Questions : Selling here for the first time

It’s definitely more convenient, less risk, and less cost to ship within the continental USA. I generally sell USA only, but sometimes certain big-ticket items (e.g extremely un-obtainum OOP high-end headphones) are much more highly in demand in Asia/China, and that makes it tempting.

That said, once you get packages over a certain size and weight (and you will often end up with big packages if you’re packing properly), it can be surprising how much it costs to ship ground from one US coast to the other.

And prepare yourself for an absurd onslaught of "why are you selling?" questions, lolz. A couple times now I’ve gotten tired of the tire kickers, gave up on the ad, and later became thankful I never sold that piece (i.e. further tweaks, additional burn-in, changed system balance, etc)! When I want to buy something, I know I want it -- so I offer a generous/fair price right off the bat (often asking $) and avoid the BS -- purchases go very smoothly this way. But a LOT of buyers here want to feel like they "bargained down", regardless of the start/end price, so you might consider padding your initial ask price to account for this. Stupid habits, if you ask me. 

Shop around for best shipping price. Pretty sure UPS stores are independent so the owner may try to gouge. I've walked after given a price and saved $30 at another location (FedEx).
Be very specific (and truthful) when writing your ad. If anything is wrong with your item (scratches, dents, etc.) say so. If you have a "no returns" policy, say so and try to get the buyer to inspect and accept ASAP (and get it in writing).

The best method of shipping is FedEx Overnight. Second best is USPS Express and USPS Priority. Never ship ground anything, they may be able to find a way to break even unbreakable items. Why take more risk than needed? Any shipping is risky.
What are you planning to sell ?
Don't get offended by low offers. Before the sale is done your item is worth zero. Just ignore truly ridiculous offers. I can see many ads here of overpriced pieces, and it is in most cases the buyer's market now.
Post clear pictures of what you sell, the more the better, including the back of the equipment and serial #.
Buyers do take a risk too, even more, they send you money and for a while they got neither money nor the item they bought. Their anxiety is understandable and should be acknowledged. They should have a certain level of trust to buy from you.

@inna > exactly.

Inna makes some great points as to the buyer. Check out their feedback too. Of course, if selling it is not a big issue, but can help smooth out bumps if they too have good feedback.

Customs is a real bag of worms. Not impossible, but tedious, and definitely time consuming. Customs also has the added usual buyer requests for saying the item was sold at a lower price point for the import taxes. This is a real trap for the seller just waiting to be sprung.

Don’t do that.

I would sell outside U.S. only if absolutely necessary. I’d give it a lot of thought, especially if it is a large or pricey item. On the one hand, you’ve got your price. On the other hand, you are still in the mix as the shipper and responsible to interact with the carrier if something bad arises.

Dealers say a lot, if only they can withstand or overcome the carriers issues, they’d be just fine. Carriers throw stuff around. Push it with Fork truck blades. Pile stuff on top of it, etc. set it onto moving ramps in hub centers, and these auto moving sidewalks litteraly dump the package onto a lower ramp here or there to route it to its destination. Sometimes boxes fall off these belts and onto the concrete floor many feet below. Trust me on this part. And yeah. That whole deal sucked afterwards. A lot!!!!

One way to mitigate packaging issues is to have the carrier pack the goods and pay them for it. Naturally keep the receipt showing they packed the gear and you paid for them to do it.

As for insurance. Put whatever you wish. It will come down to what the current prices that piece has been getting, and or, what you sold it for… no more. You can call it your dearly departed Gramdma’s favorite whoisit and it won’t matter. They’ll look at a reasonable justifiable cost for those goods.

Keep the receipt of funds for the sale available. Its why I usually ask for a cashier’s check I can verify.

Big or heavy stuff? Put it/them onto a sturdy pallet and band them onto it. Or build a box and put it/them into it and then, onto a pallet and affix that to the pallet. Then use a freight company that does handle audio gear if possible. Some carrier will refuse to cover things like pricey speakers. They may have limits. Find out from a legitimate supervisor who actually knows what’s what if you go that route..

Its an anxious event for all concerned. Good communication back and forth will help tremendously.

Do remember as a seller, your responsibility does not end once you deposit the check. It ends when the buyer receives the goods as stated.

After a few deals, you’ll see what’s up. Just pay attention to the details, use a carrier you have good history with and hopefully all will work out for you.
Good luck.

Take offers
buy it now can go to somebody with zero feedback

be prepared for inane...

But also be prepared to meet awesome people also