The weak dollar

I don't know the exact numbers because I've just got too much to keep up with to follow that too, but I can tell you that I've seen it in my sales!
The dollar is very weak right now and with the dropping housing market too, if you aren't selling internationally, it is time to start.
Yes, shipping international does take more time and slightly more effort but it is worth it. I'm looking at my pile of outgoing packages and today there isn't a single domestic one in the bunch! I sell clothing so I am mainly shipping items under a pound or just slightly over a pound. And my items are on average around $50 per sale so First class international is my best option.
The drawback is that I cannot get tracking or delivery confirmation. This means if something goes wrong I'm screwed.
But, if I were to lose one or even two of just today's outgoing packages it would have still been worth it!
Priority international is a little better, but for items under a pound, significantly more expensive. Under a pound to Australia = $5.20 for First class (very affordable!) but $21.00 for priority! $21 to ship would be alright for a high dollar item, but if it is a $20-$50 item, no one is going to want to spend that to ship. You'll need to weigh out what would be appropriate for you.
If you use paypal shipping, like me, and you want to ship first class international you'll either need to go to the post office or sign up for a service in order to allow you to print labels from home, paypal only offers priority international or express international.
As I'm looking at this pile of international shipments I can tell you the $9.95 a month I spend with Endicia is worth it. I have a slightly higher handling charge on international shipments and this helps me justify the extra time and pays for the service.
Think it all through and put your policies in place. Also, consider the worst case scenerio too and have a plan for that. Also, make sure to have your policies for payment in place. I've had some interesting requests from international customers. Some countries doing bank transfers is commonplace, or even sending cash!
Good luck.