Global shipping center ---freight correction needed-

[jsfindustrial]

This is a warning to potential sales through the global shipping center.

I recently shipped a 600lb transformer to the G.S.C in KY, to go through to Canada. I didn't know about the weight limits through the shipping center. My item was too heavy.

I called the ebay reps to have them forward me the online page where I can view the shipping weight limits- which took two team members 40 minutes and a call back to get the page to me, because they too couldn't find the info.

  My listing was marked as freight shipping. If I try to list the item any other way, the system tells me that anything over 150lbs is freight. My listing didn't have the weight on it because it had to be palletized and wrapped, so no there is no way to know the weight before listing and this is why it was marked as flat rate freight only.

  My opinion is that ebay should close off the option to use the G.S.C. if the item is marked freight. Also, make it way easier to find the shipping weight limits for the shipments that process through the G.S.C.

[jsfindustrial]

Another question, is how was the global shipping center able to figure out what to charge my customer for the international shipping fees, when I didn't add weight or dimensions to the listing?

[slippinjimmy]

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@jsfindustrial wrote:

Another question, is how was the global shipping center able to figure out what to charge my customer for the international shipping fees, when I didn't add weight or dimensions to the listing?

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They guess!

Hard to believe but it's true, that's one of the ways Pitney-Bowes demonstrates their incompetence. It's also why GSP can be a real bargain for some buyers and horribly expensive for others.

[ms.rodriguez*]

Why list such a heavy item to ship outside of the USA. The GSP has many problems and I don't see how they can handle something so heavy.

[slippinjimmy]

Just an FYI....it took me less than 10 seconds to find the Help page that shows the maximum weights allowed.

Go to Help

Type in Global Shipping Program

Read info

https://www.ebay.com/help/shipping-items/global-shipping-program/selling/setting-shipping-options?id...

I understand why you didn't enter the weight (you could have guessed) but you could have entered the dimensions which would have likely excluded it from GSP automatically.

[johnrj1226]

How did you figure out  what  carrie?  and what service? to use and how much you need to pay? and put in you listing? to get this item to Erlanger, Kentucky from your location to recover from your buyer??

Would thin the package size - l, w, h, and weight would be needed.

[dbfolks166mt]

How did you figure out  what  carrie?  and what service? to use and how much you need to pay? and put in you listing? to get this item to Erlanger, Kentucky from your location to recover from your buyer??

Would thin the package size - l, w, h, and weight would be needed.

     I can't even begin to fathom what it cost to ship a 600 pound palletized transformer from the OP's location in Washington state to Erlanger. I wonder if the OP had put at least the item weight of 600 lbs. into the listing if the posting would have gotten rejected since it exceeded the GSP's limit. 

     Can't help but wonder how the OP is going to get the item out of the GSC to the buyer in Canada and where the buyer is in Canada. If the buyer happens to be in one of the Western provinces the transformer may just make an extra long trip when a short one would have done the job. 

[jsfindustrial]

Good job finding the page so quickly, I couldn't, nor could the ebay staff.

I couldn't enter the weight or size because it wasn't on a pallet yet, and if you've ever shipped an item via freight, you'd know how much extra weight can be added with crating and pallet etc...additionally, some freight has to be put on a custom pallet size to save on shipping fees.

  Regardless, if an item is listed as freight through the ebay listing, then it should automatically be marked ineligible for shipping via GSP due to being over 150lbs.  This alone would save a bunch of headache for sellers. I cannot be the first person to bring this up.

[jsfindustrial]

Marked as flat rate freight-

This means the buyer pays a flat fee to gt the item to KY.

[jsfindustrial]

600lbs to KY is about 500 dollars, plus now add the return shipping. No weight given as discussed earlier. Listed as freight(over 150lbs) w/ flat rate shipping.

No to western provinces- Item will return to Wa.

[dbfolks166mt]

600lbs to KY is about 500 dollars, plus now add the return shipping. No weight given as discussed earlier. Listed as freight(over 150lbs) w/ flat rate shipping.

No to western provinces- Item will return to Wa.

     Ouch you are out close to $1k in shipping, holly crap. I am assuming this is the Square D transformer EE75T3H 75kVA that sold on 9 November. While I see the flat rate freight for US shipping at $355. If I look at the shipping to Canada it does not show up as freight. 

     Since you are going to have to pay for the return shipping is there any possibility of working with the GSP to have the item returned/shipped to the buyers address, if they have paid you. I wonder if the weight had been entered in the listing even though it was a flat rate if you would have received an error with regards to using the GSP since it would have been over the limit.