Before you start the auction process, you need to consider how you plan to ship physical items to your customers. You should have several methods available to you. For instance, if you plan to normally ship by UPS, it won’t be possible for customers with PO Boxes to receive packages from UPS. You’ll have to use the good old US Mail to reach these customers. If you just offer USPS (United States Postal Services) shipping, then some people who have had bad experiences with the USPS will be turned off by your auction and move on to another seller.
eBay has a Shipping Center area on their website that can provide many solutions and answers for the shipping process.
If you plan to provide goods internationally, you’ll need to have Customs Declaration forms available to use with your preferred method of shipment. In some countries shipment by Air does not mean speedy delivery. After your package sits in customs for several days (or weeks), the local customs office may require the customer to come into their office to pay Customs fees and pick up their packages. In other countries, it may be forwarded directly to the customer. In some cases Customs may confiscate your product based on a misinterpretation of import laws by a local Customs official (for products such as perfumes where chemical content names may resemble a restricted substance). If it were as simple it works this way in one country and another way in another country, we could point you to a single web page with the rules, however, even within a single country (such as Canada) your product may be evaluated differently (such as from province to province or city to city).
The best thing to do if you plan to ship internationally is to research up front which countries you are willing to ship to, and understand if your product will have any problems. Form most products, there will be no difficulty, however, you don’t want to be caught off guard by a undeliverable product.
Since a part of the Custom’s declaration form is a statement of value, your customers may ask you to understate the actual value of the product. I highly advise against this. First of all it is lying, which is morally wrong. Second of all, think about who you are lying to. Countries who may have the resources to hunt you down and drag you off to jail. In either case, your business image has been tarnished and you want to ensure that your business is taken seriously. Don’t be afraid to include information on your auction and About Me Page payment terms sections indicating that the customer is responsible for all Customs Duties associated with the purchase of your product.
While you are required to declare the correct value of the product you have sold, you SHOULD NOT include the cost of shipping in the declaration. This is not expected, is incorrect, and creates an unfair Duty burden on your customers.