"the seller will not ship to your location" (but he does)

[argy_eyes]

Experts,

I have a buyer in Hong Kong (7200+ feedback) who has been buying cameras for years, frequently via GSP. I list cameras "worldwide" via GSP with no countries excluded.

Hong Kong is a GSP destination, but the buyer gets the message in the title. This is the first time he has had this problem. I had one other example last year. Various Forum postings describe similar problems going back at least to the middle of last year.

I talked to 3 reps today.  A rep supervisor also contributed to the discussion. The assertion: cameras cannot be sent via GSP to Brazil, Hong Kong, Peru, or Vietnam because (according to an eBay document quoted by one rep) they are "fragile" and are rejected at customs for that reason. In addition, they cannot be sent via USPS for the same reason. Lenses are no problem.

I put up a "test" GSP listing that confirmed the case for Hong Kong: it is excluded as a destination. I also did a test listing with USPS Priority International shipping. Hong Kong was not excluded as a destination on that one (of course, that doesn't mean there won't be problems at payment or customs later). See the screen captures below.

I need some informed opinions:

• Is this a known problem?
• If so, is there documentation that I can send to the buyer? Right now he figures I'm a newbie who doesn't know how to set up a GSP listing.
• Is there any known work-around?
• How credible is the "fragile" explanation?
• If this is a customs problem, why would a GSP listing be different from a USPS PMI listing in this regard?
• If this is a customs problem, why would eBay send a message to the buyer blaming this on the seller (rhetorical question)?

Mike

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115328726439   (GSP test listing)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115328830773  (USPS test listing)

Mike

[phngxlam]

Wow. Interestingly enough, I am running into the same issue with shipping to Hong Kong. The item is a computer keyboard so a lot less fragile than your cameras but the issue remains. I have tried my other electronic listings and could select HK and calculate the rates normally. This has never been an issue for me shipping via GSP, so I am not sure what I am doing wrong either. HK, as well as the item, is eligible under the GSP guidelines, too. 

Attached is a screenshot of the message my buyers and I see when opening the listing to check for rates but if I select another country under the drop-down menu it will say the item will ship via GSP like normal. 

[wastingtime101]

This is a known issue @argy_eyes.

This post has the info you'll need to provide eBay CS to get added to the open ticket. Make sure you provide the reference ID when you contact them.

Your issue appears to be different @phngxlam because the error message is different. It looks like perhaps you haven't set up the shipping section properly. If you can post a screenshot from the international section of the listing form it would help to see your settings.

[phngxlam]

Sure, appreciate the response @wastingtime101.

Here is a screenshot of the settings. This is usually what I set it to for GSP to apply, otherwise, if I have 'other shipping options' turned on it would sell but GSP would not apply to the item and would require me to ship directly to the buyer rather than the usually Kentucky distribution center that I am used to seeing. 

[wastingtime101]

My apologies, I missed that this was a GSP issue. I read the posts way too fast.

This issue with Hong Kong and GSP sounded familiar so I did some searching and found others reporting the same restrictions. eBay restricts some countries from some categories based on their customs rules so that could be in play here.

Is your item a camera or an electronic device?

[wastingtime101]

Phones and tablets are on Hong Kong's import restriction list and I see you have a lot of phones listed @phngxlam so that could be the answer to your problem.

[phngxlam]

Yea, that was my initial thought, too. Currently seeking confirmation/help in general about the issue.

The item I am trying to sell is a keyboard. Where can I find this list of restrictions? I have been referencing the GSP's info page and the keyboard seems to be an eligible item.... or so I thought. 

Edit: The funny thing is if I offer 'international standard' shipping and ship directly to the buyer, they can buy the item so I would assume it is not part of the restriction but rather a GSP issue. 

[argy_eyes]

Thank you @wastingtime101 and @phngxlam  for well-informed and helpful posts. I will get on the ticket.

An input from  @janet9988 seems significant on this matter. She observed that these  GSP destination/product overrides don't appear to be properly  linked to the existing mechanism that enforces the "don't allow bids from destinations I don't ship to" seller preference.

Mike

[argy_eyes]

@phngxlam 

My buyer somehow actually bid on the camera and was the high bidder, further complicating things.

I have exactly the same settings in the GSP listings as you do, and in my test listings I see the exact same message for cameras to Hong Kong, but lenses to Hong Kong work fine (similar to your cases) with GSP.

I ended up sending the camera to Hong Kong via International Priority Mail Express ($86). Since USPS international services are now apparently gone on eBay, I tried to use the USPS "Click and Ship" utility, and learned it had been flaky since sometime last year. After 3 trips to the Post Office to get the customs form right, the camera is on its way.

Mike

[argy_eyes]

@phngxlam and @wastingtime101 

I would also like to get a pointer to the list of item exclusions for GSP. My buyer is convinced I screwed up somehow.  An official document would have helped me explain the situation. The reps told me that for cameras, Vietnam, Brazil and Peru were in the same category.

It's interesting that GSP and International Standard are different in this regard. Is there a reason, or is it a bug?

Mike

[wastingtime101]

There is no master list. There's a general list of restrictions that applies to every country posted on eBay, but it's a short list.

Then there's a list for each country which can usually be found on the country's customs page, but can be found in many places - just do an online search.

Then, there's the list you can't find anywhere which is exclusive to the contracts eBay has with third party shippers and is ever-changing. For GSP it's a Pitney Bowes list and for eISD it's an Asendia list.

PirateShip.com can be useful for international labels when you're not using GSP or eISD.

[argy_eyes]

Thanks @wastingtime101 for a comprehensive range of alternatives. Mike

[714ricki]

If it isn't a system glitch as others have mentioned on this thread, I would also double check to see if Hong Kong is allowing imports right now. Maybe GSP was notified that shipping to Hong Kong is a no go right now & prevents you from shipping to Hong Kong via their channels. 

Good luck!

[argy_eyes]

@714ricki  cc:  @wastingtime101 @phngxlam 

Ricki,

Good thought, though it only affects certain things, like keyboards but not other electronics (see the post from @phngxlam), and cameras but not lenses.  The HK customs website doesn't reflect anything out of the ordinary. The customs explanation also doesn't explain why the restricted items can be shipped to HK by USPS or eBay International Standard.

I wrote a message to Hong Kong customs yesterday, got back a "we will get back to you" automatic reply. If anything of interest comes from them I'll relay it.

As @wastingtime101 has pointed out, it seems more like an undocumented agreement (maybe recent?) between eBay and Pitney Bowes.  The matter is currently listed among the top technical issues on the platform (ALERT 12750), so maybe even eBay doesn't yet know fully what's going on.

Mike

[phngxlam]

I didn't quite figure it out, but my buyer wanted the item badly and opted to get a freight forwarder to make his purchase. Hopefully, you can advise future buyers of this if you run into the same issue again. Anyways, have a great rest of your day and thank you all for the help.