eBay is pausing international shipping services to the Middle East due to the current conflict, reporting that most major US shipping carriers are experiencing disruption in service into the region.
eBay is temporarily pausing sales from the US to buyers with shipping addresses in the following countries: Israel, Bahrain, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, and Jordan, saying it could not ensure packages would reach their final destination.
eBay said it would automatically protect seller performance for those sellers who recently shipped an item to those countries. “We are closely monitoring the developments and will update you as soon as soon as we are able to resume operations in the Middle East,” it said in Tuesday’s announcement.
USPS temporarily suspended acceptance of items destined to 18 countries “due to logistics impacts resulting from the conflict in the Middle East.”
UPS issued a service alert stating it was closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and was using established contingency plans to manage its operations safely and efficiently. “Our focus is on safety while we work to minimize impacts for our customers.”
FedEx updated its service alert on March 3rd, stating it continued to evaluate the situation and had resumed pickup and delivery services across the Middle East where it was safe to do so and in line with local guidance. Pickup and delivery services remained temporarily suspended in Iraq and Bahrain, and it warned that customers shipping to or from the region might experience extended transit times.
Chinese news site Caixing Global warned of major disruptions on Tuesday, reporting: “Following U.S.-Israel military strikes on Saturday, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, has nearly halted, while airspace closures in the Middle East have led to thousands of canceled flights. The disruption is already complicating inventory replenishment for cross-border sellers serving Gulf consumers, raising the prospect of stockouts if hostilities persist.”
