy post for less than $70.00 USD. While economy post was labeled with an expected delivery time of4 to 6 weeks, the parcel arrived inwell under two weeks. The moral of the storyhere is that while postage costs can initially appear quite frightening, there are often alternative more economicalmethods which can be used which won't always leave you waiting months on end for an item to arrive.Section 3. - Customs and Import TaxesAnother common concern with buying internationally is that of import duty charged on goods coming into the country from another country. Quite often customs fees will not apply to an overseas purchase as long as it meets specific criteria. The varying fees charged by customs for the most part relate to the nature of the item and thedeclaredvalue of the item. When goods coming into Australia are declared the seller provides item specifics so that it can receive clearance. The good thing for lower value purchases is that they almost always have customs fees waived. Goods declared as gifts and below a certain value will not have import duty on them however other goods which are not gifts and are not declared at a low value can often become subject to import duty.From personal experience, the best way to go about checking these fees is to communicate with the seller. The ability to ask the seller questions is one of the most useful tradingtools available to potential buyers. Once again, a simplemessage is generally all it will take from you for the seller to be able to clarify with you their policies on goods declarations and what measures they take when making these. If there are any further questions regarding goods declaration and import taxesthe alternative option is to contact the Australian customs department directly.Section 4. - PaymentThe options availableThe idea of paying for items bought overseas is often daunting to a person who has never purchased items internationally on Ebay. Not only do people often worry about security of their money but how to go about making the transactions. Most international sellers will offer a variety of payment methods to buyers such as Paypal,cheques, money orders and wire transfers just to name a few.From personal experience, all these optionscan be found quite suitable to tailor to an individuals needsbut for simplicity and security no other optionbeats that ofPaypal. Paying for international purchasesusing PaypalWhen paying for items using Paypal in most cases you have the added security of $1500 insurance on your purchases as well as piece of mind knowing no personal bank or credit card details are being conveyed to the seller. An additional benefit of Paypal is the simplicity of currency conversion. Paypalaccepts conversions between a number of the most prominent currencies usedby sellers on Ebay. When making the transaction throughPaypal youwill beshown the currency conversion rate and amount to be transferred in both the sellers currency and the local currency so there is no guessing and checking involved regarding the correct amount to be deposited.Section 5. - Communication with the sellerLast but not least is communication with the seller. As has been stressed throughout this guide, good communication is perhaps the most crucial part of a successful transaction. If you find something you like but don't feel 100% assured of your purchase because a piece of information is missingor you'd like to know more, ask the seller directly. 9 times out of 10 sellers will be more than happy to provide you with extra information that answers any questions you have and will ultimately leave you with a happier transaction.This wraps up an introduction to buying items internationally through Ebay Australia. Hopefully now you'll feel a little more comfortable about how to go about making purchases and getting the right price, happy buying!