ebay rant

Lateral-G · 2013-06-26T19:15:58.000Z

Indulge me if you will but one of my peeves when selling stuff on ebay is the bidder NOT reading the description and terms of sale. If I choose to NOT sell to international buyers it's not because I don't like you or am prejudiced or anything, it's because I don't like dealing with the hassles that go along with shipping internationally. Or having to deal with problems that may arise because your parcel wasn't delivered for whatever reason that is beyond my control. That's my choice as I am a casual seller on ebay. I state in my description and terms no international bidders please. I even tick off the box ebay offers for domestic US buyers only. But what happens once the item is listed and bidding starts? I get bidders from all over the world. Even though I clearly stated NO INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS PLEASE (in bold no less). Shipping internationally costs a small fortune these days from the USA. And I won't ship anywhere that I can't use delivery tracking. And for that service you have to use Priortiy Mail International or better. And don't even get me started on auction winners that pay before I can calculate an exact shipping cost....especially when I say WAIT for an invoice after I get your address and can calculate the correct shipping. Sure I know ebay has a postage calculator but it's not very accurate and many times I don't box the item until after the auction and it has sold. remember I'm a casual seller. I don't have time to pre-pack and have boxes immediately ready for shipment. If you're a seller that does well then good for you but not all of us have the time to devote to doing that. I guess it goes back to the fact ebay is now geared more to the professional retailer and seller than what it originally started out as. and that's a shame.... OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.