Selling to International Buyers

International buyers are a real part of the market and they often pay more than domestic ones, partly because they have fewer local options. They also come with customs forms, longer waits and postage that can double your costs. Handle them deliberately and they are good business.

Quote properly or not at all

Never apply your domestic postage to an overseas order. Weigh the parcel, look up the rate for that country, and quote that. If the buyer balks, the answer is that postage is postage. Sellers who absorb international postage to be nice are working for free, and it is remarkable how fast that adds up across a month.

Customs declarations

You must declare the contents and value honestly. Describe the item plainly and factually. Do not undervalue, because that is fraud and it also voids any compensation if the parcel is lost. Do not write anything on the form you would not want read, because customs forms are read. Plain, accurate, boring. That is the goal, and it is entirely compatible with discreet fulfilment.

Know what you cannot send

Some countries restrict adult items at the border and some restrict specific materials. Check before you accept the order, not after you have posted it. If you are not confident an item will clear, say so and decline. A seized parcel means a refund, a lost item and a buyer with a bad experience.

Set the timing expectation

Two weeks is normal. Four is not unusual. Say this at the point of sale in plain terms and the buyer waits patiently. Say nothing and they are messaging you on day six asking where it is. Tracked international is worth the extra almost every time because it turns a month of anxiety into a link they can check themselves.

Payment and currency

Sell in your own currency through the marketplace and let the conversion happen where it should. Do not agree to alternative payment arrangements to save someone a fee, because that is where scams live and you lose every protection you had.

Pick the three countries you get asked about most, look up the small parcel rate to each, and put those numbers in your postage sheet today. Then you can quote an international order in ten seconds.