The 2019 German Packaging Act

[1786davycrockett]

While I have read more information about the 2019 German Packaging Act, and how it will impact all international sales to Germany (including eBay), as the law is written it seems to primarily effect the primary distributors of pre-packaged items (please correct me if I am misinterpreting this law -- it is not entirely clear).

However, if an eBay seller is NOT a primary distributor, is it still necessary to provide all the information that has been requested?

And, if an eBay seller is selling items which do not seem to be applicable to the 2019 Packaging Act (such as old books and old magazines, which is what I sell), is it necessary to provide this information?

In addition, since I am just an individual seller (and NOT a huge business entity), the "tax id" which is required by this act would be my personal Social Security number, which I am quite hesitant to share with a foreign government.   And thus, according to the  eBay memo regarding the 2019 German Packaging Act:

"What happens if I don’t register by the July 1 deadline?  

eBay has a legal obligation to ensure that all our B2C sellers are compliant. If you do not take the necessary steps by the deadline, we will be legally required to restrict your selling privileges for the German market. "

Which is okay for me -- but I'm not sure how much this is going to impact other American eBay sellers, as the 2019 German Packaging Act seems to infer that eBay sellers will be financially responsible for additional recycling fees for packages sent to Germany.  Will eBay be billing individual sellers for these fees, or will Germany be billing the individual sellers?

Do any other eBay sellers have further clarifications regarding this Act, as the deadline is July 1.

Thanks, folks!

[fab_finds4u]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Community-Mentor-Lounge/Need-a-link-to-the-information-about-selling-t...

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[namtrag1]

Looks like Germany is saying they don't want the business.

[ittybitnot]

@fab_finds4u 

Check your link? 

[house*of*paws]

Hey @fab_finds4u 

That link is to the Mentor’s Lounge, which only Mentors can access.  Any alternative?

[1786davycrockett]

Ditto that.  I'm not a Mentor.

Only a Tor-Mentor.

[mr_lincoln]

@1786davycrockett, @house*of*paws , @ittybitnot , @namtrag1 , @fab_finds4u 

This may be helpful ... it goes to the eBay Help Pages on the subject:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/extended-producer-responsibility-business-sellers/german-packaging...

Mr. L

[mr_lincoln]

@1786davycrockett   This is an interesting topic ... I just emailed a friend I ship to in Germany to ask how this is all monitored on their end.  I can see this act impacting Germany retailers who are buying bulk to resell in their country.  as to individuals I don't know how the German government will monitor what is inside a single one off package they deliver to one citizen.  Obviously (unless I am totally wrong) the German government is not opening individual packages sent to every German citizen ... however, the question I asked my friend is how do German citizens dispose of packaging materials they get from shipments outside the country?  I suspect it will take a few days to get a response but if I do I will try to post it here ...

Mr. L

[1786davycrockett]

Thanks again, mr_l!  As it is written (and as eBay has NOT explained it!), it certainly sounds as if all international sales to Germany (as of July 1) will be docked additional fees for recycling.  

But who will be responsible for paying those fees -- the sellers themselves, or eBay?  And, with the additional information demanded by Germany, will Germany be going directly after individual sellers?  And, as the sole proprietor of my site, how secure should I feel by sending my Social Security number to some unknown government entity in a foreign country?

As for me, my reply is simple:  Nein.

[stephenmorgan]

I sort of understood from what I read to mean that the shipping package/box will have to be in a recycled box as well.  I wonder if reusing a box is considered recycled or only a certified stamped recycled packing/box is ok?

[mr_lincoln]

@1786davycrockett  The shipments I make to Germany are not through eBay ... they are personal shipments.  So in basic terms it would be similar to an individual Selling account shipping a collectible to an individual in Germany.  So my question to my German friend included asking how regular German citizens recycle materials they get in packages from out of the country.  Where we live we have a recycle bin and trash bin ... each has a specific volume ... if you put too much trash or recycled materials out then you get charged for the extra waste.

Germany is about the size of Texas (geographically) but the population is almost 3 times Texas at between 83 - 84 MILLION residence.  They are just trying to minimize waste materials and manage materials that can be recycled ... I don't blame them to be honest.  Our country has more space for landfills, Germany doesn't ... personally I wish the US had tighter controls on materials used for packaging.  But then part of that issue is how things get shipped and handled by carriers ... not all retail products go by air ride tractor trailers LOL!

[american-photography]

Germany is basically forcing non-German sellers to pay for their waste recycling program instead of their own citizens.

So, if you want to sell to Germany, no matter what size seller you are, you will have to register your personal information with the German government including Tax ID and pay a yearly licensing fee.

The logical thing to do would be to force their own citizens to pay and recycle their own  "waste" they have shipped in from out-of-country sellers but this obviously wouldn't be as easy to do.

It is easier to implement these regulations on non-citizens than on citizens of their own country.

[lepke1979]

From the other thread written about this, I decided to just block Germany altogether. I don't do enough to Europe, let alone Germany, to miss it.

But here, according to the other thread, it seems to only matter if you're a business account. Personal accounts don't need to be licensed for some reason. And unless it's changed, even if the package goes to a reshipper or GSP, you still should be taxed for some reason. Will just take a chance on that one since it's unrealistic to know where the package will ultimately be going once it hits the US destination.

[tssullytacklebox]

"What happens if I don’t register by the July 1 deadline?  

eBay has a legal obligation to ensure that all our B2C sellers are compliant. If you do not take the necessary steps by the deadline, we will be legally required to restrict your selling privileges for the German market. "

Problem solved. Also explains why a month ago a customer in Germany asked me if I shipped there. He was in a hurry to get while the getting was good. The German citizens already know what is going to happen. American sellers who register are not sure what is going to happen. This is one deadline I am going to intentionally miss.

[nyccowgirl7]

Can someone from ebay please chime in to answer questions since the actual announcement post is locked???  The wording in the the announcement does little to clarify regarding shippers who use GSP exclusively (as opposed to shipping direct).  @seller_news_team 

I understood the wording to mean ebay will not repackage GSP shipments, therefore the outer packaging of the item I am shipping needs to be recyclable. 

My questions are:
A - does the packaging need to actually display the triangular recycle symbol or just be reused?

B - (more importantly) if I am registered with ebay as an individual seller, not a business, and shipping through GSP only (therefore *I* am not shipping to a German address), am I required to register for this German LUCID account?
C - if the LUCID account is required and I choose not to register, will there be a way going forward to choose to sell items through GSP and exclude Germany???  Because as I understand it, at present, there is no way to exclude a specific country for GSP sales. 

This would be a VERY helpful feature for many items (ie I listed a kitchen knife, but because England has strict laws about fixed blades etc I can't sell it through GSP).

Please give us some additional guidance - for some of us who have a significant number of GSP sales, this info is quite important and not clear at the moment.