What is Global International Priority Shipping actually charging?

[as***f]

I'll begin by stating that in all likelihood Ebay will probably sanction this post because criticism is not readily tolerated, but this is constructive criticism.

I have communicated with several sellers and NONE of them were actually aware of what Global Priority Shipping were charging their customers for international shipping. All of them thought it would only be a small charge to the customer, commensurate with the cost of what they were being charged by Ebay to use that service.  For example, a small ladies lightweight cotton handkerchief costing less than US$10 and weighing approx 15gms/0.5 ounces shipped from US to Australia by Global shipping would cost the buyer US$49.00.  Who would pay this much for shipping?

Consider about how you might possibly double your sales by using a more 'friendly' shipping method. Global Shipping does not appear to offer any more protection for buyers nor as I found does it ship any quicker.  Having myself complained to Ebay recently about the long delay in receiving an item from the US, they agreed it  took too long, BUT insisted it was the sellers problem for using Global Shipping and it was up to the seller to compensate me for this inconvenience. In effect, the seller advised me she was forced to refund me a portion of the shipping cost or would face being penalised by Ebay buy having a 'mark' lodged against her.   Despite endorsing Global Shipping by offering sellers the option to use it, it would appear once used, Ebay offers little if any protection to the seller in the event things go wrong as happened in my case.  This could happen again to anyone.

As a seller when you click on Global shipping, you are actually employing a third party, whom themselves have to be paid (who do you think pays for this perceived convenience) to provide a shipping service to a buyer, but YOU have no idea what the actual cost will be to the buyer.  WHY NOT???

If all current and prospective sellers pressured Ebay to make FULL DISCLOSURE to the seller at point of listing regarding the likely cost to be incurred by buyer, Ebay would no doubt resist doing so, even though this can be easily done by using a scale for each eligible country as a guide or by notification to the seller by Global.  Why, because Ebay have likely entered into a contract with a courier (Global) and they know if you the seller had any idea what was being charged to the buyer for shipping you would not use that service unless you couldn't care less whether you sold the item or not.  This line of thinking sadly is very obvious from so many US sellers who would rather use Global Shipping for its perceived convenience, and repeatedly have to relist their items for free rather than use a more sensible shipping method that requires a little bit of personal effort resulting in a successful transaction. 

If am really interested in a particular item, I will contact the seller and advise them what Global shipping is actually charging for shipping. 

All,  I/we are asking for is that Ebay make full disclosure on ALL ASSOCIATED COSTS related to the listing - this is called FULL TRANSPARENCY.   

[*tippy*toes*]

Maybe you need to speak to eBay about it, because you're not speaking to them here. Everyone else are members just like yourself. No-one here has any control over the GSP. As for the US/UL sellers, a lot do prefer it because it offers them full protection. They are not liable for INR's and any negative feedback and defects regarding slow shipping are removed by eBay. If they do have to refund, it's for the item cost only. The buyer has to chase Pitney Bowes up for the postage refund (good luck with that!).

Yes, there are sellers who have no idea what the international buyer is being charged. Those same sellers also have no idea that they can't combine postage on multiple purchases. There are also sellers who have no idea they are selling internationally because eBay opted everyone into the GSP. The first some sellers knew about it was when they started getting international buyers. Not good when they only wanted to sell within the US/UK.

The mistake that the US/UK sellers make is not including a weight in their listing. Including the weight of an item in the postage section gives a more realistic cost. That's why you might see one seller selling a $10 coffee cup with $55 postage and another selling the same $10 coffee cup with $20 postage.

If you are buying large bulky items, then it is FAR cheaper to have it sent using the GSP. Often half what USPS/Royal Mail charge.

As for eBay sanctioning your post for criticism, not likely for the reasons mentioned above. EBay do not come to these forums. There are moderators employed through Lithium who read every post and edit or remove posts as required. criticism is allowed, providing you are not being hostile towards another forum member. EBay gets bagged out all the time on here.

[digital*ghost]

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@as***f wrote:

As a seller when you click on Global shipping, you are actually employing a third party, whom themselves have to be paid (who do you think pays for this perceived convenience) to provide a shipping service to a buyer, but YOU have no idea what the actual cost will be to the buyer.  WHY NOT???

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To be honest with you, the answer as to why don't the sellers know what's being charged is....

Because they don't check. If they wanted to, all they would have to do is look at any one of their listings, switch to the Postage and Payments tab, select any other country as the postal destination, then click "get rates" or what have you. 

Some sellers don't know, others know full well and don't really care because they are actually offered significantly more protection against certain things by using the GSP and consider it a worthwhile tradeoff for lower international sales (plus, as tippy mentioned, it's often cheaper on larger / heavier items). 

I'm surprised by this bit, though: "Having myself complained to Ebay recently about the long delay in receiving an item from the US, they agreed it took too long, BUT insisted it was the sellers problem for using Global Shipping and it was up to the seller to compensate me for this inconvenience. In effect, the seller advised me she was forced to refund me a portion of the shipping cost or would face being penalised by Ebay buy having a 'mark' lodged against her."

The thing is, when you buy from a seller who is using the GSP, you are likewise contracting said third party. I'm not currently aware of ebay issuing "marks" against sellers for the postage costs Pitney Bowes (who operate the GSP) charge - quite the opposite, actually, unless a dispute was opened against the seller for some reason or another (it can actually only be for item not received or item not as drescribed, but I don't see any indication either of those would have been appropriate so assume that wasn't the case). 

I personally would not expect (or accept) compensation from a seller in these circumstances. 

[lyndal1838]

The Global Shipping Program is a disaster for buyers if things do not go smoothly.....it is very difficult to get your money back if indeed it is sent in the first place.

Pitney Bowes is the logistics company in the USA who dispatch the goods and they are a law unto themselves as to what they will and will not ship....and it has very little to do with what is banned by Australian Customs.

Although it is called Priority shipping it is far from fast....Pitney Bowes only pays for Economy delivery.   There is no such company as Global Couriers....FedEx is used to ship to Australia.

The shipping costs include the preparation of the shipping documents, repackaging if necessary as well as Customs clearances in Australia.