International Buyers Swarm eBay US

In response to a press release issued by ComScore Networks, Lissa McGrath recently published an article on AuctionBytes.com regarding the high amount of international traffic to US sites such as eBay.com.  With the holiday season approaching this could mean that sellers who limit potential buyers to those in the US and Canada may be missing out on huge sales.  According to the study by ComScore Networks, approximately 70 percent of the unique visitors to eBay.com are from outside the US.  The high number of international visitors to the site may be attributed to the lower cost of goods on the US version of the site as well as a larger selection of items to choose from due to the longstanding prevalence of the site.

For many sellers though, they still see selling internationally as a huge risk.  Steps for sellers to take in order to avoid fraud of this manner include requiring payment through an online payment website prior to shipping the goods.  Sellers should also obtain tracking information for the goods they are sending overseas in order to provide estimated arrival times to their international customers.

With such a large opportunity for sellers to expand their reach to international consumers without leaving the eBay US site, the question must be asked--is it worth it for sellers in the long run to risk NOT selling to those overseas??