eBay graft - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 08:06:41 pm
content: I see eBay are now selling the same item for different prices on .com and .co.uk sites.Is this new ? It doesn't happen on every item and I don't think it's the seller's choice.Example - an item that's listed at $39.99 on ebay.com is listed at $49.99 (and converted to £37.15) on ebay.co.ukThe same item shows postage to the UK as $20.55 and £19.09 on ebay.co.ukIt seems as though they're applying the usual £1=$1 ripoff but doing it especially incompetently.It could be duty but that should be part of the shipping expense, not added to the price since it's applied by the shippers. It would also apply to all items.If you're in the UK and want to order from the US I suggest you check the price on ebay.com, potentially saving 20%.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 08:09:35 pm
content: Because UK VAT.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 08:40:28 pm
content: There are new rules that have come out of Brexit, basically. For a seller in the US, they actually charge extra to promote on the UK site. I don't know if this is VAT rules, or that ebay has to operate some separate service/office/extra guarantees in the UK specifically, but I think it's on both sides and it's due to local regulations.

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 08:49:21 pm
content: Then why is it inconsistently applied ?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 09:01:53 pm
content: Quote from: artag on July 25, 2024, 08:49:21 pmBecause I doubt you actually tried ordering to see the full price once you enter shipping address.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 09:08:29 pm
content: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-and-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-in-the-uk-using-online-marketplacesQuote

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 09:14:54 pm
content: Quote from: DaJMasta on July 25, 2024, 08:40:28 pmHas nothing to do with brexit and does not affect listing availability on a regional site if you manually enter listing number or look for items in sellers shop. It's a fee for being shown in regional search results. Usually makes more sense just to create another listing on a regional website if you need discoverability.

author: factory
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2024, 06:19:04 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on July 25, 2024, 09:14:54 pmYes nothing to do with Brex-shit, online selling sites such as ePay have to collect the import tax on items below a certain value, this applies to the EU as well.Most of the time it works better the ransom note crap, that the delivery companies did prior to this being introduced.David

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2024, 09:16:24 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on July 25, 2024, 09:08:29 pmFairly sure the price shown to consumers must be the VAT-inclusive one. Somewhere like Aliexpress always shows VAT-exclusive and applies a bump up on checkout, but since they don't have a presence in the UK they can ignore such diktats. Ebay, OTOH, has UK presence so has the play the game.Maybe Ebay US (that is the .com rather than .co.uk) can get away with VAT-exclusive prices because it's notionally selling in the US. VAT would still be added on checkout, but the initial price shown would be less.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 26, 2024, 09:22:30 pm
content: Quote from: PlainName on July 26, 2024, 09:16:24 pmIf you don't select UK address on ebay.com it won't show VAT inclusive price. Any inconsistencies will go away at checkout.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2024, 09:27:12 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on July 26, 2024, 09:22:30 pmEr, yes, that is what I wrote.

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 04:48:13 pm
content: This has now got considerably worse, with ebay refusing to ship many items to the UK.It's not clear to me what triggers their refusal or why they interpret UK legislation this way but seems to be something to do with UKCA marking. This is the entirely unnecessary alternative to CE marking which the now-abandoned previous government implemented in case there was anything european in it.However, ebay are taking it completely overboard, possibly demanding everything electrical has UKCA documentation. In the item I attempted to buy, this was a logic analyser signal ground lead. I don't know whether this is stupidity on the part of ebay, or ebay trying to pressure a bureaucrat into keeping a more sensible definition.I'm interested to know what it looks like from the seller's point of view. Have you tried to ship from USA to UK and been told not to ? Did it give any useful information ? Have you found a workaround ?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 06:05:08 pm
content: ^ebay does not refuse anything, it's up to seller to decide to where they do ship.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 06:17:53 pm
content: E-Bay has some weird shipping prices for users in the UK, that make decent prices for small items from outside the UK end up rather pricey.A small used PCB from the US at £21.34 has a shipping cost of "£62.46 Standard Delivery from outside UK".A small used PCB from Germany at £19.20 has a shipping cost of "£51.65 Standard Delivery from outside UK".

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 06:20:01 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on August 28, 2024, 06:17:53 pmThat might be eBay's shipping calculator, but it also could be the seller setting prices by region.

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 08:43:23 pm
content: No, it's ebay doing it.The seller has investigated this and changed the item to another category. UK then appears in the allowed country list.It may be that the seller chooses to some extent, but ebay appears to control the global shipping list.If it's any help to someone else you may find that your part that has no reason be covered by CE/UKCA legislation will not have it misapplied if advertised in"Consumer Electronics>Radio Communication>Parts & Accessories>Coax. Cables & Connectors"Note that ebay are quite wrong to do this : if the equipment was being shipped to the EU before 1995, or if it was after 1995 and it was shipped with CE marking, then spare parts will also have been certified. Accessories may not have been marked, but will have been if they were originally shipped with the item. UKCA grandfathers everything marked CE and will continue to do so even for new goods until december 2024 (and probably forever since it would be stupid to make the certification rules different).There is a requirement on secondhand electrical goods sold by organisations such as auction houses to perform an electrical safety test (PAT). This is not related , however, to CE or UKCA marking. Conceivably it could be applied to personal imports but it seems unlikely, and CE marking wouldn't negate it if it were.

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2024, 08:46:58 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on August 28, 2024, 06:17:53 pmYes, this was the orignal subject of this thread. Comments earlier suggested it was due to VAT and duty being applied at source (and some other countries have also started doing this) and this explains the different listing prices but not postage for small, light items being double the item cost.

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 05:01:25 am
content: I had a Keithley 228A refused shipping to the UK by eBay last year, seller looked into it and the best they could tell was that eBay had decided for some crazy reason that it was covered by ITAR or something similar. Might have actually been the same thing that others have found with equipment categories, insane either way.Very annoying as the seller was happy to ship and the auction had UK in the list when I bought it (then subsequently removed it when I went to pay) and the international shipping was very reasonable on what is a pretty chunky item. Had to ship to the US office then collect in person on the way to NZ and back, used up half my luggage allowance on a single item.