Don't move Country........ because its technically difficult for ebay !

[Anonymous]

So you've spent years building up your seller feedback.  You've never had a return, or a negative - but then you move country and ebay tell you to open up a new account because it is technically difficult for them to move your account.

I find it disgraceful, they constantly harp on about building your feedback and reputation, and then you lose it all because you've had to move.

[turbozutek]

Same here, but with Canada. I think we're being told porky pies, every other system I have for buying and selling has let me update seamlessly, just eBay that doesn't. 

Well, it's ok, if I can't keep my 24 yr history and reputation I'll go to some other site to sell. The tree covered in gum etc etc will have to do. 

[muddy-pig]

Change your primary address to the new one, and it seems to work.

I've just done this in order to get  a US postage quote to a US address (even though I am in the UK) and it's worked!

[sml192]

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@muddy-pig wrote:

Change your primary address to the new one, and it seems to work.

I've just done this in order to get  a US postage quote to a US address (even though I am in the UK) and it's worked!

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You can change the primary 'Delivery address' or primary 'Despatch address' to one in a different country but you can't change the 'Registration address' to a different country (unless both countries use the 'Payoneer' system for payouts and not 'Managed Payments').

[bluprince]

It doesn't work.

[tressygirl]

I believe the system has changed,  an d if you change countries you need help from eBay Customer Services.  It's not something you can manually do yourself.

Lines are still closed being a Sunday,  but open shortly at 9 a.m.

This is the easiest and quickest way to contact eBay Customer Services from the link below, for a Call Back option.  I do recommend contacting CS very first thing in the morning when the lines first open,  as there's more chance of Dublin answering

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

Lines open between 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays.

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

@bluprince 

[turbozutek]

EBay customer service can't help you. They twice told me to make a new account, as recently as last week. 

Read the thread: that's not just been my experience alone, others have posted that customer service can't help. 

[tressygirl]

That is the answer then,  a new account has to be opened,  and details / transactions cannot be moved from one account , cross countries,  to another.

Shame,   I understand fully the annoyance of losing all the good feedback , and an established exellent seller account, but those seem to be the rules now,  a new account and new registration if you change your country of registration has to be managed.

@turbozutek 

[bluprince]

No, it didn't change, you can't change the registration country, so if you don't have for example a German bank account anymore and you registered there, you have to open new account, it is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard or seen, unbelievably unprofessional and ludicrous.

[turbozutek]

Yes, we know: point is that's absolutely stupid. If there was an actual solid reason for it that perhaps eBay could tell us that might help. If legally we can't change address that's fine, why haven't they developed a mechanism to bring our feedback and time spent over to our new account then?

I'll tell you why: because they don't care, they want our money. Well, they are not getting it from me any more!

[tressygirl]

I am a member like yourself,  I do understand the frustration honestly, but we here like all other members,  often do not receive any updates on changes of policies and rules.  It once used to be that CS could change a country of registration for a member, now seemingly they cannot.

I will ask our Community managers the reason for this and hopefully,  unless it's a security reason,  they'll be able to tell me , and I'll come straight back to you with any answer, @turbozutek 

[turbozutek]

Cool thanks!

The very helpful people I spoke to at support couldn't tell me why, they were just not given a reason. 😞

[tressygirl]

Aaah bless,  the majority do tend to read answers from a pre prepared script and doubt this one lies anywhere on page 1 or 2 !  

If it's not a security issue,  I'll come back with an answer. 🙂

@turbozutek 

[jonesyriffic]

I'm delightfully running into the same issue.

My account was registered 15 years ago, here in the UK. I have never moved to another country, nor updated my country on my account.

What has happened though is that my account was hacked back in 2017 and the location apparently updated to China.

I only noticed this today when I went to sell for the first time in a decade, and it was defaulting the item location to China.

Can I get it updated? Absolutely not. It's ludicrous - especially when the issue is not of your own making.

[sml192]

How very frustrating.  I have seen a few others state that the country in their registration address has been changed to China, with the rest of the address remaing the same.  If nothing else in the account has been changed then this is more likely the result of a glitch rather than a compromised/hacked account, not that that helps you much unfortunately. 

[turbozutek]

Wow, I got three grands worth of stuff to sell coming to me, so I immediately went to  my trusty pal eBay who hasn’t let me down in decades of being a member: and then remembered I can’t sell there anymore! 👍

This is the kind of thing no one is going to be buying from someone who has zero feedback, so I’m not opening a new account to sell it. I asked around with some buyers who confirmed for me that a new account with the message ‘previously this account (old account name) with great feedback’ or something similar on it would be instantly held as too stupid to be true and viewed as a scam: so that’s out too. 

How’s that zero percent commission and sellers fees you’re getting from me working out for ya’ eBay? Are you enjoying that money going somewhere else? 😂

Can you share with us a reason for this absolutely terrible business model yet, a business model that smells like a scam to buyers?

[sge1968]

I struggle with the same thing, phoned them before. Whenever I do certain things, it defaults back to ebay.de (germany), even when I start from ebay.co.uk. These companies call themselves "pioneers", "high tech" etc. but in a global village they can't even reflect that somebody moves country. Absolutely pathetic. What have I not tried, every time you have to give password again but to no avail as simply it won't change. Absolute bloody shambles ebay. I am totally fed up.

[jonatjonatjonat]

I have to say the business I work for is the same. If you create an account with a linked address, then move country you would need to to create a new account.

For us its related to tax and vat. I assume ebay is similar if you moved they don’t have the means to portion off old orders or transaction at one vat rate then change those going forward.

while it’s frustrating, the vast majority of eBay customers won’t change country, so the 80/20 rule applies. EBay aren’t going to do what I would guess is a major technical change for a minority of their customers.

[turbozutek]

That's fine, we'll create a new account: but that history and feedback should  come with. There's no legal or taxational reason that couldn't happen and it would protect buyers as much as help sellers.

I'll reiterate: every single buy and sell business I work with (some owned by eBay, btw) made this change for me within a day without issue.

None of them had an issue, so it's possible. Hell eBay made that change for me in a day when I moved to Canada in the first place!

The notion that you'd lose a customer while running an international business for that reason is just bad business practice.

Creating a back port mechanism for feedback would take a graduate programmer about a day, much more effort has already gone into this thread requesting it, and by support staff trying to find out how to do it.