Posted By:
davidcyclebackI frequently sell eBay items internationally, including Europe and Australia, and have yet to have a problem with an international buyer. Most of the buyers have established feeback and have a record of purchasing in the genre.
As far as shipping goes, the time to ask for lower shipping is before the auction ends not after. I charged in auction description $8 shipping for a heavy item. The winner paid me $4 as he thought $8 was an overcharge. I told him that due to the weight the item would be shipped priority flat rate which is is $8.15-- 15 cents less than I charged and I knew writing the auction description that I was undercharging.
Asking for reduced shipping charges after an auctin can put the seller in a bind. The seller may wonder, 'If this person is willing to change in his favor clearly stated rules after the auction, is he also the type of person who will give negative feedback if the seller doesn't comply?'
As a seller I can be quite flexible if the buyer inquires during the auction. If it means a collector will bid 7 times to win, I will usually be happy to drastically reduce shipping cost.
One of my favorites was when I had a sale with free ($0) shipping. A guy bought two items and wondered if he could combine the shipping charges. "Uh, okay," I said.