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Helena Oct 28, 2006

Hi,

Here's a question for our American friends who (possibly) buy bears on eBay.... are you 'put off' by auctions that are listed in currencies other than US dollars?

I'm curious about this because of the new UK eBay catagory for artist bears (one of a kind) that makes it easier to list in the UK and US at the same time. Listing in the UK obviously means the auctions are in UK sterling. Is it best to continue listing on the US site instead?

I'm just wondering! Can you hear the cogs in my brain turning? LOL

shantell Oct 28, 2006

It's show both currencies...or at least when you log in it does.  The currencies used for listing will be in regular text and the US currency will show up in italics underneath.  It may be reversed but when I log in I get both.

Helena Oct 28, 2006

Thanks Shantell... 

It still kind of highlights that it's a foreign auction though, and since a lot of eBay sellers won't sell outside their own Country maybe there are buyers who don't like buying outside their own Country too?

I might try selling on both at the same time and see what happens!

AndreaM Oct 28, 2006

Hi there,
I hope you don't mind if I pipe in here.
I do purchase from Ebay and a lot of the sellers on my' favorites' list are from the UK.  I've never had a problem with shipping or service, my 'thing' is if there's an item I like to watch an auction for a few days before jumping in.........I know it's annoying but if I see two or more bidders from the UK fighting  it out  I won't bother bidding, simply because the excange rate of Canadian $'s to Pounds Sterling is nearly double!  Then add to that over seas shipping and postage..........you get the picture. 
I know it sounds a bit weird (probably because I'm a bit weird anyways ), but that's my veiw on it.
Does any of this make sense???????? Or am I really loosing it?
I think I'll stop now before I hurt myself
AndreaM

Helena Oct 28, 2006

Andrea, you make a lot of sense!!! I just hadn't considered the exchange rate - doh 

That must make a difference surely...the UK pound is quite strong right now....about US $1.90 to the pound.

I've been selling other stuff on eBay lately apart from bears and had noticed a slowdown on US/Canadian sales. European sales have been ok. I was selling through eBay UK so I bet this is the part of the reason (even though as Shantell said, the equivalent price is shown in dollars). Our postage has gone up recently too...

Nice to talk to you Andrea 

Patty Oct 28, 2006

Unfortunately, I have to feel like it is a bear I can't live without to pay some of the prices for UK bears since it doubles the price for me (I live in the US). That is really when I prefer the BIN, so I KNOW what I will end up paying. Another thing too, last time I bought a bear, was that from the time I "bought" the item when the auction ended and when it was actually billed to my credit card, the amount had gone up because of the currency value difference so I ended up paying more than when I had won the auction.

If someone doesn't have the conversion rate listed on their auction, I just use my internet provider's currency conversion chart.

Helena Oct 28, 2006

Hi Patty, I beginning to understand why you feel like that so I'm really glad I asked this question - thanks for being honest 

eBay does a conversion of the auction currency to local currency which is shown on the listing but as you say, this isn't always accurate once postage and exchange rate differences are taken into account. I always state postage upfront in my auctions, in dollars and sterling in the hope that it helps a bit 

melissa Oct 28, 2006

Patty...I have a feeling that the exchange rate that credit cards go by is slightly lower than the exchange rate that you get for cash too....I know it makes a conisderable difference to price if  I pay from US dollars that are in my paypal account to when I have to use the credit card.

Helena - the pound is worth more than three times the NZ dollar so I have to be feeling REALLY rich to afford stuff from the UK.

shantell Oct 28, 2006

I'm glad you asked this question too, Helena.  I hadn't really considered the fact that the exchange rate could change BEFORE showing up on your credit/debit card.  I typically pay for things directly out of my Paypal account as well...or a direct funds transfer.   I get more discouraged with the difference in shipping costs.   BUT, if it's something I want bad enough I usually just purchase it anyway.   

AndreaM Oct 29, 2006

Thanks Helena,
It was nice to talk to you as well!   
I just checked out your web site.....it's fantastic!  Did you do it yourself?  I adore your Koala named 'Dinky'  He's precious!
I would love to have a website one day..........expencive though. 
Do you find it's worth having?

AndreaM

Helena Oct 29, 2006

I'm getting the impression that everyone here thinks the UK is really expensive - well it is! LOL. I'm always grumbling about that, and I live here!   

Thanks for checking out my website Andrea. It needs updating....yes, I built it myself and like having it but I think most visitors come to it from eBay (or here) rather than the other way around. When I was taking commissions it was very useful but since I stopped doing them it has really just been a showcase, which is useful in itself  :). Another member here, Penny (gotobedbears), is a whizz at building sites for other people. I think she has a recent thread about the deals she offers?

Do you make bears?

jenny Oct 29, 2006

Helena.. another issue.. as far as I can see..(I did not consider it till it cost me a lot of money once)...is that if you send an invoice directly via ebay.com the person pays in dollars..even if the buyer is a UK resident..and to get it transferred to pounds sterling costs lots of money. So I ended up leaving it on my Paypal account till I need to buy something...because I made the mistake of transferring it to pounds once and it cost a fortune. You can't seem to change the invoice to pounds either..which is a nightmare. Someone tell me I am wrong on that one but I have tried it several times now and each time I have ended up with dollars sitting in my Paypal account.  I'd have to send a separate sterling invoice via Paypal. I'm probably being stupid but it has cost me too much to try it again!!

Tha's why I think it's great that we have the new category!!

Is the cost of living in the UK higher than the rest of the world? I am not sure ...maybe it is. I am terrible I go about with blinkers on and don't spend much!! Fuel is more expensive here and it works out a bit cheaper to buy fabric from abroad ..but then we often get stung for import tax when we do!!

Pumpkin & Pickle Bears Oct 29, 2006

I don't think it really puts buyers off who live in the US......most of my bears sold through eBay have gone to American or Canadian collectors.

Is the cost of living in the UK higher than the rest of the world? I am not sure ...maybe it is.

Oh yes Jenny! I'm shocked every time I go to Oz at how much cheaper things are over there. Infact Stu's mum said the only thing she found more expensive in Oz was pork pies!!! It's like Stu said - if we lived in Oz, on the wage he gets we'd be able to afford a lovely little house of our own...here in the UK we live in a 2 bedroom council flat! It'd be great if I could just up-sticks and move to Oz but I'm too much of an English girl!

AndreaM Oct 29, 2006

Wow!  You did a fantastic job on your site.  You should be quite proud of yourself.  I'm really not that technilogical..........I can e-mail
Yes, I do make bears thanks for asking.  I've been making them for about 10 years now.  I used to sell them mostly at art shows and have only in the last three years gone to bear shows, I'm a bit backwards I know. 
The town I'm from is FILLED with fine artists, jewlery makers, potters and sculptors so there art great art tours around here.  Unfortunatly there aren't many bear artists.  I've done the 'HUG-IN' in Toronto a few times ( it took me a while to work up the guts ) but I'm always nervous about what the bear community will think of my bears (typical artist). 
Id really like to get more involved which is why I came here, to learn more about how o improve and grow my bears, and to meet people who love bears as much as I do.

I look forward to talking more with you

AndreaM

Amanda Oct 29, 2006

This is interesting but confusing . I used dollars before and when it went into my account (paypal) I accepted it in Sterling. You can say which currency you want to accept it in. Do they charge for this? I always thought it just went in at the amount stated at the time of winning ie the dollars price but converted to sterling.

Its not too bad as I've started to use the new UK artist OOAK category, but this has been a thought provocing thread.

shantell Oct 29, 2006

From a collector standpoint...when I buy I always pay in whatever currency I am buying from.  So when I buy from the UK, I select in currency type Pounds Sterling.  It just seems to me that it would be my responsibility as the purchaser to pay the conversion.  I'm choosing to buy out of the US, the seller didn't choose me.  Am I nuts?  (Don't answer that  :crackup: )

Patty Oct 29, 2006

I can't totally remember, but I think that last time I bought from the UK, I paid in pounds. I looked at Paypal's question/help section, and from what I gathered, the cost for the seller to convert it themselves is quite a bit more than if the buyer does it.

jenny Oct 29, 2006

That's the problem..Unless the buyer does it it costs a lot to transfer dollars to pounds. I could not change the ebay invoice to pounds and so the buyer paid in dollars...that's what I am trying to say!! I know that you can change the paypal invoice..but it's the ebay one you can't seem to change.

Helena Oct 29, 2006

Jenny's right - the site we list on determines the currency on the eBay invoice. I've listed on the US eBay mostly, and when I've had a UK buyer I've had to invoice them in dollars so I accompany that with a note stating the price in sterling (which I take from the UK eBay site where it is automatically converted). This is so my UK buyer can pay by cheque if they want to.

The way I see this (and I may well be wrong!) it's a choice we UK sellers have to make - either list on eBay UK and risk alienating some US/Canadian/Australian etc customers who view the exchange rate as being too high a price to pay or list on eBay US and lose money on Paypal's automatic conversion rate for dollars to pounds. At the moment Paypal uses the following currency conversions;
£1.00 = $1.84 'Buy Rate', using pounds to buy something in dollars
£1.00 = $1.95 'Sell Rate', converting a dollar balance to one in pounds
As far as I know, eBay will show the 'buy rate' in it's conversions on the auctions, but the seller will receive the 'sell rate' as payment through Paypal....ie less!

Have I just confused everyone?! I think I've confused myself....I need a lie down....  

shantell Oct 29, 2006

Jenny,

Can you just invoice through Paypal requesting payment in Pounds Sterling and not use the Ebay invoice system?  I have never done it that way but it may be a viable option.  It's not as easy as just clicking the "send invoice now" button from Ebay but it might make things easier in terms of the conversion rate.

It's all confusing...     

jenny Oct 29, 2006

Shantell..you can change the currency on a paypal invoice but not an ebay one. I have tried!!

So..what I did..before the new category, is to list on Ebay.com..and then ask the bidder to wait for me to send a  paypal invoice to enable them to pay me  in pounds..because if they pay in dollars it costs me hugely even if it's a buyer in the UK. I would ask them not to pay the ebay invoice instantly as I can't alter it to pounds at my end. I think they could do the conversion when they pay the paypal invoice but it all gets too confusing..so rather than do that I just say ' NB: I will send you a separate Paypal invoice for this item, please do not pay via Ebay, thanks'

Anyway it's all academic now because we don't have to worry any more!!!

Shantell..I just re-read your post...that's exactly what you do...you were right first time!! Go to the top of the class...!!!!

shantell Oct 29, 2006

Shantell..I just re-read your post...that's exactly what you do...you were right first time!! Go to the top of the class...!!!!

Yeah...Shantell got it right!!!    :crackup:   But, I'll happily sit in the back of the classroom incognito and slip out when noone is looking.  Even as a honors student, I hated being in the front of the class.

I've never used the Paypal invoicing system...is it simple?

jenny Oct 30, 2006

Pay-pal is a doddle Shantell...very simple and you can put the money straight into your bank account too..which helps.

They do charge though..but it compares to credit card sales so I don't worry. Some people charge extra for it. I am not sure if that's right really...I have a feeling that you should build it in to your reserve or starting price on a auction and into the adoption fee if it's on you website. I don't much like add-ons..it makes me feel a bit cheated...so my gut feeling is to not charge extra...but I suppose it depends what the price is to start with.

Helena Oct 30, 2006

Hi, I have another question... 

There are a few OOAK bears on eBay UK that have a dollar pricetag, so presumably they were listed on the US site. But not all of the bears on the US site that can be shipped worldwide come up on the UK site.....how does that work???

Put another way....how do I list on the US site and ensure it comes up in the OOAK catagory in the UK?

I have the feeling I'm being a bit thick....