ebay - Why do international bidders win my auctions?

[#1 DOUG Live Fan]

I have waited 1 week to receive payment from one of my bidders. I sent a second invoice two days ago as a reminder. I get an email today from them saying they live in England, and they want to know what they owe for shipping.

I do NOT ship outside the US, and that's clearly what my listings state. Why do they do this? I could've had that item sold to someone else by now. Aaagh!

Okay...so what's the procedure here? I need to cancel the sale and get my fees refunded. What steps do I take?

Thanks,

Liz

 

[Tink10]

Hi Liz,

If you go to the Site Map" on Ebay

http://pages.ebay.com/sitemap.html

In the middle column will be the "Cancel Bids On My Item" link (under Buying & Selling)....It will walk you through it.....

I Hope This Helps!

 

[maggiew]

It really isn't too much trouble to send to England. Especially since they realize it will cost more. It would be faster to sell it to them then to relist it, I think.

I personally would sell it to the England buyer.

Maggie

 

[mtblujeans]

I have been in this position too. I listed my item as only being sold in the U.S. and someone from U.K. bid anyway. They did not tell me they were out of the country until after auction closed. When they emailed me and asked what shipping was, I took the package to the post office and found out. Then, I emailed them and told them what the shipping would be and I never heard from the again. I was really, really mad. Such an inconvenience.... I would agree, though, that you lose nothing but some time if you tell them what the shipping fees are and see if they pay for it. If they do, you get your item sold. If they don't, it sounds like you would be getting your fees back and relisting anyway. I would take the chance and see if they pay. Don't forget to utilize feedback - whether negative or positive.

 

[Puffy2]

You might try putting the words in really large letters "I ONLY SHIP WITHIN THE UNITED STATES : please don't bid if you reside elsewhere"

Some people seem to be able to use fancy lettering and colors for lettering in their descriptions. you might try that.

 

[#1 DOUG Live Fan]

Okay...so this is what happened. I had emailed the guy and said "sorry, I don't ship there", and he apologized for not having asked first. He said he would pay all costs to get the item shipped, if I was willing.

So I checked the calculator at USPS.com, and figured it out to be $6.60, figuring that seemed like a reasonable price. I sent him the invoice, and he paid immediately. Great!

Well, I went to the P.O. today, and the shipping they quoted me was double what I charged him. The only thing cheaper was to send it on a "slow boat to England" which will take 4-6 wks! I opted for the 4-7 days, knowing I would basically break even. I filled out the forms and went back to the clerk. She asked if I had truly decided on that option...and I changed my mind. I opted for the "slow boat". I told her that he's just gonna have to wait in order to get his auction item that he did so want.

I told her that I had checked the website for a quote, and I didn't get the right number. Somehow it did not show me the amount for Air Letter Post. It gave me the Surface cost.

This is why I won't ship outside the U.S. This is the second time I've shipped like that, and the second time I've encountered problems. I give up. I am definitely putting it in bold that I won't ship outside the U.S. And if anybody asks, the answer is NO.

Thanks for the input,

Liz