Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe W. on May 19, 2019 at 4:11am

Rogers, does that vat number also include photographs?

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 19, 2019 at 4:16am

Great question!

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Permalink Reply by Full Time Flipper on May 20, 2019 at 1:26am

Ill have a look and get back but I think photographs do have some tax ,you sometimes have to have a bit of licence for instance the posters have to be classed as magazine posters a normal poster will incur fees but there shouldn't be any problem asking the seller to add magazine poster on the form could you class large photographs as posters probably ,on most things you have to tweek the description slightly for instance an autograph book with no autographs in it will incur fees but an autograph book with autographs officially classed as autograph book complete has no fees its a mine field but well worth exploring as it can save you a lot of money , if you use USPS with Royal Mail they like to charge you the full tax but you can claim it all back using a refund form most of the couriers fedex etc will charge you correctly even if they sometimes have to ring you to double check 

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Permalink Reply by Patrick1977 on May 20, 2019 at 2:47am

I avoid it as much as possible and skipped at least on 50% of the ebay global items as they make the item simply to expansive.

Most sellers agree with declaring a smaller value on the declaration so I get most items without paying any tax anyway.

And to everyone who claims it is safer as seller. It is not if you send the item from US via USPS with tracking you are safe as the tracking is until the postman hands it to you. with PitneyBowes the item is declared as delivered when it arrives in germany then it get's a new nubmer which isn't shown anywhere. regular shipping with tracking is as safe and much cheaper as the ebay global rippoff

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Permalink Reply by Don Webster on May 20, 2019 at 7:24am

Well said Patrick 

If you are in the U.S. shipping to Europe or Canada for example using your post office with tracking provides you with all the "safety" you need.

I had an issue once with an item that was late - late - late in arriving.

It was so late that I contacted eBay.

Once eBay confirmed with the seller that they had indeed sent the item with tracking my conversation with eBay ended abruptly. (BTW the item did finally arrive).

Look I get it -- it's a free country & sellers & buyers can do what they wish.

But if you can complete a sale safely & securely & enhance the experience for your buyer while you're at it then why not?

I wouldn't give eBay one penny more than necessary...

Just my 2 cents

BTW a reminder about the Google search - eBay Global shipping - search that & read away - it's a much maligned program...

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 20, 2019 at 8:00pm

One company I sometimes buy from ship (dhl) or something which works out cheaper but it takes a while before it leaves the states.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on May 20, 2019 at 8:18pm

It seems there is no clear cut answer. Global is the safest choice for the shipper although the most expensive to the buyer. I still believe that eBay's Global Shipping hurts a seller's selling potential. 

Is the risk worth the reward?

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Permalink Reply by Patrick1977 on May 21, 2019 at 5:55am

I disagree. There is a clear answer on the question. Yes it does harm your sales. Global makes the item more expansive then it is without. More expansive means less interest by buyers and fewer sales it is as easy as this. For buyers there is NO advantage then regular shipping with a tracking number so it isn't for sellers I see no advantage for seller neither it isn't saver. If you send it with tracking number neither ebay nor paypal will allow a claim on a shipped item when still in transit and once delivered it is proofed delivered. Untruthfull buyers will find a way to rip you off no matter how you send.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on May 21, 2019 at 6:01am

I think we agree more than you think.

Yes, eBay's Global Shipping hurts sales.

Yes, it's more expensive.

Yes, if someone is trying to rip you off they will find a way.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 20, 2019 at 8:24pm

The ecommerce created this problem, in this country we used to have a few options and because of people claiming through PayPal and fraud the options were smaller with tracking etc costing more money. 

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on May 21, 2019 at 5:22am

Doing business on the Internet can be a risky proposition. One thing from this discussion is obvious; buyers do not like eBay's Global Shipping program. And it certainly is flawed.

The upside is that it is convenient and the safest way to ship for sellers. The down side is the it is the most expensive method for buyers.

I appreciate all the input by members here. It may add more risk on my side but I believe there is a better way to ship. One the is fair for both the buyer and seller. This has caused me to rethink and change my shipping policy. More "buyer friendly".

Time will tell is the reward will be worth the risk.

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Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on May 21, 2019 at 8:40pm

I have decided to address the problem by entirely eliminating international buyers.  After reading how much ebay gouges for the service, along with sometimes collecting duty on items on which it is not owed, as well as cancellations I've had by international buyers who became livid over the charges, just doesn't make it worth my while.  If an international buyer wants one of my items badly enough, they will contact me, and we can probably work something out, but ebay really does nothing but screw the sellers continuously.

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