International Selling Hub

It’s important to understand your obligations regarding returns and customer service in any new international markets you venture into.

When consumers buy from business sellers in the EU, they have the right to return the item without giving a reason as long as they return the item within a certain timeframe after receiving it. The timeframe is different in each European country.

UK, IE, AT, BE, ES, NL

You can find further information on return obligations in the legal-and-regulatory section

The requirements concerning the content and form of your return policy under distance selling law differ depending on what country you are selling to.

In Germany, for example, the legislator has provided a template that a seller should use if they want to ensure that their return policy is compliant with German Distance Selling Regulations. You can find the template adapted to the eBay.de website here:

http://pages.ebay.de/rechtsportal/widerrufsbelehrung_neu.html

Fulfilment of returns is also important. You may want to provide a local address for returns, as buyers prefer to return items within their own country.

Please get legal advice if you’re unclear on how to create a compliant return policy for the countries you’re selling to.

Remember that buyers often prefer transacting and communicating with you in their native language and it’s worth making necessary provisions for this in advance.

Aspects of communication with international buyers include:

• Questions about the product in advance of purchase (try to have these covered in your frequently asked questions)
• Delivery options
• Order confirmation and dispatch notification
• Post-purchase communication, for example delivery delay notification and returns
• General marketing messages

Note: we don’t translate any of your frequently asked questions. If you want them to be seen in the local language of your buyer then you’ll need to translate them in the account you have on the international site.

Try to answer buyer questions in the language in which they’ve contacted you. There are some free translation services on the internet, e.g. Google Translate. It's worth remembering that there are often differences between computer translated outputs and what a native speaker would say. You could alternatively use a translation service or hire someone fluent in the local language. As with your listing, it’s your responsibility to ensure that communications with your buyer are accurate.

Respond to buyers' questions promptly. This could mean answering emails at unusual times of the day due to time differences.

Use a time zone calculator to see the local times in your markets.