Evil Bay Global Shipping Program

Beemermark

Beemermark

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Evil Bay is always changing their listing format. I now find it impossible to ship from the US to international for a fixed price. They have a Global Shipping program that charges an extremely low price for shipping. However, I've had two foreign buyers who sent me messages saying they wanted to buy my gear but wouldn't because they had been ripped off by Evil bay and the shipping program previously.

Can someone overseas enlighten me?
 
The GSP is supposed to display the total price of shipping to the buyer. I just recently bought something from the UK and didn't even realize it was a GSP purchase until I paid. I was not charged anything beyond what the initial shipping charge was on the listing automatically.

Firstly I think you can still turn off GSP per listing. Then put your own shipping rule in.

Secondly, the low price you are seeing is probably what you are getting from the deal to ship to the GSP regional distribution center.

I've mailed one item via GSP to Canada and the buyer had no issues. Perhaps overseas buyers will respond but that's my experience as a USA buyer with the GSP.
 
One problem with the GSP is that you cannot declare a different value from the selling price. For some countries where taxes are low this is not an issue, but in many countries the tax is quite high, more than 30% in Greece, 40% in India, and 60% in Brazil. Declaring full value for these places makes your items unaffordable in these places. Those of you who live in English-speaking countries are lucky that such taxes do not apply to the things you buy.
 
I'm U.S. Based and have used the GSP for international sales. I make sure my listings state this clearly for the potential buyer, and include a highlighted recommendation to review GSP shipping rules and the maximum item sale price that will qualify for GSP shipping to their country; this varies for different countries, and is very low for certain locations. The GSP takes care of shipping and customs forms and fees, with the cost covered by the buyer.

As an example, I recently sold a modest size item (box weight about 2 lbs) to a buyer in Japan at a price of 1750 USD. The total GSP cost to the buyer was approximately 165 USD.
Shipping time from my post office to the buyer in Japan was 1 week. I much prefer the GSP to arranging international shipping myself.
 
Here is no custom duties on cameras and lenses in Canada. But ebay charging not existing duties and ships it by dirt cheap services. GSP is rip off. And those who are using it must be boycotted by buyers. Plenty of smart and honest sellers from USA anyway.
 
I ship international by printing the postage label, forms, and paying the fee with PayPal at USPS.com. Takes 5 minutes and you get a discount. So I,be never considered shipping internationally a hassle. Figuring out the EB listing format is a PIA.
 
As an overseas buyer, I can say - compared to USPS Priority - it is slow and the customs charges are arbitrary and unnecessary (although this has improved recently). I've had items take over 2 weeks to get here from the U.S. using the GSP. Items that I would have paid no customs fees when shipped through USPS are charged customs fees upfront with the GSP. Sometimes my decision whether to bid/buy is dependent on whether the seller is using GSP or not. In my opinion, the service is a minor convenience for sellers, but is a turn-off to international buyers.
 
As a Canadian ebay user, I no longer buy from US auctions with GSP. Pay shipping AND some fee? No thanks. Most good stuff you get from Japan anyway. ;)

I will add there are no custom fees for used products entering Canada (I have NEVER paid any). The GSP is doing a disservice, if I can put it politely.

Isn't GSP voluntary?
 
I had to "turn off" GSP because I had an extremely frustrating experience. I had a buyer in China. My printer ate the shipping label when I printed it off, so I had to print another one. Unfortunately, there is NO WAY to cancel the original label, it is what shows up on ebay's tracking system. So after about two weeks the buyer contacts me, says it's been a month since he paid (not true) and that it looks like the package hasn't left the U.S. yet (true). I gave him the proper tracking number - many times - but he still opened a dispute and a hold was placed on my paypal account. Emails to paypal and ebay, phone calls to ebay, no resolution. I was given convoluted instructions on how to cancel the tracking number and add the new one, only to finally end up at a dead link/page. Thankfully the buyer was honest enough to admit they received the item after I emailed them several times when the second tracking number showed it had been delivered. But I'm never taking a chance with the GSP again.
 
Aside from incorrect charges and slow service, GSP's use of a center in Kentucky makes for some absurd journeys of packages. I live in Vancouver and once purchased from a Seattle ebayer and the lens I bought travelled from Seattle to Kentucky to Toronto and finally back to Vancouver. So in addition to the cost and extended time of the shipment it had a rather large and unecessary carbon footprint.
 
GSP is not efficient for very small or low-value items, but I have observed that the shipping cost is competitive with direct airmail, if not cheaper, for three dimensional items weighing over a pound.

Bear in mind also that the U.S. has terrible direct international mailing options,and the cheapest one that can track and insure - Priority - is disproportionately expensive (the insurance even more so - assuming you can even cover the entire amount). GSP passes the risk to Ebay after a 2-day domestic mailing that does not in most instances even need to be insured. This is not a small thing when you consider rampant mail theft in other countries.

Finally, there is a lot to be said for predictability. That goes both for what the buyer pays and what happens when there is a return.

Dante
 
My experiences with GSP as an overseas customer.

Used it twice for and found it very expensive but worst of all the items where both times left on my doorstep one was a $600 camera the other a $900 lens.

USPS is much cheaper and more secure, never had any problems with them.

Now I use Shopmate, Australia Posts foothold in Portland Oregon.
 
Dante, rampant mail theft? You hurt my feelings.

I have bought and sold way to much, Asia, North and South America, Europe and Oceania.
Never ever was one parcel lost or stolen, a couple took a while and one German customer had postal stamps from all over Europe, his parcel took three months to arrive from Belgium.

I know you are pretty active yourself, did you have so many bad experiences?
 
I hate GSP and Pitney Bowes with a passion and a vengeance. And I avoid sellers who use it unless the total value is under the import-duty limit.

From a buyer's point of view:
It features "Priority Shipping" prices for 3rd rate shipping service.
If their calculations for import-duty are too low they'll charge you again.
If their calculations for import-duty are too high they'll not refund you the difference.

PB often repack items at their hubs, to reduce weight and size. Meaning items get lost or damaged.
If PB deems items 'un-shippable' they'll refund the seller and buyer, but the item is never returned to the seller....and they'll sell the item through a 3rd party on Ebay.

Do a google search an read all the horror stories.
The whole thing is a scam
 
Simply hate GSP as a buyer in Sweden

1. It is not faster than normal air mail.
2. GSP doesn't have cooperation with local post office so I need to go to some candy shop at a bird-don't-sh1t palace to pick up the package.
 
I refuse to buy anything that involves the GSP because of bad experiences. Shipping is delayed severely, adding weeks to the delivery time. Extra charges are added because GST is charged for goods imported with a value over Aus$1000. I would be ok with this as it is the law but I am not stupid: I've never paid this GST except with a camera sent via GSP.
 
My experience, of two GSP purchases from US to UK, over the last couple of years, was OK.
With previous non-GSP US-> UK purchases it seemed to be a lottery whether or not you got hit with hefty import charges, whereas the GSP I think works in the framework of an international special arrangement.
Shipping did take a long time when going through a lot of hubs from e.g. the Mid-West; tracking information is provided.
 
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