You may need to add packaging registration numbers
Summary: The discussion revolves around the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation that requires sellers to provide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) registration numbers if they qualify as packaging producers. hansatrade provides guidance on how sellers can manage their EPR numbers through their account settings. ricarmic expresses frustration with the new regulations, considering excluding more countries from sales due to challenges with plastic packaging. kawartha-ephemera reports that only Germany imposes packaging obligations for their sales. mandicrafts suggests using a shipping service, Chit Chats, for smoother regulations compliance in EU countries.
We’re reaching out to you because you’ve sold or listed items that may fall under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
If you qualify as a packaging producer, you may need to provide EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) Packaging registration numbers for the EU countries where you make product packaging (including shipping materials) available for the first time. If you don’t provide these numbers where required, your listings may be hidden from buyers in the affected countries.
Learn more about who qualifies as a producer on our Help page, or complete a free status check with our partner Lizenzero.
If required, you can now enter your EPR Packaging registration numbers and certify that your packaging meets the requirements directly in your Account Settings:
From Account Settings, select Business information (available on desktop or tablet only)
Go to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) numbers and select Add or Manage
Select a country and the packaging category, then enter the relevant packaging registration number
Certify that your packaging materials meet the applicable rules by checking the indicated box when you enter your first packaging number
Select Add
Once saved, your packaging numbers are stored in your account and may be displayed on all your listings, where required.
Find more guidance on EU packaging requirements, or consult your legal advisor if you have any questions.
If you need help with packaging compliance, our trusted partner Lizenzero, can guide you.
You can also find a copy of this message under Messages in your eBay account. If you have questions, we’re here to help.
mandicrafts
·2 weeks agoJust ship via Chit Chats. They posted on their blog that these regs won't be applied until at least next year, and everything is as usual for now. Also, Chit Chats allows you to ship to all of the EU nations and you just prepay the 3 Euros that some of those nations require, that Canada Post does not currently ship to. You can send in your parcels in a consolidated box via SmartDrop on the Chit Chats site, using either Canada Post or Purolator at vastly reduced rates.
hansatrade
OP2 weeks agoIt's what I do. I use both: ChitChats for international, US and domestic, Zonos for the US. Zonos costs 2 bucks more, than ChitChats, but it's just around the corner. Going to ChitChats costs me 3 bucks in gas.
hansatrade
OP2 weeks ago · EditedIt's more and more funny. I sell paper stuff, and use cardboard tubes with PLASTIC caps, so my answer was YES, I use plastic. "Less than 50 TONS"? (not a mistake - 50 TONS!) Yes. The yearly license for Netherlands is 480 CAD. My sales to Netherlands this year was 60 CAD ;-)
But I have probably found a solution (?). What about replacing plastic plugs with home-made cardboard plugs? And what about Ebay bubble mailers? Are they a PLASTIC stuff? I would need to produce my own paper mailers (similar to Amazon's ones?), or what?
How to survive such a hostile business environment? The tariffs, packaging fees, de minimis removal, new import tax... WHAT NEXT?
kawartha-ephemera
·2 weeks ago · EditedJust completed the free Lizenzero questionnaire as suggested, only did 4 EU countries Germany, France, Netherlands and Ireland to see what my obligations might be. As expected, there are certain obligations if shipping to Germany. Unexpectedly, I have no packaging obligations shipping to France, Netherlands and Ireland.
I do not sell products that use plastic packaging.
ricarmic
·2 weeks agoYep another 18 countries I've added to the excluded countries now, closed my store again till the 19 is resolved as I can't stop folks from the USA unless I make catastrophic changes so will see what happens before I do anything else.
hansatrade
OP2 weeks agoDon't panic! You sell stamps, paper stuff, like me. I verified with Lizenzero - paper is basically excluded from this new crazy regulation (except of Germany, where "Ordnung muss sein!" ;-)
I blocked Germany some time ago anyway + Italy (for extremely slow shipping - INR guaranteed).
ricarmic
·2 weeks agoToday's shipping style I use includes the plastic bubble wrap ebay branded envelopes and everything I sell is inside a plastic sleeve or bag to counter humidity, so that would be affected, as in I'd have to ship with other non plastic means. Not sure how they'd count glassine envelopes but they are only so good moisture wise anyway.
hansatrade
OP2 weeks agoI just shipped my first 100% paper/cardboard package to Netherlands. And later I found out, that the Scotch tape I used to secure the package is also considered to be a PLASTIC packaging! This craziness is beyond my comprehension....
ricarmic
·2 weeks agoYep too much trouble, sadly I had a few nice buyers from Czechia, Finland and Ireland, but so too did I from Germany and France way back when I zapped them too. Fortunately the strongest international countries for me are Australia and UK, so far still have them!
hansatrade
OP2 weeks agoThe same here - mainly UK and Australia, I ship there every week. I sold a lot to Germany and Italy, but thy are now blocked. Still sell occasionally to Norway, Finland, France, Spain, Austria, Czechia, Poland and Netherlands. Sometimes to Singapore. US business is at half of the pre-tariff traffic. It's because people are afraid to buy - even if my items are tariff exempt. What's quite weird - almost no Canadian buyers, even if I offer very interesting and rare Canadian items for sale.