Postage Costs.

[pommyparts]

Why are Global Shipping Program costs so high and inconsistent on listings that are similar or identical in size, weight, and in many cases the same product or item liisted by a different seller'

It has now becoming a big NO-NO to buy items on ebay because on many many occassions the postage is 2 or 3 times the cost of even very small items, and this factor makes them non economic purchases. 

I expect to pay postage on items, but I hate being ripped off with the extortionate carges that the ebay GPS adds to the cost of my items.

Why are postal charges by other on line organizations a fraction of the the ebay GPS costs?

[shoppingbag*]

Because you pay two shipping costs on items sent via GSP. Most buyers avoid buying these products for this reason. There are heaps of posts about it on these boards. Why it would vary from one seller to another for the same item? I can't really answer that, except it may be because the seller has not measured the item correctly (or so others have said)

[gutterpunkz05]

It could have somethiong to do with the fact that, the GSP is there to provide a service and protection for sellers, with the GSP

taking responsibility for all the complexities and risks involved with International shipping.   The seller is only responsible for

shipping an item to their local  GSP warehouse.  So basically the GSP is setup to benefit sellers at the expense of buyers.  Sellers love it, buyers hate it.

[digital*ghost]

---

@pommyparts wrote:

Why are Global Shipping Program costs so high and inconsistent on listings that are similar or identical in size, weight, and in many cases the same product or item liisted by a different seller'

---

The GSP postage costs are calculated on the size and weight entered by the seller when they list the item, but entering this info is not mandatory. Listings that don't have size / weight entered, will often have higher GSP postage costs applied, especially if they are small and light items as there's nothing for the GSP to base shipping costs on. It can actually be a cost-effective shipping method for larger and heavier items. 

Some sellers are completely unaware their items are being offered internationally through this program, so it wouldn't occur to them to enter those details. Other sellers wouldn't offer their items internationally if it were not for the GSP.

A pretty small fraction of items on eBay overall are sent via the GSP, and it will shrink even more by the end of the year due to payment processing changes that - when implemented - means sellers can't ship via the GSP anyway, so you'll either see postage costs changing, or those items completely unavailable to international buyers sooner or later - problem solved. 😉