US shipments Standard International Shipping means eBay International standard

[theoldestfart]

If you are in Canada like I am and you see a US seller with an item showing "Standard International Shipping"  that listing is in fact using "eBay International standard".  There is no point asking the US-based seller which shipping service is going to be delivering your package because they do not know.

"With eBay International standard the seller sends it to eBay and eBay move the item based on a few factors (Shipping, speed, Cost, Tracking reliability, Destination country, and Package weight) to the best carrier available.  eBay international standard service providers, include USPS, DHL, Asendia and Easyship. You can go here ebay.to/3u0qdSa for more detailed information."

This may sound like GSP or Global Shipping Program but the GSP is a Delivery Duties Paid (DDP) shipping program. No additional fees upon delivery.

eBay international standard is a Delivered Duties Unpaid (DDU) shipping solution—buyers won’t pay duties and tax at checkout on eBay but may have to pay the carrier for duties and tax on delivery. In other words if eBay decides to use UPS you will probably get hit with duty or PST/GST or HST in addition to UPS collection fee for collecting these fees unless you pay prior to delivery. 

The only experience I have had with DHL is their tracking which was horrendous with two shipments but I understand that DHL may also assess additional fees outside of any taxes or duty assessed.

I personally will avoid listings indicating "Standard International Shipping" or "eBay International standard " there are too many unknowns involved. You will not know who the carrier will be until it's too late to cancel. You also have the delay introduced by the seller shipping the item to eBay who then in turns relabels the shipment and hands it off to the winning carrier.

[pjcdn2005]

As I mentioned in another of your threads, a listing that says standard international shipping does not mean that the seller is using eBay international standard delivery.  If the seller plans on using the eBay shipping program they are more likely to choose the option that specifies that's what they are using.

[femmefan1946]

'You are sad,' the Knight said in an anxious tone: 'let me sing you a song to comfort you.'

'Is it very long?' Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.

'It's long,' said the Knight, 'but it's very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it -- either it brings the tears into their eyes, or else --'

'Or else what?' said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.

'Or else it doesn't, you know. The name of the song is called "Haddocks' Eyes".'

'Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?' Alice said, trying to feel interested.

'No, you don't understand,' the Knight said, looking a little vexed. 'That's what the name is called. The name really is "The Aged Aged Man".'

'Then I ought to have said "That's what the song is called"?' Alice corrected herself.

'No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is called "Ways and Means": but that's only what it's called, you know!'

'Well, what is the song, then?' said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered.

'I was coming to that,' the Knight said. 'The song really is "A-sitting On a Gate": and the tune's my own invention.'

So saying, he stopped his horse and let the reins fall on its neck: then, slowly beating time with one hand, and with a faint smile lighting up his gentle foolish face, as if he enjoyed the music of his song, he began.

[theoldestfart]

If I as an end user and buyer of product on eBay contact @askebay on Twitter and ask them where is the page that explains "standard international shipping"  and at least two different reps tell me that "standard international shipping" is "eBay international standard delivery" and its not then eBay is worse that I thought.

[theoldestfart]

So the askebay Twitter account who are supposedly official reps of eBay do not know what they are talking about then? Because that is who told me multiple times when I inquired what "Stand Internation Shipping" was and to give me a page on eBay website explaining it they gave me the link to "eBay International Standard" page. 

[theoldestfart]

I have to apologize to those in this thread. I stupidly believed the response from eBay @askebay was giving me correct information when in fact several eBay reps simply were throwing out totally incorrect information about "Standard International Shipping" being "eBay International standard". I have no reason why they even mentioned "eBay International standard"

I  am not one to give up so again today I asked via Twitter and I got a response giving me links to "eBay International shipping" which I have been given numerous times plus a link to GSP. I have no idea where GSP came into the discussion at all. I certainly did not ask them about it. 

This is one big problem with eBay and their public facing support people. You ask them a direct question and instead of getting a proper response back with correct information, they respond back with information that has nothing to do with the question asked.

[pjcdn2005]

The AskTwitter reps should know what they are talking about however unless they list on ebay and ship internationally, they wouldn't use the shipping section on the listing form and may not know that there are different generic options such as standard international shipping, economy international and expedited international.  For example, if I list on the US site, I use the generic standard international shipping  to describe Canada post shipping since I can't use the USPS options.   Ebay international standard delivery is a specific service and available only to sellers in the US.

The two terms sound very similar so I can understand why there is confusion but they are very different.

[theoldestfart]

Thanks for the screenshot which shows clearly that those are two distinct shipping plans. I asked eBay on Twitter and finally had another rep actually say what others in this and other threads re Standard International Shipping. It is whatever is the cheapest and there is no one particular carrier being used for all shipments.

Why eBay reps did not indicate this days ago is beyond me since I asked the same question then. 

[theoldestfart]

Just to add clarification as other eBay sellers probably mentioned either in this thread or another. The following is from Tyler at eBay

"Standard International Shipping is a generic placeholder that generates an average based on all stated international services. So essentially, an average of an average. "

"We let sellers set their shipping prices, so while I definitely agree it sounds like there was an inflated shipping charge on the items you found, it doesn't necessarily violate eBay policy."

So the price shown for "Standard International Shipping" item is just an average price and does not actually reflect the cost of shipping a particular item from that shipper. 

Plus sellers can charge what the heck they want for shipping even if it is a horrendous charge.

[marnotom!]

“Standard International Shipping” rates are not calculated as an average by eBay. It’s a flat rate shipping option with a rate that’s arrived at by the seller, so the same rate would apply for a shipment from the US to the UK as a shipment from the US to Australia.

Yes, some sellers may come up with “horrendous” shipping rates, but they’re providing a service to the buyer (even if they’re not doing the actual delivery) and they’re permitted to price the service at what they feel it’s worth and let the power of the market decide whether that price makes sense.

[theoldestfart]

I, like others, have pointed out in this and another thread doesn't think that these sellers for this particular item, a $15 AC wall adapter had any intention of shipping the product in my case to Canada. All they want is exposure in the eBay system. There is no way a sane buyer would pay $59.99 USD shipping to ship what amounts to be a 1 lb max adapter costing $15.

In my opinion, based on the experience of contacting official eBay representatives via Twitter or via the community here it is a lost cause.  One is better off posting here and getting answers from sellers who actually use eBay. That says a lot about eBay sigh.

[richardcm]

eBay community members have always be best resource on using eBay and Shipping. How to real experience. eBay Canada forums are so polite. eBay USA are so rude with 80% of topic replies arguing over minute details insulting the OP or members replies. So much useless fluff hard to get facts and useful content.

This is a rant in general. I know you know this.