eBay

wecango88 · ‎06-14-2023

Hello,

I printed my first eBay Canada Post Label last night since it was around $1 less than my Shippo discount, and I specifically chose the Country of Origin as United States while choosing the dropdown boxes (since that is where the item originated). After looking at my PDF, the Country of Origin was changed CA/AB which I did not choose.

behemoth418 · ‎03-19-2024

Thank you for your attention to this matter devon@ebay 🙏

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎03-20-2024

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@behemoth418 wrote:
are you kidding me?! THIS IS STILL HAPPENING.

Are you sure it's not intentional?
@behemoth418
Here is another discussion on the topic from March 2023. It most likely goes back even farther. Just was not recognized by casual shippers (using eBay Labels) as a concern. It was never an issue when using Shippo, Net Parcel or SnapShip.

-Lotz

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Shipping-Label/m-p/491555

Back in 2022 the country it was being reported that the country of origin of goods did not display when you filled it in using eBay Labels.

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/country-of-origin-not-showing-on-ebay-label/m-p/479660

devon@ebay

Just as verification this is what sellers using eBay labels are legally confirming.

I confirm the Customs Form has been completed correctly

X_________________

-Lotzofuniquegoodies

mrdutch1001 · ‎03-20-2024

But eBay Canada does not care! eBay Canada does not care that Canadian sellers cannot complete the form correctly and accurately, when using eBay shipping labels...it's too much of a bother for eBay Canada to perform a simple fix for something so important....it would mean someone would have to spend a little time to do a little computer tech work and that's beyond eBay Canada's capabilities and way too time consuming to become a priority!

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎03-20-2024

@mrdutch1001 wrote:
But eBay Canada does not care! eBay Canada does not care that Canadian sellers cannot complete the form correctly and accurately, when using eBay shipping labels...it's too much of a bother for eBay Canada to perform a simple fix for something so important....it would mean someone would have to spend a little time to do a little computer tech work and that's beyond eBay Canada's capabilities and way too time consuming to become a priority!

"IF" CP ever questions one of those labels as being incorrect will just forward all the associated discussions for verification that we have "TRIED" to get this corrected and for how long. It's not likely to ever happen but there is "NO" reason why it shouldn't be accurate as per the sellers data input. Sadly it's been dysfunctional since eBay labels was released.

-Lotz

dinomitesales · ‎03-22-2024

devon@ebay

By not fixing this issue (or even acknowledging it) eBay is forcing sellers to lie to foreign customs authorities. You are forcing us to commit customs fraud.

Is this really something that eBay, a global online marketplace and multi-billion dollar company, is encouraging? By not fixing this issue you are basically saying that customs fraud is fine.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎03-25-2024

@dinomitesales wrote:
devon@ebay

By not fixing this issue (or even acknowledging it) eBay is forcing sellers to lie to foreign customs authorities. You are forcing us to commit customs fraud.

Is this really something that eBay, a global online marketplace and multi-billion dollar company, is encouraging? By not fixing this issue you are basically saying that customs fraud is fine.

@dinomitesales

@intimewithmusic

devon@ebay

Same goes for resolving the request for itemized invoice for ebay label charges when labels are originally created and a detailed explanation when an upcharge is sent after the fact for a shipment. This is only a zombie thread because eBay refuses to correct these shortcomings of a tool created ages ago.

-Lotz

As a side, a thumbs up without a response is not helpful.

intimewithmusic · ‎03-25-2024

How come the Zombie language isn't on the list?

intimewithmusic · ‎03-26-2024

@lotzofuniquegoodies

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@dinomitesales wrote:
devon@ebay

By not fixing this issue (or even acknowledging it) eBay is forcing sellers to lie to foreign customs authorities. You are forcing us to commit customs fraud.

Is this really something that eBay, a global online marketplace and multi-billion dollar company, is encouraging? By not fixing this issue you are basically saying that customs fraud is fine.
@dinomitesales
@intimewithmusic
devon@ebay

Same goes for resolving the request for itemized invoice for ebay label charges when labels are originally created and a detailed explanation when an upcharge is sent after the fact for a shipment. This is only a zombie thread because eBay refuses to correct these shortcomings of a tool created ages ago.

-Lotz

As a side, a thumbs up without a response is not helpful.

I can't help but interpret these various analogies as pinning ALL of the blame on eBay. In fact eBay provides the label. They are NOT the shipper/exporter. This apparently "grandfathered" misprint is annoying. Many sellers in the forum also state they feel including a simple HR code is annoying.

The COR and the HR are responsibilities of the exporter not eBay. When we add this information we also have the opportunity to consider the import restirictions of the country we are shipping to as well as the COR & the HR code. For example if you drop a pocket knife into an airjacket bound for the UK with no HR code is the resulting problem eBay's fault?.. You are the shipper. As with the countless other gliches there is a workaround.

Shippers have the option of attaching their own signed Customs form to the exterior of their packages. they can include the correct information and anything else theyu feel is helpful to customs. Then if there's an issue with the COR or the HR the shipper's information will be clear regardless of the fact it isn't in the electronic pathway.

Going back to the 1980s, before electronic information was a thing we were required to attach 3 copies of the manifest to the outside. With electronic data transfer these days I reduced that to 2 copies in addition to any 3rd party label.

" Knock on wood" but to date (since 1981) I've never had a single shipment lost or delayed in Customs. The additional work takes 2 minutes to fill in the form and attach to your package. The post office locations I deal with never object and always think it's a bonus not overkill.

There are numerous other reasons to do this that have been addresssed in other threads. This works for me but choose your own path. If you don't want to fill in a customs form you take a gamble. eBay just isn't listening. Most (90%) of eBay sales are under $30 so the duty derived from HR & COR hasn't come into play. We are seeing those duty levels being re-examined by country individually. Blaming eBay for possible legal ramifications and continuing to ship without a workaround is no excuse. You're the exporter not eBay.

On the other hand eBay has recently been hit with millions of dollars in government fines. You would think accuracy for customs labels would make their priority list. If this gliche is fixed I'll continue to attach my own manifest ( and retain a copy) for other purposes as I have since 1981.

dinomitesales · ‎03-26-2024

@intimewithmusic wrote:

Shippers have the option of attaching their own signed Customs form to the exterior of their packages. they can include the correct information and anything else theyu feel is helpful to customs.

A lot has changed. Foreign customs agencies are getting the customs data transferred to them electronically as soon as the information is submitted at the point of origin. They are making decisions on how to sort, process, and handle parcels before they even leave the origination country. Your parcel could be prematurely rejected or assessed incorrect duties before any human even looked at your hand-signed customs declaration. Even if your parcel made it to the destination country just fine, the customs official probably isn't taking more than a few seconds to look at your parcel - they're scanning the barcode, the information is popping up on their computer screen, and they're making a decision on how to process it based on the information that shows up. There's a good chance they won't even notice your hand-signed correction.

It's 2024 - the Electronic Advanced Data must be accurate to avoid delays in delivery and errors in customs processing. This is only going to get more strict as time moves on. eBay Canada has known about this issue for many many months - frankly, it's absurd that it hasn't been corrected yet.

intimewithmusic · ‎03-27-2024

@dinomitesales
To be clear I'm speaking about clearing international customs in a multitude of foreign countries not postal mail movement. Foreign customs each have different regulations, duty limits and technologies. You may be talking about domestic postal methods which dont apply in Africa, much of South America and parts of eastern Europe. Sending a shipment of value on a worldwide journey hoping the single paper label will survive with an intact bar code is more risk than Im willing to take. If it does get pulled for inspection someone does a visual and can examine the proper documents attached by a professional shipper. I've never known a proper shipper to rely on a 3rd party label for customs when shipping anything of value internationally except large companies that can absorb the losses.

behemoth418 · ‎03-27-2024

This issue NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO.

The customs documents are filed electronically and are automatically submitted when we purchase a Canada Post label through ebay. After we buy the shipment, we can look at the resulting label and see that the country of origin was incorrectly changed from whatever we had entered and now displays Canada/[home province]. It happens after we check the box to certify the information is correct and purchase the label. There is now an indication that what has been filed electronically is erroneous as well but we have no way to be sure. This is the issue. This is why this thread exists.

For comparison, I can create a purolator shipment outside of ebay and complete the electronic customs form. To no one's surprise, the label will correctly state the country of manufacture that I selected and common sense would also lead one to believe that the electronic filing is correct as well.

The electronic filing is what matters. Adding extra stuff after the fact with the shipment or changing the label by hand is not a valid workaround.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎03-27-2024

@behemoth418 wrote:
This issue NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO.

The customs documents are filed electronically and are automatically submitted when we purchase a Canada Post label through ebay. After we buy the shipment, we can look at the resulting label and see that the country of origin was incorrectly changed from whatever we had entered and now displays Canada/[home province]. It happens after we check the box to certify the information is correct and purchase the label. There is now an indication that what has been filed electronically is erroneous as well but we have no way to be sure. This is the issue. This is why this thread exists.

For comparison, I can create a purolator shipment outside of ebay and complete the electronic customs form. To no one's surprise, the label will correctly state the country of manufacture that I selected and common sense would also lead one to believe that the electronic filing is correct as well.

The electronic filing is what matters. Adding extra stuff after the fact with the shipment or changing the label by hand is not a valid workaround.

devon@ebay

intimewithmusic · ‎03-27-2024

@lotzofuniquegoodies
Topic Clarification: Smoothing Customs Clearance (Not the transit of goods.)

This issue has been reported to eBay. We're waitng for a fix. Please correct me if I'm wrong but other than complaints like "ebay is forcing me to sign a false customs document" I can't think of any shipper/seller that has reported a delivery failure due to an erroneous COR. No one is going to go to jail. You declare my 2 minute "fix/workaround/safeguard invalid but no one else has presented a "valid workaround" or any workaround for that matter.

With or without this gliche since eBay labels began packages are getting customs clearance. I hope they fix it before that changes. Credit where credit is due. The labels you are complaining about are saving us and our buyers a ton of money and they opened up a challenging US market.

With all due respect shippers can;
Complain, do nothing, and transfer the blame to eBay or
Consider where you sell to and do everything within your control to create a good buyer experience.
Almost all of my orders are international. I've described a very simple 2 minute safeguard used on eBay since 2013. This is about Cutoms clearance but I have many other reasons. My post is not to convince the "boardies" but to suggest to newcomer shippers complaining and blaming eBay isn't your only avenue. YOU are the exporter not eBay. Do what works for you.
Here are some of my own recent international sale results.

Detailed seller ratings
Average for the last 12 months
Accurate description 5.0
Reasonable shipping cost 4.8
Shipping speed 5.0
Communication 5.0
Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
Verified purchase
VERY AWESOME, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Exemplary customer service throughout and great communication from start to finish! Item in pristine condition and exactly as described in the listing! Professionally packaged with extreme care to ensure safe delivery, and super fast shipping!! This was a perfect transaction that exceeded all of my expectations by far, and I can’t thank you enough! I highly recommend this seller!! A+++++++++++++

"Excellent item, very well packaged and delivered safely. Great job all round
Peavey 1998 Wolfgang Special Guitar Dealer Brochure Catalog Flyer Van Halen EVH"
--------------------------------------------------------
Newcomers or folks who want to open up international markets can learn a lot from a website called "shipperhq.com". It's a wealth of eCommerce solutions and current industry information. For them here's an excerpt and a suggested link:

"Does customs check every package?
The short answer is yes. Customs checks all inbound international packages and mail. During this process, a customs officer in the country you’re shipping to will review the package to make sure it meets the country’s laws, regulations and policies. They will also determine what duties and taxes might be due.

Quick clearance requires providing all the right information about your package before you ship it.
The most frequent reasons a package gets stuck in customs are:
Missing Paperwork
Missing paperwork and unpaid duties and taxes are common reasons why an item can get stuck in customs. Every international package will need a commercial invoice and a customs declaration form. The customs officer will use these forms to determine the value of the goods and what duties and taxes may be due. The commercial invoice should include details about the seller and the buyer, as well as more information about each item in the order:
Unit Price
Total Price
Shipping cost charged to the customer
Total Commercial Value
Country of origin
Item description and code from the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding Systems
Note: Item codes can be tricky for new cross-border sellers. We recommend reaching out to your shipping carrier for help in making sure your inventory has the right HS code.
Having the correct paperwork isn’t just about making the customs officer’s job easier. Incorrect or missing paperwork could result in an officer tearing open your package to inspect it or possible fines or criminal penalties. "

shipperhq.com Beginners Guide to Cross Border Shipping

That's about it. Here's a picture of the customs office in Sierra Leone Africa. Let's hope the eBay bar code is enough by the time your package gets there.