Ebay and other online auction powerselling tips and information

Part three of this series is brought to us by Jordan Gaffey who has been stationed in Japan for 3 years with her husband who serves in the US military. Jordan does not currently have a blog or a website, however, she is a member of The MomPack, an online support and networking group for work at home moms. She replied to my post seeking buyers outside of the USA who could critique US seller services. Jordan frequently orders products online and the items are shipped to her military APO/FPO address.

Here are some of Jordan's tips about how US sellers can better serve those at an APO/FPO military address.

1) If you have shipping restrictions to anywhere outside of the US, please change them, or make a note for APO/FPO military addresses. I have wanted to order a few items in the past years from WAHMs (work-at-home moms) and was turned down because the item had to be shipped outside of the US. When shipping to a military address, please note that there is no difference in shipping prices. The only difference is a simple green customs form. There are about 13 businesses that I can count that have lost business from other military spouses and myself on my base due to this restriction.

2) When shipping an item to an APO/FPO address, please include either insurance or delivery confirmation on the items. In Japan, it takes longer for priority than it does in the states - about 2 weeks delivery time. There have been two items I've ordered in the past that never arrived. When I contacted the seller, I was told it was not their responsibility. I did not receive holiday gifts for family.

3) Please pack items well! I cannot stress this enough. I have received at least three boxes from WAHMs that contained broken merchandise, or the box itself was damaged. Customs will spot check our items, and they will place a notice in the box informing the recipient that the package has been examined. Customs will tape the box back together again. Please remember that packages sent to APO/FPO addresses travel through the US and arrive in California, are placed on a barge or plane, travel an average of 5,000 miles, are processed at a sorting facility, then dispatched to all of the bases.