Shipping options (and how Sendcloud helps)

You have two main ways to ship as a VOD Auctions seller.

Option 1 — Use your own carrier

If you already have a relationship with Deutsche Post, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS or a local equivalent, keep using them. You set your own shipping rates in the seller profile by zone (Germany / EU / non-EU) and weight class. Buyers see those rates as part of the all-in price on every listing.

This option is the most flexible: your prices, your tracking system, your labels.

Option 2 — Sendcloud via VOD (planned)

We are setting up volume rates with Sendcloud — a multi-carrier label and rate platform — that all approved sellers can opt into. The idea: a small individual seller gets shipping rates closer to what a high-volume retailer pays.

Benefits:

• Lower per-parcel cost for many destinations
• Pre-filled labels generated by us once you confirm shipment
• Aggregated tracking so you and the buyer see the same status without switching systems
• Returns handling for business sellers

We act as a vendor of the shipping service, not as the shipper itself — Sendcloud is the operational layer; carriers (DHL, DPD, etc.) deliver. Legally, this is shipping vendor coordination, not warehousing or fulfilment.

Sendcloud-via-VOD opt-in is a profile setting; if you don't tick it, you keep using your own carriers.

Setting your shipping rates

The profile lets you enter:

• A flat shipping rate per format and per destination zone (Germany / EU / non-EU)
• Combined-shipping marginal cost — what an additional record from the same parcel costs to add

Both feed into the buyer-facing all-in price.

Combined shipping (mandatory)

All sellers are required to combine shipping for orders within the same auction block from the same buyer. This is automatic in the order creation flow — see Combined shipping from one seller. For cart-based orders, the cart already calculates as one combined parcel per seller.

International parcels

For non-EU shipping, you are responsible for:

• Correctly filling out customs forms (CN22/CN23)
• Declaring the item value honestly (we never ask you to under-declare — this is illegal and we won't tolerate it)
• Choosing a method with delivery tracking

The buyer pays import VAT on arrival — see Shipping & customs.