eBay Global Shipping Program: All Your Questions Answered

International shipping is a complex activity. There are a multitude of considerations from customs duties and taxes, to long delivery time frames and flawed parcel tracking.

eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP) aims to make international shipping easy for eBay sellers. With GSP you only have to ship your product to a warehouse in your own country, then eBay takes over and handles international delivery to the buyer.

But how well does the program work? What are the pros and cons? And is it really the best way to ship internationally? Go directly to the answers to all your eBay’s Global Shipping Program’s doubts! We will answer all these questions and more. But first, we want to give you some tips.

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What is the eBay Global Shipping Program?

Under the GSP, a seller’s listings are shown to eBay buyers across the world. eBay automatically calculates the international shipping cost, duties, taxes and estimated delivery dates upfront, and adds them to the listing which the international buyer sees. The seller doesn’t provide any of that information themselves.

When an international buyer makes a purchase, the seller sends the item to a shipping center based in their own country. eBay’s service provider, a global shipping company called Pitney Bowes, manages the international delivery and customs process from there on.

The seller has done their part, so Pitney Bowes are responsible for the package from when it arrives at the shipping center until it reaches the buyer’s door.

What are the benefits of the eBay Global Shipping Program?

The GSP is one way that eBay aims to help sellers take advantage of international ecommerce. By reducing the time and complexity of shipping overseas, sellers who would otherwise be reluctant to sell internationally can get started very easily. The Global Shipping Program makes international shipping as simple and efficient as domestic shipping.

For sellers, the GSP is very convenient. There are no customs forms to fill out, duties or taxes to calculate, or international deliveries to organize. Sellers are protected by eBay so if their items are lost or damaged on the international part of their journey, they are still guaranteed five stars for shipping time and protected from negative feedback related to shipping.

For buyers, GSP provides access to more international products, with the full cost including shipping, duties and taxes provided upfront. Shipping and customs clearance should be fast and easy, because all duties are declared and paid in advance. However, the Global Shipping Program can be quite expensive for buyers – there’s more on that later.

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What are the requirements and limitations of the GSP?

eBay’s Global Shipping Program is open to sellers who have a performance rating of at least Above Standard. The item to be shipped must already be in the seller’s country and listed for sale on eBay.com or eBay.co.uk. The seller must accept PayPal.

There are restrictions on the size, weight and value of parcels, which vary depending on the destination country. For US sellers, the maximum weight ranges between 66 and 150 lbs and the maximum length between 66 and 118 inches. Most countries allow a maximum value of $2500, but again this varies between countries and can be as low as $200 for shipping to the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

For most destination countries, the buyer must have a physical address, rather than a P.O. Box.

As with regular eBay listings, there are restrictions on the type of items that can be listed and shipped, such as illegal or hazardous items. Additionally, items listed in some categories can’t be included in the GSP, such as smart watches, gift cards and tickets.

The full list of restrictions can be found on the eBay.com GSP help page, under “Getting started with the Global Shipping Program” and “Restricted categories and prohibited items”.

The equivalent page on GSP for UK sellers lists restricted items and categories, and the page on eBay.co.uk for buyers details the maximum size and weight.

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How does the eBay Global Shipping Program benefit sellers?

The main benefit of using eBay’s GSP is that shipping overseas becomes just as straightforward as sending domestic orders, making it accessible and convenient for sellers to reach international customers. Other benefits include:

  • Sellers should make more sales to international buyers (but not necessarily – more on that under Will I make more international sales using the Global Shipping Program? below).
  • Sellers are not responsible for lost or damaged parcels once they’ve reached eBay’s shipping center.
  • If sellers provide free domestic shipping, they will automatically receive five stars for the shipping costs DSR (detailed seller rating).
  • Sellers automatically receive five stars for the shipping time DSR (providing they meet targets for handling, tracking upload, and delivery to the shipping center).
  • Any negative or neutral feedback that can be attributed to international shipping will be removed.
  • Orders are automatically tracked.

However, the GSP does not always work as intended. Delivery time frames can be longer than expected, and sellers have reported poor handling of disputes by eBay support reps who do not seem to have been well trained on the program.

The GSP does not address every aspect of international sales, only those relating to shipping. For example, it does not translate listings or buyer messages, or handle returns.

Which countries does the eBay GSP ship to?

Currently, US sellers can ship to over 100 countries:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Barbados
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guyana
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guadeloupe (French)
  • Guatemala
  • Guernsey
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Malta
  • Martinique (French)
  • Mexico
  • Monaco
  • Montserrat
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • Reunion (French)
  • Romania
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • Vietnam

UK sellers can ship to 87 different countries, listed on the eBay.co.uk GSP page for buyers.

What is the cost of eBay GSP to sellers, or is it free?

There is no fee to use the Global Shipping Program but sellers will still have their usual eBay and PayPal fees to pay on the sale price (but not on the additional fees that the buyer pays).

Buyers see estimated shipping and import charges on the listing, which are then confirmed at checkout. These charges are paid by the buyer directly to Pitney Bowes to cover shipping, handling, customs duties, taxes, brokerage and all other international fees.

Sellers aren’t directly told the total price that the buyer pays, although this information is included on the packing slip that sellers print out, as it is required for customs compliance. The amount sellers receive is the item price and any domestic shipping amount that they charge. This comes directly from the buyer, just as it does for a domestic sale.

Sellers do need to consider how they will handle returns, as this is not included in the GSP and can be very costly. More on returns in How do I handle returns for items shipped under the GSP? below.

How does the buyer see listings under the Global Shipping Program?

To demonstrate how buyers see GSP listings, we have taken the same item – a men’s ring – being sold by a US seller, and compared how it appears on:

  • eBay.com, for domestic shipping to the US; and
  • eBay.com.au for shipping through the GSP to an Australian address.

Here is the listing on eBay.com:

Mens ring being sold on eBay US
Mens ring being sold on eBay US

The item price is $425 and expedited shipping within the US is free.

Here is the same item, from the same seller, shown on eBay.com.au:

Mens ring being sold on eBay AU under GSP
Mens ring being sold on eBay AU under GSP

The item price is the same, $425, and the approximate cost in Australian dollars is automatically calculated. Below that you can see:

  • A postage (shipping) charge of $24.19
  • Import charges of $53.54
  • An estimated international delivery date

The total cost is confirmed at the checkout stage and will cover all international shipping and customs fees.

Upon completion of the sale, the buyer would pay approximately $504 (US dollars). The seller receives the sale price of $425 and Pitney Bowes takes the remainder for international shipping.

Note that the listing states “No additional import charges at delivery!”. The buyer still pays import charges, but with the GSP these are paid at checkout so there will be no customs delay or extra costs upon delivery itself.

Is the eBay GSP cost effective for buyers?

For items listed under the Global Shipping Program, buyers pay the total of:

  1. The seller’s usual selling price
  2. The seller’s usual domestic shipping (if not free)
  3. eBay’s calculated international shipping
  4. eBay’s calculated import duty and taxes

Does this represent good value to the buyer? It depends, based on the product weight and size, and whether the item would normally attract import duties.

For shipments from the US, eBay GSP always uses the USPS Priority Mail International service. This is fast and includes tracking, but is expensive, starting at around $24. Sellers may be able to ship a lot cheaper directly, particularly for small and light items.

From what we have seen, eBay GSP listings always include an import charge. The actual cost of import taxes and duties vary depending on the destination, value and type of product being sent. But buyers often report that the import charges are higher with GSP than if the seller sent the package themselves.

So, some buyers avoid GSP listings as it makes the products they buy too expensive. Others like GSP because it provides good access to international products, with fast delivery and the convenience of paying import charges upfront.

In general, low value items are likely to have their price inflated to an uncompetitive level, while high value items might remain reasonably priced.

Will I make more international sales using the Global Shipping Program?

Your success with the GSP depends mainly on:

  1. The products you sell
  2. The countries where those products are in demand
  3. Whether you are already selling internationally

If you don’t sell internationally at all…

The GSP is a very easy way to experiment with cross-border selling.

It will give you access to a much wider customer base and you will have at least some opportunity to make international sales, whereas before you had none.

It’s a very simple and convenient program, and a great way to learn before considering doing your own international shipping.

If you do already sell internationally…

The GSP could impact your sales negatively if it inflates the price buyers pay (see Is the eBay GSP cost effective for buyers? above).

On the other hand, if GSP opens up new countries that you don’t want to ship to yourself, it could increase sales if your products are in demand there. You can pick and choose which countries to use GSP for, and which to ship to directly.

But if you simply want to use GSP as an outsourcing service to offload the hassle of shipping internationally, it is less likely to increase international sales. They might remain flat, or sales might decrease, if your products become more expensive under GSP. You would have to weigh up the impact on sales against the time and effort saved.

On the whole, larger and higher-value items that are expensive to ship and tend to attract import charges anyway are more likely to be competitively priced for buyers under the GSP. Small, low-value items are likely to have excessive shipping and import charges under the GSP, and put buyers off.

How do I handle returns for items shipped under the GSP?

eBay’s Global Shipping Program doesn’t handle returns, so sellers have to deal with this aspect themselves. There are several options for handling international returns. Here’s a summary.

1. Write off the cost

Depending on the value of the item, it might be better to write off the cost and refund the buyer without asking for the goods to be returned.

This is a simple approach that deals with the problem quickly and will probably avoid any disputes or negative feedback. It may also be cost effective when the products sold are of low value and not worth the cost of return shipping.

However, for higher value orders this may not be financially viable. It can also devalue your products and make you vulnerable to scammers.

2. International parcel carriers

Another simple option is for the seller to arrange shipping with an international carrier like FedEx, UPS, DHL or TNT then send the label and any other documentation needed direct to the buyer. The buyer can then repackage and return the item easily and without paying for shipping themselves.

This might be a good option to make sure high-value items are returned reliably, but can be very expensive.

3. Parcel forwarding services

There are a number of services, often designed for shoppers rather than businesses, that provide a delivery address in different countries. These can be used to provide a local returns address for international buyers, and then forward the package to the seller.

This might be a useful option for sellers with a low volume of international returns. However, these services can have value and size limits, and may be expensive.

4. Returns handling services

There are a growing number of services for businesses to help them manage international returns. These usually provide local returns addresses in several countries, and warehouses providing a number of different options for processing.

One option is to consolidate multiple returns into one package to save on shipping costs. Some providers also offer an inspection service so returns are checked and photographs sent to the seller, who can then decide whether or not to issue a refund.

Another possibility, offered by some providers, is the option to resell returns locally. The products are inspected and graded and resold through the most appropriate channel available. This avoids shipping the item back to the seller and needing to process the return themselves.

Returns handling services are usually only suitable for sellers with higher international returns volumes, as there are usually minimum monthly fees.

International returns services are listed in the directory.

What do sellers think of the eBay Global Shipping Program?

Sellers’ opinions are mixed. Many see the GSP as a good service, making global shipping convenient, simple and hassle-free. It works as intended, most of the time.

Other sellers have negative opinions on the Global Shipping Program. Some are due to fundamental shortcomings, such as:

  • It can be expensive for buyers, pricing your products out of the market and killing off international sales.
  • It’s only a partial service, as it doesn’t translate listings, provide customer service in the buyer’s language or handle returns.

Other complaints are due to service failures, causing problems like:

  • Delayed delivery due to processing backlogs at the shipping center.
  • Incorrect refunds or PayPal funds being held, when parcels are lost or damaged during international shipping (which the seller is not responsible for).
  • Damaged products, due to packages being opened at the shipping center and not being repackaged correctly.
  • Poor support and incorrect advice from eBay seller support reps.

Mistakes do happen under the GSP from time to time, but they are not the norm. Problems like these can be very frustrating and time-consuming, and also expensive if not resolved properly.

Sellers can help protect themselves by using tracked delivery to the shipping center, and taking photographs to prove the condition of high-value items. A lot of time, perseverance and a solid understanding of eBay policies might be needed when dealing with eBay’s support reps.

What happens if a package is lost or damaged under the eBay GSP?

Responsibility for lost or damaged packages is split under the Global Shipping Program:

  • The seller is responsible for getting the package to the shipping center safely.
  • Pitney Bowes is responsible for processing the package at the shipping center and delivering it to the buyer safely.

If an item is lost or damaged at the shipping center or during international shipping, and a buyer asks for a refund, there should be no cost to the seller or negative effect on their performance metrics. But how can you tell when the loss or damage occurred?

For lost packages, it should be straightforward to establish when the loss occurred, as there is a record of when packages are received at the shipping center. If the package was logged as received, the seller should not be held liable for non-delivery.

For damaged items, the situation is more difficult. Damage could happen during domestic shipping, within the shipping center, or during international shipping. If the damage is severe, it should be picked up at the shipping center or by the parcel carrier. More often, damage is not seen and reported until the buyer receives the package.

Sellers can find themselves in protracted discussions with eBay seller support over responsibility for damaged items that were sent under the Global Shipping Program.

Can I opt out of the Global Shipping Program?

Yes, you can opt out of the Global Shipping Program.

When eBay updated their user agreement in 2013, some sellers were automatically enrolled into the GSP when they accepted the new terms, often without realizing it. This caused some controversy and complaints.

Sellers can opt out of the GSP at any time:

  1. At the top left of the eBay site, click your username then Account settings
  2. Click Site Preferences on the left
  3. Find the Shipping preferences heading (eBay.com) or Postage and packaging preferences (eBay.co.uk)
  4. Next to Offer the Global Shipping Program click Edit
  5. Choose your preferred settings or opt out completely

You can also access the GSP preferences page directly using these links for eBay.com and eBay.co.uk.

GSP preferences
GSP preferences

Bear in mind that you can clear the check mark next to Use the Global Shipping Program for new eligible listings to opt out of the GSP by default, but keep the ability to opt in on a per-listing basis.

If you opt out completely, the option will not appear on your listings at all. You will be able to opt in again in the future, but will need to wait for 24 hours.

You can also remove a single active listing or all active listings from the Global Shipping Program via the Seller Hub.

Can I pick and choose which countries to use the GSP for?

Yes, you can pick and choose which countries you want to use GSP for.

This provides sellers with a powerful tool to tailor their shipping strategy. For example, sellers might choose a select group of countries they are comfortable shipping to themselves, but use the Global Shipping Program for all the others.

This gives sellers the best of both worlds. They don’t have to make their products unnecessarily expensive for countries they can ship to themselves. They also don’t have to worry about fraud or unreliable carriers for less developed or more distant countries, as they will be protected by the GSP.

To have the option to customize the countries you use the GSP for, follow the instructions in Can I opt out of the Global Shipping Program? above, and make sure the box is checked for Customize international shipping for some locations.

What are the alternatives to the eBay Global Shipping Program?

The GSP is a simple and convenient system for international sellers, but it is far from the only way to ship internationally. It is often seen as a beginner’s solution for cross-border selling, and more experienced sellers might get better results with alternative methods.

Here’s a summary of the main alternatives:

Direct shipping

Sellers can send packages overseas using the USPS (or Royal Mail in the UK) or international carriers. The services available vary greatly on cost, speed, tracking and insurance.

To find the best rate quickly you can use a rate comparison service online or often they are built into many of the order management and shipping software tools.

Mail consolidation services can provide better rates for sellers with higher order volumes, although the shipping speed will usually be a little slower.

Third party logistics (3PL) companies

These companies provide warehousing and order fulfillment services in different countries around the world. This could be a good option for sellers with high order volumes in certain countries, putting them on an equal standing to local sellers in terms of shipping cost and speed.

To use a 3PL in another country you will need to export your products upfront and in bulk, so they can quickly fulfill orders when they come in.

Amazon FBA

Amazon FBA can be used like a 3PL for orders from other channels, including eBay. This can be a convenient option for sellers who already have inventory in FBA warehouses in other countries.

However, FBA is not allowed for fulfilling orders on eBay Australia. There are also reports that eBay in the US has penalized sellers for using Amazon FBA, although there is no official policy against it.

Author

Jake Pool

Jake Pool

A content writer in the SaaS, FinTech, and eCommerce spaces, Jake Pool has written hundreds of articles and reviews for dozens of corporate blogs and online publications. With four years under his wing, readers can expect many more informative articles in the future.

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Comments

Clayton
Clayton

Some of what is written in the above article is not true....

`Sellers are not responsible for lost or damaged parcels once they’ve reached eBay’s shipping center.`

My international buyer opened a dispute for a parcel that was sent to a wrong address by ebays GSP. The seller got his money back, by paypal favoring in his favour and taking the money from my paypal account.

After contacting ebay, and them agreeing that it was their fault they agreed to remove the bad feedback, and give me back my money.

They removed the bad feedback, I`m still waiting for my money....

Also it mentions that the seller does not see how much postage the buyer has paid. That is wrong, when printing out a packing slip, it shows how much the buyer has paid, and all to often this is way over and above they would normally pay if they bought postage from the seller.

That being said, I do use GSP, but I also give the option to the buyer to use the services I provide. These are cheaper for both tracked and standard, and it is these that are almost always used by the buyer.

The only exception is if I am selling somthing that costs a lot of money, say for example a rare game.. Then I use GSP exclusively, because as the article says, I am not responsible if GSP lose the package, and I am also protected it the overseas postal service doesn`t bother getting a signature; in which case an unfair buyer may take advantage and say they never got the item.....

GSP needs some work.. And needs to be fair....

Andy Geldman
Andy Geldman
In reply to Andy Geldman

Hi Clayton, thanks for the comment.

We've corrected the article to point out that the total price paid is included on the packing slip. This will be for customs compliance. Thanks for that.

Regarding "Sellers are not responsible for lost or damaged parcels once they’ve reached eBay’s shipping center.", that is true but the seller support sometimes fails so reimbursements aren't made etc.

Besides shipping being expensive, it's the most common complaint that we have seen - seller support not living up to the promises made about how GSP is meant to work.

Dominick
Dominick
In reply to Dominick

"eBay's international shipping is truly garbage...I've tried ebay 7 times to mexico and haven't received ONE order. all shipments refunded with the crap excuse from the sellers saying "sometimes during peak times shipments get lost". yeh sure ..tracking shows the shipment is in the USPS building's black hole .

David Narayan
David Narayan

I recently opt out of GSP and four days later I was sending items using GSP.
I guess the edit settings does not work on eBay
On another note, I purchased a lot of items from all over the world using eBay.
Not! anymore due to extra cost.

Dave Sloski
Dave Sloski

Is it common to have different price/shipping options within gsp?

Bernard Blinebry
Bernard Blinebry

If I ship global ones everything need to be in one package for same price?

Ella Wajei
Ella Wajei

An overseas buyer has contacted me to say GSP have not given him a price for shipping costs and thus he is unable to pay. Is it because I offered free shipping within UK so GSP have no way of estimating the parcel size and weight? What should I do now?

Clayton
Clayton

If you haven`t given dimensions of the parcel then that is the most likely reason as to why he hasn`t received shipping costs. When using GSP it is important to be as accurate as possible with your dimensions and weight as you don`t want your customer to end up paying more than he should have to for tracked postage.

Sonya Anton
Sonya Anton

I am having an issue with an expensive item that was shipped to Isreal through the eBay GSP. To date the carrier has tried to deliver to the recipient at least 6 times and cannot locate them. What will happen to the package if it cannot be delivered? I am happy to receive it back if need be, I really loved the clock. Wanted to enjoy it for a while but I didn't put a high enough price on it, was purchased rather quickly.

Clayton
Clayton
In reply to Clayton

You can try and contact Ebay and ask them which carrier they used. Normally clicking on the tracking number will give you some indication of who they used to get the parcel out of the country. They will usually use the same tracking number for the other couriers as they change hands. Find out who the shipping company was and then contact them giving the tracking number and see if they can trace it.

A friend of mine was able to get an Xbox Elite controller stopped from being delivered in France as the buyer opened up an unauthorized transaction dispute soon after it was despatched.

On another note : Anybody else noticed that the packing slip for GSP customers no longer shows how much they paid for postage?

Angelo Brown
Angelo Brown

So, I'm based in the US, I expecting a eBay purchase PBI, it had made it through UK customs and the package is in US. The package travelled the long route, but made it to my state two ago (due my ability yo see where my package was at all times it was less than 20 miles away, another day it was 1 to 2 miles, it was in my actual zip code a very small area. No the package is headed across country. The pack is scheduled for delivery next week. Why was the package not delivered? Is this a cost saving measure with bulk shipping? I've received items faster and cheaper through UK Post.

KissFx
KissFx

Hi,

Interesting article, thanks.
I have one question that is related.

I would like to send back an item I bought from a US seller. I am in France.

I had to pay some custom duties and taxes with the shipping charge, via the Global Shipping Program from Ebay and the carrier (Pitney Bows).

I want to send back this item because I made a mistake. It is not because the item is faulty.

The seller is ok to refund the price of the item, but what about the custom fees I paid? Are they going to be refunded by Pitney Bows or Paypal?

Thanks

Noel Mccormack
Noel Mccormack

Pitney Bowes charged me twice for 1 package and I am finding it very hard to find someone at pitney bowes to understand that they have ripped me off

Karen MacRae
Karen MacRae

I'll never purchase a product sent by GSP again. I shall avoid at all cost and here's why... Recently purchased $35.USD software and paid $74. USD by the time I added your costs and I supposed customs. The total charged to my credit card was $96 CDN. It was sent Priority Canada Post and took not 1 day, but 10 days to arrive! I measured the parcel 8x5x15 would cost $8.96 CDN and a whopping $6.50 US. Why am I paying $35 USD to ship a small parcel? Couldn't track either. GSP Rip Off! All you have to do is punch in Global Shipping Program on Google, and you'll see the boycotts I am joining.

Clayton
Clayton

That is one of the biggest problems of GSP. The seller must be totally accurate with the dimensions of the box they are sending and also the weight as it is this criteria that ebay uses to calculate the shipping costs. If this is incorrect then the buyer gets unfairly charged and obviously ebay make money on the overcharge. (unless they refund it).

I personally use GSP all the time and the reason is because even if I send an item tracked and charge the buyer for it, they can still moan that they haven`t received it or it was signed by someone other than themselves, and I end up refunding them because of stupid paypal and ebay policies.

At least with GSP - as a seller it really is out of your hands when you`ve delivered to the GSP center.

Saying that though... Paypal did refund one of my buyers for a parcel that went to the wrong address even though I sent it to the GSP. They agreed it was their fault and said I would get my money back.

I`m still waiting......

Alex
Alex

Can anyone here explain why GSP charges for import duty? A few items I have purchased I have confirmed with my postal office and custom staff there say that there is no import duty but yet GSP charges for import duty. But I have a feeling even if the item has an import duty, I would still be paying for import duty when the item arrive. So my question is, how do I prove to the custom officer that GSP has charged me for import duty and they are suppose to pay for it?

owen
owen

International Global Shipping Program makes items bought on E-bay prohibitively expensive and is a key part of the international privatisation of tax collection - which is precisely what E-bay are doing.

I recently bought an item using IGSP as that was the method offered, but on a second purchase asked the seller to send it to a friend within the U.S.A.. Think this ridiculous the seller sensibly put the two items in the same box, charged me combined shipping and sent it United States Postal Service. All 'paperwork' was done on E-bay's sellers' site.

U.S. Customs / Border Control - E-bay and their International Global Shipping Program - consequently opened the box, removed the item from al of its careful wrapping including a clear plastic dust-bag the item sat in and proceed to break-off parts off the item and throw them away, irreparably destroying the item. And then short of many of the broken parts, returned to its dust-bag and careful wrapping, exactly as it was. And slapped import duties and their handler's fee onto the package.

It is absolutely immoral that sovereign governments such as the U.S.A., U.K., France et al should be outsourcing tax collection at all, let alone to vindictive charlatans such as this crowd.

Genriks
Genriks

Hi,
Thanks to owen for the response. You pointed out another opportunity to protect my rights. I "rummaged" on the Internet for information about the eBay's GSP. And I got enough negative reviews. Many of them were given several years ago. However, they are all very relevant now. With all I ran into the shortcomings of this delivery service. Nothing has changed since that time. I posted some information on my Facebook page. @ Gsv Ofis.
In my case, instead of solving the problem, eBay blocked my account.

OWEN
OWEN

IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE HELPFUL TO ANYBODY OR IS IT JUST ANOTHER SMOKESCREEN FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL TAX COLLECTORS TO CONFUSE OUR SIMPLE MINDS AS TO WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING TO US?

Jeffrey
Jeffrey

For the last few months I've simply stopped buying on ebay altogether. Alongside the impenetrable spam listings (I usually buy classic car parts), "promoted" listings and generally appalling filters, the GSP has become the last straw.

Why waste time trawling through the muck only to discover it requires a large donation to Pitney-Bowes on top of everything else if I want the item.

Ebay was a good thing once: now it deserves to die.

I can go to Ali-express for cheap Chinese stuff- which is 90% of ebay listings nowadays anyway - with minimal postage. I can go to a myriad of other sites for car parts (thankyou Google) and negotiate shipping.

And as a bonus I don't have to have anything to do with the increasingly chaotic madness of the failing state north of the Rio Grande with its artificially overpriced currency.

Byebye eBay

Lynne
Lynne

Same here, my shopping on ebay is quite limited by GSP since I am in Canada. The prices are inflated for items coming from the US and delayed ship times to boot. If a seller is using GSP I continue looking for the same item from someone who doesn’t. I only use it if I cant find the item anywhere else. Ebay used to be my go-to for everything but now maybe 3-5 items a year. What a shameful sham has become.

Francis Treuherz
Francis Treuherz

I am waiting for 3 GSP parcels from USA/ Who is the UK courier? Tracking is secretive.

It was VERY hard recently for a seller to combine postage for 3 small books and doing so actually raised the postage price to 3 times the initial cost. I could not get it down.

Clayton
Clayton

Well Ebay`s GSP has done it again.... A parcel that I sent to their GSP which they have posted for me which is still with the courier and is undelivered and very late has been refunded to the buyer after they opened a non-delivery dispute. The dispute has been found in the buyers favour and the refund was given to him from MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT. And the reason is because `I` didn`t give them a tracking number.

Well the tracking number was provided by EBAY`S ****ing GSP for **** sake. And I couldn`t even answer or respond to a dispute because it was the GSP that handled it.

Its bloody lucky that the item was only worth £6..... If it was worth £100 (and I would have sent it via GSP so I was protected) and it had got lost or undelivered or late, then I STILL WOULD NOT BE PROTECTED.

NEVER EVER WILL I USE GSP EVER AGAIN.

This has happened twice now....... I have opened an appeal for this and I will update with the result..... ****ers.......

Clayton
Clayton
In reply to Clayton

I lost the appeal. I even used screenshots of the tracking number that ebay gave me when they sent the item to France.

Their excuse was that I didn`t send the tracking number quick enough. IT WASN`T ME WHO SENT THE BLOODY TRACKING NUMBER IT WAS EBAY THEMSELVES....

Clayton
Clayton

"If an item is lost or damaged at the shipping center or during international shipping, and a buyer asks for a refund, there should be no cost to the seller or negative effect on their performance metrics. But how can you tell when the loss or damage occurred? "

This section is a load of crap... I have now received a non-delivery dispute AGAIN from a buyer in Austria... If this is also lost or late, then this is going to hit me BIG time for a real hefty amount of money if Ebay decide that its my fault again.

The gaul of this company to suddenly decide in a buyers favour when something is missing and then pass the buck to the seller who sends the item to the GSP is absalutely disgusting.

Genriks
Genriks
In reply to Genriks

Hello Clayton! After the first" misunderstanding " with GSP, You had to search for reviews on the Internet.Type in Google GSP and you will find a lot of information. Since 2012. You may have "bought" the beautiful promises. I gathered some information on a Facebook page. Check out my previous comments.

Jon
Jon

I regularly buy items from the US and have found the PB fees to be excessive. I just ask the seller to use another shipping method which sometimes cuts the price by 75%. I recommend doing this.

Nancy
Nancy

I pay top $ to ship the odd purchase from all over the world in most cases with no other option but to use GSP from sellers. I expect to get what I pay for with tracking all the way until delivered.
In this case I have had no update for 19 days with several tracking numbers provided (4) on one of my recent purchases and I have no idea where on earth the thing is right now.
For almost $100 AUD shipping the GSP isn’t delivering what I paid for!
The seller won’t respond and eBay’s help page directs you to message the seller so I’m here twiddling my fingers waiting... seriously, pretty poor service.
It’s always expensive and now unreliable with orders taking a lot longer to arrive each time.
I’m not happy and it’s true when people say that purchasing from eBay is just not worth it anymore!

Matt
Matt

Originally I opted out of GSP as the rates were far in excess of what I normally would be paying. Now they are far cheaper. A 7lb laptop to Europe will cost me $85 to ship there. GSP charges the buyer about $30. I can ship it to KY (costs me about $12) and they can ship it to Europe for less than half the cost of me shipping it directly there.

KostaM
KostaM

I am interested on how can a country be added to GSP? I am from Serbia, and am a frequent Ebay buyer, and have noticed that many sellers from the States are using GSP as a shipping method, and since my country is not on the list for reason to me unknown, how can it be added?
Best,
Kosta

Kate Merton
Kate Merton
In reply to Kate Merton

Hi Kosta. I'm afraid GSP is eBay's program and they decide which countries are in it.

Michael
Michael

How did things ever get shipped before ??? No additional shipping fees doesn’t cut it !! You charge way too damn much there are other far cheaper ways somebody’s making a lot of money. Killing the market on the one hand why would I order $400 Used article from California weighing 45 pounds ship to Nova Scotia for $240 US are you nuts...cheaper to fly down and get it ! Considerably more expensive than even a year ago same route more weight less money, I’m disgusted

Kuhnfucius
Kuhnfucius

A seller in Germany has several items I would like to buy on ebay, but he does ship internationally period. Can't even bid on them. Can I ask another German Seller to buy them for me and ship at additional cost for being a third party?

misaki
misaki

The item will not be shipped with gsp stuck all the time. It doesn't update when tracked. Is it really delivered?

Philip Reeves
Philip Reeves

GSP is terrible if a buyer wants to buy multiple items. Instead of giving a combined shipping cost it bills the buyer for each individual item making it prohibitively expensive.

Example: I had and Australian buyer who wanted to purchase 27 comic books totalling several hundred pounds. If i'd been shipping direct it would have cosy about £60 pounds.
GSP wanted $1300AUS.

Obviously I lost the sale and had to spend over an hour relisting everything.

GSP needs to be able to bundle items and quote for combined shipping.

Neo m
Neo m

I am from Sri Lanka and i uses to buy lots of rare parts for cars from U.K and U.S through ebay. But with GSP the prives are prohibitively expensive. Lot of the smaller items I get are not taxed over here. Yet have to pay pitney bowes for it. Do they refund it if it doesn't get taxed or do they just pocket the money? Anyway I have largely stopped getting anything through uk or the us due to this issue. I think ebay got greedy. Now I google what I need and find sellers and get stuff with cheaper shipping. Way to go ebay, ruiya good thing.

Carole Miles
Carole Miles

My item has been Erlanger now for 10 days his is this global shipping good for eBay customers.
Why is it not moving.

Kenneth Koh
Kenneth Koh

This service is sucked. I made a purchase at ebay 40 days ago. (I paid on 25th Aug and today is 5th October 2020) I sent text back and forth with seller and the answer from seller is "please wait for UPSS reply". The tracking number is not working.

Bradley O'Connor
Bradley O'Connor

What does this mean
arrived at consolidation center. shipment is being processed

Mike Scott
Mike Scott

The Global Shipping Program is a terrible service where Pitney Bowes hands off the shipped packages to cheap rate courier services with unreliable delivery service, often delivering to the wrong address or leaving packages outside on the porch or in the lobby of buildings where they are often stolen. The deliveries take twice as long as the regular postal services and they charge allot more for their lousier service than the regular postal service would for packages shipped with signed for tracking! Pitney Bows is all about cutting corners and maximizing profits at the expense of buyers and sellers on-line. They are a terrible service company!

David Williamson
David Williamson

Although ebay told me today that the ebay global shipping programme sends items from the U.K. to Hong Kong (as they did seven weeks ago, when they sent an item to Hong Kong for me), they no longer seem to. A customer in Hong Kong tried to buy an item today and ebay global shipping programme no longer has Hong Kong in their drop-down menu of destinations to select.

Julie Bennett
Julie Bennett

I truly detest eBay’s Global Shipping Program with every fibre of my being. I have had the experience more than once of ordering one-of-a-kind porcelain replacement parts to complete a faithful restoration of an antique collectable only to have it arrive shattered into thousands of pieces. Oh, the joyous anticipation of repairing a piece of history. BUT the reality?I can tell you that NOTHING quite comes close to the breakneck speed of the downward dive into deep depressed anger at the point of taking delivery. First you can hear the shards clinking against each other. Then you get to open the parcel; cue my fear and trepidation, at discovering the full extent of the damage. Often, there’s even a card from Pitney Bowes proudly BOASTING that it’s been repacked by them. The feeling is one of TOTAL DEVASTATION. And why? … Because some bright spark at Pitney Bowes in Kentucky decided to save the company a few bucks by repacking the experienced and knowledgeable seller’s ever so protectively reinforced :”double-boxing”. They did this to make the parcel smaller/more compact. So they would be able to pay the next carrier even less money to bring it on down to little ole me down here in Australia. Personally, I think the destruction they cause, their annihilation of history, is akin to book burning. But it’s all OK in the eyes of their Customer Service Officer (CSO) who is, “So very sorry. We take full responsibility. We will refund you in full…because you paid by Paypal!” As if that is supposed to make me feel better! I’d been lucky enough to find such a rare part that I am unlikely to ever find again. There was the potential to make a piece of the past that was lost live again. And some moron at Pitney Bowes has crushed my hopes, stymied my endeavours, just as he has smashed my porcelain part into smithereens. And that’s before we even mention the cost and extra time in delivery delay that have both increased due to the extra detour to get the part to Kentucky, before it even starts on its journey to Australia. And the “full tracking” that gets as far as the USA border, or maybe Australian Customs, before it vanishes into some parallel universe to PERHAPS eventually emerge with absolutely no rhyme, reason or predictability. And when I voice my extreme displeasure with CSO, she calmly says, “Oh, but we save you the hassle of import duties!” I stridently reply, through gritted teeth, that in Australia THERE ARE NO IMPORT DUTIES on the items I buy on eBay until they individually amount to $1,000 AU. Today I looked at a book (a collectors’ text) that several U.S. and U.K. sellers have listed on eBay. I could instantly tell the GSP shipped ones. The postage price ranged from $42 AU to $284 AU – for the same damned book for goodness’ sake! How are those sellers ever going to make an international sale? It’s not a Global Shipping Program: it’s a Global Scammers’ Program!

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