Global shipping program??

[whiteboybill]

Question for you all...I typically only sell to the US because the two times I sold out of the country, I got burned.

I just sold a card and it says the buyer is in Australia, but lists the below address. Is there anything special I need to do? Is this the EBay GSP? If it is, I know nothing about it.

1850 Airport Exchange Blvd #200 Erlanger, KY 41018

[insanepjc]

Nothing special needs to be done, just mail it normally.

[arashY]

Yes that's how the global shipping works. You just pay your normal shipping to that ebay shipping location and ebay will take care of shipping it internationally.

[whiteboybill]

Great, thank you all! I feel better now! Just wasn't sure how to ship the item, since it only has the KY address and nothing else...there is a beery long reference # though. I'll be sure to put that on there as well.

[UltimateDeron]

Don't forget the reference number, Bill. I really like the GSP. Ship to the US and eBay will take care of the rest.

[WillC]

If you want your auctions to finish at lower prices, using the GSP is the way to go.

Instead of paying a fair price for shipping (e.g. $6.50, which is what it costs), overseas buyers are forced to pay through the roof (e.g. $17) and have to pay import and customs fees up front which seem disproportionately higher than the normally would be.

We've discussed this before, and I can see why US sellers like the idea of the GSP, but please be aware of its constraints too before making a decision about whether to use it. You will lose a lot of potential overseas customers if you insist on using GSP.

[whiteboybill]

Don't forget the reference number, Bill. I really like the GSP. Ship to the US and eBay will take care of the rest.

Thank you Rick, appreciate it! :)

[whiteboybill]

If you want your auctions to finish at lower prices, using the GSP is the way to go.

Instead of paying a fair price for shipping (e.g. $6.50, which is what it costs), overseas buyers are forced to pay through the roof (e.g. $17) and have to pay import and customs fees up front which seem disproportionately higher than the normally would be.

We've discussed this before, and I can see why US sellers like the idea of the GSP, but please be aware of its constraints too before making a decision about whether to use it. You will lose a lot of potential overseas customers if you insist on using GSP.

Hi Will,
I actually stopped offering international shipping due to the fact that the only ones I did ship overseas came back to bite me.....maybe I didn't ship them the proper way....I may open this up again though. What is the best way to ship internationally so I'm covered with tracking, insurance, and the buyer gets their packages safely? I only sell a handful of cards each year, but as I dwindle down my PC and add more to it, I'll be selling off more of my stuff to acquire others.

[AlabamaSlamma]

Seller options for shipping overseas:

1. GSP
2. USPS Priority Express, FedEx/UPS International

I can't reiterate this enough - PayPal MUST see proof of door-to-door delivery on an international transaction. If shipping through USPS, NOTHING SHORT OF THE $45+ PRIORITY EXPRESS SHIPPING OFFERS THIS SERVICE. Registered mail only tracks a package through its departure out of the US. Do NOT let your post office clerk tell you otherwise.

I understand that such expensive shipping options may not make sense for lower dollar transactions, but if it's anything remotely high end, DO NOT CUT CORNERS.

/end rant

[WillC]

My advice is this:

- If you're selling low or mid-end cards (e.g. $1 to $75), just use standard international postage (not sure its exact name) which costs $6.55 I believe. That way, you maximise the size of your potential market. If once in a blue moon a package gets lost in the post, you'll more than make up for it by receiving higher final sale prices in all of your other auctions.

- If you list your cards using BIN/OBO, you can be very fussy about who you sell to. For example, if someone from the UK, Germany, Australia (or wherever) is offering for your cards and has impeccable feedback, then it makes sense to sell to them. I recommend Googling their eBay username to check for any red flags. For example, you could search "[eBay username] blowoutcards.com" to see if the person has been discussed on this website as an unreliable buyer.

- If you're selling high-end cards (maybe $100+), then using postage with tracking would obviously be recommended. The best of these is called EMS and costs $45 I believe. However, that will obviously be too much for someone wanting to buy a card worth $100, but would certainly be advisable for cards costing more than, say, $250.

I believe there are postage options between those two extremes which offer some sort of tracking/signature without costing $45.

I should stress that my biggest problem with the GSP is when sellers use it for cards that are only worth a few dollars. Here's a scenario that I come across all the time (see screenshot below). The Mark Aguirre card is probably worth about $5 but I'd be happy to pay $5 plus $6.50 postage because I recognise that I'm in the UK and that it costs a bit extra to post it across the Atlantic, so I have to pay a bit more for it. Fine. But do you think I'm prepared to pay $23 postage plus a few dollars for the card? No chance. Especially because I might have to pay customs/import fees for the card when it arrives in this country (because the postage is factored into the 'value' of the goods). So I might end up paying $23 postage + $5 for the card + $10 import/customs/handling fees. Suddenly that card that was worth $5 (that I'd be prepared to pay $11.50 including postage for) has cost me $38! Needless to say, I wouldn't bid on this card and, as a result, it will sell for less than market value.

Surely the seller would be wise to list postage at $6.50 to maximise his sale price? Sure, there's a 0.001% chance the parcel gets lost in the post, but hey, those higher sale prices will easily make up for any potential losses!

I should add that I have completed well over 1,000 (probably closer to 2,000) transactions and have never failed to receive my cards from anywhere in the world.

http://will23c1982.smugmug.com/Sports/Public/i-XzhGLPK/0/L/Aguirre-L.png

[WillC]

Another tip:

- When I sell my cards, I'd rather accept 10-20% less for a card and sell it to someone on this website who has good feedback rather than sell it for full value to a random stranger. Not only will it save me eBay fees, but i) there's less chance of being scammed, and ii) I personally like the idea of my cards going to someone I know who will enjoy them.

[AlabamaSlamma]

I agree with everything you said (except for one point below). It goes both ways, too; I've seen $25-$50 cards I wanted to pick off from an international seller, but the shipping was $20+. It certainly doesn't make sense, and should be considered on a card-by-card basis. However...

I believe there are postage options between those two extremes which offer some sort of tracking/signature without costing $45

...if you are shipping through the US Postal Service, there are NO OTHER OPTIONS between the two extremes. This is where sellers often get confused - they'll go to the post office, ask the clerk if there's a cheaper means of shipping overseas with tracking, the clerk will recommend another service (most of the time, it's Registered shipping), and the seller will go that route to save a few bucks. The clerk isn't necessarily wrong in suggesting Registered mail - it DOES provide a level of tracking, but NOT the detailed tracking as required by PayPal. I'm not sure what kind of services FedEx/UPS offer, but they can be gigantic pains in the a** when dealing with cards/collectibles for insurance purposes.

[WillC]

Here's a typical auction that overseas buyers won't go anywhere near.

It's a card of Azubuike - a British player. Maybe I'd like to bid for it (after all, I doubt many Americans want it, so opening up to the British market would make a lot of sense). But I'm not willing to pay $17.60 postage... especially as I'm required to pay $14.82 import fees up front.

If the seller listed it with standard postage, maybe he'd consider an offer of $30 plus $6.50 postage. He'd be able to see that I have excellent feedback and would feel comfortable selling to me. Chances are I wouldn't need to pay import fees on an item with that value. So it would cost me $36.50 in total. The seller and the buyer would both be happy.

Shame it won't happen though because he's using the GSP.

http://will23c1982.smugmug.com/Sports/Public/i-LB34QBp/0/L/Azubuike-L.png

[WillC]

there are NO OTHER OPTIONS between the two extremes.

Yes there are. However, you're right, they wouldn't comply with PayPal.

But postage with some tracking (or signature confirmation) surely improves the odds of it getting to its destination safely? In which case it is an option, even if it's not a fool proof one.

[AlabamaSlamma]

Yes there are. However, you're right, they wouldn't comply with PayPal.

But postage with some tracking (or signature confirmation) surely improves the odds of it getting to its destination safely? In which case it is an option, even if it's not a fool proof one.

This whole discussion is about selling internationally. Why would you use a shipping method (assuming it's a high end transaction) that's non-compliant with eBay/PayPal policy? You, as a seller, would only be opening up yourself to potential issues down the road when the risk could have been easily mitigated from the outset.

[WillC]

This whole discussion is about selling internationally. Why would you use a shipping method (assuming it's a high end transaction) that's non-compliant with eBay/PayPal policy? You, as a seller, would only be opening up yourself to potential issues down the road when the risk could have been easily mitigated from the outset.

Yes, I agree with you.

However, as a seller, surely sending a package with some form of tracking improves the odds of it getting to its destination. I'm not saying I'd use it because, as you said, it's not enough to meet PayPal's approval. But if you're worried about a package getting lost, then it should reduce those concerns. Using EMS for $45 would be even better as it removes those concerns entirely.