Global Shipping Program is piece of **bleep**

[edward_stamps]

As seller, better to avoid GSP,  especially those sellers in UK.

I purchased 6 old magazines (should be very light weight) from UK to US east coast and was charged > 80 GBP (~100USD) on shipping by GSP (not by seller), while the shipping is slow, after 10 days of shipping the package arrived in US but still at shipping partner's network and not trackable. 

I purchased lots of books from Japan, with DHL, they will arrive US east coast in 3 days for about 20-30 USD for similar weight.

How the same package took 100USD and arrive from UK to US east coast for more than 10 days? I don't understand.

This **bleep**ty greedy GSP eat up seller's profit - remember when a buyer bid for an item he/shetook item price + Shipping into consideration.

Seller should avoid GSP 

[klhmdg]

Or use this as a lesson and you should avoid GSP.

Some sellers will only ship out of country with GSP. GSP charges all customs fees and does all paperwork. 

The time to consider costs is before you pay. 

Lead times for shipping are not guaranteed especially with another company (GSP) in the middle.

[edward_stamps]

my package arrived today. Let's see how GSP works for UK seller:

• a few old magazines totally 1 inch thick
• package around 3 pounds
• postage $113 
• 12 days from UK to NY area 

In comparison, JP Boden child cloth ships from UK to my home takes 2 days - UPS free shipping.

[soh.maryl]

Did you not see the shipping fees before you bought or bid?  

[edward_stamps]

yes I know the price (actually seller doesn't know GSP postage until I told him/her), but there are two issues, first GSP usually don't allow combine shippings  - I bid two items, each for 42GBP, and totally 84GBP - but actually they arrived in one package, and 100USD old books definitely don't need to pay import duty there even don't have custom forms on the small package - who took the extra profits?

Also if they were sent via express mail (2-3 days) I think this postage is reasonable but actually it is not express mail and took around 2 weeks.

My whole point is: if "UK" seller can do more homework perhaps they need to avoid GSP and choose to ship via UPS/DHL with around 1/4 price, and keep more profit in his/her pocket, as a buyer actually I don't care too much, if GSP postage is high, the realized bidding price is lower.

BTW: I'm in U.S. and shipped books to Singapore via GSP with heavier and larger box and GSP here only charged around 25USD, not sure why the UK GSP partner is so greedy

[pjcdn2005]

If both items are in the cart and you pay for them together, GSP will combine the international part of the shipping.   However, part of the buyer's shipping charge is also what the seller is charging for domestic shipping to the GSP center and that part is not combined.  So if a seller was charging $10 for shipping to the gsp center and you purchased 2 items, $20 of the shipping cost you paid would be for the domestic portion.

[edward_stamps]

To give some update.

Seller shipped another package (same size and weight) to me last week, but not through GSP, but went to UK post office directly, cost 32GBP and arrive in 5 days. I'm glad seller just charged me real postage and a few GPS's handling price this time.

To compare, GSP took 82GBP and arrive in 12 days.

again, the 50GBP extra postage charged by GSP is cost to seller, not buyer, as huge postage displayed in item page will deter potential buyers to bid higher prices