eBay International Shipping: which label do I buy?
You buy a standard domestic US label to the hub address eBay puts on the order. eBay International Shipping, which replaced the Global Shipping Program, has you ship inside the US to eBay's hub, and eBay is exporter of record from there. eBay collects import charges at checkout and handles customs and the international leg.
The address on the order is a US address
Under eBay International Shipping the buyer may be in Germany or Japan, but the shipping address on your order is eBay's US hub. That is the address you print. Rate it like any other domestic parcel, buy a USPS or UPS label to it, and drop it off the way you always do. There is no international service to pick, no customs form to fill in at the counter and no duty for you to work out.
What eBay does after the hub
eBay International Shipping replaced the Global Shipping Program and moves the export work to eBay. eBay is the exporter of record, collects the import charges from the buyer at checkout, and handles customs and the international leg of the journey.
| Leg | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Your door to the US hub | You, with a domestic USPS or UPS label |
| Export and customs paperwork | eBay, as exporter of record |
| Import charges | Collected from the buyer at checkout |
| Hub to the buyer overseas | eBay |
Your handling time runs on the domestic leg
Nothing about the international programme pauses the clock you are measured on. Handling time is counted in business days from the moment you receive payment until the package is scanned by the carrier, so the scan on the domestic leg is your deadline. Upload the tracking for that domestic label within handling time, exactly as you would for a US buyer.
Weekends and holidays are not included in estimated delivery dates, and the days you treat as business days are set by your handling time settings.
Pack it for two journeys, not one
The parcel you hand to the carrier is going to be handled again after the hub. That is an argument for real cushioning, a box rather than a poly bag for anything fragile, and an item description on the listing that matches what is inside, because eBay is filling in the export paperwork from the order. Do not put your own international paperwork on the box. The label to the hub is the only documentation you are responsible for.
Key takeaways
- The address on the order is a US address, so you rate and buy a domestic label.
- eBay is exporter of record once the parcel reaches the hub.
- Import charges are collected from the buyer at checkout, not from you.
- Your handling time still runs on the domestic leg, so the first carrier scan is what counts.
Rate the domestic leg the way you rate everything else
The label you need here is a domestic one, which is the label we are built to buy. Enter the hub address from the order, price it against USPS and UPS, see the full price before you buy, and print.
Weight and dimensions get you the right service, and the adjustment story is the same as any domestic parcel: if a carrier bills a correction later, it shows on the shipment and we take the dispute to the carrier. The export leg belongs to eBay, so nothing else on the order is yours to fill in.
Related questions
Not for the leg you ship. You are sending a domestic parcel to a US address, so it takes a domestic label and no customs declaration. eBay is the exporter of record and handles customs for the international leg after the item reaches its hub.
The buyer, at checkout. eBay collects import charges as part of the purchase, which is one of the reasons the programme exists: the buyer sees the total up front instead of being surprised by a bill at delivery. You are not billed for duty on the parcel you sent to the hub.
The tracking you upload covers your domestic leg to the hub, and eBay carries the visibility from there. Upload your tracking number and carrier on the order as usual so the domestic movement is recorded against the transaction and counts toward tracking uploaded within handling time.
It is the successor to it. eBay International Shipping replaced the Global Shipping Program, and the shape is familiar: you ship domestically to a US hub, eBay handles export, customs and delivery. The programme details and the hub address come from the order itself, so work from what is on the order rather than from older instructions.