UPDATED 4/2/2026: This change has been put on hold so you can ignore the information below – see this post for updated news
Brexit is the gift that keeps on giving, and now it’s for returns to Northern Ireland from Great Britain that are proving problematic. The Windsor Framework introduces additional customs and parcel data requirements for shipments between the UK Mainland and Northern Ireland. In response to these changes, Royal Mail are making a change to how their returns services are handled on eBay.
This is a problem for sellers based in Northern Ireland that will hopefully be short lived as alternative returns shipping solutions are found. In the short term for lower cost items, it might be cheaper to refund and tell the buyer to keep the item introducing more cost into the business. However, longer term it may even put some buyers off from purchasing if they spot sellers are Northern Ireland based if an alternative returns solution isn’t forthcoming in the near future.
And of course – consider the implications for sales from your own website or any other channels that you trade on if you’re based in Northern Ireland!
Returns to Northern Ireland changes from the 31st of January
- What’s changing with returns to Northern Ireland? Royal Mail Returns and ParcelForce Returns labels from UK Mainland to Northern Ireland will no longer be available for purchase through eBay.
- Why the change? These services currently do not meet new customs requirements and must be removed to comply with updated regulations.
- What does this apply to? This change applies only to returns being sent to Northern Ireland from Great Britain. There is no impact to returns within the rest of the UK. There is also no impact to items returned to sender that cannot be delivered to buyers in UK Mainland
Impact
- If a buyer needs to return an item to a seller in Northern Ireland after the 31st of January, a return label will not be generated on eBay
- Northern Ireland sellers can still arrange returns with your buyer off-platform, using a carrier of your choice
- eBay are actively working on integrating a compliant alternative service and will issue an update as soon as it’s ready
