eBay

darcimayer-0 · ‎11-17-2022

Does any USA stores Care that GSP is charging U$20 or more for shipping to Canada? Many,many times there is a very reasonable priced item I would like to purchase,Then the dreaded GSP The three headed Dragon shows U$2O+ for shipping for a U$1.99 Card(**bleep**). Do you not care that say 2/3 of your items or more all Canadians will not BUY! I deal with the very few store that Do Not use GSP? They send the same item for U$1,2,3 or free Shipping.I have discussed this with some GSP users. They say it makes easy as they do all the shipping work(I say) Get off your lazy butts,Lick a stamp and mail(It's just that easy) Thanks

femmefan1946 · ‎11-17-2022

You are right that the GSP is not suitable for low value/low bulk items like sportscards.

The Global Shipping Program is a Seller Protection program aimed at xenophobic and paranoid US (and more recently UK) seller who are terrified of selling internationally.

The high cost is based on Canadian duty and sales taxes, plus tracked shipping costs from the seller to the buyer and a small (~$5) service charge.

For comparison, here is the USPS rate card:

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

If you play with it, you can see why TRACKED shipping will be expensive. There is no (untracked) letter rate on that chart.

While the GSP undoubtedly has lower rates than those quoted, those are not passed on to the buyer.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-17-2022

@femmefan1946 wrote:

You are right that the GSP is not suitable for low value/low bulk items like sportscards.
The Global Shipping Program is a Seller Protection program aimed at xenophobic and paranoid US (and more recently UK) seller who are terrified of selling internationally.
The high cost is based on Canadian duty and sales taxes, plus tracked shipping costs from the seller to the buyer and a small (~$5) service charge.
For comparison, here is the USPS rate card:
https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440
If you play with it, you can see why TRACKED shipping will be expensive. There is no (untracked) letter rate on that chart.
While the GSP undoubtedly has lower rates than those quoted, those are not passed on to the buyer.

Recent US announcement comparing the 2 programs with video + bonus video on Oh Ship created by US sellers. View with a very large grain of salt. 🤣

https://community.ebay.com/t5/What-s-New/Ship-international-and-make-money-worldwide/ba-p/33357315

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy7QJTT1Rww&list=PLHVEVK6whrNZMpXqADOkfG0LbzNkC1E_R&index=5

marnotom! · ‎11-18-2022

The big problem is that many US-based sports card sellers just send their less expensive merchandise as letters and the "bot" calculating the GSP's portion of the shipping charge doesn't have any information to work with for the card's shipping weight and dimensions. This means that the "bot" has to make a guess based on the average shipping size of an item listed in "Sports Memoriabilia" or whatever category the seller has used for the card.

As @femmefan1946, the service is supposed to provide tracked shipping, which is more expensive than international letter post. The GSP's shipping charges are fairly to very competive with USPS's parcel post services, depending on the item, category, and how much information the seller gave the "bot".

As it so happens, the GSP is being phased out over the course of the next year anyway in favour of another forwarding program that will, I hope, be more simpatico with the nature of shipping from the US to Canada.

m_da_terrible · ‎11-21-2022

Global Shipping Program is the worst thing ever for the end client... little old me! Goodness, simple items that would carry a 5-10$ shipping costs now costs 60-80$ .

Imagine finding a gem of an item, something unique and hard to find and the seller lists the item for 30$ what a buy! Yet due diligence hits and you notice that GSP tagged a $60+ cost for shipping and oh what's that another 20$ in duties and customs. Is it just me, but what happened to e-Bay, where one could score a treasure for $20, add 5bucks for shipping and the thing arrived at your home end of story. Now it's 60$ shipping for a **bleep**py service that is no faster than the typical USPS mail service, yippy it has tracking that never updates and suddenly it's delivered and the tracking still says on-route, and you are sure to pay duties and customs.

Greedy eBay, shame on you.... cancel the global shipping program, worst flaming piece of **bleep** strategy for the end client. I'm positive im not the only one who does not buy items because of GSP, get rid of the program and go back to your roots, that's what made ebay great!

marnotom! · ‎11-22-2022

I don't know if you're referring to shipping to the Philippines or to shipping to Canada, @m_da_terrible, but in either case I don't think it's been possible to ship a lightweight item from the United States via USPS to an international destination for less than $10 for quite some time. Most shipments from the US that my wife and I receive now are handled in a way similar to how the GSP forwards items from a central shipping location. It's less expensive, but it can also be slower than a directly mailed shipment.

The possibly good news is that the Global Shipping Program as we know it is being phased out and being replaced by a new service that is supposed to be more attractive to sellers as well as being less expensive. Faster? Don't know yet.

reallynicestamps · ‎11-22-2022

The "import fees" are based on your country's duty and sales taxes on the item being imported.

Plus shipping to your country and a ~$5 USD service fee.

However, the Global Shipping Program was never meant to help buyers.

It was a way to encourage US /UK sellers to ship internationally.

All the seller has to do is to get the shipment to Erlanger KY, and the GSP handles everything from there, including charging your country's duty and sales tax and providing international tracking for the shipment.

It might be enlightening to play with the USPS rate card a bit. Enter 90210 as the seller's zipcode and the dimensions and weight of the last few parcels you have received.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

You may be surprised by the actual cost of shipping by USPS.

needsmorerobots · ‎12-07-2022

I'm a collector of sports cards and I spend alot of money on my hobby.

That said, I avoid sellers who use GSP unless there is no other choice.

I find GSP slow, expensive and I'm not able to get combined shipping when I buy multiple products from the same seller.

After I paid over $60 in GSP for a handful of cards, I learned my lesson.

My recent aquisition used GSP. From Nevada to Vancouver Island, it took a month. UGH!

marnotom! · ‎12-07-2022

@needsmorerobots wrote:
I find GSP slow, expensive and I'm not able to get combined shipping when I buy multiple products from the same seller.

I haven't tried it myself, but reports on this board are that combined shipping is possible with the GSP if you use the "cart" feature on eBay. eBay.com might work better than eBay.ca for this, I'm not sure.

Anyway, the point may be moot over the course of the next several months anyway, given that the GSP is being phased out. However, it's being replaced by a new system that's got perks that make it very attractive to US sellers shipping out of the country. If this program works well, or at least better than the GSP and its International Standard Delivery counterpart, you're probably going to find even fewer listings from the US that offer direct shipping to Canada.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎12-07-2022

@marnotom! wrote:
@needsmorerobots wrote:
I find GSP slow, expensive and I'm not able to get combined shipping when I buy multiple products from the same seller.
I haven't tried it myself, but reports on this board are that combined shipping is possible with the GSP if you use the "cart" feature on eBay. eBay.com might work better than eBay.ca for this, I'm not sure.
Anyway, the point may be moot over the course of the next several months anyway, given that the GSP is being phased out. However, it's being replaced by a new system that's got perks that make it very attractive to US sellers shipping out of the country. If this program works well, or at least better than the GSP and its International Standard Delivery counterpart, you're probably going to find even fewer listings from the US that offer direct shipping to Canada.

@marnotom!

@needsmorerobots

Here is an explanation of how the rollout is "supposed" to go.

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2022-fall/shipping

Coles notes version:

eBay International Shipping is a new shipping service that removes the challenges and complexities associated with international shipping for US sellers. eBay International Shipping keeps all of the benefits of the Global Shipping Program that you’re already familiar with, such as shipping to a US hub and “Item not received” and feedback protections.

Additional service details

Enrollment periods

Sellers will be enrolled in phases over the next 12 months. You’ll be notified via email and Seller Hub when you’re eligible.

If you’re currently using the Global Shipping Program, you will be automatically enrolled and your listings will default to eBay International Shipping. If you ship with another international shipping service such as eBay International Standard Delivery, you will need to update your current listings to take advantage of eBay International Shipping benefits.

Note: Going by a few posts on dot com it appears revised invoices may be bit of a kerfuffle with this program.

-Lotz

marnotom! · ‎12-07-2022

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Note: Going by a few posts on dot com it appears revised invoices may be bit of a kerfuffle with this program.

Why would invoices need to be revised?

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎12-07-2022

@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
Note: Going by a few posts on dot com it appears revised invoices may be bit of a kerfuffle with this program.
Why would invoices need to be revised?

That should have been in reference to purchases where buyers wanted to combine on shipping and this program. Unable to find the specific post at the moment. It is supposed to be possible but wasn't according to the discussion. (Possibly due to shipping is calculated automatically.)

-Lotz

needsmorerobots · ‎12-09-2022

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
Note: Going by a few posts on dot com it appears revised invoices may be bit of a kerfuffle with this program.
Why would invoices need to be revised?
That should have been in reference to purchases where buyers wanted to combine on shipping and this program. Unable to find the specific post at the moment. It is supposed to be possible but wasn't according to the discussion. (Possibly due to shipping is calculated automatically.)
-Lotz

With little choice but to buy from sellers using GSP, every time I attempted a combined shipping, I would always receive an error. I spoke to 2 sellers in the past who both said there was nothing they could do because it's GSP and is already set.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-09-2022

every time I attempted a combined shipping, I would always receive an error. I spoke to 2 sellers in the past who both said there was nothing they could do because it's GSP and is already set.

That's right.

You can combine with the GSP if you are only buying from ONE seller (sounds obvious, but many buyers do not realise they are buying ON eBay but not FROM eBay) and if you combine the purchases in the shopping cart before completing the transaction.

Without the shopping cart step, the seller cannot combine your purchases.

Again, the GSP was set up as a Seller Protection and not to help buyers in any way.

needsmorerobots · ‎12-10-2022

@reallynicestamps wrote:
every time I attempted a combined shipping, I would always receive an error. I spoke to 2 sellers in the past who both said there was nothing they could do because it's GSP and is already set.

That's right.
You can combine with the GSP if you are only buying from ONE seller (sounds obvious, but many buyers do not realise they are buying ON eBay but not FROM eBay) and if you combine the purchases in the shopping cart before completing the transaction.
Without the shopping cart step, the seller cannot combine your purchases.
Again, the GSP was set up as a Seller Protection and not to help buyers in any way.

Yup,

did that and it didn't work.

I failed to make it clear I only ask for combined shipping when I'm buying multiples from one seller.

It works for me for products that are not shipped via GSP, but as I said before, everytime it involves GSP it gives me the error.

If it weren't for that minor issue, I would be spending a lot more money on my hobby through Ebay.

I think next time it happens I'll snap a screen shot and post it here.

It seems too consistent to be a glitch.

needsmorerobots · ‎12-10-2022

@needsmorerobots wrote:
@reallynicestamps wrote:
every time I attempted a combined shipping, I would always receive an error. I spoke to 2 sellers in the past who both said there was nothing they could do because it's GSP and is already set.

That's right.
You can combine with the GSP if you are only buying from ONE seller (sounds obvious, but many buyers do not realise they are buying ON eBay but not FROM eBay) and if you combine the purchases in the shopping cart before completing the transaction.
Without the shopping cart step, the seller cannot combine your purchases.
Again, the GSP was set up as a Seller Protection and not to help buyers in any way.
Yup,
did that and it didn't work.
I failed to make it clear I only ask for combined shipping when I'm buying multiples from one seller.
It works for me for products that are not shipped via GSP, but as I said before, everytime it involves GSP it gives me the error.
If it weren't for that minor issue, I would be spending a lot more money on my hobby through Ebay.
I think next time it happens I'll snap a screen shot and post it here.
It seems too consistent to be a glitch.

P.S.

One of the times I asked for combined shipping was for 2 glass ornaments out of New York in early November.

Both had GSP.

Asking for combined shipping gave me an error.

I spoke to the seller who told me it was GSP and there was nothing he could do.

I ended up paying just under $29 US for each ornament to be shipped seperately instead of one package.

I could've asked the seller to cancel the order but they were Christmas gifts for a relative.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎12-10-2022

@needsmorerobots wrote:
@reallynicestamps wrote:
every time I attempted a combined shipping, I would always receive an error. I spoke to 2 sellers in the past who both said there was nothing they could do because it's GSP and is already set.

That's right.
You can combine with the GSP if you are only buying from ONE seller (sounds obvious, but many buyers do not realise they are buying ON eBay but not FROM eBay) and if you combine the purchases in the shopping cart before completing the transaction.
Without the shopping cart step, the seller cannot combine your purchases.
Again, the GSP was set up as a Seller Protection and not to help buyers in any way.
Yup,
did that and it didn't work.
I failed to make it clear I only ask for combined shipping when I'm buying multiples from one seller.
It works for me for products that are not shipped via GSP, but as I said before, everytime it involves GSP it gives me the error.
If it weren't for that minor issue, I would be spending a lot more money on my hobby through Ebay.
I think next time it happens I'll snap a screen shot and post it here.
It seems too consistent to be a glitch.

If you are interested in purchasing multiple items from a seller using GSP and IF (big ask) they will ship without they are able to turn off on a by listing basis. Just not many sellers will because of the paperwork to ship internationally. The setting is well hidden on the GSP help page. Wonder how GSP deals with combined lots of different items? Basically the same thing. Only difference is it is one transaction.

-Lotz

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-10-2022

On gsp listings the gsp adds the international shipping cost to the amount that the seller. charges for domestic shipping. When you put items in the cart, the gsp does combine the international portion of the shipping charge. It also so spreads our the handling fee among the differ3nt items. But it does NOT take into account any combined shipping discount rules that the seller may have set up for the domestic portion.

So if the seller charges $5 to ship one item for domestic shipping and $1 for each one after that for domestic buyers, you still would pay $5 to ship each item to Kentucky. The seller cannot adjust that.

Before the purchase you can ask the seller to put all of the items in one listing with just 1 domestic shipping fee so that you receive their combined shipping discount but not all sellers will do that.

I don't yet know if the new eBay international shipping will work the same way.