German customs delays after July 1 – Will sellers receive Seller Fault?
Summary: polyg-74 is concerned about delays in German customs since new EU rules came into effect on July 1, 2026, affecting their shipments despite buyers having paid VAT through eBay IOSS. They are worried that issuing refunds could impact their Seller Fault Unfulfilled Rate, as advised by eBay's customer service. polyg-74 is seeking feedback from other sellers on similar experiences, potential Seller Faults, and any official eBay policies to protect seller metrics in these situations.
Hello everyone,
I would like to ask if other international sellers are experiencing the same situation.
Since the new EU customs rules came into effect on 1 July 2026, several of my shipments to Germany have been delayed at German customs.
The buyers have already paid VAT through eBay IOSS, but the parcels remain in customs for a long time.
I contacted eBay Customer Service and received the following written reply:
"If you issue a refund using the 'Send refund' option, this may affect your Seller Fault Unfulfilled Rate."
This surprised me because these delays are caused by customs and are completely outside the seller's control.
My questions are:
Are other sellers experiencing the same delays with shipments to Germany?
Has anyone already received a Seller Fault because of these customs delays?
Has eBay published any official policy to protect seller performance metrics in this situation?
I would appreciate hearing about your experience.
Thank you.
