Swiss buyers with a German border address (c/o parcel shop) – how do you handle that as private sellers?
Summary: lidor3073 expresses concern about an international buyer from Switzerland using a German border package shop address for delivery on eBay. They seek advice on potential risks and experiences from other sellers. petersmodellbahnstuebchen assures that shipping to a German address remains domestic, making the buyer responsible for further delivery, and suggests checking the buyer and seller protections. roter_rauch adds personal experience, recalling successful shipments to similar addresses without additional fees, noting delivery is considered complete upon arrival at the shop. Overall, participants share insights on handling such transactions confidently.
Hello everyone,
As a private seller, I actually consistently exclude international shipping in my listings. Nevertheless, I currently have another case where a buyer from Switzerland has purchased an item.
The delivery address on file is an address in Weil am Rhein with the addition of a well-known border parcel shop (C/O xxx). As is well known, buyers like to use these storage locations very much to take advantage of domestic German shipping costs and avoid Swiss customs fees.
Since the community often advises not to sell abroad at all as a private seller, I’m now asking myself the following questions and would really appreciate your experiences:
How do you assess the risk? Legally speaking, I’m only delivering to a German address. Are there still hidden pitfalls on eBay (e.g. with buyer protection, if the buyer claims the item arrived damaged in Switzerland)?
Would you go through with such sales or cancel them?
What’s the most effective way to exclude this? I’ve disabled international shipping, but these purchases still slip through via the stored border address. Is there a reliable setting to completely block buyers with a Swiss primary residence, even if they use a German delivery address?
I’m looking forward to your opinions and tips!
Best regards
030cep10
·1 week agoHello @lidor3073 , if the parcel shop address is stored as the delivery address at eBay, then buy and print the shipping label through eBay as well. Then there shouldn’t actually be any problems for you. V.G. 🐨
lidor3073
OP1 week agoOnce again hello @roter_rauch and @petersmodellbahnstuebchen
Thank you both for your help and the info. Best regards 😊
roter_rauch
·1 week ago · EditedHey II;-),
I wouldn’t rule that out, or rather, because of the address stored in Germany, the buyer found your offer anyway.
I’ve sent to the same address countless times (a few years ago) and just recently again, all easy. I was also pleased that my sale didn’t incur any international fees, which I would have expected. The German address probably prevented that.
I’m not sure right now whether a shipment is considered delivered once it arrives at the shop. But if the buyer has a solid profile, I wouldn’t worry about that, the kind of worries that you/we/everyone wouldn’t have with domestic sales either.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 week agoHi @roter_rauch
by the way, this is what it looks like in the system when a Swiss customer's order has been delivered to the German delivery address:
Ebay shipping status is delivered.
Kind regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
roter_rauch
·1 week agoah, good to know & also makes sense - the delivery address is the shop, so delivered. Nothing was redirected to a shop; then it would only be delivered once picked up.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 week agoHey @lidor3073
As a commercial seller, I have no problem shipping to domestic addresses near the border.
The shipment goes to a German address and therefore remains within the country.
The buyer is responsible for forwarding it, and if there are any problems, they’re welcome to get a shipping label from me starting from the original delivery address.
Just take a look in the help section to see to what extent buyer and seller protection applies.
Best wishes from the Baltic Sea
Peter