GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM - Some Selective Love

[vssoutlet]

I've been a seller on eBay for nearly 20 years. I use the Global Shipping Program (GSP) selectively as follows:

1) For items with a value of around $50 or less and weigh less than 4 pounds, I send First Class Mail International. For that amount of money, I'm willing to assume the risk of loss, damage and getting ripped off.

2) For expensive or heavy items, I use GSP. Why do I do this knowing that it will cost the buyer more? Because I otherwise could not make those items available to my international customers. There is too much fraud out there, unreliable postal services and countries that do not provide proof of delivery. I still get the occasional rip-off using GSP, but if the buy claims that the $2,500 camera lens I shipped them is scratched, eBay pays the buyer and it doesn't come out of my pocket. I simply could not afford to sell items worth thousands of dollars internationally without GSP.

GSP Issues

A serious flaw in GSP is that they repackage EVERYTHING that you send them. No one can pack a camera or a lens like we do. We know all the tricks and just how to protect the item. It's frustrating to have some person with basic packing skills re-packing something that we packed perfectly. I'd rather they just take our box and drop it in another box - or just re-label ours and send it along. For every 250 domestic shipments, we receive just one damage claim on average. And we ship enlargers and stereo components in addition to cameras and lenses. 

Expediting Claims

The key, as a buyer, to expediting the claims process is to work with the seller to get the issue opened as a case or claim. Once the case is filed, I call eBay, explain that the item was damaged and is covered under the GSP and ask them to escalate it immediately. With the buyer's help, I can usually get them a resolution in 48 hours or less.  The resolution is typically a cash refund and the buyer often gets to keep the item - not always, but frequently. It's in my interest as a seller and eBay's interest as a marketplace to make the process work smoothly. I don't consider the sale complete until the buyer is satisfied with the resolution.

[mudshark61369]

@vssoutlet,

I rarely sell internationally any more, but when I do, because of the possibility of the GPS system re-packing my items, and its rather high prices fro buyers, I refuse to use it. Like you I know how to pack my items, and my feedback reflects that. Since `05 I have not had a damage claim filed. 

I notice in your list of countries you will ship to, there are some I wouldn't ship a penny item to. A few of them are known to have customs/postal employees who make items disappear.  Others internal delivery systems record, are poor at best.

I did look at your curent listings and enjoyed the trip down photographic equipment memory lane.  However, I would suggest dropping the word "Minty" from your titles. Most sellers stopped using that word years ago, because buyers found the word silly.  It detracts from the really nice items you have listed. I would use near or almost mint, or just plain excellent condition, if there's room in the title.

Have you ever considered that maybe one day, just as vinyl records have made a comeback, that film cameras and equipment may do the same? Film/negatives kept properly will outlast digitally saved images.