Anyone selling very small things internationally via the eBay GSP may want to check their prices.

vacheron

Just a heads up for any other eBay sellers.

I am selling a few things ahead of Christmas including some wach parts I had hanging around with overseas delivery offered via the eBay Global Shipping Program (GSP).

Today I had a query from a buyer in the Ukraine who was interested in a watch dial I was selling which was 20mm in diameter and weighs about 10 grams, but he wondered if I could do anything regarding the $34 shipping cost! 

I had listed the item with the correct weights and sizes (large letter, weight 50-100g) and according to the Royal Mail website, this would cost me £2.92, however when I selected my region as Ukraine, there indeed appeared the postage cost of £25.10. As a further test I tried setting it to the USA... £21.20! 

As this item would be of interest to many overseas buyers I had to add a manual postage option to USA and Europe of £2.92 and he now seems very happy. But now I will have to go through all my small items and add manual postage options or any interest from overseas will be non existent when these huge shipping charges are factored in!

I guess I was just complacent because I have used the GSP on dozens of occasions for large and bulky items in the past and it has always been very competitive. Has anyone else experienced this or may I have I inadvertently caused a glitch somewhere in my listings?

soolin

Strangely my GSP prices can often beat or at least match me sending via tracked and insured means direct. The Ukraine is one of the problem areas and it might be that ebay load the prices for insurance - they also do a fast courier rather than relying on RM. I agree though that where there is such a huge price difference it is worth considering sending direct - as long as you remember to check the current RM status for the country and use the correct postal method - or at least insure it if it doesn't arrive in the 7-10 day window ebay seem to suggest is always possible. 

EDIT Just be aware that economy- the old surface mail, is rarely a good idea with ebay due to how long it takes - RM say this about it 
'This service is ideal for sending heavier items when economy is more important than speed.We aim to deliver within two weeks to Western Europe, four to Eastern Europe, and eight outside Europe.Letters may be sent up to 100g to rest of world destinations only, parcels worldwide up to 2kg and Printed Papers up to 5kg.'

You might be better using standard airmail at £3, it is only a few pence more expensive. 

vacheron

Thanks Soolin. 
Yes, I'll make sure it is on a decent speed postage service rather than the old slow boat.
The item won't sell for a huge amount (current bidding is around £15 with 3 days to go) but not so little that a decent tracked postage service would break the bank. 

I agree that they are usually competitive. I often have been unable to beat them for heavier packages and have often sent 5kg+ parcels to Europe through them for far less cost than this. 

soolin

vacheron said:

Thanks Soolin. 
Yes, I'll make sure it is on a decent speed postage service rather than the old slow boat.
The item won't sell for a huge amount (current bidding is around £15 with 3 days to go) but not so little that a decent tracked postage service would break the bank. 

I agree that they are usually competitive. I often have been unable to beat them for heavier packages and have often sent 5kg+ parcels to Europe through them for far less cost than this. 

If item goes over £20 and you want it insured then International signed is £8.50. I know you can't change postage once you have bids but hopefully you have left the overseas postage 'open' to allow you to add your own - and have remembered to take out the GSP option. 

vacheron

I don't think this auction above (which I was able to edit prior to the buyer who contacted me bidding) will go much above £20, but if it does it would need to be over £25 before the extra costs of insuring it for that made it worthwhile. 
 
Annoyingly, I had listed another part of the same watch with a starting price of £80 and got a bid from someone in Italy within minutes of posting it, but because it now has a bid I can't edit the shipping details to offer a lower postage option.  The buyer must obviously be happy with their quote (a far more reasonable £12 to italy), but it is still £30 to Ukraine and £25 to the USA (Which would have been £11 with RM fully insured. so I can't help thinking how many other potential international bidders this may be putting off.

However, it turns out this second item has become very collectable in recent years, so I have no idea if it will end at £80, or where the bidding may end up! (which makes shipping insurance estimates a bit more tricky to the point where the GSP will eliminate all that risk after it reaches the shipping centre).

Useful lesson to learn for the future though. 

martindow

vacheron said:

Annoyingly, I had listed another part of the same watch with a starting price of £80 and got a bid from someone in Italy within minutes of posting it, but because it now has a bid I can't edit the shipping details to offer a lower postage option.  The buyer must obviously be happy with their quote (a far more reasonable £12 to italy)

I think it is very wise to let GSP take items to Italy which is a country with a notoriously unreliable postal service.  Quite a lot of people do anything they can to avoid sending to Italy ...

RFW

When they first introduced it I was selling smaller items and noticed how expensive it could be so never bothered. It does work better with higher volume items. That's also as an overseas buyer too.

vacheron

martindow said:

vacheron said:

Annoyingly, I had listed another part of the same watch with a starting price of £80 and got a bid from someone in Italy within minutes of posting it, but because it now has a bid I can't edit the shipping details to offer a lower postage option.  The buyer must obviously be happy with their quote (a far more reasonable £12 to italy)

I think it is very wise to let GSP take items to Italy which is a country with a notoriously unreliable postal service.  Quite a lot of people do anything they can to avoid sending to Italy ...

Yes, I may have dodged a bullet there if the current bidder wins.  I'm aware of the notoriety of the Italian postal service, but that said, I've probably sent a dozen or so parcels to Italy, and so far (touch wood), none have gone missing.  

soolin

vacheron said:

martindow said:

vacheron said:

Annoyingly, I had listed another part of the same watch with a starting price of £80 and got a bid from someone in Italy within minutes of posting it, but because it now has a bid I can't edit the shipping details to offer a lower postage option.  The buyer must obviously be happy with their quote (a far more reasonable £12 to italy)

I think it is very wise to let GSP take items to Italy which is a country with a notoriously unreliable postal service.  Quite a lot of people do anything they can to avoid sending to Italy ...

Yes, I may have dodged a bullet there if the current bidder wins.  I'm aware of the notoriety of the Italian postal service, but that said, I've probably sent a dozen or so parcels to Italy, and so far (touch wood), none have gone missing.  

One of my last lost GSP items went to Italy, I was rather pleased to refer them to eBay to deal with. I haven’t shipped direct to Italy now for years having had so many losses.