We continue our series of articles in which we provide answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the eBay auction. Today we’ll talk about the delivery of goods from eBay, as well as the customs duties that are possible with such delivery.
What is the best delivery method? How much does delivery cost? When and how to pay for it? What may be subject to customs duties? To which countries are goods not sent? We will give answers to these and other questions within the framework of this article.
I won the lot foreBay. How can I get it?
eBay is a global auction that brings together sellers and buyers from different parts of our planet. Therefore, it will not be difficult to deliver the lot you win to the address specified during registration. Many sellers ship worldwide using a network of national postal services.
Sometimes it happens that you may encounter certain restrictions - the seller refuses to deliver to your country, which he previously indicated in the description of his lot. Then you can use the services of intermediary companies, or try to negotiate with the seller so that he lifts his restriction on an exceptional basis.
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How quickly will I receive the goods fromeBay? What are the delivery times for goods fromeBay?
It all depends on the country where the seller and buyer are located, as well as on the delivery method you choose. If you chose “free shipping”, then you should not expect the goods earlier than 30 days later. Usually this type of delivery can be delayed up to 60 days. Free is a very long time. Of course, you can pay for transportation, but sometimes the amount is by no means small.
By sea from the USA you will receive the goods no earlier than in 25-30 days, by airmail 10-20 days. Delivery from European countries is usually faster. After completing the transaction, the Seller will offer you a list of delivery methods from which you can choose the most acceptable one.
What is a “verified physical address” and why does the seller agree to ship only to it?
Only US residents can confirm their place of residence. This is another way to make sure that you are a living person and have provided real data. If the seller stipulates delivery conditions only to a “confirmed physical address,” then you will have to use the services of intermediary companies. They will accept the goods at their warehouse in the USA, and from there they will send them to your residential address.
Many sellers indicate delivery only to a “confirmed physical address” in order to be on the safe side and protect themselves from scammers.
Like parcels purchased oneBay, go through customs?
There is no definite answer to this question, and it all depends on many factors - the indicated price of the product, its size, weight, type, etc. There are various customs nuances that it is advisable to familiarize yourself with in advance.
Within the framework of this article, we will not be able to consider in detail the conditions for passing customs inspection of goods when delivered to Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries. Therefore, in the near future read an article on our website in which we will cover these points.
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Please clarify how the package girth is calculated?
When sending any parcel, there are usually maximum dimensions, namely weight, length, width and girth. Girth is calculated using the following formula: (Height + Width)×2 + Length.
Does eBay provide shipping insurance for items?
No, eBay does not insure shipping. Its competence only includes completing a transaction within the auction (buy/sell). Delivery is already the jurisdiction of companies that ship goods from point “A” to point “B”.
You can notify the seller if you want to insure the package, but this will cost additional money. Very often, expensive delivery methods already include insurance in the price. As a rule, this is no more than $100.
I was sent an item from the USA via USPS, the seller sent me a tracking number, but when I enter it on the operator’s website, I get the response “The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on (date) to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available." What does it mean?
The USPS.com website has a simple and convenient printing function called. “Shipping Label” - special stickers on a parcel or package, where all the information regarding delivery is indicated. Address, recipient, barcode and everything else. The received message indicates that the Seller has entered all the details, printed this sticker and the parcel has been assigned a unique identifier. After this, he must take the parcel to the post office where it will be weighed, the cost of shipping will be paid, and the shipment will be made directly. As a rule, after printing the stickers, parcels are sent within a few days. The parcel can be sent in a way that is not tracked via the Internet, then this message can be issued by the system constantly. But even if the shipment was made in a way that includes tracking, the current status may appear in the system only after 5-10 days.
What is the “mail forwarding” service and when is it beneficial?
Many companies and sellers on eBay do not ship to Russia and CIS countries. What is this connected with? Hard to say. They probably don’t want to deal with us, because they think that “our” buyer is not reliable, or the delivery services in our countries leave much to be desired. Whatever it is, the fact remains a fact. You may experience that delivery will not be possible. Some intermediary companies offer a “virtual address” or “mail forwarding” service. You are provided with an address in the USA or European countries and a cell number. This address is assigned only to you, and must be indicated as the main one upon delivery. Having received the goods in your personal locker, the intermediary company will send it to your actual residential address. It is very convenient if you often order from those who do not deliver to Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries.
For more details about the delivery of goods from eBay, as well as about various customs duties and fees, see the video attached under this article.
Before you click the coveted Buy It Now button and worry about choosing delivery, you should make sure that the seller ships the goods to your country. Under the price field there is a Shipping line, which indicates in which country the product is located and to which countries the seller ships it.
Possible options:
May Not Ship to Russian Federation– shipping to Russia is not carried out. In this case, it is possible to contact the seller, find out the reasons for the reluctance to ship to your country and ask him to still send you the goods.
If you are ordering from Ukraine, see if delivery to Russia is available. If yes, explain to the seller that these countries are nearby and, most likely, he will meet you.
However, if the product is located in America and is inexpensive, shipping to your country may not be practical because... will be more expensive than the product itself. In this case, we recommend using the services of intermediaries providing mail forwarding services
Ships to: Worldwide- goods are shipped all over the world. However, there may be exceptions - if “See exclusions” is indicated next to it, be sure to follow this link and read which countries the goods will not be sent to (Shipping to: Worldwide. Excludes: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia... ).
You can also get detailed information about the methods, costs and timing of shipping the selected product to your country on the Shipping and Payments tab on the product description page.
Shipping Types on eBay
Shipping on eBay can be paid or free.Free shipping on eBay is indicated in the Shipping field: FREE, and then one of three options follows:
- Economy Int"l Shipping (11 – 20 working days)
- Standard Int"l Shipping (5 – 10 working days)
- Expedited Int"l Shipping (1 - 4 business days)
The main methods of delivering goods on eBay:
Using the state mail of the sending country (USPS - for America, Royal Mail - for Britain, Deutsche Post - for Germany, China Post - for China, etc.). It is characterized by more reasonable prices, or costs nothing at all (the cost of shipping is small and is already included in the price of the product). It is with this method that eBay provides free delivery to Russia, for example, of orders from China.
Using courier services (EMS, DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT). This option is more reliable and faster, but also costs more (sometimes significantly). The cost of paid shipping on eBay depends on the weight and dimensions of the item, as well as the countries in which the buyer and seller are located.
The choice of delivery service does not affect the passage of goods through customs control, however, some believe that for government services that have the right to work with international postal mail, these conditions are a little softer than for courier services. The duty-free import limit also remains unchanged regardless of the delivery method: Russia (for now) and Kazakhstan - 1000 euros and 31 kg, Belarus - 200 euros and 31 kg, Ukraine - 150 euros and 10 kg.
If the product is sent with paid shipping, the seller indicates its cost on the product description page in the Shipping field. The service through which the goods will be sent is also indicated: Shipping: EUR 6.00 Deutsche Post Brief. If the delivery method chosen by the seller - its price or timing - does not suit you, you can always ask the seller to send the order by the service that is convenient for you. Please note that the seller is not obliged to meet you halfway in this matter - most often the sending process has already been established and he will not change anything for the sake of one person.
– Unlike Asian stores, eBay does not provide a track number for tracking parcels by default, even if the goods are delivered from China. If you want to receive a track, you must inform the seller about this before making payment. You may have to pay about $2 extra for the track.– For expensive or rare goods, it is possible to insure the parcel. Please note that insurance will also increase the cost.
– Sometimes the seller includes his profit in the shipping cost. This is done in anticipation of inexperienced buyers, to attract attention with the low price of the product, so be sure to look at the delivery cost. If it seems too high to you, check the calculations of the online calculator on the website of the postal service you are using, and insist on using a different delivery method. However, remember that the cost of delivery may also include the cost of packaging, insurance and even the seller’s travel to the post office, as well as the region of the country in which the seller lives; online calculators give an approximate cost of delivery without taking into account the stated indicators
If you chose a more expensive shipping method and paid for it, but the item was shipped using a cheaper method, you can open a dispute and demand a partial refund in an amount equal to the difference between the paid and the actual shipping price. To confirm your words, save the documents from the post office and the package indicating the delivery service in which the parcel arrived.
Also, some goods and sellers take part in the eBay Global Shipping program in which delivery to the buyer’s country is carried out by the eBay auction itself, more about this program in a separate
As you know, eBay is a platform where thousands of sellers independently set the price of their goods, and also decide what type of delivery to offer to their customers.
If you shop on eBay often, you've probably already noticed that one part of the sellers They offer delivery via United States Post Service (USPS). “US Post” is a good option if you live in France or Canada. But when sending parcels to Russia, US Post transfers your purchases to Russian Post for delivery within the Russian Federation.
What is eBay's Global Shipping Program?
Another part of the sellers, much smaller (we will tell you why now), establish default delivery through the Global Shipping Program (or GSP). This is a joint brainchild of eBay and the large American transport company Pitney Bowes, who in 2013 decided to launch an alternative to the postal channel. The start of the program was colored by a surge of indignation among sellers, because... GSP initially tried to “impose on top”, depriving sellers of the choice of which delivery method to indicate in their lots. But later, under the influence of complaints, the program was rolled back and participation in it was made optional.
Why didn't sellers like GSP? Firstly, it turned out to be more expensive than the postal channel. For example, delivery of this iPhone 6S will be as much as $76 ( instead of the $10 we offer ), and secondly, the delivery speed was lower than expected. First, the parcels must be delivered by “ground” to the Pitney Bowes warehouse in Kentucky, and from there, after the shipment is complete, they go abroad to Pitney Bowes’ foreign partners. Delays occurred both in Kentucky and on routes from the United States abroad. The most interesting thing is that buyer disputes opened due to non-delivery of goods sent via GSP no longer affect the seller’s rating! That is, responsibility was removed from the sellers and no one else. in fact, they didn’t shift it.
Why delivery via US Postal Service - Russian Post is not the best choice
First of all, because delivery is via “US Post – Russian Post” expensive What we offer, however, does not imply any significant benefits. See for yourself, the US Post offers three types of international delivery to the fourth zone (where the Russian Federation is located according to the US Post classification):
a) Express Int’l Shipping is a fairly fast and convenient method, but very expensive. Shipping costs start at $60.95 for the first pound of weight. In addition, once parcels arrive in Russia, they are transferred to EMS couriers. Google “EMS courier reviews” for your city before choosing this type of delivery.
b) Priority Int’l Shipping – a little slower, but also unreasonably expensive (from $42.75 for the first pound). The parcel arrives at the nearest Russian Post office, and you receive a receipt in your mailbox stating that you need to pick up the parcel yourself. The time frame is from two weeks. If it were not for the price, then the option is not bad, because... no need to chase the “EMS courier” around the city.
c) Economy Int’l Shipping is a cheap (and often subsidized by the seller), but very slow delivery method. Cost starts from $22, and weight is limited to 2 kg. The timing is also not very good - the parcel takes 1-2 months to Russia. But the main inconvenience is that the seller, in most cases, does not provide you with a tracking number. And if it does, then the parcel is no longer tracked after it leaves the United States. This is due to the fact that parcels, or rather small packages (maximum weight is limited to 2 kg) are delivered to Russia in huge bags, i.e. “in bulk” and the Russian Post (which does the “last mile”) does not scan each individual barcode. As a result, according to eBay rules, in case of loss of a package, the buyer will need to open a dispute, the consideration of which usually takes one and a half to two months.
Another feature of the “US Post – Russian Post” channel is the inability to independently control the entire progress of delivery to your home. If the package is delayed or lost, you will be asked to send a claim to the Post Office and open a dispute on Ebay. But you need your newly purchased $800 laptop, not an open dispute with an unclear timeline for a solution!
eBay is the largest online auction site in the world. Here you will always find a huge range of different goods: from food to cars, and sometimes even incredible curiosities. So, one day, William Shakespeare's manuscript "Prince of Tyre", which survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, was sold on eBay. The deal amount was more than impressive: £5 million.
It all started in California with one broken laser pointer in 1995. It was then that Pierre Omidyar created the online auction AuctionWeb as a complement to the functionality of his own website. The first lot of this auction was a faulty laser pointer, which Pierre sold for $13.83 to a strange buyer who collected such things. Over time, the project began to demonstrate clear viability and therefore the developer, at the very first stage of development, identified and emphasized three factors that eBay would rely on in the future:
- Basically all people are respectable.
- Everyone can contribute.
- In open communication, people show their best qualities.
As practice has shown, these three fundamental theses turned out to be successful and turned the Californian’s project into a real giant, popular not only in America, but also far beyond its borders. Now almost everyone who at least occasionally orders goods online knows how to buy on eBay.
eBay is represented all over the world by many branches, divided by country, all of whose products are collected in a huge database where you can literally find anything. It is important to understand: eBay is not a store, but a platform for sellers from all over the world who offer their goods for sale.
How to buy an item on eBay
“Buy on ebay in Russian” is one of the most popular queries in search engines, which is why we decided to explain in detail how to do this! And it’s true: eBay’s official website in Russian works great, but bad luck - only on some pages. If you need to translate the entire eBay into Russian, you can use automatic page translation via Google Translate - this will be much more efficient.
Now about the main thing: buying on Bay is possible in two scenarios.
- Auction— the seller puts up a lot with a minimum price and a trading end date, before which any user can increase the bid. The user whose price was the last becomes the buyer. It is worth noting that after winning the auction you cannot refuse the purchase - you are obliged to pay for the goods.
- Buy it Now- everything here is like in a store. There is no bidding, bidding, or end time for the auction. Users simply click the “Buy it Now” button and pick up the product.
Also, a combined option is possible, when the seller starts bidding, but in addition to them, sets a fixed price for which the lot can be purchased without waiting for the end of the auction. And also, to teach us how to buy, eBay sometimes gives the buyer the right to bargain with the seller by setting the “Make Offer” option. If you don't agree with the set price, but are clearly determined to buy, this feature will allow you to offer a slightly lower price.
It is difficult to say which method is the most common. Beginners almost always choose Buy it Now so as not to get involved in complications. More experienced users like to bargain, because this way they can buy goods cheaper than their market value. It is thanks to this approach that eBay has become a popular service - how profitable the transaction will be largely depends on the buyer’s experience and ability to search for the necessary goods with attractive conditions.
Not all people are decent
Unfortunately, the ebay online store does not always remain loyal to its customers. Therefore, if you want to buy something here, we recommend that you treat your purchase carefully and carefully study several nuances before giving your money to the seller.
In order not to get into an unpleasant situation, you should be vigilant, because in addition to respectable sellers, there are also scammers, against whom even a complaint to PayPal will not help. First of all, read the detailed description of the product and make sure that it is exactly what you are going to buy. Check the condition of the product, brand name, model name to be 100% sure that you are buying the new item you need and not a used replica.
Some unscrupulous sellers can very discreetly disguise something else as a real product. An excellent example is the sad experience of one of our clients, who spent a lot of time trying to win a tempting lot: a new fifteen-inch Apple MacBook. His bid turned out to be the last, and he bought this device for $1677 with free delivery to our warehouse. Imagine his surprise when the parcel contained not a brand new laptop, but only instructions for it. Moreover, formally in this case the seller did not deceive anyone - in the description of the product it was said that instructions were being sold, so the appeal to PayPal did not return the buyer’s money.
Agree, buying instructions on eBay for more than one and a half thousand dollars, even for such a good computer, is not a very good deal. To reinforce this, we repeat - before ordering on eBay, we recommend:
Since eBay is not a regular online store, it has its own rules. For example, after a transaction is completed, the seller and buyer exchange feedback. The seller usually leaves a “plus sign” after receiving payment from the buyer, who, in turn, evaluates the quality of the seller when the goods are delivered to him. This is an excellent characteristic of honesty, because this is where it all began! Take the time to honor the reviews of the seller from whom you are planning to buy something. It would be even better to find reviews specifically for the product you are looking for to make sure that everything is in order with it and that it is exactly what you need.
Registration on eBay is quite simple. On the main page, click on the Register button, then fill out a simple form and your new account is ready - you can start shopping. Found what you need? Now there is only one question left: How to order on eBay? There is nothing simpler, just click “Buy” and proceed to checkout. First you will need to indicate your parcel post address.
Please note that the phone number must be entered without hyphens, otherwise the site will not accept it. Instead of XXXX, indicate your Ste-number, and, of course, your first and last name, under which your Banderolkin account is registered. It is by the Ste number and by your first and last name that we will understand that the parcel that has arrived is yours.
Now you need to choose a payment method - log into your PayPal account or card and pay for the goods.
Read all the information about PayPal and how and when to open a dispute in this article.
Help with purchasing
If you don't want to do the shopping on e-bay yourself, you can let us do it for you. Our operators will be happy to buy the goods you are interested in, but it is worth keeping in mind that we only buy goods that can be purchased without trading - only Buy it Now goods. A purchase auction on eBay is the prerogative of the user himself; we cannot help with this at the moment.
So, you enthusiastically made your first purchases, participated in the auction, were worried about who would be the winner, and then paid for your first purchases with trepidation... But time passes, The goods have been paid for and perhaps even shipped, but they still don’t arrive. At the post office they have already begun to recognize you by sight when you come and check to see if a package has arrived in your name. And more and more often questions begin to arise in my head about how long to wait for an order from eBay without fear of being left with nothing.
What if the seller didn’t send it? Yes, and you have difficulties with the English language, at best only with a translator. And in general, who will reimburse me for everything? In short, there are a lot of questions, and your loved ones may have already begun to cast sidelong glances at you with silent reproach, saying, “We told you - don’t get involved!” Hmmm, it’s an unenviable situation, to be sure...
You started frantically searching the Internet to find out how long it takes to order from eBay. And so it began: some people talk about 45 days, some mention 30, and some even threaten 180 days of waiting. But everyone agrees on one thing: if you miss the deadline for the dispute (another scary word), then you will lose everything!
My head is spinning, thoughts arise that it would be better to buy it near the house, albeit much more expensive, but without unnecessary worries! Sound familiar?
Let's calm down together. eBay, acting as an intermediary between you and the seller, has undertaken the obligation that if you, a respectable buyer, have paid for everything, filled out everything (indicated the correct address in Latin letters in your personal account), but have not received your goods, then all funds spent, including shipping costs. The Buyer Protection Program explains and guarantees all this in clear language. Naturally, if you seek help in a timely manner.
Let's look at a specific example. Let's say you bought and paid for an item that is listed in your list of purchased items in your personal account.
Let's take a look at the image:
Screenshot from eBay.com
The image clearly shows that the estimated delivery time ranges from April 27 to May 25, 2016. The question arises: what was the seller actually thinking when he set such divergent deadlines? And here is the first important note: these deadlines are set by an automatic calculation system based on your address and the type of delivery offered.
In our case, it is free (and here is the second note: nothing is free, you pay for everything). But to make the lot more attractive, the seller does not indicate this. Of course, the delivery method will be chosen at his discretion, and at such a cost of the lot, it is obvious that it is the cheapest. And this means extended deadlines. So all you have to do is wait.
And yet, how long should we wait? Buyer Guidelines: The eBay Money Back Guarantee applies to all items listed for sale that are covered by this program. .
You can find information about this on the product description page. Naturally, it is advisable to do this before purchasing. The information you are looking for looks like this:
Screenshot from eBay.com
Do not rush to frantically search for the Guarantee on the page of the purchased product. Most likely, your purchase is also covered by this protection - it applies to most eBay products. There are exceptions, but we are not talking about that now.
We will continue to protect the buyer. The rules establish the following:
If the latest estimated delivery date has passed and the item has not been received, open a request in the Conflict Resolution Center. This must be done within 30 days of the latest estimated delivery date. Indicate the reason for opening the request: “I have not received my product yet,” and then select the desired product from the shopping list.
We return to the deadlines indicated for our product, with the understanding of what is written above. It turns out that our deadline for delivery is May 25, 2016:
Screenshot from eBay.com
Therefore, within 30 (or preferably 29) days after May 25, 2016, we have the legal and guaranteed right to contact the seller with a request/demand for the return of all funds spent. Why 29 days? Because due to the time difference, we risk not making it in time and will lose the legal right to open a request (dispute) under protection.
To eliminate risks, we calmly wait for almost a month and, if no changes occur (the goods have not arrived), we begin the specified dispute/request procedure. As you can see, with the proposed option there is quite a long time for calm waiting, without hassle and doubt.
It would seem that this would be worth putting an end to, but what to do when the specified waiting interval is missing? Indeed, there are cases when the seller does not put a sign indicating that the goods have been shipped (this is not a violation), or the specified interval is missing.
Screenshot from eBay.com
In this case, look for the “Additional actions” inscription next to the product and select the “Contact the seller” option in the drop-down menu.
Screenshot from eBay.com
On the page that opens, select the one we need from the proposed options. In this case, this is the “I did not receive the item” option. Please note: in the proposed options there are two answer options, as indicated by the number (2):
Screenshot from eBay.com
As you can see, despite the options hidden at first glance, the estimated date of arrival of the goods exists, and we now know it. It's time to remember that eBay's rules state:
If the latest estimated delivery date has passed and the item has not been received, open a request in the Conflict Resolution Center. This must be done within 30 days of the latest estimated delivery date.
Therefore, we still have enough time to calmly wait for the arrival of the shipment without fear of missing the guaranteed deadlines for starting the procedure for requesting a refund (opening a dispute).
It should be added: if the seller and buyer live in the same country, the maximum delivery time is reduced to 30 days, and depending on the type of delivery (for example, expedited) and even shorter.
The responsibility to follow these deadlines rests entirely with you. If you missed the deadlines, you will have to take advantage of the PayPal Buyer Protection Program, which regulates the delivery guarantee within 180 days:
Screenshot from eBay.com
Have a great day and happy eBay shopping!
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