Global Shipping Program - USA seller is telling me to sign up to make postage cheaper?

[gecko-mania]

Hey all.. 

I'm confused; hoping someone can help me. Looking to buy something from the USA, the seller  is telling me to sign up to the Global Shipping Program to make shipping cheaper....? But from my looking tonight, all articles I'm finding are making it sound like something sellers sign up to to combine postage and import taxes for the buyers?

I'm in Australia, for anyone reading this post.

Help... ? before I look like an idiot contacting  Ebay help🤣

Thanks!

[zanadoo_56 · Accepted solution]

It's the SELLERS who sign up for the GSP - in the US and UK, not in Australia and NOT buyers.

And if the item you are buying is small and lightweight using the GSP is likely to result in higher postage costs, not cheaper costs.  The GSP works for large and heavy items - something that sellers still haven't grasped because all they see is the cost of sending the parcel to Pitney Bowes distribution centre in Erlanger KY.   They have no idea how much it costs a buyer from overseas because they don't see that part of the costs. 

Also if the seller doesn't provide details about the size and weight of the items, from my experience Pitney Bowes seems to take a wild guestimate of the costs and inflate them accordingly.  For example I wanted to buy a 16 page A4 booklet from the UK and the GSP cost to me was $52.46!  Ridiculous.

Considering the seller clearly hasn't grasped the basics of the GSP, I would be very much inclined to think twice before buying anything from them.

[gecko-mania · Accepted solution]

Thankyou for confirming for me! I thought that was how it worked, and when they messaged and said it was me- it raised more than just my eyebrows... it's for a pair of shoes I can't buy here, so it is a bigger item.... but exactly like you've mentioned- to be paying over near on $60 aus including import fees seems mental as the shoes will likely only be about half that... :S I know international postage is way more than interstate, but damn... :S