SHIPPING TO IRELAND PROBLEMS

[gunmanblue]

returns, Any one else having items to ROI being rejected by customs, sent a badge and a novelty coin and both have been rejected by Irish Customs as having "failed Electronic customs clearence " sent via Post Office with customs label etc ???

[4_bathrooms]

How did you pay for the postage?

[gunmanblue]

Hi

Via the post office counter as always

[4_bathrooms]

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@gunmanblue wrote:

Hi

Via the post office counter as always

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Did they ask you which marketplace (i.e. eBay) the item was sold via?

[gunmanblue]

Hi

It had the VAT paid number on the sticker as always, same as all other EU destinations

[4_bathrooms]

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@gunmanblue wrote:

Hi

It had the VAT paid number on the sticker as always, same as all other EU destinations

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It doesn't matter. IOSS is electronic customs data that is conveyed via a barcode on the address label. This data is only present if the postmaster asked you which marketplace you sold the item via and pressed the "eBay" button when generating the address label.

Irish customs are very strict about it. No electronic customs data = item rejected. Without it all your EU buyers also risk being charged VAT again. 

[ett1954]

To add to what @4_bathrooms  has stated; the safest way to post internationally by Royal Mail is to open a Royal Mail online account and integrate it with your eBay account.  This will then automatically ensure that any customs data will be entered electronically onto the address label when you generate it.  This is confirmed by an IOSS logo in a circle printed on the label.  It will also print off your customs label to be affixed to the package.

You can then arrange for Royal Mail to collect or still run down to the post office to drop off if you wish.  Pick up by Royal Mail automatically generates a 'proof of postage' when first scanned on collection.

[gunmanblue]

Hi

Both have a printed address label saying VAT h5 ? the guys in the post office know i am an ebay seller !

Probably doesn't matter as will be stopping shipping to the EU next month anyway 

[4_bathrooms]

The address label should have a QR code on the left and a regular barcode on the right. There should also be an IOSS logo on it (black circle containing "IOSS" in white letters). The QR code contains the electronic customs data; nothing human-readable is "electronic customs data".

The item was rejected because it failed electronic customs clearance - that usually means the electronic customs data was either unreadable or incorrect.

[fatbobfan]

I had two Eire returns in August, exactly as you describe

After much investigating you can find out why you were given the 'failed electronic clearance label' and the return. 

Email - ecommchargequery@anpost.ie

In my case one parcel was incorrectly processed at the branch, so if the PO branch makes an error and this is the example they stated on the electronics customs the order value is 0.01p (your paperwork says £35, Ebays packing slip says processed with the correct tax but if the branch processes it as 0.01p (PO staff advise this is  default system value), then customs will reject as its value is not 0.01p, 

The other was processed correctly  but somewhere customs decided additinal charges applied? No other reason given and the buyer refused to pay, seasoned seller of 20 years confident it was processed correctly at my end.  

Drop them a line, supply your tracking details and ask for the reason why, the iportant bit on your parcel to contact them is failed electronic clearance, ROI record this information

PS took a few days, guessing it may be longer with this time of year

[4_bathrooms]

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@fatbobfan wrote:

In my case one parcel was incorrectly processed at the branch, so if the PO branch makes an error and this is the example they stated on the electronics customs the order value is 0.01p (your paperwork says £35, Ebays packing slip says processed with the correct tax but if the branch processes it as 0.01p (PO staff advise this is  default system value), then customs will reject as its value is not 0.01p, 

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I think this just reinforces @ett1954's point about Royal Mail online being the safest option for purchasing international postage. The seller enters the applicable information and it generates the electronic customs data on the address label and the requisite CN22; you're not relying on someone else - who might be rushing - to do it correctly. Most of the posts I have seen about problems with ECD have involved an address label printed at a Post Office counter. The problem with ECD is because it is not human-readable the sender has no way of knowing whether the data it contains is correct or not unless they purchase the postage label themselves via RMO or eBay.

Ireland's customs are very strict about ECD because of the (allegedly) soft border with the UK. If the value is stated as 1p the item will almost certainly be rejected as that would clearly be absolute rubbish in virtually all cases making it look like a false declaration has been made to evade VAT.

[ett1954]

Just to add, although not related to customs, there are other benefits to purchasing direct from Royal Mail's online facility.

In addition to what has been stated earlier the website highlights errors on the addresses provided by eBay (presumably incorrectly entered by the buyer) such as postcodes which will prevent the label being generated until corrected; in addition the address will be formatted correctly on the label, including capitalisation where required or preferred.  Correct formatting is important for certain countries; Canada springs to mind, which, as I found out many years ago can result in a return if not correct.

Any of the above can result in returns or mis-deliveries.  I sell globally and started using Royal Mail's online label purchase when IOSS was introduced in July 2021.  Since, I have posted many hundreds of items internationally and have not had a single customs issue, nor any item misdelivered.

Tip: if you do handwrite address labels always remember to use black ink, and full capitalisation is recommended.

[fatbobfan]

Both you and @ett1954 are correct, want a job done properly do it yourself.

But we need to give support to the Post Office as well, they can and do so much for smaller communities and now larger ones as well,

I live in a recognised 'Town' which now has no banking, 3 high street branches gone, PO's are providing a satellite service for some banks, they provide support and the needs of the community especially in its older members.

The RM and PO have cut back the money making opportunities for the branches and taken these services to the 'main' branches,  its getting harder and harder for the little guy so to speak, 4 smaller PO branches around this town have closed in the last 10 years, their numbers are getting fewer and yet for small communities they do so much,

We need to support them, if we can/choose, if we dont they will soon be gone, just look at the closure rate not helped but the management fiascoes, wording it nicely! The recent highlighting has created some users to talk with their feet in outrage, not realising its the branch it really hurts, small PO branches are getting it from all directions

Just a shout out for your local PO,

[bravergrace]

I'm all for supporting my local Post Office, but the trouble with this sort of thing, is that if a post office clerk makes a mistake, it's the seller who picks up the tab.

And if a post office clerk makes a systematic mistake, the seller can been faced with a whole batch of items being returned to sender.

My local post office has several counter clerks.  Two of them are excellent, been there years, no problems.

One needs guidance from customers on which buttons to press on their machine.

One insists on using minimum or maximum values for weights, rather than the item shown on the scales - so if you hand him a large letter and a small parcel, each weighing 90g, he enters the large letter as 1g, and the small parcel as 2000g. 

Obviously this isn't ideal when dealing with fussy customs inspectors.  Items declared as weighing less than 10g look dodgy.  They just do.

So my advice would be, use the post office for your domestic labels, but buy your own online labels for items going abroad, especially to pernickety countries that don't like the UK very much.

[fatbobfan]

Have to agree, its usully a human error behind the problem, be it in input or judgement but find RM Internationl Tracked and Signed really reliable as a rule, insist on it, so that gets rid of the scammers and if a customer wants the item they will pay, think it gives the buyer confidence

Do find the Drop and Go accounts online records for double checking processing and my human errors really helpful, the system emails you when any items are mailed so you can check immediately and get them to correct accordingly, not that often a problem, once/twice a year if im unlucky, mentioning as its a good tool.