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Terapeak, an industry leader for eBay research, is focused on answering the questions sellers ask every day. This weekly column for AuctionBytes, aptly named "Data Bytes," aims to accomplish this goal and more. We look forward to covering a wide variety of topics. Please send your questions, feedback or article suggestions to databytes@auctionbytes.com. This week we'll explore what eBay sellers are selling internationally, and to whom they are selling. Data is based on an analysis of eBay sales during a 1-week period in February 2007.

In the U.S., more than 88 percent of eBay sales are shipped within the country. That means only about 12 percent of eBay.com sales are to buyers outside of the country. Who are these international buyers? The most popular buyer location is Canada, which accounts for a little over four percent of sales. Next in line are the U.K., Australia, France and Germany.

What are they buying? Mostly easily shippable goods. The most popular categories on eBay.com for international sales are CDs, Records, DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray, Video Games, Wristwatches, Women's Shoes and Non-Fiction Books.

Canadian eBay sellers are much more likely to ship internationally. Nearly half of all Canadian eBay sales are sold to buyers in the U.S., while only about 43 percent are sold on their home turf. Canada follows the pattern of the U.S. with next greatest sales volume to the U.K., Australia, France and Germany. Most popular categories for international sales - similar to those in the U.S. - include DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray, Video Games, CDs, Other MP3 Players and Records.

While it seems that Americans can't get enough online shopping, Canadians look to be following closely behind. U.S. and international sellers might do well to make sure Canada is checked on their "will ship to" lists.

In the U.K., we see most eBay sales shipping domestically - a little over 85 percent. The most popular international buyer location is (surprise, surprise) the U.S., with more than five percent of eBay.co.uk sales. The second most popular destination is Ireland, followed by France, Australia, Canada and Germany. What is Ireland buying from the U.K.? Men's clothing. Other popular categories for international sales from the U.K. are MP3 Players, Mobile Phones, Wristwatches and Baby Clothing.

In Germany, more than 92 percent of eBay sales are to other Germans. The most popular buyer destination outside of Germany is Austria, followed by France, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. What are all these people buying from Germany? The most popular category for international sales is Military Photos, Letters and Postcards, 1918-1945. After that comes MP3 Players, Notebook Computers, Out-of-Print Magic Trading Cards and Art Photography 1940 – 1970,…quite the interesting mix of products!

Country	Domestic Sales	Int'l Sales	Largest trading partner
US	88	12	Canada (4%)
Canada	43	57	US (49%)
UK	85	15	US (5%)
Germany	92	8	Austria – (2.5%)

Stay tuned for more insights next week. In the meantime, happy bidding!
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Terapeak is an eBay Certified Service Provider that specializes exclusively in eBay Marketplace Research. Terapeak helps you use the experience of other sellers to know when to list, which items are hot, and value your items on eBay. The Terapeak services offers research for eBay US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories. Terapeak accesses eBay Data directly from the eBay Market Data program. To learn more about the Terapeak please visit http://www.terapeak.com.

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About the author:

Terapeak is an eBay Certified Service Provider that specializes exclusively in eBay Marketplace Research. Terapeak helps you use the experience of other sellers to know when to list, which items are hot, and value your items on eBay. The Terapeak services offers research for eBay US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories. Terapeak licenses eBay Market Data Data through the eBay Developers Program. To learn more about the Terapeak please visit www.terapeak.com.

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