Guide for buying from eBay internationally

If you’re looking for something, there’s a good chance you’ll find it on eBay. It’s one of the world’s biggest online marketplace, connecting buyers and sellers of new and used goods in over 190 markets all over the world¹.

If you live in Malaysia, you can shop at eBay Malaysia (ebay.com.my). But if the product you need isn’t there, you can try expanding your search to include international sellers listing on their own eBay international site.

In this guide, we’ll cover all the essentials you need to know about buying from eBay internationally. This includes shipping, currencies and things to look out for when shopping at eBay in other countries. We’ll even throw in a handy tip to save you money when paying in other currencies - the Wise multi-currency account.

So, let’s get started.

Can I buy from eBay international sites?

The short answer to this is yes - you can buy from eBay international sites as a shopper living in Malaysia. There are two different ways you can do this.

The first is to visit the eBay international site (for example, ebay.com for the US, or ebay.de for Germany) and search for your item. You’ll also need to check that the seller ships to your country. You can do this through an advanced search², using a filter to select sellers that ship internationally. Or you can check on the ‘Shipping and Payments’ tab on the product page to see where the seller ships to.

An easier option is to use eBay Malaysia, or wherever your home eBay site is. This lets you expand your search to show items from all locations worldwide, that ship to your country.

What eBay international sites are available?

If you want to check out products on eBay sites in other countries, you’ll have 47 to choose from³. These include:

How does shipping work with eBay international buying?

If you’ve checked that an item can be delivered to your country, the next step is to look at shipping costs and timescales.

If you’re signed into your eBay Malaysia account, the shipping costs in MYR should be displayed with the listing. However, you may need to change the shipping destination to Malaysia in the ‘Postage and Payments’ tab of the product page. This will give you an accurate postage cost for shipping to your country⁴.

You’ll also be able to see which delivery service will be used, and the estimated delivery date³.

How to buy from an eBay international site - a step-by-step guide

Ready to go online shopping? Here’s how to get started:

1. Head to www.ebay.com.my
2. Sign in - or create an account if you don’t already have one.
3. Search for the item you’re looking for. It’s usually worth using ‘Advanced Search’ to filter for items that can be shipped to Malaysia.
4. Check that it can be shipped to Malaysia, and make sure you’re happy with the shipping costs and delivery times.
5. Click ‘Buy It Now’. On some items, there may be the option to ‘Make Offer’ and wait to see if the seller accepts.
6. Complete the checkout process, choosing your payment method and delivery address.
7. Confirm your order and wait for it to arrive.

Things to watch out for with eBay international buying

There are a few things to bear in mind when you buy from an eBay seller in another country. Let’s run through these now.

Language barrier

eBay international sites tend to be in the primary language of the country, although that’s not always the case. This could create potential misunderstandings about item or shipping details.

Sellers may also fill in the item listing form incorrectly, and it may turn out that they don’t actually ship to your country - even if the listing states that they do. This is why it’s always best to read every detail of the listing as carefully as you can.

Customs duties and import taxes

There may also be customs duties or import taxes to pay when importing products into the country.

As the buyer, you’ll usually be responsible for these - as they’re not always included in the prices listed by the seller⁵. You can check with the seller or look at their chosen delivery service to see if any customs clearance charges are included.

Currency conversion

Another important thing to be aware of with international online shopping is currency conversion.

If you’re paying in a different currency to the one stated on the listing, a currency conversion will be needed at some point during the transaction. For example, if you’re buying something from the US but pay in MYR. This conversion is likely to be carried out by your payment provider - i.e. your debit card company or PayPal. They’ll choose the exchange rate, and it may not be the mid-market rate you see on Google or currency sites like XE.com.

This could mean your purchase is more expensive overall. But the good news is that there’s a clever and convenient way around this using the Wise international debit card.

Use Wise to save money on eBay international buying

Open the Wise multi-currency account and you can get a Wise international debit card. This can not only be used for low-cost contactless payments in 160+ countries worldwide, but for online shopping too.

With the Wise card, you can shop on websites all over the world in the local currency, including eBay. Simply load up your Wise account with your chosen currency (i.e. USD) and use this as the payment method to buy an item in another country.

For example, if you’re shopping on eBay US and that must-have item is listed in USD, you can simply pop USD on your Wise card and pay with that. Wise uses the mid-market rate, so you know you’re getting the fairest rate around.

Here’s how to order with your Wise card on eBay:

1. Order your Wise card online
2. Add money to your Wise account in Malaysian Ringgit
3. Add items to your card on eBay - and opt to pay in the currency of the eBay site when you check out (for example if you're buying from US, opt to pay in USD)
4. Wise will automatically convert your MYR to the required currency when you shop on eBay
5. Get your items with low, transparent conversion fees and save money

This way, no currency conversion needs to be carried out by your debit card company or PayPal.

The beauty of this is that you have complete control over the currency conversion. It could save you a bundle, especially if you regularly shop internationally.

Sources checked on 28.06.2022