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I sell coins from time to time, and I had a bad streak where buyers in Europe kept complaining that they never received the coins. I ended up refunding a lot of purchases (including shipping). Some shipments did arrive, although late. Others, who knows? Part of the problem is that customs declaration forms marked "coins" just seem ripe for rip-off somewhere in transit.
As a result, I imposed a new requirement, and I warn about it twice in my listings: if I am sending coins or currency outside the USA/Canada, it must be by priority mail flat rate envelope to permit proper tracking all the way through customs and delivery. That cost is generally $11 - the amount Alex mentioned in his post.
Because the risk had grown so great, the only other option for me would have been to halt any sales outside North America, but I decided instead to recognize the higher costs associated with the risk and give buyers the option of bidding or not bidding with full knowledge of the costs involved.
I am sure this has cut down on my sales to other countries, although it also has totally eliminated refunds due to "lost" coins. I hate to have to make a trade-off like that, but under the circumstances it was probably the right thing to do.
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