A warning about the Ebay US Global Shipping Program

[griffin]

For those using the main Ebay (US) site and buying from Americans, you may have seen or experienced the "Global Shipping Program". If not, you can read up about it here, which is basically a new system to encourage more American sellers to make items available to non-Americans, by just having them post the items domestically to the nearest UPS or Fedex (which means no extra effort on their part, as UPS/Fedex calculates the international shipping and fills out the declaration forms).

One key element of this has Paypal splitting the payment you make...
- the sale price and domestic shipping goes to the seller,
- the international shipping amount that ebay automatically calculates on the listing goes directly to UPS/Fedex, and they wait for the item to arrive to then send overseas.

The flaws of this new system...
- you can't get combined shipping under the GSP. Since the system is designed to be completely automated (an incentive to get more Americans to sell worldwide and make ebay more money with the fees), the UPS/Fedex quotes are based on the weight and volume parameters the sellers enter in for each separate item. As such, the quotes are automated and CAN NOT be adjusted or combined for a discount. Ebay/paypal is only able to send money for each item separately to UPS/Fedex, who then expect multiple items matching the parameters listed for each of those items being paid for.
- UPS and Fedex will only ship to a home address, so checkout keeps showing errors until you change your shipping address to a street address (and defeats the purpose of having a POBox for the convenience of receiving items while you are at work)


So if you are shopping around ebay and see multiple items you want from the one seller, check to see if they are listed as Global Shipping Program items, and if so, ask first if the seller is able to "opt out" the items you want so that they can then send you an invoice for the combined amount after you commit to them. But be warned, if it then requires the seller to ship directly to you, they may refuse, leaving you with multiple items and excessive shipping across the lot... or no items at all.


I just spent the last three hours trying to buy three items, with several messages between me and the seller, plus much reading of the ebay help section, including ringing up their customer service (yes, in America) and being put on hold for 10 minutes while they themselves had to find out more about the Program.
Since the seller had already boxed up the three items into one box to post, if he wants to send it through the GSP, he has to rebox the three items separately and then post them. And if he wants to keep them in the one box, he will have to send it directly to me. So I just told him to pick the option that is easiest for him, or if they were both too much effort, cancel the order and relist for someone else.


This was meant to make it easier for non-Americans to buy off Americans, but is just going put people off selling to foreigners again, as soon as they come across a multiple purchase, and the GSP doesn't allow the seller and buyer combine the items for postage.

This is now the second GSP purchase that has caused problems for me in the last couple months, so I'm going to have to contact sellers first to see if they can read this topic and opt out, or just start avoiding items listed as GSP now (at least until ebay fixes this critical flaw in the system preventing buyers from saving money from combined shipping).