@nellynurdle11 wrote:
i've tried appealing to vendors to use cheaper services but it doesnt make the slightest bit of difference. .. i will never buy from the usa now, since the unecessary over-charging for postage seems to be non negotiable. Hardly a surpise i suppose, coming from the nation globally recognised as synonymous with the cult of capatilism.
Its not worth bidding when the postage costs generally exceed the price of an item. 30 odd quid to deliver a featherweight, matchbox sized object..? i dont think so america.
I know this post is adding to a thread that is old and that things have changed in recent years, and in the past I placed the blame for the horrendous GSP postage costs squarely on eBay and Pitney Bowes. However, even I have changed my view on who is to blame for the postage on a GSP item when it is ridiculously high for a small item. In many cases the seller may shoulder some of the blame.
This thread shows some of the stupid postage prices on small or lightwieght items:
http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/GSP-stupidity-documented-on-this-thread/td-p/1708839
Please do not post on that thread as it is an old thread, but the last post by afantiques give an explanation of how you should approach sellers when the postage is stupidly high. The example they use is one that refers to a camera manual.
@afantiques wrote:
If the seller does not specify the weight and dimensions of the item, the GSP applies an average figure for items in that category. If the manual was listed in the camera catagory, as they usually are, then without any information to the contrary the GSP applies the average shipping cost for that category and you get the result of the camera and the manual costing the same to post.
If the camera manual seller had filled in all the details, the shipping cost would have been much lower. This is the sort of advanced stuff that users simply do not know about. They assume, for example, that because their item is 'free' or flat rate shipping, they do not need to fill in all the details for the shipping calculator. A reasonable assumption but in the cases noted above, the answer is often obvious when you know how the system works, and you can see why the shipping is so high.
So, instead of trying to get a seller to post by USPS, try getting them to put the correct dimensions and weight of the item.
The reason for trying this approach is simple. Many USA sellers did not post internationally until they were opted into the GSP by eBay. Judging by some threads on these boards many sellers are not aware that they are selling to someone in another country as they get notification to ship to Erlanger Kentucky . . . . and that is where they think the buyer lives!
If you are desperate for a rare item and one comes up in the USA and you don't try this approach then you are just hurting yourself. I used this approach earlier this year when the postage on a camera was around the US$90 mark. Once I messaged the seller pointing out the costs to me for postage, and that if they put in the dimensions and weight then the postage would drop to around US$33, they did so and I did bid on the camera and won it.
Remember, when you message the seller you need to message a calm message. Don't ramble about how the GSP is a ripoff and they should be ashamed of themselves for charging such a high postage amount, educate them in a polite way.
