Requirements for selling internationally Communicating with buyers Currencies Posting internationally

Significantly increase the number of potential buyers you can access by offering your items internationally. This will help you sell more items and achieve higher prices.

There are 3 ways that buyers in other countries can see your listings:

• When you list your item, select worldwide postage and your listing will be seen on the eBay country site on which you registered and the eBay International Market sites. The eBay International Market sites are designed for buyers in Russia, Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Hungary and Portugal to shop internationally for goods that are either not available or are cheaper than in their local market.

• List your items for sale directly on eBay sites around the world. You’ll need to meet the selling requirements and pay the fees for each country's site.

• From time to time eBay runs promotions across other eBay country sites to promote international trade. In these case you get wider international visibility simply by adding worldwide postage options to your listing.

Visit our International Selling Hub for useful information and resources.

Requirements for selling internationally

1. To sell globally, you'll need to accept PayPal as a method of payment. In most countries, sellers should be PayPal Verified.

2. Ensure that you comply with the international trading laws of the countries you are selling in, and export controls on goods to certain countries.

3. Specify your postage 'Worldwide', or to the specific countries or regions you're willing to sell to.

Communicating with buyers

Respond to buyers' questions promptly. This could mean that you may be answering emails at unusual times of the day due to time differences. 

Use a translation software to translate key phrases if you're selling in a country whose language you're not familiar with. There are some free translation services on the internet, though many are not 100% accurate. Remember, that the responsibility to ensure your listing is accurate remains with you as a seller. If you're going to use a translation service, ensure that its accurate and grammatically correct.

Currencies

Bids and prices on a listing automatically appear in both the currency you specify and the currency for the site from which the buyer is viewing the item.

Bids and prices on a listing automatically appear in both the currency you specify and the currency that's typically used for the country site on which the buyer is viewing the item. (Note that equivalence is approximate.)

To sell globally, you’ll need to accept PayPal as a method of payment. In most countries, sellers should be PayPal Verified. For sellers based in the US, the process is called ID verification. In Germany and Switzerland, the verification process is PostIdent (link opens information written in German).

Posting internationally

We recommend that you include information about the delivery service (Royal Mail or courier) you're planning to use and the cost because items with this information attract more buyers.  Some considerations when sending items internationally are:

• Postage costs: Costs to send to other countries can vary greatly depending on the distance and postage methods. Most sellers specify that buyers pay the postage costs for international sales.

• Insurance: If you sell valuable items, consider purchasing insurance. Check with your delivery service for insurance options, or contact a third-party postal insurance provider for insurance coverage.

• Customs and documentation : All international packages must clear customs in the destination country, and you'll need to complete the appropriate customs forms.