Been screwed to many times I will not ship anything outside the USA. I will let a foreign buyer bid but has to ship to a USA address then it there problem to get it out of the country.  Be aware that lying on a customs form is a felony that includes understating the value or  saying it is a gift when it is not.  I had many want the value put at some nominal low value but they want it insured for what they paid or want you to lie about what it is on the form. Had a friend get a $5,000 Rolex refused because the buyer did not want to pay duty. It tied up his paypal account for 3 or 4 months till he got it back that is how long it took for it to show back up.   I know some items will bring a lot more if you ship to international addresses. I always get Canucks wanting to buy stuff from me and they act hurt that you will not sell it is still an international address.

That's good stuff right there!!   

I only ship to US and sometimes Canada.  I will do APO's and other military addresses.  I had one auction that the winner was from Mexico.  I had only "US shipping" so I knew he had to of found the listing on the US servers.  However, he paid with a note to have the item shipped to a address in New Mexico.  That I could do and did.  I've had people from Canada buy my US only shipping auctions before.  We used the ebay Q&A section to iron out details.  Not had any problems with Canada as they have good tracking.  With the changes to Ebay's rules about tariffs and such that should help sellers out.

As far as shipping to China, Middle East, etc. - not going to happen.

I'm with craig on this one.  Been on eBay since 1996 (almost since the beginning) - and have shipped to USA ONLY for many years.  Still get the occasional international buyer who REALLY wants the item, but I handle on a case-by-case basis.  Most times it's not worth the hassle (or the risk).  Now even Canada makes you fill out all the paperwork.   

I know there have been several threads about small crowds, but most are approaching a year old, so I though I would update with today's auction story.....

Local independant facility - three lockers was down to one by start time.  The ONLY buyer there was..........ME!      I had talked to the facility owner and checked in, so I knew I was at the right spot.   (That's the good news)  The Manager even commented "Wow, guess you'll be getting a locker today!"  As we were walking through the gate to head to the single unit, up drives a second buyer - THE LOCAL WHALE!  (bad news)  I'm thinking "O crap, there goes my locker."

Unit was a 5x7 - One-third of it included a couple antique baskets, a few pieces of cast iron cookware, some books, stepladder, weed eater (rusty), and DVDs - and two-thirds was crates and crates of paperwork.  They were the plastic see-through crates, so you could see the bills, taxes, magazines, etc. (I'm talking 5-feet high!!)   My estimated selling value was about $200, so I set my limit at $100.  Mr. Whale started at $25, I went to $50, he went $75, and I went $100 - he walked up, flashed in a light - and bid $125.       I backed out, and he'll do alright with the stuff at his store. 

Still bizarre there were only two of us there, and sad that the other bidder had to be him!  Oh well......there's always the next one.

Those photos and negatives are a great find.  You do what you want, but unless you need fast money, take the time to sort and sell them as individual items.  You will get your money back as these types of things sell pretty well on eBay.  I have a buddy from Milwaukee who buys, then prints, and then re-sells Milwaukee Brewer photos/negatives and makes a killing.  As a guide, check out these two links from eBay ------->  Even at $10-20 each, you are bound to make some good $$$.       Good luck and be sure to report back on your progress.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Milwaukee+Brewers+Negative&_sacat=0&_odkw=Sports+Negatives&_osacat=0&_from=R40&LH_Complete=1

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Muhammad+Ali+Negatives&_sacat=0&_odkw=muhammad+Ali+NEgatives&_osacat=0&_from=R40&LH_Complete=1

Sorry to hear that - sounds like they have their own way of doing things.  

A few notes about the U-Haul auctions in my area (Mid-South)

1.  Like clockwork, our U-Haul auctions are ALWAYS on the third Monday of the month
2.  The caravan ALWAYS starts at 8:00am at the same location
3.  Any of the locations will tell you where, when, etc.  (No "corporate office" BS)
4.  They are the only place in the area using a legitimate, certified auctioneer (not facility owner/employee)
5.  Always have a good number of lockers up for auction
6.  Most of the locales are inner-city, so quality merchandise is usually lacking
7.  Crowds are normally moderate - less than 40-50
8.  They do charge $50 deposit PER LOCKER, which could get expensive if you win at several locations
9.  48 hours to clean out lockers (a little more if you ask)

Just as a point of reference - I was back in Wisconsin (for a funeral  ) - and checked out an auction in Milwaukee.  Three units (heard it was down from 6) - with prices about average with what everyone has been posting.  $150-$500 range - mostly clothes and worn furniture - only one had a washer.  Crowds were about 20, but this was a weekday.

The thing that killed me was gas was $4.26 per gallon!   My local price is about $3.62, which still makes me choke to pay $50+ to fill up.  But at that rate, it's closer to $65!  I didn't see $4.00+ in any other state than Wisconsin. (bastards)   $3.89-$3.99 at most places.  I feel for those of you with super high gas prices.  Makes the job of buying/selling a unit even harder than it has been.  And it looks like no end in sight......

Remember, Memorial Day is coming!!  

Well today was my 3 facility late afternoon auction.  Only 6, 2, 4 units this month.  Crowd was pretty big again (30-50 people) but just about the same "bidders".  Units were priced a little better then what is "normal".  I picked up a gamble unit for $50.  Could of had it at $5 but a newbie jumped in to $10, so I jumped to $20, him $25 and then me to $50.  Has a grill, junk cooler, 2 boxes, and 2 totes (1 looked like cloths).  Just wanted to see what all would find so rolling the dice.

Buddy got a good tool unit for $310.

Good luck on your return on 50-bucks....let us know how it pans out!