Shipping estimate for Global Shipping Program?

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

How can I evaluate costs of the Global Shipping Program?

I tried the eBay shipping calculator, and it doesn't even list GSP as an option. (I'm referring to the stand-alone shipping calculator, not the one on the shipping page, which I wouldn't expect to list Global Shipping Program unless it's enabled in my profile.)

I'm considering using GSP for shipments to countries where DELCON International isn't available. I want to research it thoroughly before I enable it, since eBay makes it hard to use the program at all without it getting in the way where I don't want it.

[victorjunkman55]

USA Sellers using the Global shipping program (GSP) ship like any other USA sale to Erlanger, KY. where your package if forwarded to buyer. Your responsibility ends when package arrives in KY.  Buyer pays all taxes, Duty / customs fees.  I no longer use this program due to the high cost to buyer on my low  cost Item(s). Good luck to you.

[dcintennessee]

For GSP, you only ship to the fulfillment center. Erlanger, KY, 41025 There are lots of posts and videos to assist with your planning. Happy selling!

[missjen831]

You don't need to evaluate costs. The GSP fees are determined by ebay. You only need to set up normal domestic shipping as you will only be shipping to the GSP hub in KY. The buyer will pay the international shipping cost + import fees to Pitney Bowes who runs the GSP. There are no extra costs to you. 

[pjcdn2005]

Are you asking about what your costs would be for the gsp (zero extra costs) or are you asking what buyers would be paying? 

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

I must have expressed my question poorly, because every person who has responded so far misconstrued it.

I understand how GSP works. I was not thinking about who pays the fees when I asked the question because that is irrelevant to the question. I want to know how to estimate the fees that buyers will have to pay if I use GSP. That will determine, first, whether I use it at all, and second, how I write responses to buyer inquiries.

If the fees are generally close to USPS fees, I'll write responses one way. If they're close to FedEx fees, I'll write responses a different way. If they're substantially higher than FedEx fees, I'll offer FedEx instead.

[danmcntyr2]

You do not need to  estimate the fees that buyers will have to pay if I use GSP  ebay does this and shows the buyer , as others have tried to tell you just set up the sale as you normaly would and your portion of the shipping will be to KY, you will not see or need to see the shipping and fees to the buyer , ebay shows this to them .

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

I have explained exactly why I want this information. Please do not waste time for both of us by trying to answer my question without knowing what it is!

Maybe I'm having trouble getting an answer because there is no answer -- the seller cannot get the information. If that is the case, just say so, and I'll forget about using GSP because eBay has made it impossible to perform due diligence on it.

[missjen831]

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@bitsofsiliconvalley wrote:

I have explained exactly why I want this information. Please do not waste time for both of us by trying to answer my question without knowing what it is!

Maybe I'm having trouble getting an answer because there is no answer -- the seller cannot get the information. If that is the case, just say so, and I'll forget about using GSP because eBay has made it impossible to perform due diligence on it.

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Ok. You can't get that information prior to listing. And again there is no need to. The fees are determine by the item price, the buyers location and their countries taxes & import fees. Once your listing is live, you can see the international shipping fees & (sometimes the import fees) by going to the shipping & payments tab and changing the country. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@bitsofsiliconvalley wrote:

I have explained exactly why I want this information. Please do not waste time for both of us by trying to answer my question without knowing what it is!

Maybe I'm having trouble getting an answer because there is no answer -- the seller cannot get the information. If that is the case, just say so, and I'll forget about using GSP because eBay has made it impossible to perform due diligence on it.

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To see what the buyer would pay you would have to check on the shipping tab of an item you have listed with GSP. Change your country to the buyer's country. There you can see what they would see.

[lacemaker3]

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@bitsofsiliconvalley wrote:

I must have expressed my question poorly, because every person who has responded so far misconstrued it.

I understand how GSP works. I was not thinking about who pays the fees when I asked the question because that is irrelevant to the question. I want to know how to estimate the fees that buyers will have to pay if I use GSP. That will determine, first, whether I use it at all, and second, how I write responses to buyer inquiries.

If the fees are generally close to USPS fees, I'll write responses one way. If they're close to FedEx fees, I'll write responses a different way. If they're substantially higher than FedEx fees, I'll offer FedEx instead.

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You can't get this information before the item is listed. The costs depend on the price, the country it is being shipped to, and for some countries they may also depend on the buyer's purchase history or other items being purchased at the same time. That's why they are "estimated" costs. Some countries have time-interval (yearly) limits on imports, in addition to the per item exemptions.

Once you have listed the item, then you can open the listing page and view the Shipping & payments tab. (You may need to use another account or log out.) Open the drop-down list and choose the ship-to country to find out what it would cost the buyer. Then  you will be able to see what the charges are.

Sometimes for fixed-price listings, you have to put the item into the shopping cart or click buy it now to go to the Checkout page to see the costs, but it is NOT necessary to commit to buy the item to see them.

[lacemaker3]

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@bitsofsiliconvalley wrote:
...

If the fees are generally close to USPS fees, I'll write responses one way. If they're close to FedEx fees, I'll write responses a different way. If they're substantially higher than FedEx fees, I'll offer FedEx instead.

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You can't compare the GSP total charges to USPS or FedEx charges.

Buyers in Europe, for example, have to pay VAT on all purchases, which ranges between 20-25% in most EU countries. For purchases in Europe, VAT is included in the price on the price tag (not added on at the cash register). The GSP charges include the VAT as well as the customs or duties. If you ship by USPS or FedEx, the charge doesn't include VAT, sales tax, or customs/duties, so the price isn't comparable.

With post office and courier companies, the VAT, sales tax and customs/duties are usually paid by the recipient on delivery, but sometimes they don't collect them. Buyers who are purchasing for personal use may be hoping that they will get lucky and not have to pay the VAT, sales tax, or customs/duties.

Buyers who are purchasing for business use or retail, will not want to use the GSP because they can't recover the VAT, and 20-25% can be a substantial price penalty.

In some countries (many European countries) you have to include an invoice or packing slip in the package showing item description, cost, country of origin etc. so that the customs office can calculate the customs and duty costs. Without it, the buyer can't get the package from the customs office.

[annetweekes]

But when an international buyer makes an offer, you want to be able to tell them if their offer will cover the cost of the item plus the GSP rate to Kentucky.

I assume (maybe incorrectly) that international buyers know how this program works.

If nothing else, how do I find out what that rate would be for future reference?

[annetweekes]

I understand your pain.

I've been trying to the access the same information.

Put it this way: buyers want to know IN ADVANCE what the shipping costs will be.

They can then make an offer that would reasonably include the cost of the item PLUS that shipping fee to Kentucky.

[annetweekes]

How can you guarantee that buyers see the pertenint information.

When I selected GSP, a drop down asked if I wanted calculated or flat rate.

This adds another layer of confusion because a buyer might want to know the options.

The fact that, "You don't need to know" is irrelevant.

The buyers want to know.