Why was my package rejected by Ireland customs?

[scoobydoobydoo!!!]

I recently sent a large envelope to Ireland. The weight and postage are correct, as is the address. The sticker that was put over my lane upon return says: "Return To Sender - Rejected/Failed electronic customs clearance." Has anyone had this issue before? There aren't any COVID restrictions so I am stumped. Thanks in advance.

[danyelle6974]

Is there any update on sending items to Ireland via Royal Mail or should I suspend shipping to Ireland altogether?

We have had some Ireland packages rejected (failed electronic customs clearance) and returned to sender, but not every package so I am still at a loss as what to do and wondering whether this problem is still occurring for UK ebayers sending to Ireland via Royal Mail.

Many Thanks

[vagbolts]

We're still getting issues, had a packet returned to us today which was sent few weeks ago (click & drop).

As such we have completely suspended all shipments to Ireland as we have had dozens rejected by the useless An Post - despite all electronic customs data being correct as far as we can tell.

[wastingtime101]

I can't believe this is still going on. Has anybody reading this spoken with Royal Mail to see if they're sending the customs info electronically in advance like another poster mentioned was the initial problem with Canada?

Are US sellers shipping direct with USPS still seeing packages returned?

I've been using Asendia and fortunately my packages have all made it through OK.

[robcorby]

I have to agree absolutely useless - just got a parcel electronically rejected even through the local Royal Mail sorting office  said and have confirmed  everything is in order - no explanation at all from AN what was wrong.  Have not had this problem anywhere else in Europe one wonders why.  Any suggestions?

[wastingtime101]

Can you tell us what the item was, including material, and what HS code was used @robcorby?

So far the only 2 explanations sellers have uncovered are:

1. The postal service did not electronically send the customs info in advance to An Post.
2. The HS code was wrong.

That doesn't mean there aren't other reasons, but those are the 2 that appear to be uncovered to date. The more info we can get from sellers that had packages rejected, the better chance we can figure out what's happening and how to work around it.

[mitchiemasha]

Still an issue. Return today 08/12/21. Postage bought via Royal Mail Click & Drop IOSS applied.

[johnrj1226]

Strongly believe  it was rejected by Customs i.e. item not allowed to be imported.  Customs agents have the final say so.  You can checked on the net to see what is & ain't allowed.  Canadian Customs real sticklers - heck they haven't allowed the Stanley Cup to come in in many, many years and the game was invented by them and the majority of US players were Canadians way back been - like the infamous Gordie Howe of the Deeetroit (pronounced Deee troyt) Red Wings.  Born / raised in the state that looks like a hand and a running rabbit  Down  River area.

[vikkibarnfield]

Has anyone found out how to ask Dublin Customs the reason for the return?  I'd hope that somewhere there is a list of parcels and the reason they are returning them.

[plummetairlines]

I've just had the same problem - bought postage label via Royal Mail click and drop which also printed the customs label. It's only a £1.99 CD but according to the sales record the buyer paid an extra £1.60 in Irish tax.

The package has been returned by an post rejected/failed electronic customs clearance.

If I refund the buyer should I refund the total amount he paid, including tax, or the amount I received, not including tax? And should I claim from Royal Mail, as it was their system that printed the "failed" customs declaration?

How are other sellers dealing with these incorrectly returned packages?

[typhil-8820]

I just put a pause on all shipping to Ireland as well. I have also tried shipping labels from Etsy and Shopify and everything continues to come back. Very frustrating. 

[behr_86]

Not ebay,  I just had a packet of family photos (so marked, with  ZERO value) rejected by Irish customs. Very frustrating. I'm also out the $28 it took to ship the photos, although I'm going to try and take it up with USPS.

[marma_7564]

I had a package that arrived in Ireland Dec 18 and was returned, arriving in PA today for the very same reason yours was returned. This is the second package this has happened to. 

[laurela_59]

I have had this happen twice now from Ireland. I used the Royal mail CLICK & DROP and filled in all the forms, including the ebay drop down where I entered the order number.  It was for a £1.99 fridge magnet, so I put in the correct £1.99 value.  BUT, it came back.....Here is my theory, not only does ebay add the VAT to the value of the goods, but they also add it to the postage costs.  When I send outside of ebay, of course postage is VAT free and you would never put that on the customs slip.

HOWEVER...my post cost is £3.99 + £1.99 for the magnet. I recon they throw it out as I put a value of £1.99. I think its looking for the combined value with post = £5.98.   I have blocked sales to all countries around the globe since the pandemic except Ireland. However, I am now adding Ireland to my block list and will just stick to the UK from now on.

[antiquesnbooks]

Same problem. Only in my case the package has never been returned to me. (shipped January 4th, 2022 and today is March 3rd, 2022....two months). eBay wants me to reimburse the buyer AND take the loss of my items ($200 worth) AND keep the final value fees that they collected on the price of the items, the shipping cost, and the VAT that the buyer paid. So eBay ends up with a profit of about 30% of my item cost. I end up losing my items, paying for shipping cost ($30) and for eBay fees ($60). I lose my items and $90 on the deal...WHAT THE HELL !!  The REASON the package was not delivered, after extensive research, is that eBay International Standard Shipping is not in synch with the required electronic customs codes and requirements of certain countries such as Ireland. The REASON so many packages are lost or returned by eBay's very inept and TERRIBLE shipping program is the FAULT of eBay International Standard Delivery. BUT, we, the sellers of eBay are the ones who are financially penalized for eBay's incompetent shipping service, which is part of eBay. But does that really surprise anyone that a multi-billion dollar corporation that facilitates shill bidding and other forms of cheating the buyers in order to increase the corporations profits and ill-gotten gains. Frankly eBay totally SUCKS but it is the only game in town. I am no lawyer, but I believe that it may very well be a federal crime for a corporation to knowingly facilitate wire fraud, which is what shill bidding is, on a massive scale. I think the federal crime is called RACKETEERING and I believe eBay should reimburse the millions of sellers who have been cheated on eBay by sellers who hide behind "private bidding" and a corporation that aids, abets, and profits from such illegal tactics by failing to do anything about it except instruct their employees to repeat the same old script that they try to do anything. Hey you corporate lawyers out there: Does class-action lawsuit ring a bell?

[antiquesnbooks]

    eBay International Standard Delivery program is TERRIBLE !!  EVERYBODY LISTEN : DO NOT USE ANY OF EBAY'S SHIPPING PROGRAMS !!  They are completely mismanaged, incredibly slow, very over-priced and many packages are lost, or if you are lucky, returned. FIRST, the reason that your package was returned from Ireland is because eBay International Standard Delivery used the incorrect custom codes. How do I know? I just got done dealing with eBay about the same issue. To resolve it, as a matter of principle, I consumed over 20 hours on the phone with eBay representatives !! eBay International Standard Delivery is STILL doing the same mistake (You would think that they would have learned by now, No?)

    Now to deal with this issue, or any issue, you unfortunately MUST speak with representatives on the phone. If you submit claims or appeals online, as eBay wants you to do, it is GUARANTEED 100% percent of the time that the decision will be in favor of the buyer. No human will ever look at your claim or appeal and it is programmed by electronic bots to ALWAYS rule in favor of the seller. This is not my opinion, but the truth that has been conveyed to me many times over the last ten years by supervisors for eBay.

    So you must deal with humans. Now be prepared to spend countless hours speaking with first-line eBay representatives from 3rd World countries. (I can only imagine how little corporate FeeBay pays those workers (pennies per hour?). Well, these workers are nice but their English is not the best and they have limited power to do anything. You must tell them your story, and afterwards you must INSIST on speaking with their supervisor, who has slightly more power to do things.

    If you are then very lucky, they will grant you a favorable outcome in the next few days, but the victory will be short-lived as you will inevitably receive notice that your favorable decision has been overturned on appeal in the buyer's favor. Then you have to get on the phone and start the whole process again. It is very time-consuming and expect your calls to be dropped repeatedly.

    Always request from your eBay representative two things: The service request number which allows eBay to review the phone call and write down the first name of the representative.

    OK, now to avoid problems with eBay's shipping programs just do what I do ....don't use them! This advise will save you money, countless hours of your time, customers, and your sanity! Use USPS Priority Mail International, or for more expensive items UPS Worldwide. Insure your items. Shipping is MUCH FASTER. Your customers will be much happier. If there are any problems, just file an insurance claim and you will not have to deal with eBay

    Today is March 12th, 2022. eBay International Standard Delivery is still using the wrong custom codes as of the present and packages are not being delivered. Supposedly the packages are returned, but I have never seen any returns come back to me. Rumor has it that eBay International Standard Delivery keeps the returned packages and sells the to wholesalers. I cannot substantiate this claim, just that I heard it on the forum boards, but if it is true it would bot surprise me.

    Anyways, I hope this helps someone out there. Good Luck.