Options for Selling e-books Overseas (in this case, U.S. to Serbia)? - Page 2

HarryT · 06-02-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Who knew Siberia was in Asia?

SERBIA is a part of the former Yugoslavia, in central Europe. Rather a long way from SIBERIA

.

pshrynk · 06-02-2008, 01:06 PM

Okay, aside from the extra "i" that crept into the equation, I wasn't too far off. I blame Taylor. He posted the original thread with the missing vowel.

HarryT · 06-02-2008, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

I wasn't too far off.

Only about 5,000 miles

.

tirsales · 06-02-2008, 01:28 PM

In a galactical context this is nothing

tlrowley · 06-02-2008, 01:39 PM

I've used sites that accept Amazon gift certificates as a form of payment. Obviously this only works for fairly small-time sales and can't be automated, but if this was a one-time event it might be a possibility.

Vesper · 06-02-2008, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

It appears that paypal has Payment Services that don't require a PayPal account. I think they work by taking a credit card number as an alternative to a paypal account number. I don't know if they are legal in Serbia, or if they are too expensive for low volume/margin businesses.

But they still ask for me to choose the country when I enter data in the form and guess what? Still no Serbia.

I'm quite fed up with all this nonsense. I'm even contemplating going to Hungary (for our geographically challenged friends here - just 200km north from where I live) and open account in Hungarian branch of my bank. But I think my husband will kill me

DrS

Steven Lyle Jordan · 08-13-2008, 12:33 PM

As I'm currently working on a possible redesign of my books site, I'm looking into ways to redirect certain regions (as defined by IP addresses, possibly) to versions of my site that will use different pricing structures to match the region. I do not know how easy this is to manage... I know my present system will not support this... so I can not give any guarantees that I will manage to implement this.

Just wanted to mention it.

Falbe Publishing · 08-13-2008, 02:13 PM

As an ebook seller, I have run into the same problem as Steve Jordan. Sometimes someone from overseas informs me that he or she does not have a credit card but desires to purchase my product. I have been actively looking for some kind of additional option to PayPal for such people, but I am also stumped. Western Union does look like it would work just fine BUT the fees might be prohibitive.

Sometimes I suggest to people to find a friend or relative with a credit card so they can make the purchase. Or, if available in his or her country, the person can set up a PayPal account attached to a bank account. This is especially attractive because then the person would be set up to buy online in the future because they have an obvious interest in doing so.

Although I've come to learn that credit cards are not totally prevalent worldwide like in the U.S. they are the best way to buy things online. I do get sales from outside the U.S. all the time (3 this month), so PayPal is a very viable option for international selling.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 08-14-2008, 08:59 AM

I agree, if someone has access to PayPal and a credit card, you can't beat it for ease of use. But lacking either or both of those things shouldn't leave people completely out in the cold.

And I'm also concerned about the difference in exchange rates from place to place... in particular, places where the local currency is worth much less than the dollar, or where people's incomes in a day equal the cost of one of my books. (Granted, at incomes that low, you are not likely to have internet access, or even a computer, and probably have more pressing things on your mind, so the need for one of my books is also pretty small.)

The only way out that I see at this point is good ol' snail mail. It covers more areas than the internet, including areas where web access is prohibitively expensive or distant. And postal mail has the advantage of including a postmark that denotes the real origin of the letter, so fair exchanges can be made without the risk of someone in a more affluent area doing the equivalent of "spoofing" an IP address for a cheap deal.

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06-02-2008, 01:06 PM	#17
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Okay, aside from the extra "i" that crept into the equation, I wasn't too far off. I blame Taylor. He posted the original thread with the missing vowel.

06-02-2008, 01:28 PM	#19
tirsales MIA ... but returning som Posts: 1,600 Karma: 511342 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Germany Device: PRS-505 and Really not owning a PRS-700	In a galactical context this is nothing

06-02-2008, 01:39 PM	#20
tlrowley Quilt Geek Posts: 472 Karma: 91775 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lancaster, PA Device: Kindle	I've used sites that accept Amazon gift certificates as a form of payment. Obviously this only works for fairly small-time sales and can't be automated, but if this was a one-time event it might be a possibility.

08-13-2008, 12:33 PM	#22
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	As I'm currently working on a possible redesign of my books site, I'm looking into ways to redirect certain regions (as defined by IP addresses, possibly) to versions of my site that will use different pricing structures to match the region. I do not know how easy this is to manage... I know my present system will not support this... so I can not give any guarantees that I will manage to implement this. Just wanted to mention it.

08-13-2008, 02:13 PM	#23
Falbe Publishing Gadget Slave Posts: 264 Karma: 600001 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Battle Creek, Michigan Device: Sony PRS505SC	As an ebook seller, I have run into the same problem as Steve Jordan. Sometimes someone from overseas informs me that he or she does not have a credit card but desires to purchase my product. I have been actively looking for some kind of additional option to PayPal for such people, but I am also stumped. Western Union does look like it would work just fine BUT the fees might be prohibitive. Sometimes I suggest to people to find a friend or relative with a credit card so they can make the purchase. Or, if available in his or her country, the person can set up a PayPal account attached to a bank account. This is especially attractive because then the person would be set up to buy online in the future because they have an obvious interest in doing so. Although I've come to learn that credit cards are not totally prevalent worldwide like in the U.S. they are the best way to buy things online. I do get sales from outside the U.S. all the time (3 this month), so PayPal is a very viable option for international selling.

08-14-2008, 08:59 AM	#24
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	I agree, if someone has access to PayPal and a credit card, you can't beat it for ease of use. But lacking either or both of those things shouldn't leave people completely out in the cold. And I'm also concerned about the difference in exchange rates from place to place... in particular, places where the local currency is worth much less than the dollar, or where people's incomes in a day equal the cost of one of my books. (Granted, at incomes that low, you are not likely to have internet access, or even a computer, and probably have more pressing things on your mind, so the need for one of my books is also pretty small.) The only way out that I see at this point is good ol' snail mail. It covers more areas than the internet, including areas where web access is prohibitively expensive or distant. And postal mail has the advantage of including a postmark that denotes the real origin of the letter, so fair exchanges can be made without the risk of someone in a more affluent area doing the equivalent of "spoofing" an IP address for a cheap deal.

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