eBay International Shipping Changes Could Impact Excluded Location Settings
eBay sellers are trying to decipher a recent email notice of upcoming changes in how eBay will handle excluded location settings for the eBay International Shipping (EIS) program.
What does 'Your excluded shipping locations will soon be managed by eBay' mean?
I just got a email 'Your excluded shipping locations will soon be managed by eBay' that states:
'We're writing to let you know that starting May 16, your eBay International Shipping settings will be updated to automatically manage excluded shipping locations for your listings.
This change will help you reach even more buyers on a global scale, as your items will be available to locations based on their export eligibility. Our International Shipping Policy has also been updated to reflect this change'
It's understandable that sellers may be alarmed by this notice that eBay will be automatically managing their shipping exclusions for EIS, especially when so many were frustrated with eBay's decision to automatically opt them in to the program when it first started rolling out in late 2022.
However, reading through the updated EIS terms and conditions, it appears that eBay will still allow sellers to maintain control of their own excluded location lists, they are just introducing a toggle option that will allow sellers to have different settings for items shipped through EIS (which ship to one of eBay's domestic hubs before being forwarded to the buyer's country) versus shipping directly to international customers via other carriers/methods.
The eBay International Shipping Seller Terms & Conditions were updated on April 19th to include this new section about a toggle switch that has been added for sellers to control the exclusion options.
Country Exclusion Lists.
You’re in control of where your items ship. You can also opt out of shipping your EIS items to certain countries.We provide you with a toggle button in your My eBay settings to allow you to sync your EIS listings with your excluded locations.
If you do not currently have an exclusion list in place and wish to create one, you can update your account settings within My eBay to restrict international buyers from purchasing your items.
If you have any items listed on eBay.com that, for whatever reason, you suspect cannot lawfully post or import to a country eligible under the Program, then you should restrict international buyers in that country from purchasing your items by creating and applying an exclusion list within My eBay.
That new toggle button can be found at: https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf/excludeRegions
Expand your reach and ship to more international locations
Allow eBay International Shipping to ship eligible listings to your currently excluded locations and we’ll take care of customs, international returns, and refunds. Excluded locations still apply when you ship on your own.
The option to offer both EIS and direct international shipping options was announced as part of the Fall 2023 Seller Update, along with the ability to combine shipping for EIS orders.
Liz Morton
We know that buyers value having the ability to choose—that’s why we plan on giving them the option to select their preferred shipping method at checkout when purchasing internationally.
In the past, sellers could only offer eBay international shipping or their own international shipping option on a listing. Now, sellers who opt in will be able to offer both eBay international shipping and another international shipping option on the same listing. This will also give buyers the option to pay applicable import charges at checkout or defer them until delivery.
Offering the ability to apply the shipping exclusions list only to direct international shipping options while not excluding those same locations for EIS may make sense for some sellers, since eBay handles customs and returns in the EIS program so there may be less risk than when shipping directly.
What do you think of the new toggle option to allow EIS to ship to countries you may have excluded from direct international shipping? Let us know in the comments below!
