Can I dropship from China on eBay UK?
Yes, if customer orders are fulfilled directly by a wholesale supplier. eBay prohibits listing goods and then buying them from another retailer or marketplace for direct delivery to your customer. Check the arrangement before listing. Supplier checks in China can be supported by Cambridge China Bridge.
Check the policy against your actual order flow
Open eBay UK's Dropshipping help page before listing and save a dated copy. It permits direct fulfilment from a wholesale supplier, while prohibiting listing an item and then purchasing it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to the customer. Compare that wording with how you will actually obtain and dispatch each product.
Write down who supplies you, where you place orders, who invoices you and who dispatches the goods. Paying after a customer orders does not, by itself, explain whether the arrangement is wholesale fulfilment or retail purchasing. For the wider business decision, see dropshipping versus bulk sourcing.
Document the wholesale arrangement before listing
Ask the supplier to confirm its business identity, the products it will supply for resale and its agreement to dispatch your customer orders. Agree product specifications, prices, stock updates, order acceptance, dispatch arrangements, tracking, substitutions and returns. Request a sample invoice showing the supplier and your business as buyer.
These are practical checks, not a claim that signing an agreement guarantees eBay acceptance. A supplier's label or a document headed wholesale agreement does not explain an underlying retail checkout. If the arrangement involves a marketplace account or mixed retail and wholesale activity, send eBay support the actual workflow and request clarification before listing.
Trace what happens after a sale
Ask the supplier to demonstrate an order from your instruction through to dispatch. Check whether it releases goods under your agreed supply arrangement or places a fresh retail order elsewhere using your customer's address. Ask who holds the goods and whether another business fulfils the parcel.
Treat requests to choose a retailer after each sale, use a personal shopping account or hide retail receipts as reasons to investigate. Removing another retailer's packaging does not change the purchasing route. Our shopping-account guide covers account permission and purchase records.
Test fulfilment before testing customer demand
eBay keeps responsibility for safe delivery within the advertised timeframe and buyer satisfaction with you. Run a sample through the intended customer route. Compare dispatch performance, tracking, packaging, product identity and delivery with what you intend to promise. Set delivery estimates from evidence of that route.
Agree how to stop orders when stock is unavailable and how missing parcels, damaged goods, refunds and returns will be handled. Ask for a usable return address and an escalation contact. Review product evidence separately using our dropshipping safety guide; a permitted sourcing model does not complete that review.
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Keep a decision file and review the trial
Keep the policy copy, supplier correspondence, agreement, invoices, sample results and any eBay clarification together. Pause listing if you cannot explain the purchasing route or the supplier cannot demonstrate fulfilment. Recheck the policy and your records when the supplier or ordering method changes.
Review completed deliveries, complaints, returns and the margin remaining after actual fulfilment costs before expanding. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can help check supplier identity, obtain documents and inspect sample packing. Confirm whether a proposed supplier can support individual customer dispatches before building your trial around it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Chinese factory send orders to my eBay customers?
Potentially, through a genuine wholesale supply arrangement. Check eBay's current policy and the actual purchasing route before listing, then test the supplier's dispatch process.
Can I buy from another retailer after an eBay sale?
eBay prohibits listing an item and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer. Do not use that route for the demand test.
Does a wholesale agreement prove eBay compliance?
Treat it as supporting documentation. Check how goods are actually purchased and dispatched. Ask eBay to clarify an uncertain arrangement using your supplier details and order workflow.
Who handles complaints if my supplier dispatches?
You remain responsible to eBay for delivery within the stated timeframe and buyer satisfaction. Agree a working process with the supplier for missing parcels, faults, returns and refunds before listing.