International shipping questions, discussions, fees, cost (eBay and non-eBay)

[justafrog]

No, you don't pay anything additional to sell through GSP, you pay the exact same FVF fees you would if you were selling within the US.

 

The majority of the extra charge shown isn't anyone's commission anyway - it's import fees, duties, etc. Pitney Bowes does get a fee for processing stuff through Kentucky. Some folks believe eBay also takes a fee, some folks believe eBay simply enjoys the additional revenues from normal FVF fees, nobody knows for sure.

 

On ALL international shipping, GSP or not, you only pay FVF fees on your domestic shipping rate.

[buddytheelf]

Sorry for the multiple posts.  Please edit.

[hengchibrick]

As far as I understand, It depends on if this item is shipped through ebay global shipping program.

You don't pay extra fee for shipping through ebay global shipping program.

If you ship the item through USPS or FedEx, than you pay commission on item and shipping, but you won't know the import charge.

 

That is why I often list item with free shipping to USA buyer, so if the item is sold internationally, I get more money through shipping oversea to offset the difference of the extra commission.

[justafrog]

As far as I understand, It depends on if this item is shipped through ebay global shipping program.

You don't pay extra fee for shipping through ebay global shipping program.

If you ship the item through USPS or FedEx, than you pay commission on item and shipping, but you won't know the import charge.

 

That is why I often list item with free shipping to USA buyer, so if the item is sold internationally, I get more money through shipping oversea to offset the difference of the extra commission.

 

You only pay your final value fees (the fees eBay charges for a sale) on your DOMESTIC shipping rate - so if I sell a book with free shipping to New York, I pay no additional final value fees on shipping; if I sell the same book to Canada and charge the Canadian buyer $8 to ship, I *still* pay no additional FVF fees on that $8 in shipping; if I sell the same book through the GSP and eBay charge the buyer $20 to ship to Australia, I *still* pay no additional FVF fees on that $20 shipping.

 

Edited to add: If I sell something with $4 domestic (within the US) shipping fee, I'll pay FVF fees on the price of the item and the $4 shipping fee, regardless of whether I sell it in the US or anywhere in the world, GSP or not, additional shipping fees charges by me or by eBay for international shipping or not.

[Sauromosis]

This sounds like it might not have been through the GSP as you usually won't see any of these fees when selling through GSP.

 

Always select "No alternative international shipping" and don't let people convince you to bypass it (they always try).

[justafrog]

This sounds like it might not have been through the GSP as you usually won't see any of these fees when selling through GSP.

 

Always select "No alternative international shipping" and don't let people convince you to bypass it (they always try).

 

For anyone who wants to see the fees, they always appear when you print a packing slip on eBay.

[Brickrunner]

I sold some minifigures through the GSP recently and the buyer hasn't paid yet, but requested an invoice wanting to know how much to pay for shipping.  

 

In the past when an international buyer has requested an invoice, the GSP doesn't allow me to do it.  However, this time it gives me the option and I have no idea what to select to not screw up the GSP service.  As far as I understand it, the GSP doesn't allow invoicing because eBay takes care of everything with the shipping and import charges?

 

I've messaged the buyer and told them to complete the checkout process through eBay. Anyone have any suggestions on what to do?  Do I just wait and see if he/she completes the checkout process and if not open an upaid item case?

 

Thanks

[jbacunn]

I sold some minifigures through the GSP recently and the buyer hasn't paid yet, but requested an invoice wanting to know how much to pay for shipping.

In the past when an international buyer has requested an invoice, the GSP doesn't allow me to do it. However, this time it gives me the option and I have no idea what to select to not screw up the GSP service. As far as I understand it, the GSP doesn't allow invoicing because eBay takes care of everything with the shipping and import charges?

I've messaged the buyer and told them to complete the checkout process through eBay. Anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Do I just wait and see if he/she completes the checkout process and if not open an upaid item case?

Thanks

Something similar just happened to me as well. Sold some polybags to a guy in Australia via GSP. My listings had free shipping. They were BIN listings but he did not pay. I sent him a message and he said that he is being charged $60 in shipping. I told him my listings were free shipping and it was eBay charging him shipping. Is there anything I can do here? It sounds like he is not going to complete the transaction. Can he negotiate the shipping fees with eBay? $60 shipping for 3 polybags is ridiculous.

Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

[justafrog]

You can remove the ability for these misunderstandings/shenanigans (they could be either) by setting up Immediate Payment Required (IPR) on all of your fixed price listings.

 

I set this up a few months before the Christmas season a few years ago, because at Christmas, like most sellers, I was getting a higher percentage of non-payers and losing out on the chance to sell my item to other Christmas shoppers, and it worked so well I have never looked back.

 

For the present issues, tell the buyers you cannot issue invoices for GSP transactions and recommend that either they call eBay so that eBay can help them with their account issue, or you will be glad to file a mutual cancellation if they wish. Once you have them on record as asking for the cancellation, it won't count against your defect rating to grant it.

 

The $60 shipping buyer probably didn't use the cart, but purchased each item separately - you would then be required to ship each item separately to KY. If he requests a cancellation, you can cancel, put everything in one listing, and let him buy the one listing -- that will give him one GSP shipping charge which will be far less than $60.

[jbacunn]

You can remove the ability for these misunderstandings/shenanigans (they could be either) by setting up Immediate Payment Required (IPR) on all of your fixed price listings.

I set this up a few months before the Christmas season a few years ago, because at Christmas, like most sellers, I was getting a higher percentage of non-payers and losing out on the chance to sell my item to other Christmas shoppers, and it worked so well I have never looked back.

For the present issues, tell the buyers you cannot issue invoices for GSP transactions and recommend that either they call eBay so that eBay can help them with their account issue, or you will be glad to file a mutual cancellation if they wish. Once you have them on record as asking for the cancellation, it won't count against your defect rating to grant it.

The $60 shipping buyer probably didn't use the cart, but purchased each item separately - you would then be required to ship each item separately to KY. If he requests a cancellation, you can cancel, put everything in one listing, and let him buy the one listing -- that will give him one GSP shipping charge which will be far less than $60.

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try.

Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

[Brickrunner]

You can remove the ability for these misunderstandings/shenanigans (they could be either) by setting up Immediate Payment Required (IPR) on all of your fixed price listings.

 

I set this up a few months before the Christmas season a few years ago, because at Christmas, like most sellers, I was getting a higher percentage of non-payers and losing out on the chance to sell my item to other Christmas shoppers, and it worked so well I have never looked back.

 

For the present issues, tell the buyers you cannot issue invoices for GSP transactions and recommend that either they call eBay so that eBay can help them with their account issue, or you will be glad to file a mutual cancellation if they wish. Once you have them on record as asking for the cancellation, it won't count against your defect rating to grant it.

 

The $60 shipping buyer probably didn't use the cart, but purchased each item separately - you would then be required to ship each item separately to KY. If he requests a cancellation, you can cancel, put everything in one listing, and let him buy the one listing -- that will give him one GSP shipping charge which will be far less than $60.

 

I figured out my problem.  I had Global Shipping checked, but then also an alternative International box checked that did calculated.

 

I'm still new to this so it was ignorance on my part.  My listings defaulted to having this on there but I assumed it wouldn't be able to be utilized by the buyer because I left the shipping service blank.  Now I know to manually set to "no alternative international shipping method."

 

I'll have to keep IPR in mind for the holiday season.  Is there a way to offer combined shipping with IPR?

[justafrog]

I figured out my problem.  I had Global Shipping checked, but then also an alternative International box checked that did calculated.

 

I'm still new to this so it was ignorance on my part.  My listings defaulted to having this on there but I assumed it wouldn't be able to be utilized by the buyer because I left the shipping service blank.  Now I know to manually set to "no alternative international shipping method."

 

I'll have to keep IPR in mind for the holiday season.  Is there a way to offer combined shipping with IPR?

As long as they use the cart, any domestic combined shipping you have set up will apply, and eBay's GSP will combine, too.

[Brickrunner]

As long as they use the cart, any domestic combined shipping you have set up will apply, and eBay's GSP will combine, too.

 

You can combine GSP? I've googled the heck out of that lately and can't figure out for the life of me how to do it.  Everything I've found says that you can't combine GSP.

 

I had someone buy multiple items, waited to pay, and asked for me to send an invoice.  It wouldn't let me send an invoice and kept saying the GSP didn't allow it.

[justafrog]

You can combine GSP? I've googled the heck out of that lately and can't figure out for the life of me how to do it.  Everything I've found says that you can't combine GSP.

 

I had someone buy multiple items, waited to pay, and asked for me to send an invoice.  It wouldn't let me send an invoice and kept saying the GSP didn't allow it.

 

Sellers cannot. Buyers, in countries where eBay has rolled out the shopping cart, can. The buyer adds the items to their cart, selects pay the seller for everything instead of paying item by item, and eBay will combine the GSP shipping charges for them.

[mr_cotta]

I've been using Amazon FBA for a few months, and I just started posting BIN listings on eBay for my Amazon items. Sometimes I bundle a few different items together for eBay instead of just one item. Does anyone know if I will run into a problem with GSP if my Amazon fulfillment center ships out the item(s) to the Kentucky center? I see two potential problems: 1) I can't put an eBay invoice in the box. 2) Amazon might use more than one box to ship my items out after I submit my fulfillment order.

 

I guess the big question is whether or not anyone else out here on BP is using Amazon FBA in conjunction with eBay sales, and what that means for eBay's GSP. Did I use enough abbreviations in this post?

[mr_cotta]

I should also clarify that I can put some custom text on the invoice that goes with the order...one line or so...I could at least put the eBay item #. 

[justafrog]

There's a reference number for every GSP order that must show on the shipping label (not just inside the package on a packing slip).

[mr_cotta]

There's a reference number for every GSP order that must show on the shipping label (not just inside the package on a packing slip).

 

Thanks--that gives me the answer I need. 

[gorbasho]

How does eBay determine the cost to charge the buyer for the international leg of the shipping? I wonder because for a lot of items I don't have dimensions or weight specified in the listing, because I wait until it sells to see what boxes I have available at the moment. So how can it accurately determine how much it will cost to ship the item from Kentucky to wherever?

[justafrog]

Specify the dimensions and weight, because otherwise eBay will figure on the high side of an estimate for that "type" of item, and like as not your buyer will be charged too much. It's easy to enter those when you do the listing.

[hxckid88]

If a buyer buys two seperate items through gsp is there a way to combine the shipping?

[Soadfan4ever]

If a buyer buys two seperate items through gsp is there a way to combine the shipping?

I called ebay with this exact question last year and they told me no.  They said customers should put items in their carts and pay for the whole order together or it would have to be shipped separately.  It could have changed since then, but I don't use GSP so I'm not sure.

[Guest]

Hello

 

I can only find the Apply domestic shipping rate table in the auction listings.

Where can i find the option to add the International shipping rate table?

 

I want to change the shipping costs for every country!

 

Thank you for any help!

[Guest TabbyBoy]

Hello

 

I can only find the Apply domestic shipping rate table in the auction listings.

Where can i find the option to add the International shipping rate table?

 

I want to change the shipping costs for every country!

 

Thank you for any help!

 

I only charge what it actually costs me plus an extra 11% to cover their extortionate Final Value Fee on postage which is my No.1 eBay complaint.  However, I only ship to Europe anyway as too much hassle with intercontinental shipping due to poor handling, customs, dishonest buyers, etc.

[KShine]

I only charge what it actually costs me plus an extra 11% to cover their extortionate Final Value Fee on postage which is my No.1 eBay complaint.  However, I only ship to Europe anyway as too much hassle with intercontinental shipping due to poor handling, customs, dishonest buyers, etc.

Yes, the fees that ebay charges on postage is just so very wrong - you need to overcharge just to break even on postage.

 

And then you are set up to get dinged when the buyer leaves you a low DSR for shipping costs.