Exemption list question

[muk3356]

So a few items I have encountered that I was not able to bid on an item because I live in another country. I always asked the seller if they are willing to ship to my country and if they agree I ask them to put me on their exemption list so I can bid on the item. Sometimes this works, but sometimes it won't. What could be the cause of this? Is there a certain box or setting or something else the seller did or didn't do that keeps me from bidding eventhough I am on their exemption list? Are there other solutions?

If a seller puts me on their exemption list, should I be able to bid on all their items (wheter they allready have bids on it or not)?  Or only on items that dont't have a bid yet? How does that work?

[mtgraves7984]

As I understand it, once you're on a seller's Exemption list, you're free to shop with that seller, period. Well... until the seller removes you from their list, that is. Sit tight for other posters with experience.

[chris13]

I will give a WEIRD example I read about here...though I have had to read between the lines a bit about the new EIS program and how it (might) work.

Seller lists 'Barbie Doll' but limits it to just USA shipping in exclusions.

Buyer is in Mexico and requests to be added to exception list and seller agrees.

The sale cannot proceed because Mexico has forbidden Imports of 'Dolls with Human faces'!

Some items may be disallowed for reasons that seem crazy but international import/export rules must be horribly complicated, and eBay is likely using a bunch of ways to avoid an item getting rejected by customs, especially if they are guarantying the sale. Just a weird example I read here it may not apply to you and the rules are not written down anywhere I have found (yet).

I had to give up selling an antique medical device to Australia though I never found out exactly why.

[janet9988]

The seller initiated exemption will NOT override a import or export law or ebay policy.

[mudshark61369]

@muk3356,

Many of the sellers of ships to U.S. only items may place you on their exemption list, but do not know that they also have to add an international shipping method to their listing, in order for you to be able to bid.  Of course if the item is not allowed to be shipped to your country,  you would not be able to bid on or buy it, as others have said.

[ms.rodriguez*]

It's also possible that the seller said that he would add you to the exemption list and did not.  Sorry.

[muk3356]

Thank you for the replies and help!

The items were definitely not banned from importing. I'm also having this issue within Europe where there is a free trade of most good, so I don't think that could be the reason. The person who decided that dolls with human faces are not allowed to be imported in Mexico must have had a good laugh though 🙂

I have had a few times when it didn't work and I messaged the seller (who placed me on their exemption list) that unfortunately it didn't work and if they perhaps knew the reason why. They all said they defintely put me on there, some even going as far of sending me a screenshot of it so I don't think they said they did but actually didn't 🙂 Contact is always very polite both ways so I don't know what a seller would gain from that? If they reply they don't want to ship to my country it is never an issue.

Regarding the 'but do not know that they also have to add an international shipping method to their listing, in order for you to be able to bid'. I will defintely look in to this! But the thing is that when it does work and I bid on a item and won I was never able to pay (shippingcost were also never visible at the listing) untill the seller sended me an invoice with the shippingcost added to my country. So it seems those times there was never a international shipping method added until after I won the item? So isn't that conflicting with what you are suggesting?