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Thread: A warning about the Ebay US Global Shipping Program

  1. #1
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    Default A warning about the Ebay US Global Shipping Program

    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).
    Last edited by griffin; 18th April 2014 at 09:55 PM.

  2. #2
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    I've run into both the problems you've mentioned. And the system isn't smart enough to actually _tell_ you that you can't select a PO Box address. Two useless eBay help chats later I eventually found it myself in the help section (but it's not exactly highlighted).

    Nowhere did I find anything stating that with GSP the shipping can't be combined; which as you say is rather annoying & feels like a rip off after you've gone to the trouble of shopping with one seller.

    It's enough to make me totally avoid the GSP & honestly after some other bad experiences, avoid buying from US sellers at all.


    Eagerly waiting for Masterpiece Meister

  3. #3
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    I've come across this GSP when trying to purchase mutiple itmes form the same seller and thought it was stupid to. The seller was quite blunt and rude to me too when I questioned the amount ebay wanted to charge me for the two separate shipping rates
    He rambled on in an email about how it's out of his control and implied it was something ebay had enforced upon him as a power seller...

    I noticed a few months ago (the feature may of been added before this but I don't recall) that ebay actually has an add to cart option now if the seller has multiple items for sale. As someone that has had some experience selling on ebay you have the option (when listing an item) to put in its dimensions, weight and tell the postage calculator to add the weights together if a person buys multiple items so that it automatically calculates the cost of shipping (saving them money). It seems that its smart enough to get the cost directly form the selected carrier based on the numbers you enter. It's really dis-appointing that the GSP doesn't do this too and only calculates individual items making the already expensive exercise of buying from the US even more expensive
    Hurry up and fix this ebay...

  4. #4
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    I am glad i read this and will stay tuned for any improvements in eBay practises.
    "I am not a gun. I'm hitting people with a hammer. On Mars."
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  5. #5
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    Thanks for the heads up fellas, I rarely buy from the US through eBay anymore anyway. having to pay for anything other than first class mail international is generally prohibitive, so I just don't bother.

    I find it's sometimes a good source of Takara product especially due to our proximity to asia.
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  6. #6
    drifand is offline Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
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    Some American online stores already does this. GGinfinite is one of them and yes they couldn't ship to my parcel locker. waste of time.

  7. #7
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    Would each individual writing a complaint email do anything ?

  8. #8
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    It's something that probably needs to evolve, but is something Ebay will keep, as it allows for more sales (US sellers can now sell to everyone without doing anything extra), which means more money for ebay (more purchases means more fees paid).

  9. #9
    drifand is offline Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
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    What about writing to FedEx? My eBay is tied to my locker account. So it does affect what I am going to buy.

  10. #10
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    i purchased 3 items from a store, ebay shipped them separately and put estimate delivery of Feb 1, the invoice said the shipment for 3 but fedex delivered 1 on Feb 10. I tried contacted local fedex but they have no idea, received the 2nd shipment later on Feb, the 3rd one still in the sorting facility until now. Opened a case but still ebay's has not resolve my problem bn in fact they almost don't care about my situation and put the case on hold until March 5.
    yeah, so much for the GSP shit

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