Want to sell some gauges to a guy in Indonesia. Never sold a part overseas but would not mind learning how to do it right. I don't have or want paypal. What is the best way to do this?
Wire transfer or money order but don't send the parts until you have the funds in your account. Beware,it is expensive to ship parts overseas. HRP
UPS is the only way to ship things to a place like that. If you ship the cheep way (USPS priority) it gets handed off the the local postal service and there is a very good chance it will never be seen again. I personally only use Paypal. JC
First suggestion would be don't. A lot of places you can ship to, but I'm not up on how it is to ship there. A lot of places I just don't ship stuff to. Next would be to take the buyer's address to USPS.com or UPS.com or whoever you're going to use and quote it out there same as any other package. If you're not taking Paypal, I've no idea how they pay you; the last wire transfer I got came with a $9 fee.
You could do it the slow old fashioned method- get them to mail you the U.S. dollars (in a greeting card), and then you mail the item. I have done it this way a few times when I have bought stuff from the U.S. and the guy didn't have paypal account. Mine were only about $50 so I took the gamble, and won in the end.
USPS international shipping is about as reliable as planning to build your retirement account with lottery winnings. I once shipped two items at the same time, one made it and the other they claimed they never had in the system. There are more stories and I never once got reimbursed for what they lost. Use UPS/FedEx and paypal.
Ask them if they have a friend or relative here. Then have that person send postal money order and send the part to them. Most know the best way to send stuff home.
I get parts sent here,to West Oz quite often,never had a drama using USPS and paypal in most transactions,not yet had a problem there yet either.Money orders and postage cost a bomb to send from down here,only being worth it for high value items. I have to trust the seller also,and appreciate it alot as parts are thin on the ground here. If in doubt though,oldolds has got the right idea.
I've shipped to Australia and all over Europe using USPS without a problem. In the CONUS I've had one item damaged and one item was stolen as they found the empty package. Never ship without insuring for the total amount received, which would include the insurance fee. You should be able to figure shipping using their address. As far as payment goes, unless they have someone here as oldolds suggested have them send an International money order or a wire transfer and if the transfer costs you add the fee in along with the shipping.
We ship machine parts all over the world. As stated make sure you have the money prior to shipping, however you get it including any fee's. If you can, have them arrange the shipping with the parts to be picked up at your place. DHL is the most common internationally and normally cheaper than UPS. Not sure in your case but the paperwork can be a nightmare. If they arrange the shipping, they take care of the paperwork, import duties, etc. It is not uncommon for us to have to send additional paperwork at our expense to get something through customs.
yes most important the customs paperwork . funny how a 1/8th oz item can stop any shipment if not filled out correctly . for international I use Fed Ex as there people seem to help you thru the process better than the UPS people do ( my UPS depot people act like your bothering them ) . plus some of the rates are cheaper . and insure the item and take pictures before shipping it !!!
Worked 15 years for UPS in international shipment resolution. Figuring shipping cost is simple. Call UPS or go on-line for a quote. WARNING. International shipments (except to Canada) ALWAYS go by air and are subject to dimensional weight (means you pay according to volume, not weight) and brokerage fees shipper charges for clearing the merch through customs. Brokerage charges can be a nasty surprise and can wind up costing as much or more than the item shipped. I like Oldolds suggestion of shipping to a US based friend or family member. Any problems (including international payment) are then between the receiver and his friend/family. On larger, heavier and more expensive items, advise the buyer to use a freight forwarder to group ship and divide the freight and clearance costs among the various receivers. Many countries allow lower valued shipments in as "Small Packages" without the official customs clearance process. BOTTOM LINE - the buyer bears responsibility for researching the customs/clearance/ delivery scenario BEFORE the seller ships the item. The receiver should contact customs officials in his destination country (and the proposed carrier) to learn all costs associated with shipping and clearing the item.