eBay employees fielded questions from sellers about international shipping during this week’s eBay for Business podcast episode, revealing some quirks that sellers should understand. In some cases, eBay may charge sellers an international fee even in cases where the buyer uses a domestic US address. And items listed in the Stamps, Coin and Paper Money category are ineligible for eBay International Shipping.
The first question came from a reader who sold to a customer who used an address in Oregon, which happened to be a freight forwarding service. “I am opted into eBay International Shipping because I love the no international selling fees and the excellent seller protections,” the seller said. “Confused as to why there was an international fee charged for a US address and concerned that I’m not protected for these freight forwarding sales.”
eBay’s Kayomi Kayoshi explained that eBay charges an international fee in cases where the buyer’s registration address is outside of the US. “What happened in this instance, as you suspected – the international buyer had the item shipped to a US destination, but since the buyer’s registration address is outside of the US, you were charged an international transaction fee. There is no way for a seller to block purchases or bids from a buyer who uses a freight forwarding service.”
The next question came from a seller who asked if eBay Standard Envelope worked for international shipping? Kayoshi said it did – in most categories. “The eBay Standard Envelope service can be used for shipments through eBay International Shipping. Remember, you only need to worry about domestic shipping when shipping an item through eBay. International shipping, eBay handles the rest from there.”
However, her colleague and co-host Jim “Griff” Griffith explained that some categories are ineligible – including the Stamps, Coin, and Paper Money category. Since the seller lists in those categories, those listings are ineligible for eBay International Shipping, so would not be displayed to buyers outside of the US.
Griffith said the seller could choose to add a different international shipping option, but in that case, the listings would not qualify for protections under the eBay International Shipping service, and he detailed what sellers would need to understand about choosing that option.
You can listen to the podcast (or read the transcript) on the eBay for Business podcast landing page.
I sell in the stamp category and never had an issue using eBay’s international mail service. I think the info above from Griff is incorrect.
I also sell in the Stamps Category. In one instance, it was possible to use eBay International Shipping. More recently, Seller Hub did not show eBay International Shipping as an option. While eBay documentation states that stamps and coins are excluded, It appears possible to designate orders as eBay International Shipping. Almost all Stamps Category orders would be designated as HS Code 970400. However, stamps valid in the destination country must ship with HS Code 490700 and would not be eligible for eBay International Shipping. Apparently, eBay did not attempt to differentiate between valid stamps in the destination country and stamps not valid for postage or revenue use in the destination country.
Is there no one at eBay who understands the impacts of eBay policies on sellers? Another example is the “eBay Standard Envelope” $20 value limit. An item selling for $20.01 is likely to be mailed without tracking rather than pay about $4 for USPS Ground Advantage. How may eBay sales are lost because eBay policies are not skillfully enough conceived to maximize sales or give sellers a full range of cost competitive shipping options?