What defines a cross-border transaction?

[Jezclayton]

I'll get straight to the point.

If a transaction is advertised for sale on eBay UK as being located in the UK, is then shipped to a UK address, paid for on PayPal, and the vendor is registered as overseas (Hong Kong) can it be classified as a cross-border transaction?

Many thanks for your input.

 

[Jezclayton]

There must be someone on here who knows what defines a cross-border transaction.

Any input appreciated.

 

[OurManInBrazil]

PayPal:
"A cross border transaction occurs when the sender and receiver execute a payment between PayPal Accounts which are not registered in the same country or region."
Source: User Agreement for PayPal Service

And:

eBay:
"Definition: Cross-Border Trade is eBay's term for buying and selling that happens across international borders. The term applies regardless of whether the sale(s) and purchase(s) in question were made on different national eBay sites or on the same site with the buyer and seller merely originating from different areas.

Any good sold by a seller in one country and bought by a buyer in a separate country is considered to be CBT, and larger sellers often reference CBT as a quantity, as in "Right now CBT accounts for about 20 percent of my sales volume."
Source: About dot com

Does that clarify your situation?

 

[Jezclayton]

It does help thank you.

My own experience on eBay has been that cross-border transactions are to be avoided at all costs. Even though you may have done nothing wrong, if the vendor sends you the wrong item, eBay will expect you to pay the return postage cost if you are to have any chance of a refund.

In my particular case, eBay want me to return an item to Hong Kong (postage cost £70) even though it was despatched from a warehouse in the UK. One less potential customer in future.

 

[OurManInBrazil]

I wonder who the legal "sender" is in this case? If you wrapped it up in its original packaging and wrote "return to sender" on it, where would it go?
If it goes to the warehouse, the legal standpoint of the Post Office would be that the warehouse is the sender, maybe!?

 

[Jezclayton]

Basically it would go back to the uK destination from where it arose. EBay however stiplulate it is a cross-border transaction and must go to Hong Kong where the seller is registered. There is no willingness to review this decision and if i don't comply the case will be closed automatically. In addition, the 2.2kg parcel must be tracked and signed for, hence the high cost.

The deadline was today and i sent an empty envelope!

My real interest in this thread is what defines a cross-border transaction. Is it the goods that must cross the border, the money or both. It seems inappropriate to despatch from the UK to the UK and then claim cross-border rules due to a convenience address in Hong Kong.