Why do US sellers charge so much to ship to other countries?

[69sporty96]

I was quoted $60 to ship a 45gm watch case to Thailand. I know wages are high in the US but this seemed a little extreme. Any comments other than if you dont want to pay shipping, dont buy.

[mr.elmwood]

Depends on the seller. Knowledgeable sellers have reasonable rates based on business acumen.

Others, without knowing it, have been signed up for GSP and they have ticked the: insurance, tracking, signature boxes on some form. That translates into the high cost. Many do not know they are selling internationally as they ticked the box accepting the new user agreement, that included, GSP.

eBay's stated to me position is to "Do all those things and pass the cost on to the customer".

I sold two widgets to Mexico. I lost both. My alternatives are to put in shipping no-one will pay, or, simple block that country. I have chosen to block Mexico and if someone there really wants what I have, they can write to me.

[reallynicestamps]

It's probably an indication that the seller doesn't want to ship to Thailand.

But you could look on the USPS website and see what the cost of shipping really is. The seller would choose a  service that offers Air Mail, insured and delivery confirmed/tracked.

Dimensions are tricky. Within Canada it costs about $5 to ship a 2cm thick paperback to Alberta and about $12 to ship a 3 cm thick book.