A customer from the US! Urgent question! Thanks!

[shv.-68]

I am new here. Today, I received my first offer from a customer in the US, though I listed my item on eBay Canada. 1. Is it common to have customers from the US?

2. How should I handle the shipment? I asked both FedEx & Canada post, and they charge around CAD$52. 

3. Can I ask the buyer to pay for the shipment? If so, how can they pay it? online?

p.s. I have included free shipping in the shipment section of the item. But I don't see anywhere writing international free shiping. I don't think I mentioned that.

Thank you!

[marnotom! · Accepted solution]

Actually, your prospective US buyer will have seen nothing about free shipping on the item because you didn't set up your listing with a US shipping method and rate.  Instead, they'll have seen this:

and this:

---

---

. . . so I think you're perfectly within your rights to give them a shipping quote to their location and send them an invoice with the US shipping charge on it should they commit to purchasing the item.

In case you're wondering, I changed my shipping location from my postal code to the USA with a US ZIP code, so that's how I was able to get those messages to come up on your listing.

It's interesting how this prospective buyer found your listing, actually. as it shouldn't have come up for them in a search if they were browsing the dot-com site.  Perhaps they've found they can find the occasional bargoon if they search directly on the Canadian eBay site instead of the American one.

[reallynicestamps]

BTW- the busybodies posters to these Boards love to give advice to newbies. We sometimes sound snarky, but almost all the posters really do want you to succeed.

[shv.-68]

Thank you so much! I learned a lot from you!!

[shv.-68]

Thanks so much, everyone!

As I mentioned I have just started selling here. So I am still learning.

But your answers helped me greatly.

Sorry, I don't know how to reply to your answers.

Thanks again!

[reallynicestamps]

Your Sold Items (look in the left column on your Active Listings page) doesn't show any sales.

How did the buyer get in touch with you?
If there has been any mention of Paypal or of text messaging, you are being scammed.

Given the disparity in your products I wonder if you have them in your own hands, or if you are dropshipping.

The location in your listing is the location of the product, not your own.

If the item will be shipping from China, you will have a demand for a refund on August 6th.  And since you won't be able to prove delivery, you will be refunding.

And your supplier will already have shipped, so the customer will get his air fryer free.

And you will not get refunded by the supplier.

How did you think you could fit that thing in a Letter? The maximum weight for a letter is 500gr. and the maximum thickness is 2 cm.

Close both of your listings immediately and start again. This sounds harsh, but its better than the alternative.

And don't dropship. Sell that ugly sweater Auntie Gert gave you two Christmases ago. Sell the Corningware lids* that match those horribly stained pots your mum threw out when she bought the retirement condo. Sell your prom dress.

Dropshipping is a mug's game.

And do some buying both to learn how eBay actually works from your customer's side and to build feedback which is a rough measure of experience and trustworthiness.

*Seriously, those pots are a dime a dozen but the lids are gold.

[marnotom!]

@reallynicestamps, the OP mentioned at the beginning of their post that they've received an offer. There hasn't been a commitment to purchase the item yet. But your advice on being mindful of scams is useful.

[reallynicestamps]

Most Canadian sellers have more US customers than Canadian.  I have about 85% US customers and about 5% overseas*.

The two items you have listed both only show shipping to Canada.

And your bulky**, heavy air fryer shows as Free Shipping.

Sigh.

Ah, grasshopper.

Okay, because you did not specify any shipping cost to the USA, you can bill your customer with whatever will be the correct amount.

This might help:

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/information/app/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

And while you are looking at that, sign up for a Solutions for Small Business discount card.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/business/small-business.page?

This will allow you too use Expedited rates, which are not available without the SfSB account.

However.

When you tell the buyer that you need a Canadian address to use free shipping, or he will be paying $52.00 for Tracked Package shipping, he may object.

Then you Message him "I understand that you misunderstood the Terms of Sale for this item. I will be happy to cancel the purchase because of this."

You should probably wait for his response before cancelling, but you have the choice of Buyer Request or Problem With Address, neither of which will hurt either of you.

*Don't ship overseas until you have at least 10 DSRs, know what DSRs are, and understand why they are utterly unimportant.

** Never ever offer Free Shipping on bulky items. The parcel rates you have to use are based on weight, dimensions and destination.

• Use K1A 0A6 and V8R 5G8 as test postal codes for Canada and 90210  or 37188 for the USA.

[msau4301]

Yes, it is very common to have a buyer in the US even though you are on the .ca site.

It is unfortunate you offered free shipping without knowing the shipping cost ahead of time. You can't charge the buyer shipping charge after they buy (an offer is commitment to buy) if the listing is stating free shipping. You said both Canada Post and FedEx quoted $52 to ship. This seems very high. I'm not sure if it is a heavy item and that is putting the shipping cost up but in the future do not offer free shipping for a heavy item with a large shipping cost like this unless you already have the cost built into item listed.

It sounds like if they have made an offer (as opposed to buying it outright) you may still have time to change your listing. If you haven't already accepted the offer, maybe you could tell them you were originally listing for Canada only but you could re-list the item to include shipping cost to the US. If they still want to make an offer with the shipping cost you should be okay. You would have to cancel and re-list item (assuming you did not accept the offer yet!), otherwise you have to sell the item as advertised in the listing (including stated shipping).

[maximus7001]

Also if you keep trying to give out your contact info in an ebay message you will get booted from ebay.

[shv.-68]

Why would a customer ask for the seller's number?

It's obvious to me this customer's account is fake because:

1. the same day that he/she sent me the offer, his/her account was created.

2. It's not registered.

3. Asking for my phone number. 

What can fraud customers do with sellers' phone numbers?

p.s. The customer is in Canada, the same city I am in. p.p.s I have clearly stated in my listing that I provide free shipping for customers inside Canada.

[flipistics]

The first two things don't mean anything. Customers can buy with a guest account. Communication outside of eBay is strictly forbidden though. Never do that. If they're unwilling to communicate through eBay, cancel the transaction, report them, block them, and move on.

[shv.-68]

Thank you so much!