eBay

thecoilist · ‎01-22-2023

I sold a camera on eBay. It was NOT listed for international sale.

The buyer's shipping address is in the United States... and they purchased it using a Buy It Now option.

I was charged an international fee because the BUYER has a registered address outside the United States.

1) No where during the listing process does it mention an international fee potentially being charged for the buyer's registered address being out of the United States.

2) I am not given an option to decline the sale to a buyer.

3) There is no way to know where a buyer's "registered address" is at any time during the transaction.

4) Who verifies that the registered address hasn't changed or needs updating compared to a shipping address.

5) Why would eBay allow for difference shipping/registered addresses. This leaves the potential for fraud wide open.

Unfortunately, this lack of transparency is what gets companies like this sued. I wonder how many others have been charged International Fees unknowingly for the same reasons I mentioned above.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎01-22-2023

The international fee is one of the basic fees for selling. For the sake of transparency, the main Help page that explains eBay fees says this:

International fee

If your registered address is in the US, we charge an International fee if either:

The delivery address for the item (entered by the buyer during checkout) is outside the US, or
The buyer's registered address is outside the US (regardless of the delivery address for the item)

This fee is calculated as 1.65% of the total amount of the sale and is automatically deducted from your sales.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822

ittybitnot · ‎01-22-2023

@thecoilist

Basically you were charged the 'international fee' because the buyer's payment method (credit card, PayPal, etc.) was not US based. eBay allows international buyers to use a US address (typically that of a freight forwarder) so they can bid or buy from sellers that do not ship internationally.

Back when PayPal processed the money, sellers were allowed to block payments from non-US sources. Managed Payments has no such option. Buyers in these instances back then were still allowed to bid or bin, they were simply blocked from paying.

stuff4divas · ‎01-22-2023

@thecoilist

I've been charged the int'l fee as laid out on eBay policy that @nobody*s_perfect shows for a long time now.

I try my best to keep up with the policies of any company I do business with, whether it be eBay, my bank, a department store, the grocery store, etc. so I don't feel ambushed or taken advantage of.

dolcetreasures · ‎01-22-2023

It’s unfortunate it really is, getting up to an additional 3.3% fee you aren’t expecting is difficult to swallow especially when there is absolutely no way to avoid it.

luckythewinner · ‎01-22-2023

1) No where during the listing process does it mention an international fee potentially being charged for the buyer's registered address being out of the United States.

It's explained clearly in the fee schedule.

2) I am not given an option to decline the sale to a buyer.

Correct eBay has never allow sellers to back out of a transaction without a valid reason.

3) There is no way to know where a buyer's "registered address" is at any time during the transaction.

They used Buy It Now. Even if you were informed it would be too late.

4) Who verifies that the registered address hasn't changed or needs updating compared to a shipping address.

No one. Only the buyer knows whether his address has changed.

5) Why would eBay allow for difference shipping/registered addresses. This leaves the potential for fraud wide open.

It's also very convenient for people who want to ship to their office, or people buying gifts.

theteamsetguy · ‎01-22-2023

@dolcetreasures ,

I’ve never been charged more than 1.65%.

m60driver · ‎01-22-2023

The transaction fee is all of 1.65% and has been around forever. If you can't handle that small fee then you need to raise your margins. Putting it into perspective, that is less than the minimum promoted listing fee.

dolcetreasures · ‎01-22-2023

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/international-fees-ebay-global-sellers?id=52...

theteamsetguy · ‎01-22-2023

@thecoilist ,

The buyer could could be a foreign student in the US, could be here on a work Visa, a tourist Visa, or a whole host of other legal reasons.

The foreign buyer fee has been around since the days of credit card payments were invented. There are additional costs receiving payments from financial institutions in another country.

I have never had any problem selling to foreigners whether I ship to their address in the US or sending directly to their home country. It doesn’t matter where the buyer is. There is always a very small chance you will run into a scammer it comes with the territory of online selling.

dolcetreasures · ‎01-22-2023

What logical fallacy. After all what’s another 1.65% right?

Considering fvf are on the total amount the buyer pays including tax and shipping.

Considering promoted listing fees are charged on the total amount including tax and shipping.

Considering all payments for fees and what have you are taken as cash from payments received. No more credit card incentives like points and miles.

The vast majority of sellers don’t have the margins to work with that you are suggesting they should have. In computers and tech that would be a ridiculous statement as the margins are razor thin. Speak for yourself and not others.

thecoilist · ‎01-22-2023

luckythewinner...

It is mentioned in the fee schedule... That's not the issue here. So tell me where it's "CLEARLY" explained that the seller has no control over what information is in the BUYERS registration. Tell me where it clearly states that the seller will have no OPTION to see, view, or prevent these charges before they occur. If eBay does not allow a user to prevent this action, who's to say it's even in the buyer's registration? Who's to say the buyer is still at the "registered" address. I know I've moved out of state a handful of times before realizing there were multiple address locations that needed to be changed in my eBay account.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/frais-pour-les-vendeurs-particuliers?id=4822...

International fee

If your registered address is in the US, we charge an International fee if either:

The delivery address for the item (entered by the buyer during checkout) is outside the US, or
The buyer's registered address is outside the US (regardless of the delivery address for the item)

This fee is calculated as 1.65% of the total amount of the sale and is automatically deducted from your sales.

If your registered address is not in the US, please refer to the fee page for your country or region of residence for your International fee information.

---------

It may be convenient for people who want to ship to their office, etc.. However, some items (like some electronics) have restrictions in certain countries. Some have to pay extraordinary taxes and tariffs on them and even traveling requires declarations at customs for such equipment. Someone could circumvent that by purchasing and shipping to an address in the US, and repacking/labeling and shipping overseas changing customs forms, etc.. to avoid those things. Again, as I mentioned, perfect opportunity for fraud.

Then there are seller protections that need to be considered too. I won't go into those.

Point is eBay needs more transparency and seller options/protections that prevent this. The % I was charged came out to almost the same amount it cost me to ship the item. eBay required a signature confirmation (automatically upgraded and charged me for that) because the sale was more than a certain amount of money. And I also had insurance added to the shipping. So for $42.00 to ship the item and an international fee of almost the same amount, that's ridiculous and cut into the profits of the sale.

thecoilist · ‎01-22-2023

For those talking about increasing your selling margins..... HOW? You don't know when an item will be purchased by someone with a registered address outside the United States.

That's the point! It's not that there are international fees... it's that the seller isn't given an option.

I am not a business and I don't sell in bulk. I sell an item because it's something that's worth selling. I don't sell at a retail price for a used piece of gear like most other people on eBay do. I sell to get rid of the item someone else will benefit from. But I don't want to give it away either because of fraudulent fees.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎01-22-2023

The fee is 1.65%. If you can't absorb this small fee, then you need to charge a higher starting price. Also, those of you that truly hate this, think about when you travel and use a credit card in a foreign country. I bet that those businesses have to absorb that international fee too since your bank/credit card is from the USA. Those businesses already calculated that many buyers would be foreigners so they have priced their items a bit higher to absorb those added fees. They certainly do not go on some board and complain about international buyers.

For those that are not good in Math, if the sale is 100.oo, the fee is $1.65. If 50 dollars, the fee is 83 cents. This small amount should not break anyone. If it does, RAISE your prices.