eBay

storagecraft-gps · ‎01-16-2018

I have been selling products to European buyers for years and never had a buyer complaint about the duties/fees in the buyer's country. Shipping to Europe can get dicey when you are trying to maintain a 100% feedback rating. Buyers get upset about the delivery times while the product slogs its way through their countries postal and customs systems. But today I just gave a guy a 30% refund because he wouldn't pick the product up until I refunded him UK VAT and custom fees.

What is the best way to sell to Europe ? to keep customer happy ? Best Practices ?? I would really appreciate some sound advise.

bubbleman2010 · ‎01-16-2018

Sellers are still held responsible for SNAD GSP disputes. If it pops up about all you have is refund and abandon....

ripcityresell · ‎01-16-2018

@storagecraft-gps wrote:
Yes but does that prevent negative feedback. I got negative one time and it made me sick for year.

You got sick for a year? Is it because it's red and looks like blood? I don't like blood either...

You seriously gotta get thicker skin. There is nothing that will prevent a negative. Put a blurb in your listings that say they are responsible for their own country's charges, although 99.9% already know that.

Wow, just wow. Good luck to you?

penguins_dont_fly · ‎01-16-2018

@go-bad-chicken wrote:
@dtexley3 wrote:
You may get negative feedback, but you should be able to call CS and get it removed. You can also leave a professional response. "We don't have control of the custom fees, they are your responsibility".

The international buyers know this, you just got scammed for a partial refund I'm sorry to say. Don't let negative feedback or threats of negative feedback drive your business or you'll get driven out of business.

If you must sell international (I don't) you can point them to the eBay rule that states they are responsibile for custom fees and need to contact their countries agency to find out what they are. This is one of the few costs that is NEVER the responsibilty of the seller either to research or to pay.

I could not agree more.

But, according to Brian Burke in his response to a question that I posted during Community Chat on Dec 20th, 2017, by not collecting customs, duties, and or taxes in advance, I am a seller that disappoints international buyers. BAD! BAD! BAD CHICKEN!

My original question was pertaining to what I feel is an unfair advantage that eBay provides to the GSP - Global Shipping Program on the face page of search results by stating "Custom Services and International Tracking Provided" on other eBay sites outside of the U.S.. I am competing against sellers who use the GSP and I ship exclusively via USPS Priority Mail International for items that I sale that have a sale price over $200.00 in value. What I found interesting was not his response to my main question but what he added at the end of his response, with regards to me not collecting of customs, duties, and or taxes in advance.

I was actualy shocked by this portion of his response as the collecting of customs, duties, and or taxes on the part of sellers in advance has never really been promoted by eBay, in the past.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Weekly-Chat-with-eBay-Staff/Community-Chat-Dec-20th-1pm-PT-General-Top...

My original question is post #46 and

Brian Burke's response to my question is post #77 and is sown here.

@go-bad-chicken "Our stating that GSP items offer tracking and customs is because we know that items shipped through GSP offer these services since our partner is required to provide them. With other sellers we do not know this.

It's your business decision whether to use GSP or not, our statement about the GSP service is not unfair."

Regarding this statement from you:

"I understand that "Customs" are not included with the service that I provide, but when customs are deemed necisary by that buyers government, then those are requested by that buyers local postal service and they are collected at the time of delivery."

"With GSP the buyer knows this cost is part of the purchase, is told up front and never experiences a surprise additional charge from their local post office - this is a terrible experience for the buyer.

I hope you change your practice and collect and submit these charges up front instead of surprising your international buyers with additional fees to receive the item they already purchased from you. Most buyers are unaware of these charges.

Thanks for selling on eBay, but please reconsider your approach to customs charges.

Brian"

I really hope that Mr Burke does not truly believe that independent eBay sellers can actually collect and remit customs fees, VAT or any other taxes due do a foreign government on their own 😞

It's one thing to collect and remit sales tax to your own jurisdiction(s) ... it's a whole different ball of wax to register (in every country) to collect and remit international taxes at the correct rates.

penguins_dont_fly is a Volunteer Community Mentor
Buying and Selling since 2013

thallidguy · ‎01-16-2018

@storagecraft-gps wrote:
I have been selling products to European buyers for years and never had a buyer complaint about the duties/fees in the buyer's country.   Shipping to Europe can get dicey when you are trying to maintain a 100% feedback rating. Buyers get upset about the delivery times while the product slogs its way through their countries postal and customs systems. But today I just gave a guy a 30% refund because he wouldn't pick the product up until I refunded him UK VAT and custom fees.

What is the best way to sell to Europe ?    to keep customer happy ?   Best Practices ?? I would really appreciate some sound advise.

I once had a buyer from the UK who was blindsided that he would be charged import duty. I calmly replied that duty and taxes are the buyer's responsibility, and it has ever been thus. I never heard another peep from him. He refused to pay, and I eventually got the item back.

Seriously, I agree with the posters who ridiculed you for getting that worked up over an unjustified neg. Stuff like that happens, on eBay and everywhere else in life in anything you attempt that's worthwhile. You think selling on eBay is bad? Try being an author or a game designer.

green-night · ‎01-16-2018

What is the best way to sell to Europe ? to keep customer happy ? Best Practices ?? I would really appreciate some sound advise.

I've heard some sellers write low value on customs forms and buyers like that. Now I don't know if that is true and I am not suggesting it.

miyasamaco · ‎01-16-2018

What are you giving the buyer money for? They know they have to pay import duties and it is solely their responsibility. They admitted to understanding that when they agreed to the purchase!

dtexley3 · ‎01-16-2018

@go-bad-chicken wrote:
@dtexley3 wrote:
You may get negative feedback, but you should be able to call CS and get it removed. You can also leave a professional response. "We don't have control of the custom fees, they are your responsibility".

The international buyers know this, you just got scammed for a partial refund I'm sorry to say. Don't let negative feedback or threats of negative feedback drive your business or you'll get driven out of business.

If you must sell international (I don't) you can point them to the eBay rule that states they are responsibile for custom fees and need to contact their countries agency to find out what they are. This is one of the few costs that is NEVER the responsibilty of the seller either to research or to pay.

I could not agree more.

But, according to Brian Burke in his response to a question that I posted during Community Chat on Dec 20th, 2017, by not collecting customs, duties, and or taxes in advance, I am a seller that disappoints international buyers. BAD! BAD! BAD CHICKEN!

"With GSP the buyer knows this cost is part of the purchase, is told up front and never experiences a surprise additional charge from their local post office - this is a terrible experience for the buyer.

I hope you change your practice and collect and submit these charges up front instead of surprising your international buyers with additional fees to receive the item they already purchased from you. Most buyers are unaware of these charges.

Thanks for selling on eBay, but please reconsider your approach to customs charges.

Brian"

Very unrealistic of Brian to expect the small seller on eBay to be able to do this.

Member of the Grumpy Old Man crew

a_c_green · ‎01-16-2018

@dtexley3 wrote:
@go-bad-chicken wrote:
[...]
But, according to Brian Burke in his response to a question that I posted during Community Chat on Dec 20th, 2017, by not collecting customs, duties, and or taxes in advance, I am a seller that disappoints international buyers. BAD! BAD! BAD CHICKEN!
[...]
"I hope you change your practice and collect and submit these charges up front instead of surprising your international buyers with additional fees to receive the item they already purchased from you. Most buyers are unaware of these charges."

"Thanks for selling on eBay, but please reconsider your approach to customs charges."
Very unrealistic of Brian to expect the small seller on eBay to be able to do this.

You can't stake out a position that far off the mark without a strong combination of attitude and wrongitude. I think he'd worked up such a full head of steam in defending their Global Shipping Program that he didn't know when to stop, and ventured into an area (international shipping) in which he had no experience, with predictable results. (I'm picturing one of those vintage train accident photos where the engine's plowed through the back wall of the station and landed on the street below.)

So anyway, no, there's no practical way that you could possibly know in advance the Customs charges of every country to which you might have to ship, and there's no practical way that you could possibly pay the charges for the customer anyway. So that whole idea is a complete non-starter, and that is why the buyer is expected to know the charges for importing your item into his country, and be prepared to pay them to his Customs or post office.

Somewhere around here is a piece of boilerplate text that eBay suggests adding to your description in order to give your international buyers fair warning. I can't find it at this moment, but I can at least paste in the version that I use, which is a kind of mixture of the original eBay text with my own additions:

"See the Shipping and Handling section of this listing for all rates, including international Shipping charges. Please be sure you know the Shipping charge to your address before bidding. Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. You will need to pay these charges to your post office. (They are not charges from me.) These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. Sorry, we do not understate package value, or mark it as a Gift."

weluvstamps · ‎01-16-2018

Be sure to clearly state in your terms of sale that all VAT, customs, import fees and duties are the responsibility of the buyer and not grouds for refusal or price adjustment of a lot.

Any experienced buyer is well aware of the customs office delay in his country. It's more of a problem for the seller who is awaiting positive feedback in order to know that the product arrived safely.

Don't be bullied! Sellers fixated on maintainig a 100% feedback rating subject themselves to this. "Give me a 90% refund or I'll leave negative feedback." "Sorry, Mr. Buyer, your only recorse is to return the item for a full refund." Report these jerks and move on. One negative feedback will not kill you.

jaaron7 · ‎01-16-2018

Why would you refund the VAT to your customer? That's their responsibility to pay it. If they wouldn't pick up the package, then it would have eventually get returned to you.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-16-2018

es but does that prevent negative feedback. I got negative one time and it made me sick for year.

First, feedback that has references to duty and import fees can be removed.

Second, feedback does not affect your seller account (any more) although some buyers do read it.

And of course, if you are really worried you can sign up for the Global Shipping Program (spit spit spit*).

The GSP charges the buyer import fees in advance that cover applicable duty, sales taxes (VAT) and a small amount as a service fee, BEFORE you even ship to the GSP plant in Kentucky.

Once in KY, your responsibility for delivery ends.

And again, the buyer is not allowed to leave feedback criticizing you for using it or for his nation's import fees.

*I'm Canadian and we almost universally detest the GSP because our border officials take a laissez-faire attitude to charging duty on low value imports. We only get $20Cdn (~$16USD) duty-free.

lexismah · ‎01-16-2018

@storagecraft-gps here is ebay's policy that @a_c_green was looking for.

https://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/international-shipping-rules.html#who

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are. ~ Author Unknown

portieradesigns · ‎01-17-2018

@fern*wood wrote:
Back when I did sell internationally, I finally blocked the UK. That was the only place I ever had this problem.

Ditto. I wish we could use the GSP just for the UK, but it lumps all of Europe together.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-17-2018

That's interesting.

I've seen posts that claim that it is possible to exempt particular countries from GSP (notabley Canada).

Has anyone done this?

(asking for a friend)

lacemaker3 · ‎01-17-2018

@storagecraft-gps wrote:
What kind of information should there be in my listing to prevent a buyer from being shocked that he is being charge a fee by his country.

@storagecraft-gps, this is from the eBay policy on international sales. You should copy and paste this notice into your description.

International Buyers – Please Note:

Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.

https://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/international-shipping-rules.html