Sending abroad without tracking?

[belledejour]

Hi there. Like another recent poster on this topic, an overseas buyer recently won one of my auctions. Really annoying as I usually only sell in the UK but I posted the item via my mobile rather than on the website and probably didn't set a filter against overseas buyers....

Anyway, a chap in Australia has 'bought' this bag for a price of £32. AFter winning, he messaged to ask if I could send the bag asap and he'd pay any extra postage once I'd sent it ...he also said he wanted the bag sent via normal airmail, not insured, as he regularly bought from UK Ebay, nothing had ever gone astray and the tracked postage was too expensive.

I said I had to have the bag weighed in the post office in order to provide an accurate invoice. Duly trekked to post office to do so and then on Friday sent revised invoice including the postage (£13.25). Since then he has sent two long chatty messages all about his daughter, the little country town they live in etc and the second message said that he'd already paid. However, my ebay summary says he hasn't paid and the money isn't in my paypal account. Got some customer support from ebay and apparently he took the bag to the checkout but didn't complete the paypal transaction...could be an honest mistake or he might think I'm a complete twit and will send the bag if he says he's paid.

I'm going to email him again and explain that he hasn't paid and I can't send the bag until he has....but now I am worried that he's dodgy and will either chargeback OR claim the bag has never arrived. Advice please! WWYD?

If I were you, once it's paid I would send it registered and just take the loss. Then you are covered, arent' you? Mind you, I have sent s few ebay items to Australia with no problems.

Thanks missciph. I have just checked the buyer's feedback – a count of 574 and it is 100% positive with tons of sales from the UK and the US. So that has reassured me slightly. To send it tracked would be £18.65, so I would have to shell out £5.50 of my own money.

Just been onto ebay and changed my buyer preferences to block overseas buyers...I honestly thought I had done this already as once I sold a pair of jeans to a German buyer who didn't want to pay extra to have them sent signed for and then claimed they never turned up blah blah...once bitten, twice shy!

I have done it before, sent without tracking I mean, without regrets. Selling on Ebay is always risky in some way.

as a buyer he won't have neg feedback so ignore that

I would want to send with tracking tbh. There isn't really any need to explain that you want paying, he will know he hasn't paid you and if he doesn't pay in 2 days you can open an unpaid case which does send him a reminder.

As a foreigner I feel obliged to sell outside the UK ;) I have never had any trouble. I must admit that if an item fetches a high price, I send it recorded in Europe, as I would rather insure myself than lose everything if it doesn't arrive. I rarely lose anyting in spite of terrible hand written address labels.

Without a tracking number he can just get PayPal to refund. Invoice for the lot including sending it registered. If he doesn't want to pay the extra postage just withdrawl the sale and re-sell.