international buyers (Non US) unable to checkout and pay where seller is using GSP

[pinkyrinkdink]

Non US international buyers on eBay.co.uk are currently unable to checkout and pay for purchases where the seller is using the Global Shipping Programme.  This seems to be a new problem that has come about with the arrival of simply shipping, no doubt an unintended consequence of a recent update.

It is causing loss of sales and untold damage to the eBay brand.

Today, after my third instance of reporting a specific case to eBay customer service, the Irish agent shared a temporary workaround to the problem - the German agents I had spoken to on two previous occasions about this issue were unaware of the workaround but assured me that the issue had been reported and would be resolved within 48-72hours …

The buyer needs to be signed in on a non .co.uk EBay site such as eBay.com, which they can do with their registered details (apparently regardless of the eBay website they are registered on).

The buyer will then be able to check out as normal with shipping costs etc being quoted both prior to purchase and confirmed at checkout.

Similarly, as the seller on .co.uk , currently changing the shipping country destination is not displaying the costs of shipping, but these will be displayed if logged into eBay.com

[pinkyrinkdink]

To add to the above post, the workaround solution that was suggested by the Irish eBay customer service agent was perhaps a desktop solution only.

It would appear that if the buyer is using the eBay app on a mobile device the solution does not work …

[lacemaker3]

@pinkyrinkdink 

I think this is probably related to the GSP being blocked from sales to the USA. I don't think it has anything to do with Simple Delivery.

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/Global-Shipping-Program-jumped-in-price-to-same-buyer...

As a potential buyer based in the USA, your listings are not displaying any shipping costs at all on eBay USA www.ebay.com, and there is no way to change the shipping location on the listing page.

However, if I change the shipping location (on eBay USA) to a location and postal code in Canada, before I open the listing, then the shipping cost to that location in Canada is shown on the listing when I open it. At that point, the normal shipping links are available, and I can open the popup that allows me to change the ship-to country. But the USA is not on the list, because the GSP is still blocking all items from shipping to the USA.

Bottom line:

As long as my shipping location is NOT in the USA, but any other country (that is eligible for GSP), then I can see the shipping options on your listing, when I open it on any eBay website (for example, ebay.com, or ebay.ca) except for ebay.co.uk.

If my shipping location is IN the USA, then I can't see any shipping options on your listing, on any eBay website, because the listing doesn't have any shipping option to the USA.

eBay UK is scrambling to update the GSP related to the ill-defined import charges for items being exported to the USA. In temporarily blocking GSP shipments to the USA, they seem to have messed up the shipping display for other countries as well.

[pinkyrinkdink]

Thank you for your reply lacemaker3

US buyers being temporarily excluded as a delivery destination through the Global Shipping Programme is a separate issue to the problem currently being experienced by Non-US international buyers on eBay.co.uk

When viewing any listing on .co.uk for international delivery to any permitted/included shipping countries, the cost of shipping and duties is not being displayed, and similarly the international buyers cannot proceed to checkout, but when trying to do so they receive a message referring them to the seller for costs etc.  However, by signing into an alternative eBay site such as eBay.com the cost is quoted and the buyer can complete checkout.  And that is how whilst you view my listings (from eBay.com) you can see these costs being quoted for any country currently included in the global shipping programme, but not of course the US which is no longer available for selection from the drop down menu.  I suspect, and it would be interesting to know, if you signed into eBay.co.uk that like myself viewing my own listings, there would be no cost quoted for international shipping, just a note directing you to the seller …

Also, this issue is only affecting private sellers.  

Business sellers are not affected by this technical issue - perhaps because they are not currently being obliged to using simply delivery … their sales to international buyers shipped with GSP are unaffected and the cost of shipping is quoted when viewing the listing, and the buyer can checkout without any problems.

I have asked separately when GSP will be “unpaused” for US buyers, only to be told they are working on a solution, ASAP etc 

Incredibly frustrating for buyers and sellers alike. (And perhaps eBay staff as well)

Both of these issues.

I find myself doubting that the people at the top in eBay can be aware of what is going on.

Oblivious to damage to their reputation, reasons for lost sales/earnings.