It’s interesting with all this negativity about eBay’s Global Shipping Program and of course the problems some have mentioned with delivery.
Let’s not forget parcel theft occurs here at home also with Australian Post and even courier services. Employees in these jobs don’t require much over an IQ of 86 so like blackbirds or crows they see something shinny any can’t see that they will eventually get caught if they steal it. But enough said there!
What is more important is eBay offers total protection on ‘most’ purchases, so if you can manage your disappointment of losing that chance of owning something desirable now there will always be another opportunity.
For me the GSP has been very rewarding and I don’t find I have any difficulty purchasing multiple items from the same vendor to be boxed in one package through the ‘add to cart’ facility. What’s more important to me is sometimes I don’t wish to combine items from one vendor which I’ll explain below.
GSP has opened the door to the very desirable USA market for me. USA have a paranoid export customs policy in my option which has frustrated and deterred many a vendor from selling overseas even to their neighbour Canada. Now it’s so easy and often much cheaper that dealing with vendors who use other methods of posting overseas.
As for the desirability to combine post well that’s all very well if the item plus postage falls below $AUD999.99, otherwise import duty, GST and sales tax come into play.
Recently I purchased an item set from the USA which cost well over three thousand US dollars. The vendor was kind enough to relist them separate which brought each item below the import duty threshold. Even with the extra freight cost I still saved close to a thousand Australian dollars should I have had to pay duty.
I imagine if your purchasing something for only a few dollars per item I can understand your complaint of individual postal costs.
Anyway cheers and good hunting in your next eBay purchases.