eBay Exporting discussion

MSE_Jenny

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The first point of call is read the full eBay Selling guide. Then, this discussion is specifically to talk about tips for selling eBay items overseas.

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bluebell13

Is there anywhere where I can find out which countries need customs declarations on the package. I normally only post to UK and Europe but am considering broadening my horizons so to speak. I once sent a package to Austalia but had no idea what to put on the customs declaration.

soolin

bluebell13 wrote: »

Is there anywhere where I can find out which countries need customs declarations on the package. I normally only post to UK and Europe but am considering broadening my horizons so to speak. I once sent a package to Austalia but had no idea what to put on the customs declaration.

It's basically anyone outside of the EU, however different countries do have different restrictions on what they will allow in. My PO for instance told me that Australian customs won't allow used clothing, but I've never managed to track that down in print!

bluebell13

Thanks for that Soolin. I'm assuming that people from outside of the E.U. will realise that they have to pay customs charges, or is it worth putting this on my listings?

kevinyork

bluebell13 wrote: »

Thanks for that Soolin. I'm assuming that people from outside of the E.U. will realise that they have to pay customs charges, or is it worth putting this on my listings?

I have a note on all my listings at the bottom saying 'the seller is not responsible for any charges levied on import in the customers country'. Never had a complaint yet.

As Soolin says, a declaration is required for non EU countries. Dont forget the Channel Islands though as they are not in the EU for VAT purposes and need a declaration.

bluebell13

kevinyork wrote: »

I have a note on all my listings at the bottom saying 'the seller is not responsible for any charges levied on import in the customers country'. Never had a complaint yet.

As Soolin says, a declaration is required for non EU countries. Dont forget the Channel Islands though as they are not in the EU for VAT purposes and need a declaration.

Thanks for that! I wouldn't have realised about the Channel Islands. Off to amend my listings now!

dtb_2

Watch out for the Channel Islands if you're sending heavy items such as books. They do not qualify for the same rates as mainland UK and the prices are much higher! You can get the rates from https://www.royalmail.com.

dtb_2

In the latest email it is suggested that people start selling on international ebay sites to be paid in 'hard' (!) currency instead of poor old Sterling. It's a good idea in principle, but I'm under the impression that people on those sites might not necessarily find the item unless they use the 'international' search facility.

This is because it's not the currency of the listing that matters, but where the item is 'located'. So buyers looking on the German site ebay.de, for example, will by default only see the items located in Germany itself. If they do choose the 'international' search option they'll see the item, but if you list on ebay.co.uk and include postage to Europe, they should see it anyway!

If any one has a clever way around it I'd love to know!

If you do try this, I'd recommend listing in the language of the country concerned, plus in English too in order to reach the maximum number of potential buyers.

Don't forget that Euro zone buyers (especially in Germany and Austria) love to pay by bank transfer. If they transfer Euros into a UK Sterling bank account you'll get clobbered for fees, usually a minimum of £10. I'm guessing that it should be OK if you have a UK-based Euro account (but these often have high running costs) and should certainly be OK if you have a Euro account in a Euro zone country. You can accept Paypal payments in Euros into your normal Paypal account of course.

frivolous_fay

dtb wrote: »

Don't forget that Euro zone buyers (especially in Germany and Austria) love to pay by bank transfer. If they transfer Euros into a UK Sterling bank account you'll get clobbered for fees, usually a minimum of £10. I'm guessing that it should be OK if you have a UK-based Euro account (but these often have high running costs) and should certainly be OK if you have a Euro account in a Euro zone country. You can accept Paypal payments in Euros into your normal Paypal account of course.

Actually IBAN payments in euros are basically fee free. (Check with an intelligent person at your bank to be 100% sure)