[Zippy Doodah]

I have a Crazy dilemma and I need your opinions and advice, how to approach an International sale. I just received an order for 35 t-shirts off our web site, going to Switzerland. It was paid for through PayPal and they selected USPS International Priority. Everything seems legit, but I know I could be walking into a Scam. Most International sales I've received have been 2 or 3 shirts just like domestic sales. But this is a lot of t-shirts. Has anyone had any special problems sending to Switzerland? What would you do to protect yourself from a "Shipment Not Received" complaint? Also, I see that there is a note in the Customs section that says "First-Class Mail International, and First-Class Package International Service are not available for items requiring an Export License under U.S. Law". Should I be concerned with that? Any Help, Experience or Advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[buffettnh]

I may be able to help here. I have imported and exported for almost 20 years from small packages to freight.

International orders can be scary to anyone that is new. Assuming you are in the USA, it makes it tough if there is an issue that comes up.

Here is what you can do.

1. Call paypal and ask if they think the payment is suspicious. They can easily see if there are complaints coming down the pipeline. Paypal actually does a good job of weeding out fraud.

2. Email the customer, just to confirm. See how they respond. Even better... call them.

Things to consider.

If you are selling internationally, then a small bulk order was bound to happen. Also, Switzerland is not exactly a "scam" country like Nigeria or the Ukraine, so there is less concern there.

If your product unique and niche? Don't take this the wrong way, but unless you have a brand that is booming worldwide, then there is less of a concern. A bunch of Armani Shirts? Sure. An unknown brand in a niche market going to a foreign country? Not so much. They would have a hard time selling 35 of anything that is unknown that is their country thus not making it worth their time.

Do your due diligence, insure it, and ship the order IMO. Use common sense AND ask how they found you so you can get more orders.

Jason

 

[Zippy Doodah]

I may be able to help here. I have imported and exported for almost 20 years from small packages to freight.

International orders can be scary to anyone that is new. Assuming you are in the USA, it makes it tough if there is an issue that comes up.

Here is what you can do.

1. Call paypal and ask if they think the payment is suspicious. They can easily see if there are complaints coming down the pipeline. Paypal actually does a good job of weeding out fraud.

2. Email the customer, just to confirm. See how they respond. Even better... call them.

Things to consider.

If you are selling internationally, then a small bulk order was bound to happen. Also, Switzerland is not exactly a "scam" country like Nigeria or the Ukraine, so there is less concern there.

If your product unique and niche? Don't take this the wrong way, but unless you have a brand that is booming worldwide, then there is less of a concern. A bunch of Armani Shirts? Sure. An unknown brand in a niche market going to a foreign country? Not so much. They would have a hard time selling 35 of anything that is unknown that is their country thus not making it worth their time.

Do your due diligence, insure it, and ship the order IMO. Use common sense AND ask how they found you so you can get more orders.

Jason

PayPal said it looked fine and it was eligible for partial/Seller Protection for "Item Not Received" as long as I have a signature. Post Office said I can't get a signature with Priority International but I can with Express International and it isn't that much more. The t-shirts that they are buying are USA touristy Automotive type shirts. Their language is Italian so I wouldn't be able to call them, but I did email for a confirmation of address. I think I'm going to go ahead and ship. The money is in my PayPal account and it seems as though I'm protected from it getting lost. Not sure what else could go wrong ...but I'm sure there are a lot of different angles. Or, it probably is, just a legitimate order. Oh, well. We'll see!

 

[Zippy Doodah]

Well, this is an odd situation. The money is in PayPal and they say it is Ok to ship. But, I have sent two email messages in the last two days, saying I need a confirmation of shipping address because of the amount and, that it's an International shipment. So far I haven't received a reply. I imagine they might not be able to understand the message in English, but I think I'm going to wait until I hear something. I don't know what could go wrong but, who knows? I think just being honest with them is the best approach. Crazy situation. I'm not sure, but how many people get 35 t-shirt (retail) orders every day?
I have eBay stores, too, and aside from this order, I'm finding more and more people wanting us to ship International. Up to now, we've used eBay Global shipping program, but everybody claims (complains) it is too expensive and that we should handle the International shipment ourselves. I'm seriously thinking that is what I need to do, but I never thought I would be so intimidated by International orders. After all, that's one of the main reasons to have an online business ...to have access to customers all over the World. Anybody have thoughts or suggestions about their International shipping experiences? Thanks...

 

[royster13]

Google is your friend......https://translate.google.com/

 

[Zippy Doodah]

Ok, I changed my mind. I'm going to ship it. There doesn't seem to be any reason not to. I did take royster13's suggestion and sent a translated email message in Swedish and Italian asking to confirm the address and that someone will be able to sign for the delivery. But, even if they don't respond, I'm going to ship it. Yippee!, I'm an International T-Shirt Company! Hope nothing goes wrong?