What is the pros and cons of using the Global shipping option

[kaleidoscopeconsignment]

Thinking about trying this option but wanted feedback.  What's the difference in using the Global or just offering international shipping like I was already doing?

[simba6]

GSP takes care of all the paper work so you don't.  The down side is they may decide an item can't be imported to the country. In that case the buyer gets a full refund, the seller keeps the money and they dispose of the item.

For rare items you have to chance to ship it a different way.

[1tuna]

many buyers do not want to patronize a seller with GSP because its not for serious buyer and sellers

its geared toward the timid shipper and the occasional buyer

my international sales would come to an end if I made them GSP only

[nickelsanddimes2015]

I use it all the time as the benefits are better than just mailing it yourself. They fill out all the paperwork and collect all the import fees, if it gets lost after it makes it to the ebay hub to leave out of the country you're covered, if it arrives broken you're covered, if it's a product that isn't allowed into the country that you didn't know about you're covered. I believe the only downside is it can be a bit more expensive for the buyer but you and the buyers coverage is well worth it. 

[walnutcreekhome]

I agree. I won't ship as much as a pillowcase without it.

I've been using the GSP since it was in beta, and I've never had a single issue with it. My ASP was and is about $100, and I needed the protections it offers.

Before the GSP came along, I had stopped international selling entirely. The INRs were breaking me; most were likely fraudulent. Since I started using it about 10-11 years ago, I haven't had one single claim to handle. Aside from the protections you mentioned, eBay has eliminated from the list several countries that have proven to have unacceptable levels of fraud, and that has cut down on everyone's SNAD claims. That's a protection you really don't hear about. If you're shipping directly, you have to do a lot of research to identify those countries and individually exclude them in your shipping preferences. Then you cross your fingers that you got them all.

I used to sell a lot of oversized items, and for those, the GSP was cheaper than I could ship myself because I (obviously) couldn't qualify for the same bulk shipping rates. And the danger of loss was just too great to risk.

I agree that it doesn't work for every seller and every product. If an item is small and inexpensive, if you can afford to write it off if an issue arises, then perhaps direct shipping is best. Otherwise, it's true that you might price yourself out of the market. But the way I look at, considering my own ASP, a buyer can either pay my price or move on. I won't participate in a race to the bottom, not with my pricing and certainly not with my shipping. It takes too many sales to make up for just one loss.

[dstump2]

One of the negative is that it increases the costs to the buyers. eg: I sold a DVD to a Canadian customer.  Ebay charged them $15.00 USD for shipping.  AND, I had to pay almost $4.00 to ship domestically. So when an International buyer looks at an item, they are paying 25.00 for a 10.00 item.  But I'm not getting the entire $10.00 as I have to pay domestic shipping plus the fees. I know they provide a service, but I could ship that item for about $12.00 resulting in the buyer paying $22.00 and me not paying the extra 4.00. 

[ebooksdiva]

This thread is three years old. 

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.