Seller Centre

Seller Centre

Customs requirements when shipping internationally

Overview

Navigating import and export requirements is crucial when shipping goods internationally. Tariffs are government-imposed duties or taxes on goods imported into a country. Understanding these requirements helps ensure smooth transactions across our global marketplace.

We’ll continue to adapt our services to comply with customs regulations whilst monitoring import requirements and how they may impact selling and buying on eBay. 

When selling internationally to global buyers, you may be required to provide additional information to meet customs requirements. Below we’ll cover the customs requirements including the country of manufacture and harmonised system (HS) code or harmonised tariff schedule (HTS) code.

International sales and duties

If you're listing items subject to tariffs, buyers are likely to face import fees, typically calculated as a percentage of the total order value. When preparing packages for international delivery, you may be asked to include various information, including the country of manufacture and the HS/HTS code, which will help determine any applicable duties for your buyers.

Country of manufacture

When selling internationally, you’ll need to specify the country of manufacture to your applicable listings. This information is used to determine duties, taxes, and import fees. Listings without the country of manufacture or with an "Unknown" country of manufacture may not be eligible for purchase by US buyers or qualify for eBay's managed shipping programs. Including this information helps manage buyers’ expectations, improves their shopping experience, and builds trust in buying international goods

Update your listings

What you need to know

Tips to help you locate the country of manufacture

  • Determine the country of manufacture for your listing: 
    • Check the product label if available. Look for the term “Made in [country or territory]”. The label may be on a tag, the back or bottom of an item. 
    • You may also find “Made in [country or territory]” on the original packaging or a product manual. 
    • If it’s not labelled, you can search online or go to the manufacturer’s website. 
  • Enter a valid country name in the “Country/Region of Manufacture” field in your listing under “Item Specifics”. Please note that selecting “Unknown” is not a valid entry. 
  • If you have many listings, you can use the bulk edit tool to edit the “Country/Region of Manufacture” field.
  • Repeat these steps for any active or new listings that are available to international buyers.

Here are some more practical tips and tools to help you prepare your listings and identify the country of manufacture. 

  • Items like clothing and textiles, electronics, toys and games usually have the country of manufacture on the labels.
  • Items like trading cards, jewellery and watches, beauty and personal care, health and household, and home and kitchen may not disclose the country of manufacture, but you can contact the product manufacturer to get this information.
  • Items like shoes may have the country of manufacture on the box or packaging.
  • When researching online, you may find more information about your item by including several details. Here’s an example: 

          Item title: Muffler Exhaust Rear for Honda Civic 2001-2005

          Brand: Evan Fischer

          Manufacturer part number: 14476425

HS/HTS Codes

When exporting or importing goods, globally recognised codes are used to classify items and calculate duties or tariff costs. For deliveries to international buyers, you may be asked to include a HS/HTS code, which is a unique identifier used to determine import fees for cross-border trade. When you use eBay managed programmes, like the Global Shipping Programme, the HS/HTS code will be managed for you. Learn more about the Global Shipping Programme.

What you need to know

Tools to help you learn more about the HS/HTS code

  • HS code: A 6-digit internationally standardised system (Harmonised System) used globally for classifying goods in cross-border trade.
  • HTS code: A 10-digit classification system used to determine tariffs on imported goods into the US. 
  • The first six digits of the HS Code or HTS Code are shared and used to determine whether a tariff applies to the item category.

As the seller, you may be asked to provide an HS/HTS code when selling goods internationally. Here are some practical tips and tools to help you search HS/HTS codes.

  • Check with your carrier for resources or recommended tools.
  • Find the HS/HTS code through a government site, like the World Customs Organization
  • Check the Harmonised Tariff Schedule to understand possible HTS codes.
  • Try researching using third-party tools. For better search results, write an accurate item description. For example, ‘ceramic mug’ is a better description than ’mug’ and ‘256GB memory card’ is more detailed than ‘memory card’. You may want to include the country of manufacture/origin and country of shipment. 
  • If you manage large inventories or frequently deliver to international buyers, consider using third-party providers that offer HTS code solutions. There are several readily available providers that offer scalable tools for learning about the classifications across many items.

FAQs

Country or territory where the finished item was manufactured, produced, or grown. This doesn’t include where individual components are manufactured nor the country where the product is sold or delivered from. The country of manufacture may also change if it undergoes a significant change in form, function, or value that makes it a new or different product compared to its original state.

Yes, these terms are used interchangeably. See the definition above for the country of manufacture. Country of origin is the term you’ll see on customs and carrier paperwork.

Go to your buyer-facing listing and next to ‘Postage’ select ‘See details’ and in the pop-up window if a country is listed in the dropdown for ‘Delivery to’, the item will be visible to buyers in that specific country.