Cloud-based tax compliance automation provider Avalara has announced a partnership with eBay to address cross-border compliance for global sellers. Following this collaboration, Avalara’s cross-border compliance solutions support eBay International Shipping, a programme that aims to remove the complexity of selling products on eBay and shipping them internationally.

eBay International Shipping and partnership details Based on the information provided in the press release, eBay International Shipping utilises Avalara software natively to determine Harmonized System (HS) commodity classification codes, identify item-level trade restrictions, and generate landed cost pricing for over 200 million items hosted on eBay and sold to more than 200 countries. Adam Ireland, VP and GM of eBay US said that as eBay aims to provide people with the resources needed to connect with the things they love, no matter the country or category, eBay International Shipping looks to make global connections increasingly accessible, affordable, and profitable, growing the items’ volume available to shoppers and simplifying how sellers tap into new business opportunities. Consumers often go online to shop for items at decreased prices, for goods scarce at home, or for products from brands abroad, and Juniper Research estimates the value of cross-border ecommerce to exceed USD 2.

1 trillion by 2023. To be able to sell products successfully worldwide, businesses should comply with customs duties and import taxes, which can be complex and expensive to navigate. In the context of landed cost pricing, tools need to consider HS codes, trade restrictions, and true shipment clearance costs to provide accurate calculations and decrease both compliance risks and disruptions to customer experience.

With eBay International Shipping, the company developed a solution to assist its sellers in making their products available to over 70 million buyers globally. Avalara’s cross-border solutions simplify selling worldwide by having the process of identifying and mapping tariff codes to products automated, and by calculating customs duties and import taxes. A few Avalara cross-border solutions are to be natively available on eBay, including Avalara Cross-Border Estimated, Avalara Managed Tariff Code Classification, and Avalara Trade Restrictions Management.

These solutions enable merchants to: Improve duty and tax estimates’ accuracy, as Avalara Cross-Border Estimated calculates costs utilising the company’s AI engine and global compliance content database. Reduce customs delays and penalties, as Avalara Managed Tariff Code Classification helps automate the process of assigning HS codes to products, offering advanced shipping information and increasingly accurate customs duty calculations. Navigate trade restrictions and unlock new markets, as Avalara Trade Restrictions Management maps products to applicable government restrictions to enable merchants to avoid trade complexities and simplify HS code classification, language translation, and calculation of duties and taxes.

Jayme Fishman, EVP, and GM of Indirect Tax at Avalara advised that ecommerce and cross-border consumer demand are increasing as global marketplaces make it possible for businesses to sell worldwide, however, the complexity of cross-border compliance oftentimes is in the way of this opportunity for sellers. By embedding Avalara’s cross-border solutions with eBay’s International Shipping programme, the companies aim to simplify cross-border compliance complexity and decrease potential disruptions in customer experience by providing increasingly transparent landed cost pricing for global buyers and helping ensure parcels meet local customs requirements. .