Shipping Overseas

You are better off being paid with a bank wire transfer, especially if your buyer is from overseas.
(I have done it that way, and it worked out fine.)

Lots of bad things can happen if you allow a buyer to pay via paypal. (I don't like accepting paypal payments, but especially so for overseas transactions.) And to be honest, I also don't like to buy from overseas sellers, (except for LPs, cables, or other things that are difficult to break in transit.)

(As an Example: Suppose you ship your piece of equipment overseas, and it is "allegely" damaged in transit. The buyer will claim it is was damaged in transit, and you are now on the hook for the unit. The seller gets their money back, and you have to pay to have the unit shipped back to you. (And you have to trust that the buyer will ship it back, now that they have their money back!) And the cost of shipping, both ways is now yours to bear. (Fun times, huh?!)

Good Luck!

PS Yes, I know I am being overly cautious and paranoid, (but when everyone is out to get you, and/or your money, is it really paranoia?) ;-)

Paypal is ok if you use some guidelines. I have a completely separate account at another bank and wait until I've withdrawn the money before I ship.

The invoice thing is about paying duties.

I've had several overseas deals & they all worked out fine.

I second Driver's comments, make sure you have a seperate bank account only for Paypal.

Cheers,
John

why a seperate bank account?

With a separate account, paypal can only seize funds from that account, not the account you use to pay your mortgage, electricity, water, etc. I use this account strictly for paypal and my standing balance stays under $5.00.

I'm just playing it safe. There is a ton of info available to ascertain if paypal is a viable option for you. If you google variants of paypal, you can find enough info to read for days. Lots of people use paypal & really like it, others are diametrically opposed to it. Sorta like the old Ford/Chevy debates.

Also, there is the fee thing that gets a lot of folks up in arms. I don't charge a fee for paypal if someone pays me with an echeck, which is funded from a bank account instead of a credit card, as it's a $5.00 fee as compared to the 3% or 4% or whatever the credit card fee is. There has been some heated debates about that issue before.