Wileyone 

You Love the GSP I am betting because it's better for you. With no thought involved for the buyer at the other end who is paying extra charges to line PB and Ebay's pockets. The system is Morally wrong. But I guess if it's easier for you and you sleep at Night that's ok. It seems that the majority of Vendors that use the GSP are in the US. Seems that the rest of the World sees it for what it is. A scam.

Sorry about the Rant but Google "problems with the Global Shipping Program" and see what pops up.

1987

Not true. GSP is just convenience and laziness for the seller. A cynical system.
You can post anything anywhere in the world without GSP, the global post network works just fine without GSP. GSP is an expensive and unnecessary extra node in the distribution chain.
And on top of that eBay GSP removes any carefully made packaging made by the seller and then re-package the items in the cheapest way possible. It feels like the start of the police state. No one outside eBay seems to know why GSP exists and why it might be needed. There almost endless complains of GSP if you google it.

GSP can only be used for soft goods, like clothes etc, but yet at a very high price.

Example

wrk101

Buyer should never be paying any extra for the item. Surely a sane buyer will just adjust their bid DOWN to cover the ridiculously high GSP rates. Who buys stuff without considering the shipping charges? Really?? I hate to use the word idiot, but it comes to mind if someone buys stuff without considering shipping.

Its actually the SELLER who gets less. Buyers pay the same delivered to their door, its just a transfer of wealth from the seller to Ebay through the GSP.

What I do think happens is that international buyers see the lower selling prices of sellers using GSP and wish the sellers would use a cheaper shipping method. Of course, as a seller, if I used a cheaper shipping method, I just adjust my selling price UP. On items where I have mastered packing to minimize shipping, I do exactly that. I adjust my selling price up, but still keep the ship priced competitive/lower than some other sellers.


GSP is not "better" for sellers, its just more convenient. A similar example is "local pickup only". Obviously, more convenient for sellers, irritating to buyers, and sellers end up getting less for their item. People trade $$ for convenience every day, this is just one example.

Now, since some have goggled problems with GSP, how about google how sellers get scammed when they ship internationally:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shippi.../td-p/23194503


Here's what sellers get out of eBay's GSP:

"With the Global Shipping Program, you're protected in the following ways:
You qualify for automatic 5-star protection on shipping and handling charge detailed seller ratings when you provide free domestic shipping to the US shipping center. If you receive a rating below 5 stars for shipping and handling charges, it won't count against your seller performance standards.
You qualify for automatic 5-star protection on shipping time detailed seller rating when you ship with same day or 1-day handling, upload tracking information within 1 business day of receiving cleared payment, and the item is delivered to the US shipping center within 4 business days. If you receive a rating below 5 stars for shipping time, it won't count against your seller performance standards.
Any negative or neutral feedback that can be attributed to the Global Shipping Program from item handling during international transit will be removed. See details.
You aren't responsible for item loss or damage that occurs after the item is forwarded by the US shipping center. Once an item has been forwarded by the US shipping center, you won't be responsible for refunding the buyer if an eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Purchase Protection case is filed against you for one of the following reasons:
A buyer claims an item isn't received or
A package is damaged in transit"

vtchuck

Wow! Such vitriol directed at a fellow C&V poster. Implying I'm lazy, immoral and a participant in a scam is pretty unfair.

I am a small time seller and buyer. Selling to buy other stuff. Like it or not, international shipping is a hassle and a risk. If a shipped item ends up missing or the buyer claims it was never received, its not as easy as logging into USPS tracking and finding the package info. And we all know eBay is not going to help.... and is going to side with the buyer, leaving me without the item or the payment.

I have gotten screwed with a non GSP international transaction in the past but also successfully sold and shipped an entire bike to Australia.

I will continue to use GSP and international buyers can choose not to buy from me, just as I can choose not to buy from overseas or the US if I feel the shipping is too expensive.

rhm

Ebay is puzzling in the way it is compartmentalized, like Craigslist, as far as some countries are concerned; but not for others. For example, if I search eBay for "copper rivets" a lot of sales from China show up in addition to those in the US. The ones in China are cheap, and offer free shipping; but they are not what I'm looking for. I assume most of us have encountered this, not just with copper rivets. The funny thing about this, though, is that there are other countries that produce rivets. You might think: don't they make rivets in Germany, for example?

So I went on the German eBay (www.ebay.de) and sure enough, they sell copper rivets in Germany, and they are different rivets than what you can get on ebay.com. One seller could sell me 20 rivets, pretty cheap, plus 59 Euros shipping to the US. Another could sell me 100 rivets for 12 Euros but will not ship to the US.

I don't know what's up here; but evidently it is a policy decided by someone higher up. China post encourages sales to the US; Germany does not.

Wileyone 

The Buyer when he uses the GSP is not paying extra for the item he purchases. But is paying extra fees for Customs that he may have not have had to pay for at all if item was just sent Int. Post.
I never see any " lower selling prices of sellers using GSP" Where have you seen that?

Charles Wahl

My experience is that shipping from anywhere in Canada is surprisingly expensive. More expensive than from France or Britain.

clubman 

True. I can ship from England cheaper than from Toronto in my own county. Fools.