Selling gear on eBay to buyers in Russia

[mwerth 5]

I recently listed a few pieces of unused gear on eBay, and for whatever reason they're attracting interest from buyers located in Russia. Does anyone have experience with the customs/tax details of shipping to these people from the US? I don't want to agree to sell to them without the right information.

Thanks!

[PinkApe404 4]

I have experience with this - pm me I will tell you the best way to get this done.

[Zombies #77 10]

If your item is eligible for the Global shipping program, it's easy. You send it to a location in the US and they take care of the rest. I've done it a couple of times. Here's a link...

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/shipping-globally.html

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Oh that's good to know. I had a Russian buyer asking about my gloves. Thanks!

Just be mindful that your item must be sold buy it now, not as an auction:

"Auction-style listings, with or without a Buy It Now option, aren’t eligible for shipment to Russia through the Global Shipping Program."

[Monty22 832]

Ebay buyers get hosed using the global shipping program. There are additional fees that jack up their costs even more. Just use ebay to print the postage/customs forms. Just be warned, Russia may no longer be a country Ebay will allow labels to print . It's not due to the current political climate, rather the extremely high rate of theft of incoming packages. I don't ship there as it's not worth the risk. Mu local postmaster mentioned USPS is looking at not offering insurance to packages shipped there in the near future.

[Harv 86]

Everytime I've shipped to Russia, I made sure to write the address on the box in Russian.

At some point along the line in the packages trip, it's going to encounter a point where the person handling it can't read English. Especially shipping to cities that aren't Moscow or St. Petersburg. This leads to delays and often theft.

Just fill out the necessary customs form as usual and attach it to the box. But somewhere on the box, write the address in marker in Russian.

[SirJW 207]

I've sold a few items to Russia on Ebay w/ no issues. Just printed the shipping label and customs form right from ebay. They paid the shipping.

[Monty22 832]

Pony up the extra couple of bucks for insurance.

[mwerth 5]

Thanks everyone for the tips, good advice all around. The Russian eBay members have been seriously persistent. I have to do some investigating--I'll be sure to share the results if I do end up shipping overseas.

[mickz 107]

Make sure you have enough insurance to cover the equipment you're sending. Two years ago I shipped a pair of gloves to Russia that did go missing. I ended up filing a claim and I refunded the buyer.

[pathfinder 8]

Ebay buyers get hosed using the global shipping program. There are additional fees that jack up their costs even more. Just use ebay to print the postage/customs forms. Just be warned, Russia may no longer be a country Ebay will allow labels to print . It's not due to the current political climate, rather the extremely high rate of theft of incoming packages. I don't ship there as it's not worth the risk. Mu local postmaster mentioned USPS is looking at not offering insurance to packages shipped there in the near future.

tell me about it. Turn it off and let paypal create and populate the necessary customs forms. I'd pay for insurance also.

Address in marker will not hurt.