US only sales WHY???

I'm always amazed at buyers in the US that are confused and shocked that there would be Duty on an item they are buying from or was manufactured in, a foreign country. Like, you have never traveled outside the US and had to fill out a Customs Declaration on your way home or going across the border?!
I thought it would be obvious...
In any event, I have a copy of the US Harmonized Tariff schedule, the 8500 series pages, that I copied off of the Internet. That covers all the elctronic stuff we're concerned-with in Audio. I can see what the Duties are, if any, and I tell the buyer at the beginning when doing a shipping quote. If you call FedEx or UPS and ask them what the Brokerage fees will be (usually based on the value of the item that is being shipped), they will tell you - another mystery cleared-up.

I have shipped overseas many times and have never had a problem. I have never had a buyer request a zero value, and I wouldn't do it anyway, as that is ridiculous and bound to attract attention at Customs. We work out a realistic value that will allow it to slide through Customs and the buyer has to understand that the package cannot be insured for a value higher than the declared value. So if it gets lost or damaged, they are assuming that risk.
I also get them to pay by wire transfer - no PayPal unless they have a ton of good feedback, and no Money Orders.

It's a hassle and a lot of paperwork.

Funny enough, but nearly only those who do not sell outside the US comment here. In my eight years here on audiogon, I have bought and sold from and to the US as a German living in Moscow, now having moved back to Germany), without any problem whatsoever, so my advice is to buyers from abroad: ask courteously, be able to pay by cheque, bank transfer, or Paypal, and more often than not it works just fine.
Regards, Florian Hassel

During the last 1,5 years, I have bought about 8-10 expensive items (from $200 to $1000) from Audiogon, Head-Fi, eBay. I live in Russia and I've never had a problem receiving stuff from U.S, Australia, South Korea, Canada. I contact the buyer, ask him for a shipping quote, then ask him to kindly specify the invoice value as $200-$300 (including the shipping charges). If he agrees, I pay through PayPal and in 4-6 weeks I always receive what I want. The biggest problem is persuading the buyer to sell internationally. They always fear something unreasonably like small children, I cannot understand it. It seems to me that it's the buyer who bear all the risks, not the seller. So, if I am willing to take these risks, why does it matter to the seller?

Asking a seller to undervalue their product on the invoice exposes them to a potential loss in the event of shipping damage as shipping companies generally will not payoff more than the items declared value. If an individual wants to scam their government that's their business. given some of the tax laws I can even understand why they would. But asking me to be complicit is a step too far.

BTW, I am not opposed to international sales or purchases, though my preference is for US transactions, especially for larger purchases. These are always paid for with USPS Money Orders and the funds delivered via the USPS. If there is a scam or deceit it's a Federal offense and the likelihood of the authorities taking action is greater. I may not get my money back, but there is a greater chance the culprit would not do it again! (yes, mildly delusional, but it brings me comfort...)