eBay

classy_corner · ‎03-11-2021

Hi everyone 🙂 I am a long time casual seller but have not sold internationally for years. I would like to start up again just to Canada, UK, and Australia. The items I would be selling (mostly clothing and shoes) would be mostly under a pound, some 2-3 lb. range at most. What is the best way to ship these items? There are several different options and I am confused. I have been selecting First Class International Parcel so far on the listings I have added it to. I also see there is an option for first class international/first class package international service near the top but I don't know what the difference is or which one is more economical / preferred to use. Thanks in advance for any advice.

bimm_corp · ‎03-11-2021

Watch out for sales to Australia. They now have a 10% Goods and Services tax on anything coming from out of the country. You should pad your price to compensate for this. If the customer refuses the item because they don't want to pay the tax, you could end up paying for return shipping.

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-11-2021

I'm in Canada so may be biased but I think that first class parcel is really is all that is needed in most cases for all 3 countries.

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-11-2021

There has been a 10% sales tax added to Australian sales under $1000 for at least 3 years. They are not charged tax when they receive the package , it is collected when they pay the seller, just like US and UK tax are paid so I don't see how tax could cause the buyer to return a purchase. If they didn't want to pay the tax they would have decided that when they paid, not when they received the item.

classy_corner · ‎03-12-2021

Thanks for the replies. I did not know about the 10% tax to Australia, hopefully it will not cause any problems. So is there any difference between the first class international parcel vs first class international/ first class package options then in terms of cost for the buyer or service time?

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-12-2021

I hadn't noticed that before..it is odd that there is basically the same option twice on the list in some cases. I would guess that they are both the same. It's important that when you use first class..international or domestic..that under package type you check off 'package'. If you check off large envelope, the price given to the buyer will be for a flat which does not have tracking and you won't be able to print a label on ebay for that service.

It's actually not allowed to use the first class flat service to send merchandise internationally, you are supposed to use the parcel service.

I'll call someone else who will know for sure if they are the same. @nobody*s_perfect

nobody*s_perfect · ‎03-12-2021

I'm very flattered to be summoned. But I haven't shipped internationally since 2007 so I don't pay any attention to the international arrangements. I don't know of any difference between First Class International "parcel" vs "package." My guess is that the eBay programmers are confused.

I do recall reading about the new stricter policy as you explained about not allowing merchandise to be shipped internationally at the "flats" rate.