Is ebay a good site to buy from?

Im from the U.K. Can I buy something off of the ebay or amazon U.S. site?

• It's this mega rare book that I really want and is pretty expensive so I wan't to make sure that if I buy it, I will get it without any bother. Anyway, on ebay.com, it says that there is expidited shipping available. Does that mean that it can be shipped from the U.S. to the U.K. Also, on amazon.com, underneath the sellers name, it says "FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON". I can also track it. It looks really safe. Will it be O.K. to purchase? Both sellers have a glowing review. Can I get it from either of these sites by getting it shipped from U.S. to U.K.? With amazon, it says"international shipping may not be available for all items". I saw the international shipping rates yesterday(quickest delivery) and it's about 20 pounds but that's nothing since the book alot more. Finally, if so, how would I pay for it since the asking price is in dollars but there's pounds on my card? I could wait forever for one to come ebay uk and amazon uk is like double what the US site is.

• Answer:

  Amazon is a safe seller. I'm in the US and have bought from their UK site on many occasions. I'm also a regular customer on the US site and have never had a problem when buying from Amazon. If you buy from the eBay seller, you'll have to ask them if they will ship internationally. Not all eBay sellers will ship internationally. Amazon does ship internationally if Amazon is fulfilling the order. If it's an Amazon retailer, again you'll have to ask if international shipment is available. Whether you pay by PayPal or use a credit or debit card, the payment processor will handle the currency conversion for you. There's an added cost for the conversion but it's generally only a few bob. What you do want to watch out for is import duties and VAT. If the goods are dutiable, HMR&C will collect the relevant import duties. They will also collect VAT at the prevailing rate. The customs broker that clears the shipment will add on a brokerage fee for their service and those fees can be substantial. You will have to pay all duties, VAT and fees before the goods will be delivered to you. Most carriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) self-broker. If it's a high value shipment, you might get a better deal hiring your own customs broker to clear the shipment but you will have to coordinate that in advance. I can't speak for the Royal Mail, but here on this side of the pond, the Post Office's brokerage charges are the lowest so I specify air mail shipment when possible. You can check with Parcel Force to see what their brokerage charges are and compare them to the other carriers.