Global Shipping Program put into perspective.

[padi*0409]

Here are a few tips that can make the GSP more palatable or explainable for buyers.

1.  If the GSP postage is very high compared to USPS or Royal Mail from the UK. Ask the seller to input dimensions and weight into the listing - this will usually drop the postage rate significantly (though not on heavy parcels where the GSP is usually the cheapest option anyway).

2. If multiple items are being bought as a BIN, ask the seller to make one listing of all the items so that they can be sent together and not incur multiple postage charges,

3. It's also possible to ask the seller to opt out of the GSP and send by their normal carrier - they may not want to do this as it reduces their seller protection significantly.

4. eBay opts sellers into the GSP by default, so they may well be unaware that they are even posting overseas since all they will see as a shipping address is their countrie's GSP shipping hub. Often if the buyer sends a screen shot of the postage amount they will be amenable to enact the steps above.

5. Long delivery times?  Nothing much can be done about that buyers just have to be aware that sometimes parcels will do a scenic trip of the seller's country before being processed.

6. Pitney Bowes (GSP) will confiscate a number of items that they deem to be prohibited exports, these include any knife (even a butter knife), guitars, drums etc.  When they confiscate these the buyer will have to jump through hoops to get their money back from Pitney Bowes, while Pitney Bowes will put those item up for sale on their own eBay sites.

7. Pitney Bowes will often but not always repack items, so if the item is fragile maybe think twice about it and look for a different seller of that item, if the seller won't opt out of the GSP for you.

The GSP isn't necessarily the draconian monster that some members here portray it as, if some of the steps above are implemented.

I don't have the opt-out procedure to hand so if any members do have it could they post the steps here please.

Apologies for the long post, but getting an honest perspective of the GSP to my mind is more important than arbitrarily shooting the system down, and not giving the other side of the story.

[Anonymous]

Some people just don't get it. They say please and thank you but they basically tell the seller what to do and then wonder why they get nowhere.

My items = my terms. If someone tries dictating to me I slap them on my blocked list faster than you can blink.  And yes, I love having the power to say no to those people!

[*tippy*toes*]

Oh yes, the power. I love having all the power. It makes me feel all superior like. Almost like a god. Like you, my items, my rules. You want them, you play by my rules. 

I've had a person message me a few times over the last few days. They wanted to know if I have Instagram as they are interested in buying my items in bulk. I said I didn't. Well, I do, but I have no idea how to use it. He (or she) said they would send screenshot instructions to my email address if I wanted to give it to them. They were only a new member, May 18. They have 11 feedback score, but over 300 purchases (most from the one seller.......lucky seller!). 

I went into the spiel about eBay being paranoid about selling off eBay, so I wouldn't be able to send my email address because both of us would get sanctioned. I said that even if I tried to disguise it, if eBay found out, we'd both be toast. I then said the best thing to do would be to buy something, pay with PayPal, then we'd have each other's email address. The reply was "OK, great idea, I'll do that". So far I've not had any kachings on my phone.

Moral of the story, you want my email address, you buy something from me first. My items, my rules 😄

As for the GSP, I've never asked a seller to opt out. I don't want them to lose their protection. I have asked a seller to revise a listing to include 2 other listings, so I'd only pay one postage cost, which she gladly did when I explained. As it was, the postage cost via GSP was only about $2 more than USPS, so I wasn't worried. Another time I asked the seller to input the weight and dimensions, which made the cost far more affordable (only $2-5 difference from memory). The other item was large and bulky, so was far cheaper being send via GSP (about half the cost of USPS). Sometimes it's just how you ask.

[4channel]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Some people just don't get it. They say please and thank you but they basically tell the seller what to do and then wonder why they get nowhere.

My items = my terms. If someone tries dictating to me I slap them on my blocked list faster than you can blink.  And yes, I love having the power to say no to those people!

---

Well, I have always asked politely and nicely  and most sellers are happy to do the best for their potential customer but others are not. I deal daily with people professionally in face to face or phone contact  where being nice and polite is a must. So I know for sure. Sadly there are people that have certain hangups and selfish ways about them. For some people it's too much work to re-list and I can understand that, Staying up late the night before, listing auctions, checking to make sure they are correct etc.. Well, the last thing they want is more work..

[countessalmirena]

4channel, if you don't mind my asking, in which state are you?

(I will have to disagree - with the utmost courtesy - with you re "certain hangups and selfish ways". I don't believe that sellers who have decided that they will only post purchases to Australian customers via a particular method are selfish or have a hang-up. I have always held to it that a seller is almost certainly the best one to know how to run their business in the most appropriate and safest way, and how best to mitigate risk. Because an alternative shipping method would be more convenient to some buyers does not mean that a seller's refusal to send via an alternative shipping method is selfish. The seller might indeed be a selfish greedy nasty piece of work who underpays his staff and keeps them in slave conditions, kicks his cat and verbally abuses his wife, but equally well he might be a charming fellow who regularly donates to worthy charities, gives his staff bonuses at Christmas, invites them all to a staff party at which everyone from upper management to the tea lady is given a thoughtful gift, feeds his cat the US equivalent of "Fancy Feast" and ensures it's well looked after and patted and played with, and treats his wife like a queen. We don't know!)

[andybal]

The problem is that Global shipping assesses your shipping costs based on your residential address and not your mailing address. This is a fundamental logic and programming flaw. If there is a problem with GPS Ebay says "not our problem"

[andybal]

I use a US mailing address (registered with both Ebay and Paypal) but GSP assesses postage based on your residential address and not on your preferred mailing address. If you try to speak to Ebay they say GPS is a separate company.

[lyndal1838]

If you have a PO Box as a mailing address the GSP cannot deliver to it.

[andybal]

It is a US residential address.

[andybal]

My alternate mailing address is a US residential address. I was once advised to change it to my preferred mailing address at the time the item was purchased. I did and it didn't work. Why doesn't GPS tell us how they make decisions? I know it is new concept for Ebay and its partner Companies but providing information can be helpful for both parties.

[djavusydney]

This GSP thingy only in US right, Australia not yet?