US Tariffs Blue Banner

[lindisfarne2]

How much longer do we have to suffer no sales to the USA because US buyers see a blue banner across all my listings telling them they will have to pay a Tariff if they purchase my items. This not true as most of my items are exempt from the Tariffs and any that are not I pay the Tariff this end. All my items are sent by Royal Mail PDDP but there is no way of indicating this on listings. Here we are more than half way through October and unless I'm missing something  nothing appears to have changed regarding ebay  UK's  intervention in this for their sellers.

[kat@ebay]

Hi @lindisfarne2 ,

Thank you for your post.

Currently there is no way for the eBay system to verify if duties are being paid on the RM PDDP system  so the banner will remain for now. We will continue to share this feedback with our shipping team as they work on improvements.

Thank you,

Kat

[lindisfarne2]

Thank you for this explanation. I hope a solution can be found very soon as this is costing us many sales.

[tinksemporium]

kat@ebay Thank you for the explanation. However, why can't eBay's R&D team quickly do script for sellers like @lindisfarne2? It isn't all that difficult to write even a temporary or permanent script to filter for RM PDDP. And there is a way to verify if RM PDDP by looking at the tracking number as it will give all the information of sender, recipent, how much parcel and PDDP. 

But that is my own opinion.

[tinksemporium]

@lindisfarne2 I know a pain in backside but you can always put in the listing description that your item or items are exempt from Tarriffs. 

I have in my listings that tariffs will be due and it will vary by Country of Orgin. Although eBay is definately not helping you with the banner regarding sales to the US the majority of blame goes on someone else. I will not mention who but I am sure you can guess. 😁

I hope my suggestion helps

[4_bathrooms]

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kat@ebay wrote:

Hi @lindisfarne2 ,

Thank you for your post.

Currently there is no way for the eBay system to verify if duties are being paid on the RM PDDP system  so the banner will remain for now.

---

"Informational materials" such as art prints are exempt from the tariffs so the banner is displaying wholly incorrect information when it is shown on such a listing. Art prints are one example of the exemptions mentioned in the articles subject to 50 USC 1702(b):

"the importation from any country, or the exportation to any country, whether commercial or otherwise, regardless of format or medium of transmission, of any information or informational materials, including but not limited to, publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds."

[kat@ebay]

Hi @tinksemporium ,

Thank you for your reply and I do understand where your coming from.

As eBay is a large, integrated platform, making changes takes time as it can involve various departments and third-party systems. Our shipping team continues to actively work on enhancements.

Thank you,

Kat

[tinksemporium]

Hi kat@ebay 

I worked in the back end of telecoms (cloud based) so I understand what you have said. However, in the time from when the tariff issues started in April until now there has been plenty of time for all parties to come up with a solution. But again this is my opinion based on my experience. I do hope it is soon because it is affecting many of us to sell to the US whether exempt or not.

I know you are the messenger so not blaming you! 🙂

Regards,

Tinks

[padanpcparts]

Honestly I'm glad for this banner. The US is a nightmare at the minute and this saves me having to edit all the postage policies to exlude them. 

[lindisfarne2]

Hi @tinksemporium , Yes I had thought of putting something in the descriptions to that effect but I think really customers are just put off as soon as they see that blue banner and don't pursue things any further. I still don't really understand why Ebay are so categoric about US customers paying Tariffs when it clearly is not always the case and actually incorrect in my and many others cases. I sell on other platforms where there is no blue banner and I continue to sell to the USA without issue and my items are passing through customs very easily.

[4_bathrooms]

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@lindisfarne2 wrote:

Hi @tinksemporium , Yes I had thought of putting something in the descriptions to that effect but I think really customers are just put off as soon as they see that blue banner and don't pursue things any further. I still don't really understand why Ebay are so categoric about US customers paying Tariffs when it clearly is not always the case and actually incorrect in my and many others cases. 

---

I think the wording of the banner is a bigger issue than its presence:

"Due to US customs policies, the buyer of this item will need to pay import fees to the shipping carrier prior to delivery."

It doesn't state "may need to pay"; it states "will need to pay". This is incorrect if the item is exempt from the tariffs and/or if the seller will be sending the item via Royal Mail. I can understand eBay not relying on the carrier stated by the seller as a seller could state "Royal Mail" but actually send the item via another carrier.

I think eBay should at least change the word "will" to "may" and provide a link to an eBay help page that explains the exemptions that apply and how non-GSP items sent via the international postal system will have the tariffs (but not any local state taxes) pre-paid by the seller.

[maturin.surprise]

Hi kat@ebay 

I know all you can do is pass on technical issues, but this is seriously costing eBay money, not just UK sellers. I've had literally just 2 sales to the US since this factually incorrect banner has appeared.

Also, Royal Mail International Tracked can only go to the US by PDDP. As in. it's not possible to pay for a US-addressed Royal Mail postage label on Click & Drop without paying the tariff. So the system only needs a simple line in the code to spot the type of RM postage, then remove the banner.

As each week/month ticks by, ebayUK is losing more & more money because of this. It's madness that it hasn't been fixed yet. It really needs to be escalated because you're just shooting yourselves in the foot here needlessly.

[kat@ebay]

Hi @maturin.surprise ,

Thank you for your reply.

While we don't have control over making changes to the banner I will share your input as feedback with our shipping team. 

Thank you,

Kat

[tinksemporium]

For you it may be time saving but for many it is a problem. Especially if
we have to keep explaining again and again WHY?! But I do appreciate your
opinion and situation.

[heroes-assemble-comics]

This is terrible! I only sell zero rated comics and books which were manufactured in the US so there are no customs or tariffs to pay. I just had a potential US customer walk away from spending hundreds of pounds because of this stupid banner which is NOT appropriate for my items. I usually ship multiple orders per week to the US, so it's no surprise that I have only had 1 order since this banner was put up! Get it sorted!

[heroes-assemble-comics]

Hello, is there any update on this? My sales to the US have plummeted since ebay took this step. It is completely misleading to US customers as my goods were from the US originally and are zero rated so there are no tariffs but the message incorrectly says there ARE duties to pay...

[bricklanebargains]

Finally some action which is appreciated. 

I received a message from Ebay just when I was about to rant under this topic asking us to confirm that we send our goods to the US as DDP (delivery duty paid). I understand they are preparing to remove the blue banner in the US listings for sellers who confirm they pay US import duty upfront.

This is a step right direction on Ebay`s part, please keep up the good work and look after your hardworking UK sellers.  

[coxandbudgebooks]

I just had this message from ebay.com (though Lord knows why they've chosen me, I'd be glad of some sales to the UK, let alone the US...)

Please confirm if you are pre-paying import fees on your US shipments

Hi Geoff,

We know that many sellers choose to pre-pay import fees on shipments to the US, and we appreciate that commitment to delivering the best buyer experience.   We’re inviting you to join a small pilot for select sellers who ship Delivered Duties Paid to the US (i.e. pre-pay import fees). Our goal is to improve transparency for buyers by showing when import fees are already included.   This pilot is only available for items listed on the US site. Starting Dec 10, if you’re opted in, your listings will clearly show US buyers that the total price includes import fees. We’ll also remove the warning that additional import fees may be due after checkout.   To participate, please complete this short form by Dec 5.   Make sure your US site listings are updated to include import fees. We recommend adding import fees to the US shipping cost, rather than the item price, to keep your pricing consistent for buyers around the world.   By opting in, you confirm that:   All your items shipped to buyers in the US will be Delivered Duties Paid. You may continue to ship Delivered Duties Unpaid to buyers outside the US.   If a buyer is asked to pay import fees by the shipping carrier on a Delivered Duties Paid-marked item:   The buyer will be refunded. You’ll lose the sale and Final Value Fee. You’ll receive a transaction defect and be removed from the pilot.   This pilot will run for a limited time as eBay expands solutions that let buyers pre-pay import fees during checkout.   Thank you for helping us make international shopping more transparent and seamless for buyers.   The eBay team

[jlovie]

I wonder if that's been prompted by Etsy.

"Etsy is offering UK sellers a new delivery service for orders going to the US. It’s the first marketplace to offer Royal Mail’s postal delivery duties paid (PDDP) service directly on its platform – an effort to make sure US buyers are not surprised by duties upon arrival of their orders."

[heroes-assemble-comics]

The invitation to participate in a pilot to avoid "the blue banner" would be great but for 2 things...

Firstly, it doesn't start until 10th December which effectively writes off any chance of getting business from the US for Christmas.

Secondly, there are horrendously onerous conditions such as if the customer is charged any import duty (which can happen if an over eager customs person makes a mistake) then you have to refund the duty, forfeit the sale and proceeds and get a strike!

C'mon ebay, is this for real? We have been waiting for a solution for over 3 months and this is the best thing you have come up with???????????