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Step 1
To sell on eBay UK, simply go to eBay.co.uk and log in with the same username and password that you use on eBay USA. You don’t need a separate account or an additional eBay store.
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Step 2
Next, convert all of your US Dollar pricing to British Pounds. All transactions will take place in the UK currency. Payments, refunds, and eBay fees will all show in British Pounds. Deposits will also come into your Paypal account in British Pounds.
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Step 3
Educate yourself on the USD to GBP exchange rate. The exchange rate changes several times a day. You can go to websites like www.xe.com, www.x-rates.com, or www.oanda.com to check exchange rates and understand how much the US Dollar converts to in GBP and vice versa.
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Step 4
Read and understand the prohibited items section. This is the most important step. Laws governing the sale of consumer products, used clothing, and other items are very different in the UK than in the US. Verify that the item is allowed before listing it. (Don’t rely on what other sellers are listing – they may not have done any research before listing their items.) If you try to sell an item that is prohibited, your listing can be pulled. Too many prohibited item violations and your account will be closed by eBay UK.
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Step 5
Understand import and customs regulations. Make sure that your item is allowed to cross international lines and enter the UK. Many types of products require import licenses that the recipient must acquire from the British Board of Trade.
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Step 6
Educate yourself on UK customs fees. Understand the value that is exempt from customs fees for any country you ship to. (Every country has a different dollar value threshold for items that can be imported without duties or fees.) As a general rule, most eBay customers don’t know the rules for their home country until they are charged an import fee when the item arrives. In the event they are charged a fee, they will more than likely blame you as the seller for not informing them, and leave you a negative feedback. As a seller, your customers will expect you to know more than they do about shipping internationally.
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Step 7
Study the fees on the eBay UK site. The entire fee structure is different than eBay USA. Listing fees, final value fees, auction vs fixed price fees, gallery photo fees, and other fees are different. Understand how you will be charged for selling your items on eBay UK.
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Step 8
Understand how to ship a package internationally and how to fill out customs forms, as well as which ones you need. This process isn’t difficult, it just requires a few extra steps. See my article titled, “How to Ship an International Package from the United States.”
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Step 9
Completing the “Sell Your Item Form” is exactly the same as on eBay USA. That is actually the easiest part.
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Step 10
See the resources section below for more tips and tools for selling on eBay UK.
Comments
andre7514 said
on 11/11/2008 Thank you for this article on selling in Ebay Uk. This article was very helpful with suggestions about selling and shipping things in the Uk, I will be sure to do my homework, before going ahead of myself. Thank you/ 5 stars
nameste said
on 10/7/2008 Very helpful information. I was not aware that there could be so much more to learn about selling internationally. Thank you for your guidance!