# Ebay worldwide Buying



## tacony (Jan 26, 2018)

What are your thoughts on out of states ebay buying? Suggestions,safest countries,opinions or just a bad idea?


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## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

I have been buying on eBay for 12 years (feedback of 913) and only twice have I ventured out of the country, once from Canada and once from the Philippines which I was later told I was "Extremely Lucky" to get my items without issue.
I now try to avoid any seller not in the lower 48, just because I do not want the hassles of not getting an item, taking weeks to ship/arrive, etc.

Problem is there are just as many scammers in the U.S. as there are overseas but eBay puts deadlines on shipping from sellers in the U.S.
My biggest issue with packages has always been with USPS, not eBay sellers.

If you "have" to buy out of the country (or even in the U.S.) just use common sense, be sure to buy from a reputable dealer with good feedback and use PayPal so you are protected.

It seems these days eBay is always on the buyers side, not the sellers, so if issues arise you will "probably" be protected and get your money back.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

I've been ebaying for over 15 years and have NEVER bought out of the U.S...Don't need the hassle of anything going wrong.


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## mjrfd99 (Jan 5, 2016)

I've bought from overseas e-bay sites. I read feedback then decide.
From HO to LED RV bulbs- no problems - shipping takes more time but all has been good.


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## Franco (Feb 6, 2011)

I sell and buy a lot on ebay, since the early 90s. I rarely buy from outside the US, usually because of the turn around time. I have bought very cheap HO scale figures and detail parts from China, stuff you use at the back of your layout. Took weeks to arrive, but I expected that, as well as the low quality, but it was great for what I needed. 

As far as getting not what you expected, or at all, you can usually get your money back, but not the time and aggravation associated with a return or MIA item. 

I no longer sell internationally, too many items go 'missing', takes weeks, if not months to arrive in some cases, and LOTS of scammers.


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## J.C. (Dec 24, 2016)

been on eBay since 2000 and have bought often from out of USA and have never been stiffed the only two sellers that stiffed me were from US lower 48 , as others have said out of country shipping times are longer but price makes up for it.


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## tacony (Jan 26, 2018)

Nothing complicated of currency? EBay handles it?


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## Kadotus (Oct 28, 2016)

If I'm not in a hurry, I'd rather pay $3 instead of $25 by ordering from an ebay seller in China.
I've ordered a few times from overseas and I've not had any problems. Though I do go with the sellers with 40,000 (mostly positive) feedback rather than the ones with 0.

ebay handles all the currency conversion too, which is nice.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Sometimes the shipping is a lot more from outside the US, but you see that upfront, so you have no reason to complain. On occasion I've paid more to ship than the item cost, but it was still the only way to get what i wanted..

In my experience, on both e-bay and Amazon, sellers from outside the US are more reliable and less trouble-prone than those inside. I buy a lot of diecast vehicles from overseas. I have very few problems when buying from anywhere in Europe including particularly eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia, Poland) and no hassles, just often long waits, if buying from Japan. Never been screwed but often have to wait for three or even five weeks.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I am in Canada, and have bought a lot from the U.S. and Canada....never a problem.....ever!

maybe I'm lucky....?


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

It depends a lot of WHAT you are buying. I constantly order electronics from China... I mean almost non-stop. I've been receiving several packages per week of ebay items for the last few months. Yeah once in awhile something goes wrong. I recently had two packages which failed to be delivered. The first one, the seller notified me of a problem and asked if I wanted a re-ship or refund. I chose the re-ship and received the new package. The second one, I never heard anything but was given an immediate refund when I requested it. I only had problems with one other seller, where their sale claimed packages of 20 pieces and I ordered 5 (expecting to receive 100 pieces). I got a package with 19 pieces of two completely different components and the seller could not understand why I was complaining. This was before I knew of the option to request a refund and it was only a $5 order so I just let it go.

As for dealing with different currencies... ebay's conversion routine has some bugs. They will tell you it's one price in US dollars, then when you go to check out the actual price will be slightly higher. The difference is usually within a few percent, so when I'm dealing with $1 parts the difference is really insignificant. Ebay handles the conversions internally so you don't have to do anything but make your payment.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I have purchased electronics components and O scale figures from China with no problems. And I was surprised at how quickly I received them. I wouldn’t hesitate to do that again. I don’t think I would but a locomotive from overseas though. With that said, I have been disappointed a few times when buying locomotives from the lower 48.


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## tacony (Jan 26, 2018)

Thanks for the advice!

Only other question I have is taxes. EBay handles that too?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I buy lots of stuff from overseas, not a ton of train stuff, but lots of electronics. I occasionally have a problem, but normally things cruise right along.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

As far as I have seen, ebay does NOT collect sales tax on anything.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Well, ebay itself does not collect tax, but the seller may, depending if he's running a store in a state/province that dictates sales tax....


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## Gwent Rail (Jan 24, 2018)

Old_Hobo said:


> Well, ebay itself does not collect tax, but the seller may, depending if he's running a store in a state/province that dictates sales tax....


Just to put the reverse situation info when selling from the UK:
I've sold quite a bit to both the US and Canada, but the main problem is the high cost of postage using Royal Mail Tracked/insured transit.
I'll only send this way now because the "standard" service is useless and I've had problems in the past.

The thing that annoys most is that anything more than 2.5cm thick is classed as a "parcel" and often 4 or more of a small item (EG an Ore Car) can be shipped a cheaply as 1.

I guess that bearing in mind these considerations, buying from a UK Ebayer is generally quite reliable.


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

I try to avoid international sellers if I can because shipping rates are often high, but I have made purchases from other countries at times and never had problems. As others have said, it's important to evaluate the reputation of the seller to give confidence in their reliability and trustworthiness. When I have bought internationally, it's usually from a company that has a long track record to judge by. I've only bought from individuals overseas a couple times, and only because the item was very unique and difficult or impossible to buy domestically.


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## MohawkMike (Jan 29, 2018)

I just concentrate on the credentials and reputation of the seller, then factor is shipping cost. 

Furthest purchases: China and the UK.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I've purchased from the UK and Germany on e-Bay with nary a problem ever. Multiple purchases over the years. 

Check feedback. That is your best indicator of possible problems. I don't buy from anyone with less than 99.8% positive feedback no matter where they are.

I've also purchased from retail stores in Germany without problems though the shipping is usually high.


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## Scotie (Sep 27, 2013)

Electronics from China, Singapore and etc. Usually free shipping, time to arrive all over the map but with one execption all have arrived. That one I got a refund when asked (all of $1.49).
I recently bought a stamp album binder from the UK, made in Germany and no longer imported here. Postage was about 3/4 the sales price but still a good deal and it arrived in about a week.


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