Another issue with International shipping (besides the time it takes) is the insurance factor. I will not intentionally devalue an item or mark it as a "gift" for the buyer, as if it is lost or doesn't make it there, the insured value goes back to how it was marked.
Not only that, good luck on getting any insurance settlement on an international shipment if something is lost or damaged. Oh, and if the international shipment takes a
little longer than you would expect, there are plenty of impatient buyers more than willing to throw negative feedback for a slow boat to China. And yes, I don't have time to wait in lines at the Post Office to ship international packages. My time is worth more than a few extra bucks to accept international bidders.
Last eBay item I shipped internationally, went to the buyer and was never accepted. It was attempted for delivery 3 times before it was sent back to me "unclaimed" almost 2 months later. The buyer was nowhere to be found. Didn't reply to e-mail or notes through eBay. The customer service reps at eBay convinced me that it was MY responsibility to make sure they were contacted, so I was essentially forced to call the buyer on the phone. That turned out to be a pointless waste of time, too.
So, besides the pain in the ass red tape from the US Postal Service, there are a LOT of other pitfalls that many US sellers aren't really interested in dealing with when shipping internationally. The ONLY time I ship internationally is for you guys.
