Can Someone Help Me Understand eBay's Global Shipping Program

[record-broker]

Hello fellow eBayers.

I was automatically enrolled in eBay's Global Shipping (aka International Shipping) program and it's been a very confusing process so far. Before the program kicked in, I would guesstimate package measurements and weights and then reimburse the buyer for any shipping differences. However, with the new program, the buyer pays eBay directly for international shipping and I have no control over reimbursement.

To use a recent order as an example...the listing was for 23 vinyl records, which was sold to a buyer in Canada. I guesstimated the weight to be 20 pounds but it only came out to around 14-15 pounds. I contacted eBay asking how the buyer could be reimbursed for any differences and the first customer rep told me that eBay would handle reimbursements while the second customer rep told me they wouldn't. Then I touched base with the buyer to discover they only paid around $30 for shipping, which in and of itself doesn't make any sense. Normally, a 20-pound package (which is what the buyer paid for even if the weight was wrong) from the USA to Canada would cost upward of $100 and that's not to mention the $10 cost of my shipping the package to eBay's shipment hub, which I presume was incorporated into the shipping total. 

With all this in mind, can anyone out there help with the following questions:

1) Why did a package weighing 15-20 pounds only cost the buyer $30 in shipping when they lived in Canada?

2) In a scenario where a buyer overpays for shipping, how can I get them reimbursed for any differences in the shipping cost when that amount was never paid to me but to eBay?

3) On a separate order to the UK, I was apparently charged a "customs fee"--why was I charged this fee when I live in the USA?

4) What if I'd put an estimated weight of just 5 pounds for the package of 23 records? Who pays the difference when eBay ships the heavier package to Canada at a rate much higher than what the buyer initially paid?

I have so many questions about this program and the customer representatives haven't been very helpful at all. They often contradict one another and don't seem to have answers to relatively simple questions. The program itself was thrust upon me and I have 100s of listings with guesstimated weights and measurements. Can anyone out there help?!

Thanks in advance. 

[pjcdn2005]

Your listings show that you are using eBay International Shipping (EIS) which is a program that is replacing the global shipping program.

The EIS decides on the international shipping cost so you have no way of knowing if they were overcharged or not as you don't know for sure how they are basing their shipping costs. For example, they may base the cost for heavier packages more on the dimensions than on the weight.   But whatever they do, the only control you have for what they charge internatoinally is to be careful and put in more accurate weight and dimensions.

You do have control on the domestic portion of the trip however.   So if the domestic portion is overcharged because the dimensions or weight are way off, you can refund a portion of the domestic shipping cost that you've received.    The EIS does not combine shipping right now so if someone wants to purchase 12 records from you it is best that you make one listing for them. It shouldn't be that difficult to actually weigh 12 records and a box and get a better estimate of the weight.

[pjcdn2005]

1. Why did a package weighing 15-20 pounds only cost the buyer $30 in shipping when they lived in Canada?

I have no idea. Was the shipping cost in the listing showing that weight?   As mentioned before, the cost could be figured out based more on dimensions than weight.

2.  In a scenario where a buyer overpays for shipping, how can I get them reimbursed for any differences in the shipping cost when that amount was never paid to me but to eBay?

When the shipping cost is given to the buyer, the cost is based on your domestic shipping cost to Illinois plus international shipping.  You can refund any overage for the domestic shipping cost only.

3.  On a separate order to the UK, I was apparently charged a "customs fee"--why was I charged this fee when I live in the USA?

Are you sure it was a customs fee?  Would you be able to show the exact wording for that charge?

4) What if I'd put an estimated weight of just 5 pounds for the package of 23 records? Who pays the difference when eBay ships the heavier package to Canada at a rate much higher than what the buyer initially paid?

I believe that if your weight is off, they might not ship your item to the buyer so it is important that the information in the listing is reasonably accurate.   The EIS bases the rate on your info in the listing, that's all they have to go by.

There is more information about the EIS program at the following links.

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/ebay-international-shipping

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-international-shippin...

https://pages.ebay.com/internationalshippingprogram/seller/terms/

[record-broker]

Hello and thanks for the response. The "customs fee" I was charged only shows up in my activity feed as a reduced total for a sale (it should have been $300 but it came out to like $282) which was followed by another deduction on the sale. An eBay representative said over the phone that it was for customs and that was before a previous rep told me that eBay would get back to me on the matter, which they never did (I had to call again). 

I'm not concerned about the domestic portion of the shipping charges. However, I am concerned about variabilities in international shipping because a few pounds of extra weight can often add up to tens of dollars in extra costs. 

Again, things like dimensions and weight were previously guesstimated as I sell vinyl records in many different quantities and had much more control over the invoice and reimbursement process. I'm still unclear as to what will happen if the dimensions and weight don't match, and eBay hasn't been helpful (at all) in terms of making it clear. If these things were so important, then eBay shouldn't have auto-enrolled me in the program as I'm not willing to go back through 450+ listings to ensure accurate weights and measurements when such things are determined by me right before I ship the item. Sometimes I sell one record at a time and sometimes I sell 50+ records in a single listing. 

I should add that I went to opt out of EIS and a window popped up saying that any fixed rate listings to which the program was previously applied will remain in the program. Does this mean that even if I opt out, all my listings--which were automatically enrolled in EIS--will still be eligible for EIS? 

To be frank, I can't imagine this will be anything short of a nightmare for eBay and various sellers alike. It doesn't help that every time I speak to someone from eBay on the phone they give me a different answer to the same question. 

[stainlessenginecovers]

Unless all 20 were listed as '1 listing' you CANNOT ship multiple items together. 

The buyer was charged $30 because that was for just 1. 

Regarding weight; it's not hard to weigh out a 45; a single album with sleeve/cover and a double album with sleeve/cover. These are the 3 weights.

Putting 10 single albums with sleeve/cover in 1 listing, it would be 10x that number. 

Again, EIS customers CANNOT package together any 'additional' listings and NIETHER can you. EACH purchase has a different number assigned and must be received by EIS as 1 item for 1 listing (or again, if you list as a 'lot of 10' as 1 listing, you would input the correct weight and the buyer would be buying that "1" item (of 10)

[record-broker]

I sell multiple records in a single listing (aka "lots"), as do plenty of other sellers. This wasn't a combined shipment (if that's what you're implying) nor was it listed as being available in multiple quantities. The listing was for a lot of 23 vinyl records with an estimated weight of 20 pounds.