Tjohoo! Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi! I'm a video/computer game lover who love to collect for several different systems. I'm mostly collect NTSC games because I think they plays better than the PAL ones. It's a little tricky because I live in Sweden but it has worked thanks to Ebay. But now I'm getting worried that my beloved hobby is over. I think of the global shipping program. All of a sudden have more or less all sellers started using the GSP which means that I can find a game for $5 but then I see the shipping cost is $39.00- $50!!?? And that is because of the GSP. This is very worrying and if it will continue like this I will not be able to shop from ebay anymore. Are there any alternatives to the global shipping program? What do you others, who live outside the United States, thinks about this? Grateful for everyone's opinions and have a great day! /Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I haven't sold anything on eBay in a while. Is eBay shoving this Global Shipping Program down sellers' throats? ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjohoo! Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 It seems like most of the sellers use this service automatic. I think they can choose which shipping methods they use for international shipping but it seems that most of the sellers has this shipping as a standard for international buyers. I guess they don't want to change for other shipments options.. I tried the GSP before it began to be way too expensive and there was NO difference between that and, let's say, "USPS First Class Mail Intl or First Class Package Intl Service". I also had to wait longer for the items who was shipped with the GSP (International Priority Mail)...It's not a good sign.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Yeah, I absolutely would not use GSP should I start selling on eBay again. First Class International is generally less than $15. I'm not convinced International Priority Mail is actually any faster than First Class International. ..Al 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjohoo! Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Yes, you're completely right! I always used First Class International mail but sellers used to have several shipping options. You could always choose "Priority Mail" but I avoided it because it was way more expensive. In fact, the Priority Mail took much longer to arrive than a first class post... Hope sellers on Ebay realize that they can choose other options than the "International Priority Mail" by the GSP. I guess they don't even know that a game they sell for 8-10$ all of a sudden has a shipping cost of 30-50$... I don't think the sellers can see it because the GSP has everything under their control now. Really sad... Oh! Almost forgot! Every european country on Ebay seems to have this option automatic as well! United Kingdom for example. GSP, you are a mess.. Edited April 9, 2015 by Tjohoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamedoc Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi Guys, I'm new here, but a long time gamer, collector, and eBay game seller. Here's the short and sweet from my perspective (as a Seller). The GSS is not being rammed down the sellers throats, it's just the easiest (and safest) way for us to ship internationally. I go back on eBay to the pre-paypal days, and a lot of longtime sellers didn't want to ship internationally until GSS was available. I had multiple deals where my games would go to Australia or someplace else far, far, away. It would either get stolen, or the buyer would claim broken or not as described, and I was screwed. Moving forward to present day - so far this year I have had 3 Global problems - 1 item broken on arrival (that poor Wii was stepped on by an elephant, I think), 1 item stolen, and 1 case of items switched at customs. All 3 items were covered by the Global Shipping Service. I kept the money, the customer got their money back, and eBay covered it. Now, I have had the same complaint from the occasional customer. (even got a negative from one butthole) Reason: The GSS ships the item as a legitimate sale, and pays the import fees up front where possible. It does *not* mark it as a gift, it does not devalue the item. These are all things sellers used to do in order to get the sale, and it's not legal. So why is the GSS so expensive? Two words: Import Fees. But, hey...that's part of living wherever somebody lives. Truthfully, the G.S.S. hasn't hurt my business in the slightest...I'm shipping Globally just about every day now. And I'm covered from the low dollar to the high dollar on everything. That's why the sellers in the U.S. are doing it exclusively. (I am.) Cool board guys, I'm going to have to visit more regularly, -Dan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) for small items GSP is prohibitive to good business - for both parties. I think this could be because PB - the agents appear to have a standard minimum charge. However, (from recent experience as a purchaser) it turned out a very good deal on a large consignment - 30LBs in weight cost less than the figure quoted above. ps - the GSP cost i paid ($28) was definitely much less than anything i could've ended up paying the Uk equivalents - ParcelFarce, Royal Fail and Unlimited Parcel Smashers Edited April 9, 2015 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamedoc Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Perhaps it's different in the US? I've seen what my customers in the U.K. pay with the import fees for say, a Wii game, and the shipping is pretty much on par with what the Post office charges for the item, plus import fees: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamedoc Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I dunno, I just looked at one of my game sales to the U.K.: Game cost $26.00 , weighed 11oz. Actual shipping charges paid by the customer was $9.65(us) for shipping, + $7.50(us) for the Import Fees. That's pretty much on par with what the Post office commercial rates charges for First Class International for an 11oz package. Non-commercial rates are $14.65 for the same package. Is it different across the pond? Does the GSS tack on an extra amount just for handling within Europe? (If so, I can see why you'd be upset) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FikapPacMan Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Hi Guys, I'm new here, but a long time gamer, collector, and eBay game seller. Here's the short and sweet from my perspective (as a Seller). The GSS is not being rammed down the sellers throats, it's just the easiest (and safest) way for us to ship internationally. I go back on eBay to the pre-paypal days, and a lot of longtime sellers didn't want to ship internationally until GSS was available. I had multiple deals where my games would go to Australia or someplace else far, far, away. It would either get stolen, or the buyer would claim broken or not as described, and I was screwed. Moving forward to present day - so far this year I have had 3 Global problems - 1 item broken on arrival (that poor Wii was stepped on by an elephant, I think), 1 item stolen, and 1 case of items switched at customs. All 3 items were covered by the Global Shipping Service. I kept the money, the customer got their money back, and eBay covered it. Now, I have had the same complaint from the occasional customer. (even got a negative from one butthole) Reason: The GSS ships the item as a legitimate sale, and pays the import fees up front where possible. It does *not* mark it as a gift, it does not devalue the item. These are all things sellers used to do in order to get the sale, and it's not legal. So why is the GSS so expensive? Two words: Import Fees. But, hey...that's part of living wherever somebody lives. Truthfully, the G.S.S. hasn't hurt my business in the slightest...I'm shipping Globally just about every day now. And I'm covered from the low dollar to the high dollar on everything. That's why the sellers in the U.S. are doing it exclusively. (I am.) Cool board guys, I'm going to have to visit more regularly, -Dan ^^ This.....I don't sell nearly as much as the above OP but what is being "sold" to us as sellers is basically with the GSP once you ship it goes to a clearinghouse area....I believe in Kentucky as that is where I get my "buyer" items from. Once received by Kentucky (or whatever location it is) from what I have been exposed to is that EBAY assumes the responsibility from that point.....AKA no or limited worries about custom issues / damages / failed delivery etc... Not being forced to do it but the alternatives especially with issues with shipping to ITALY / BRAZIL at times (with mail fraud not by members but the system in general) makes it a strong alternative. Again not an expert but that's why I would choose it....if it was to a member on here or someone I knew I would use other options. Edited April 9, 2015 by FikapPacMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Whenever I sell something on ebay and the buyer is outside the U.S. I too use GSP because as mentioned above, it's just easier for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800fan Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I haven't sold anything on eBay in a while. Is eBay shoving this Global Shipping Program down sellers' throats? ..Al By default, yes. Not only do they shove it, they basically ram it up where the sun doesn't shine without using lube. I've had it disabled in my preference and in listing and it still gets turned on. I've managed to have a few listing up right now with no GSP, and I've made it clear I am not using GSP in the description. At one time in the past I've delibrately listed my stuff with "errors" in the shipping box to be 1 oz, 1x1x1 inches to get them to calculate as little as possible. Didn't work, they just refunded the buyer and discarded the stuff if it costs more to forward than what they got. When they do forward it, they repack in as small as possible after checking the content matches the description and finding what country made the item. I shipped a bunch of 32X games that were all CIB and in near mint condition. The buyer in France got crushed boxes and when he showed the picture of the box, it was different from what I used. On eBay forum there's numerous complaint about this such as poorly protected item getting wet and damaged, valuable CIB game ended up only cart in buyer's hand because the box and manual was probably too big to repack, etc etc. They probably would smash a 1,000 year old ming vase to make it fit smaller box. Buyer often can't see the final amount until after they commit, then they get the sticker shock when eBay decides the Combat cart is 10 pounds, is over size limit of 84", and requires 50 dollars shipping. Right now I do state I won't use GSP and I will go out of the way to avoid them. Even if I have to invoice the buyer separately through PP, manually mark the listing as paid, turning off UID, and shipping it direct. Taking an extra 5 minutes to fill out in detail the custom form is far better than buyer's aggravation at missing boxes, wet stuff, and damaged stuff. GSP is fine for the lazy seller who don't care what happens to the good and doesn't sell often enough that a neg or 2 would hurt the seller at all. But for 99% of us, GSP is a scam. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjohoo! Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 I have always choosed "USPS First Class Mail Int" and have NEVER got any of the games/consoles I have ordered damaged. I could not see any changes between this and the International priority mail GSP is forcing on us. The few times I have tried the GSP service it has took even longer to get my item so there is NO difference at all, so why the huge shipping cost? I have noting against to pay taxes for the custom value but it's not make sense that I have to pay over $30 dollar for a game that the seller sells for around $5 and theres no difference between the two shipping methods...I just have to pay Ebay.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamedoc Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Right now I do state I won't use GSP and I will go out of the way to avoid them. Even if I have to invoice the buyer separately through PP, manually mark the listing as paid, turning off UID, and shipping it direct. Taking an extra 5 minutes to fill out in detail the custom form is far better than buyer's aggravation at missing boxes, wet stuff, and damaged stuff. GSS is fine for the lazy seller who don't care what happens to the good and doesn't sell often enough that a neg or 2 would hurt Your choice in how you ship man. Frankly, for me most of the people I have shipped to using GSS were happy with their products and the shipping. Quite often the GSS will just re-use your original packaging and numbers, there is no reason to change them. (Unless you try to jockey the system, like you admitted to before.) I've been selling on eBay since the 90's, part of that time it was my sole living income, like it is now. I still say it's a superior system to what we had before. On this forum, like many others, when goods or services get damaged or stolen by those in the carrier system, the seller always has to make restitution. All the GSS has done is give sellers a little breathing room. Even when you do things properly, you will always have some flaky nutjob that has no life, who is just out to make waves in their pathetic cries for attention, and make you think about quitting eBay. When it is done internationally, It can be a royal headache. If there was no GSS, I would not ship Internationally...it would not be worth it to me. I know many US sellers that feel the same way. We are not lazy, we are just tired of being screwed on one international deal after another. Pre GSS, I had games go missing, games get "lost" by the postage services, and packages outright robbed. Because of the volume, this happened on a regular basis. Before I originally stopped shipping Internationally, (3 years ago) I was blocking a bunch countries that I just wouldn't ship to. (Italy, Spain, China, Brazil, etc) Now, I ship to them all. I ship Internationally way more than I ever did before. And, here's the knee-slapper: Stuff is actually MAKING it to it's destination!!! There are problems, yes. Right now, it's about a 1 in 25 chance that there will be a problem (from my own numbers, nobody else) So far though - every single transaction with a problem I've personally been a party to was satisfied to both the buyers and sellers satisfaction. That makes it worth it to me. But then again, it's how I make my living. -Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coleconut Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 (edited) If there was no GSS, I would not ship Internationally And while there is GSS, I wont buy it. I think that what many sellers using the program may not understand is that whereas they might be doing mostly well, they are missing out on many many more sales opportunities to folks like me that avoid anything sold with this program like the plague. For things I purchase, that I am interested in, the extra fees associated make them cost-prohibitive and provides me with absolutely nothing tangible to justify the extra charges. I have been Ebaying for 13 years and have had nothign go missing nor damaged using 1st class international that is a fraction of the price, has tracking, and is delivered right to my door. Edited April 12, 2015 by coleconut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Don't you mean GSP, not GSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanopants Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I didn't ship internationally until the GSP started...then I discovered that I can just buy insurance on int'l packages through Endicia. I've since opted out of the GSP for the following reasons: 1) More expensive for buyers. I ship the product to an Ebay warehouse which then ships it to the buyer. The increased price is the cost of the item being shipped twice and processed by a warehouse employee, not accurately marked customs forms. My customs forms are always filled out accurately. 2) Packages are sometimes re-packed by the GSP to cut costs. Most of what I sell are collectible/sealed games from 20 years ago; I package them carefully and don't need another layer of risk added to what is already a long journey. 3) Insurance via Endicia is cheap and, in my experience, completely honest. I pass this cost on to the buyer for much less than the cost of GSP. If you can purchase outside insurance - which anyone using Endicia can, presumably other software services as well - there's no reason to use the GSP imo. My buyers pay less and I don't incur any additional risk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crans Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 i use GSP and its safe sofar and everyone is happy. offing first class is an option also but not many know how to use it and worry losing out on the full mount of money since tracking only works untill exit usa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BILLYonaire Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I shipped a bunch of 32X games that were all CIB and in near mint condition. The buyer in France got crushed boxes and when he showed the picture of the box, it was different from what I used. On eBay forum there's numerous complaint about this such as poorly protected item getting wet and damaged, valuable CIB game ended up only cart in buyer's hand because the box and manual was probably too big to repack, etc etc. They probably would smash a 1,000 year old ming vase to make it fit smaller box. Wow, I didn't know that was going on. I've been lucky so far but I'll be sure to avoid items sold through the GSP from now on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Yeah, it doesn't happen to all packages (and certainly none of the three I've received that were sent GSP), but for some of the ones where it does, I've heard some horror stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I didn't read the entire topic, forgive me if it has been mentioned... I use global shipping, I'll admit just because it is insanely easy. It was brought to my attention my packages using the global shipping program had VERY HIGH prices by an Ebay member and I found a problem with my listing. After I corrected that it made them, well, at least more realistic. Package size! Since I always used free shipping I didn't pay attention to this detail, The default package size I had listed was rather large. If you switch it to padded envelope/etc.. the price goes way down. Still expensive but not the $50+ it was showing for loose games (My default package size was set to a large, over 4lb heavy box) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Teams Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Does anyone know how to combine multiple items won by the same buyer when using GSP? It appears that isn't an option. Just sold some items, and I'd hate to have to send 3 separate packages and have the buyer pay 3 separate fees/shipping. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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