eBay

ef1970 · ‎21-12-2025

I have recently sold a record for £75 which I have sent using eBay's Global Shipping Programme from the UK to the US. After I posted the item, the buyer contacted me stating that the tracking information advised that they would have to pay import fees. They sent me a picture of my listing stating that is says the item is free from import charges. They wanted to cancel the order, as they don't believe that they should pay the import fees, claiming that they've bough records from the UK through eBay in the past, and they've never had to pay import fees. By this point, the record that they had purchased was already with Royal Mail so I couldn't cancel the order. I've been selling on eBay for many years, and I started using GSP when the programme was introduced. I always believed eBay processed all fees up front from the buyer so there was no hidden charges. And it even states in my listing that it will be free from import charges (although I was never aware that this was detailed in the listing until the buyer pointed this out). I contacted eBay customer support, and they told me that this was correct. Sometimes they will collect fees up front from the buyer, sometimes they don't and fees might be collected by another agency when they enter the country that they are being delivered to. I've never had this happen with an overseas sale before. And I've never had this happen to me with the purchases that I've made from overseas (including the US). So where do I stand? Does this buyer have a case? What happens if they refuse the delivery because they don't want to pay the extra fees? Shouldn't eBay be dealing with this as per the GSP promise? Any information and advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

tobiasd4 · ‎21-12-2025

If item sold through GSP, ebay charge buyer for international postage and import fees upfront.

If you post direct yourself, buyer will be charged by delivering courier for import fees.

I looked at 1 of your listings, it says "Contact seller for international postage " so not part of GSP.

Failure to pay import fees invalidates ebay MBG.

ef1970 · ‎21-12-2025

Hi. Thanks for your response. That is very strange, as it was definitely sent using GSP. Maybe I need to look at my account settings. I did remove all of my listings, and reposted them excluding the US in case shipping to the US was an issue. Tbh, I'm just a private selling selling off my record collection, and a few bits n bobs. I don't have the time to be dealing with the complexities of international shipping post Brexit, which was why I signed up for the GSP. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.