Mandated international shipping = bye-bye ebay

[Anonymous]

I never sell internationally because it's too easy for someone to claim that the item never arrived (if the item is expensive, tracking can be purchased, but that doesn't work for cheap items). But now ebay is mandating that all sales are international ones. Bye-bye, ebay. You used to be a reputable company, but no more.

[etrusca]

There still seems to be some confusion with some Sellers.

I spoke recently with a seasoned specialist in the Performance Dept who was located in Columbia who was very capable and seemed well informed.  After helping me with my initial need we went over this 

and he said only those that are already enrolled in the existing Global shipping were switched over and there is no requirement to be enrolled to ship your packages internationally even if you are later "eligible".

See the original posting and what is currently under shipping  in the system. The language does not say you are required  - otherwise they would go out of business forcing sellers, its an optional service.

"Enrollment periods

Sellers will be enrolled in phases over the next 12 months. You’ll be notified via email and Seller Hub when you’re eligible.

If you’re currently using the Global Shipping Program, you will be automatically enrolled and your listings will default to eBay International Shipping. If you ship with another international shipping service such as eBay International Standard Delivery, you will need to update your current listings to take advantage of eBay International Shipping benefits. "

Depending on what and where you are shipping if you have good experience shipping to a given country with a low risk product there is no reason to not on your own. Obviously with Covid / shipping delays and processing in certain countries that may have gotten backed up, potential increased theft & political unrest,  The minute it leaves your hands & the country there is always a risk coupled with the preprinted label or click N ship with combined customs declaration outside or in a pouch attached states the contents and value is in itself a risk... with USPS  First Class International  there has never been insurance. So Ebay is trying to help those perhaps that are a greater risk , dont know how to properly ship things or wants to better insure successful deliveries abroad. But they cant control what happens once it gets in another country.

It's naive to think you can ship most things to most countries. You have to be intelligent . If you are selling in a high risk category for theft ie jewelry, coins, baseball cards , tech & cell equipment, luxury accessories & clothing, antiquities etc then you should think through which countries to offer it to and read up on the track record of deliveries to those countries and the country restrictions & limitations and duty thresholds etc.

USPS is very good at listing under each country. Many Americans dont know that certain countries that are known for certain exports wont allow the same coming into theirs ie Italy and leather & coral.

Each country starts charging import duty after a certain amount - some starting at $50 value - so for some purchasers it may not be worth it.

Fundamentally, I am not a fan of sending through Ebay and having more hubs (going backwards  1st to ILLINOIS  from the East Coast !!) ,more people handling w/ a greater risk of damage to box which would then sustain a 2nd trip & potentially manhandling and repackaged. But if you are selling a valuable item it may be worth it and want the added services and coverage.

I stopped selling a fair bit internationally yrs back when i realized USPS in Phila was using AA  & shipping backwards to Chicago hub only then to be shipped East to Europe - made absolutely no sense to me and held up a lot of the shipments & potentially damaged boxes. its not necessarily true for all western European countries but if they don't have a contractual agreement for direct flight and go to Chicago first that is what was happening.  Holland for some reason is infamous for taking longer to clear customs. 

Even the new E I Shipping section suggests using a non descript box... so I wouldn't use an Ebay box if you still have them to ship abroad...  even many of the USPS boxes crush value for heavier items isn't really great so one needs to be prudent in box choice- thats my 2 cents. 

[ebooksdiva]

I believe you're over reacting. There's no mandatory international shipping. You can opt out by going to your shipping preferences and exclude countries you don't want to ship to and opt out of International shipping. I haven't been forced to ship internationally so why should you?

[dbfolks166mt]

There still seems to be some confusion with some Sellers.

I spoke recently with a seasoned specialist in the Performance Dept who was located in Columbia who was very capable and seemed well informed.  After helping me with my initial need we went over this 

and he said only those that are already enrolled in the existing Global shipping were switched over and there is no requirement to be enrolled to ship your packages internationally even if you are later "eligible".

     What they told you above is only partially true. 

False - only those that are already enrolled in the existing Global shipping were switched over. Read some

              of the postings on this forum. 

True - there is no requirement to be enrolled to ship your packages internationally but you have to opt

             out of the program. 

"Enrollment periods

Sellers will be enrolled in phases over the next 12 months. You’ll be notified via email and Seller Hub when you’re eligible. Some have been, some have not been.. 

If you’re currently using the GSP  you will be automatically enrolled and your listings will default to eBay International Shipping. Those that are eligible to ship under EIS will transition over to EIS those that are not eligible under the EIS restrictions will not. The GSP had a lot fewer restrictions than the EIS. 

If you ship with another international shipping service such as eBay International Standard Delivery, you will need to update your current listings to take advantage of eBay International Shipping benefits. " Actually I believe those are also transitioned to EIS. 

If you are selling in a high risk category for theft ie jewelry, coins, baseball cards , tech & cell equipment, luxury accessories & clothing, antiquities etc then you should think through which countries to offer it to and read up on the track record of deliveries to those countries and the country restrictions & limitations and duty thresholds etc. With the seller protections the EIS is claiming to offer this should no longer be a concern. EIS is professing to provide better seller protections than they are offering sellers for domestic sales. Of course that may change if they have to deal with too many scams, empty box claims, bogus returns and chargebacks and it begins to impact their bottom line. 

Even the new E I Shipping section suggests using a non descript box... so I wouldn't use an Ebay box if you still have them to ship abroad...  even many of the USPS boxes crush value for heavier items isn't really great so one needs to be prudent in box choice- thats my 2 cents. As long as you get it to the EIS hub it becomes their problem after that. I would imagine a few items will be repacked before they head out on their international leg. 

[heathersthriftyfinds09]

Thanks for adding that link. I've been looking for where I could opt out.   

I wonder if the OP mistook being auto-enrolled with it being mandatory? 

[techoutrepairs]

With the new system once it gets to the hub it's done for you. If the buyer wants to return it after they get it you have nothing to do with it. They return it to eBay and eBay covers the refund not you.

[kabilab]

What techoutrepairs has concisely stated, is exactly what occurred with a sale from my listing. The buyer claimed a missing disc and incorrect condition; both were completely false. e-Bay stepped up to the plate, without my notifying them, and the matter was closed with zero effort or cost to me. Needless to mention, I was both surprised and elated. 3 thumbs up for the manner in which this situation was resolved.

[dbfolks166mt]

What techoutrepairs has concisely stated, is exactly what occurred with a sale from my listing. The buyer claimed a missing disc and incorrect condition; both were completely false. e-Bay stepped up to the plate, without my notifying them, and the matter was closed with zero effort or cost to me. Needless to mention, I was both surprised and elated. 3 thumbs up for the manner in which this situation was resolved.

     Great news and thank you for posting and confirming the program is working. Super nice that eBay and EIS program handled this automatically without involving the seller. If this trend continues I am back into the international market shortly. 

[worldcoinauctions]

Over a decade ago I had a bad run of international sales and quit selling internationally. When the GSP was put in place I gave it a try and have nothing but good things to say about it. Now I'm on the new international shipping (though not on this new ID) and it is working just fine.  Looking forward to my new account being eligible for this service too!

[etrusca]

Thank you - the last half after the Ebay page excerpt I meant to say was my own observations if you are NOT using the Ebay Int Shipping program - thus its benefits.

thank you for taking the time to clarify - do you have to opt out if you were never in the Global Shipping Program ? I never got an invitation and havent shipped Int in a while.

I may consider giving it a try though I like to ship directly myself.

[dbfolks166mt]

Thank you - the last half after the Ebay page excerpt I meant to say was my own observations if you are NOT using the Ebay Int Shipping program - thus its benefits.

thank you for taking the time to clarify - do you have to opt out if you were never in the Global Shipping Program ? I never got an invitation and havent shipped Int in a while. 

From some of the postings it doesn't really matter if you were in the GSP or not at some point your listings will be modified and you will be transitioned into the EIS. While the transition is supposed to be honoring your selling preferences with regards to international shipping it does not appear from some of the postings that it is doing that 100% of the time. If you haven't gotten an invitation yet it maybe that they have just not gotten to you yet. The transition was supposed to be over a 12 month period but I cannot remember when the start and end dates were.

I may consider giving it a try though I like to ship directly myself. I believe you still have that option but you will have to, at some point, opt out of the EIS and maybe adjust a few of your listings after doing so. I have not yet gotten the invite either, nor have I been transitioned. I used the GSP for quite some time but wanted to see how this program went before I opted into it. It appears to be going well and eBay is standing behind the seller protections based on some recent postings. 

[tom.vial]

eBay is opting sellers back in AFTER they have opted out!!!

eBay is really making me angry with this auto-opt-in crap.  The first I realized that they had opted me in (without any overt approval on my part) was when one of my listed items was purchased for international shipment.  Annoying.  So I went thru the steps to opt out of the program.

Fast forward to 2 weeks later.  I list another item for sale, being careful not to support international shipping. Then I check the listing and what do you know . . . its open for international shipping!  I circle back to my Shipping Preferences and discover that eBay has REVERSED my prior opt-out and opted me back in!!  Again, without any warning to me or approval from me.  

To add insult to injury, there is no way to revise the newly listed item to block intl shipping.  And my "new" opt-out takes 24 hours to "register" so I have to wait a day before listing additional items.

Please, eBay, quit being so aggressive in trying to force sellers into using this program, while obfuscating the steps necessary to avoid it.  

[reallynicestamps]

I think this would have more impact if the OP had had more than 50 sales over the past six years.

Or had actually read what the eIS program is and does.

As a non-US member, I would avoid any seller using the program because, unlike the Global Shipping Program, it does charge my import fees upfront, leaving that to the carrier on my doorstep.

The GSP did, which both stopped the 'stuck in customs' fraud and had the lowest customs brokerage charges around.

We have already seen a report on the Canada Board from a buyer who paid import fees online only to have the carrier try to collect again.  (The customer was mostly in the wrong about his transaction, but he was right about that part.)

[monster-deals]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I never sell internationally 

---

Did you read about the new policy or does the word "international" just have you scared?

...because you sell internationally but ship domestic in the new program.

[reallynicestamps]

@etrusca 

I stopped selling a fair bit internationally yrs back when i realized USPS in Phila was using AA & shipping backwards to Chicago hub only then to be shipped East to Europe - made absolutely no sense to me a

It's called "spoke and hub" delivery and is widely used  in any transit system.

Airlines for example all use S&H,  FedEx made it a plot point in the movie Castaway.

Basically, your parcel is not travelling alone, but with dozens of others. They go to a central point where they are sent on, along with dozens of other dozens going to the same general area, to another point where they are joined... etc.

So your parcel addressed to Warsaw, goes with all the other European parcels shipped that day to Chicago, where it meets all the parcels from across the USA going to Europe, then sorted into Scandanavia/ France and Spain/ Former Soviet Bloc/ Italy and Greece  (frinstance)  and put on a plane to Gander NF where it joins cargo from the Caribbean and Canada going to FSB countries and off to Prague where it is sorted again for  Poland/Belarus/ Bulgaria etc and finally off to Warsaw.

Never watch tracking. It's not"common sense" and depends on last second changes. A plane may be grounded for lack of crew. An airport closed due to wildfires. The plane needs to wait for a missing case of cokes for the passenger lunches. The hold is full  so the cargo is sent on by truck instead of air.

It's why logistics is such a challenging profession.

[mam98031]

@tom.vial 

"eBay is opting sellers back in AFTER they have opted out!!!"  EIS is a new program.  It does NOT force you to ship internationally.  You can still set up your listings to ship to the US only if that is what you want.  You can also opt out of the program too.