Meeting the desire for good deals is no longer limited by geographical boundaries. Although cross-border trade dates back centuries, actually enabling people to shop across borders remains a complex challenge. Both buyers and sellers can face challenges including regional nuances, and language, shipping and payment disparities.
However, eBay has proven to be a leader in enabling global trade. With the rise of mobile technology and the rapidly changing global commerce market, cross-border trade has become an important business driver for small to mid-sized business owners.
Ever thought about selling your products internationally?
eBay offers you Cross Border Trade ( “CBT”) opportunities which enable you to penetrate key global markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany
Still in doubts whether you should extend your selling reach to other eBay markets?
Here are some of the most commons reasons why sellers “go global” on eBay
Global expansion via eBay enables
- Easy access to million buyers across the globe
- Expansion & diversification of revenue sources
- Insulation from seasonality
- Minimum competition (e.g. when you are selling unique products & in non-season time)
- Easy cash-flow management
- Opportunities to specialize & explore untapped markets
- An opportunity to gain a global reputation
Learn more about how eBaymag helps you to make your listings reach millions of buyers internationally to increase your sales.
Check out some exciting figures and get an idea on what you could be selling to maximise your income.
International Selling Considerations
When you sell internationally, you’ll need to understand product and pricing differences, as well as how to provide support for overseas customers. This includes:
Understanding communication and cultural differences
Managing different time zones
Tracking international deliveries
Translating item descriptions
Item prices and currency conversion.
Jurisdictions differences in item details and specifics (different sizing, names for items etc.)
Cross-border Trade (CBT) Challenges
Each country is different. Take the time to learn and understand the different systems, laws and practices.
Some key issues to be conscious of include
Import & Custom Laws
As a seller, it is your sole responsibility to know and adhere to all import & custom laws of the jurisdiction that you are selling to. For example, all food imported into the USA must be FDA-approved.
Custom Duties and Tax
You must comply with each country’s Custom duties and taxes including VAT and GST (where applicable). As a seller, you should always aim for smooth delivery to buyers. So, if you are unwilling to cover the tax(es), you will need to ensure that your buyers are aware that they will be required to pay the import taxes to avoid any disputes.
eBay Rules
Remember – Each country has different eBay site policies, rules and regulations. You must comply with all of the rules that are applicable to your listings, so please do take the time to read and understand them!
Competition
There are 2 billion active listings on eBay. You will have a lot of competition wherever you intend to sell. How is “starting small” going to make a seller “stand out”? Take it easy and start selling in one market. The USA is the easiest but also the most competitive. Niche markets such as FRITES (France, Italy and Spain) have high import volume and less competition but there’s the language challenge. Start small and get a feel of the best markets for you.
Buyer Behavior
Buyers in different countries are accustomed to different “standard practices”. For example, buyers in countries such as the US, UK, Australia and Germany will often be offered good Customer Service, Free Shipping and 30-day free Returns. So, your listings and reputation may not thrive in those countries unless you too are prepared to make such offers to buyers there.