International Buying Guide for eBay Philippines

This guide is to help international eBay buyers familiarize themselves with the Philippines. This guide hopes to make purchasing on eBay.PH safe, enjoyable and hassle-free.

Location

• The Philippines is located in Southeastern Asia archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea and near Hong Kong and Malaysia.
• The main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Major Cities

• City of Manila (Capital - Metro Manila - Luzon)
• Makati City (Primary Financial and Shopping District - Metro Manila - Luzon)
• Quezon City (Metro Manila - Luzon)
• Cebu City (Visayas)
• Davao City (Mindanao)
  

Time Zone

• GMT +8
• No Daylight Savings Time

Office Hours

• 9 AM - 5 PM (Most businesses and Financial Institutions)
  

Language

• The are -two official languages: Filipino and English
• Filipino which is based on Tagalog, is the national language.
• English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education.

• Almost everyone can understand and speak Basic English.

Unit of Measurement

• The Metric System is used in most trade 
• US System is also used extensively.

Currency

• Philippine Peso (PHP)
• US Dollar (USD) is also acceptable and sometimes preferred

Exchange Rate

• 1 US$ = PHP 52.00 (estimated)
• eBay shows the current exchange rate on the auction page

Postal Services

• Philippine Postal Service
• IEMS - International Express Mail Service

Duration of Sending Packages

• Surface Parcel: 30 - 45 days
• Air Parcel: 14-21 days - No Tracking
• International Express Mail Service: 5-7 days - With Tracking - Best manner of shipment

• FedEx: 3-5 days
• DHL: 3-5 days
• UPS: 3-5 days

Acceptable Manner of Payment

• Money Transfer
• Bank Transfer (Swift)

Acceptable On-Line Payment Processors

• Xoom
• D2D Station
• PhilPay
• Western Union Money Transfer

There are great items to be found on eBay PH and rare items to be purchased which you will not find in stores. Hope this guide helps all international members, new and old alike, have a safe and better experience in transacting on eBay Philippines.

Enjoy bidding and buying on eBay.PH