HI there
I run an online business in UK and I would like to sell my items on ebay.com If I get it correctly I will have to sell according to the US law.
I tried to gather information on cosumer rights (to cancel the contract, to return the item) and I did not manage to find any fixed set of nationwide rules (well in the Eu is totally different).
I found info that these is governed by state law. But in general it seems as that the seller can dictate the terms (if he/she accepts cancellation, returns, the time needed to make a refund, who bears the cost of the return). As long as the terms are provided.
Am I missing something?
Can you recommend anyone who could help with terms and condition that would be applicable to US as a whole?
Hi MKW. I've been selling internationally on eBay for nearly 20 years, so I hope I can lend some assistance with your questions.
Firstly, you'll need to follow any laws of
both your own country and the country/state you plan to sell to. This isn't usually as hard as it sounds, as eBay bans listings which would violate laws as a general rule. I'm sure they miss some, but they're pretty thorough, banning sales of "Not-See" (the word itself is banned on this forum
) paraphernalia in Germany and France, for example. There aren't a whole lot of things banned in the US or the individual states, so this really shouldn't be that hard for you unless you plan to sell drugs, guns, certain kinds of adult videos, or similar.
Second, you'll need to abide by the terms and/or laws of the shipping service you plan to use. UPS and FedEx are private companies which are restricted by some federal regulations -- including FAA regulations on items like lithium batteries -- but mostly by their own policies. You should read those thoroughly if you plan to use those services. Anything you send by Royal Mail will be handed off to the US Postal Service, which is regulated fully by the federal government. They have many restrictions, including banning shipment of alcohol, restrictions on currency shipments, etc. You should read and thoroughly understand USPS regulations.
Third, you'll need to abide by the terms of your payment provider. If you're using Paypal (the most common in the US), you'll need to be prepared to offer refunds for extended periods for some types of sales. Personal checks, money orders, Western Union, and many other forms of payment are banned by eBay in the US. You'll almost certainly have to offer Paypal, and you'll need to be quite familiar with their policies. Check carefully the terms regarding pricing for payments in different currencies and transfers to foreign banks.
Finally, you'll have to follow all eBay policies. If you want to be a Power Seller, you'll need to offer at least a 14-day money back return (soon to be 30 days). You'll also have to offer Holiday Returns to get the full discount for the heavy shopping months. The eBay return policy for power sellers is no questions asked, if they don't like it they can return it for a full refund including the original shipping amount. This can get quite expensive very quickly, as you can imagine. Categories like jewelry, clothing, and currencies are the worst about this in my experience.
Good luck with your endeavor; there
is money to be made selling internationally on eBay, Amazon, and other outlets, but you need to be thoroughly educated before you dive in.
