Having spent all of my working life dealing with overseas matters,
and some of the time living in other countries, I am very sympathetic
to overseas customers in selling my books.  I go out of my way to help
them.

At first I took out a credit card account for their convenience, as it
is a very simple and easy way to handle the payment problem.  It turned
out that the bank made more money than I did on the sale of the books,
and a fair number of overseas customers didn't have credit cards.

Wire transfers are prohibitively expensive for small transactions.
Dollar money orders on US banks are more reasonable and put the cost
burden on the buyer.  The best I've found is cash sent in a registered
letter.  Does anyone know of a downside to this method (other than
pilferage) ?

The best shipping method I've found is Global Priority Mail, which
goes by air, arriving in a few days.  The present cost to Europe is $9,
an amount most buyers find reasonable, considering the speed.  Two
smaller books or one large book will fit in the standard envelope.
 I don't insure.  In 25 years of mailing books I've had negligible
losses.

I've only been stiffed one time in all those years.  Recently someone
in the U.S. asked me to send a book and he would then send payment.  He
was, and probably still is, a member of MBSI or AMICA.  He did pay but
omitted the shipping and handling fee.  I wrote back to him and he sent
part but not all.  I wrote again and received no answer.

As the old Phil Harris song ["Darktown Poker Club"] goes, "Lord, he
said, it's an awful shame, but there's someone cheatin in this here
game, o' course it ain't goin' t' do me to name the guy..."

Fritz Gellerman