Terms and Conditions for international origin products. Use of the MELI Ecosystem by foreign sellers

Current version: 13/05/2025

International origin products. Use of the MELI Ecosystem by foreign sellers

This annex explains the rules of use of the services of the MELI Ecosystem applicable to:

(i) the purchase and sale of international origin products, sold by foreign sellers and imported and shipped to Colombia from abroad.

(ii) the use of the services of the MELI Ecosystem by foreign sellers, such as Full Shipments, Full Shipments from the United States, Mercado Ads, or other services of the MELI Ecosystem.

All operations conducted by the international seller will be governed by the Terms and Conditions of the Mercado Libre site where they are completed.

1. Registration and account

The Seller must register with an international account, following the special process for this type of account. By doing so, they simultaneously accept the Terms and Conditions of the sites and countries where Mercado Libre operates. This will allow them to publish and sell international origin products and use other services of the MELI Ecosystem on those countries' sites.

2. Purchase and sale of international origin products

2.1. Selling

a) Obligations of the international seller

The international seller will be the seller and exporter of the products.

As such, they: i) must comply with all requirements, permissions, and procedures required by current regulations for sale and export at origin, import, and marketing in the destination country; ii) will be responsible for compliance with current regulations and criteria adopted by customs authorities and any relevant authority in each country; iii) must assume the costs related to the exportation of the products; and iv) must provide the necessary documents and information to evidence the previous clauses, either to Mercado Libre or upon express request from any authority.

The listings must comply with the Terms and Conditions of the Marketplace, which include the listings policies and prohibited products policies. They will be written in the local language and identified as of international origin.

Foreign sellers must comply with the obligations established for sellers in the Terms and Conditions of the Marketplace.

b) Price

The international seller will inform the price of the product in US dollars, but in their listings it will be expressed in local currency. They authorize Mercado Libre to convert the price to local currency and adjust it based on exchange rate fluctuations.

Mercado Libre may add to the price of the product reported by the international seller the costs related to international shipping and/or importation (if applicable).

The international seller may charge the price of their sales (i) through one or more transfers to a bank account held in their name, which Mercado Libre will carry out with any of its affiliated companies; and/or (ii) through other payment platforms operated by third parties, when enabled. In these cases, the international seller will assume any service fee applicable to the use of those payment platforms.

2.2. Purchasing

When purchasing an international origin product, the buyer is subject to the obligations and rights provided in the Terms and Conditions of the Marketplace.

Additionally, the buyer agrees that they will be the importer of the product into their country and that they are purchasing it exclusively for their personal or family use or consumption, with no commercial intent.

As the importer, the buyer must comply with all requirements, permissions, and procedures required by current regulations for importation into their country. Furthermore, they must ensure that the international origin products are suitable for marketing and use in their country; and cover the import fees.

Import fees are calculated based on an estimate of all expenses and costs related to Customs that must be paid to carry out the importation of the product, such as customs fees, taxes, and duties. Their payment is the responsibility of the buyer and is essential for carriers to carry out the customs procedures for the importation, on behalf and for the account of the buyer.

The buyer must pay the final purchase price, which will include the product price, shipping costs, and import fees. The final purchase price of an international origin product will be indicated in the purchase flow, starting with the click of the "Buy" button and ending with the purchase confirmation notice.

In case of returning an international origin product, the buyer could be considered the exporter from Colombia and in that case must comply with all current regulations for exportation. If the return is due to reasons attributable to Mercado Libre or the Seller, we will refund the import fees; otherwise, those costs may not be refundable.

2.3. International Shipping

International shipping of products will be carried out through transportation and logistics service providers, and/or courier companies (the "Carriers") that maintain business relationships with Mercado Libre or the international seller.

Users authorize the Carriers and/or Mercado Libre to conduct customs procedures, prepare and submit the necessary documentation in each case, and pay the corresponding import rights, fees, and other taxes on their behalf.

International shipments will be governed by the Shipping Terms and Conditions, except for:

  • the collection mechanism, which may be agreed differently between foreign sellers and Carriers;

  • the billing of the transportation service. In the case of international shipments, Mercado Libre will issue an invoice to the User for the amounts they have paid for this service;

  • any other specifics that are expressly mentioned in the  Frequently Asked Questions.

Users expressly and irrevocably authorize Mercado Libre to provide Carriers with their personal data and all information related to shipments and/or international origin products.

The Foreign Seller must provide two addresses for receiving returns:

  • A local address for returns in the destination country; and

  • An address in the Foreign Seller's country of origin, to receive products that have been rejected for any reason in the country of origin.

If the Foreign Seller does not provide valid addresses, the products will be considered abandoned, and Mercado Libre may dispose of them at the exclusive cost and expense of the Foreign Seller.

In the case of products whose return is prohibited by their nature (e.g., counterfeit or hazardous products), Mercado Libre may proceed directly with their destruction or disposal in accordance with applicable regulations.

Mercado Libre may charge the foreign sellers the difference between (i) the estimated shipping value by Mercado Libre related to shipments charged to the respective user; and (ii) the actual shipping value reported by the Carrier. If applicable, Mercado Libre will recalculate these differences taking into account the actual shipping value reported by the Carrier and the current rates and conditions at that moment.

3. Use of Mercado Envíos Full

The international seller may use the services of Mercado Envíos Full from Mercado Libre's Distribution Centers in Mexico and/or the United States, in accordance with the provisions of the Shipping Full Terms and Conditions and Shipping Full United States (available for Sellers from the United States).

4. Fees and Billing

When completing a purchase or using the services of the MELI Ecosystem, the international user must pay a fee for the IT services provided by Mercado Libre. Mercado Libre will generate the corresponding invoices for these costs with any of its affiliated companies.

To find out about these costs, visit our Frequently Asked Questions.

5. Use of Mercado Ads

The use of the services of Mercado Ads by the international seller is governed by the provisions in the Terms and Conditions for Hiring Mercado Ads.

6. Sanctions

The operations of the international user are subject to the prohibitions and sanctions provided in the Terms and Conditions of the Mercado Libre sites where they are completed.

Mercado Libre may warn, suspend, restrict, or temporarily or permanently disable the account of the international user across all sites if this user violates a law, the Terms and Conditions, and/or the specific use rules of the services of Mercado Libre.

7. Personal Data

At Mercado Libre, we protect the privacy and personal data of all users in accordance with applicable personal data protection legislation.

If you are a buyer and want to learn more about how we protect your personal data, please check our Mercado Libre Privacy Statement.

If you are an international user, we invite you to review: (i) the Privacy Statement for Sellers based in the United States; and/or (ii) the Privacy Statement for Sellers based in China.

8. Special Considerations for Colombia

8.1. International Sale

In compliance with current regulations in Colombia for operations of this nature, international sale is subject to contracting the services of customs agents for shipments not exceeding USD 2.000 (Two thousand United States dollars), as stated in Decree 1165 of 2019. For this purpose, and by this act, the Buyer grants power to Mercado Libre and POSTAL & PARCEL MAILAMERICAS INC S.A. and BRINGER S.A. to appoint the customs agent and any other necessary actions for the clearance and delivery of goods subject to the International Sale.

8.2. Price

The international user designates and authorizes Mercado Libre Colombia Ltda, Mercado Pago Ltda, and/or Global Selling, LLC and/or their affiliated companies (collectively “Mercado Libre”) and/or their local banking partners in the country, expressly and irrevocably, to act as their agents for the limited purpose of receiving, retaining, and settling payments to each seller, subtracting any amounts owed to Mercado Libre, in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. The international user agrees that they will have no right to claim against buyers for payment of products, and that they may only claim the settlement of such payments to Mercado Libre.

8.3. Buyer Statements and Obligations

The buyer will conduct an international sale of a good of foreign origin that will be legally imported into the country. The payment mechanism used (payment in Colombian pesos) is authorized in Article 70 of Resolution 1 of 2018 of the Board of Directors of the Bank of the Republic regulated in item 3.1.1. of Chapter 3 of Circular DCIN 83 of the International Currency Changes Department of the same entity.

The buyer is responsible for complying with applicable foreign exchange regulations, including ensuring that the payment is made from a financial institution qualified as an Intermediary of the Currency Market and presenting the currency exchange declaration for importation of goods (old form No. 1) to said entity.

If you are unsure about which entities are qualified as an intermediary of the currency market, you can check the following link.

The buyer must retain relevant information and the currency exchange declaration for importations described in item viii for no less than five (5) years in case it is required by the National Tax and Customs Directorate and other currency control authorities.

8.4. Significant Economic Presence

If during the previous year or in the current year, you sell goods or provide services to Colombia for an amount greater than 31,300 UVT (Tax Value Unit), (UVT 2024 = COP 47,065, UVT 2023 = COP 42,412, this value is updated on January 1st of each year), you are meeting the Significant Economic Presence - PES criteria in Colombia, and you are obligated to tax these revenues in Colombia.

This implies that Mercadopago Colombia Ltda. (Mercadopago) or the withholding agent, as applicable, will apply a withholding tax of 10% on the total value of each payment. This withholding is NOT applicable when (1) the sales made in that period do not exceed 31,300 UVT or (2) you are registered with the National Tax and Customs Directorate - DIAN as responsible for Significant Economic Presence - PES and pay the tax directly at a rate of 3% on total income.

For this purpose, before January 31 of each year, you must certify under penalty of perjury via email to notificacionestributarias@mercadolibre.com.co, stating that your sales did not exceed 31,300 UVT in the previous year or that you are registered with the National Tax and Customs Directorate – DIAN as responsible for PES, attaching the respective Unique Tax Register – RUT issued by the DIAN.

Notwithstanding the above, the user authorizes Mercadopago or the withholding agent to apply the 10% withholding in case it is evidenced that sales exceeded the established amount during the respective period.

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