So long, eBay.... Hello again, eBay...

[JollyComics]

For those wondering where to check and see if you are active in Global Shipping Program

 

Go to Account tab

Site Preferences

Shipping Preferences

 

It Should show as "Yes" or 'No" and should be able to be edited.

 

I turned it off and nothing happened for three years.

 

Don't give it up. Not yet!

 

 

[Real Frantic One]

It's been interesting reading all these accounts of issues with the GSP. To answer a couple of other comments:

 

I have done everything I could to adapt to changes on eBay, and sold there for 15 years. During the first seven of those years, I only had to make minor adjustments to adapt to any changes that eBay made since there were so few during that period. The architecture was constructed and it stayed stable and intact.

 

Then enter CEO John Donohoe in 2008. His campaign to turn eBay into Amazon Jr. or whatever he had in mind initiated a plethora of changes. However, I did everything I could to adapt by making adjustments and keeping up with it. Lots of users (both sellers and buyers) left, but I stayed on board.

 

My hope was that when Donohoe left last year, the new CEO might start to reverse course and we would see some improvements. It has only continued to get worse.

 

The main thing that infuriates me about this global shipping program fiasco is that I was automatically enrolled in it with NO NOTIFICATION. Then they tell me that I'm SOL and have to invoice everything manually while implying that this is my fault - presumably because I didn't get a call from the Psychic Friends Network notifying me that my account was changed in secret with no notification and that I wasn't proactive in adapting to something I couldn't have known. Now that they have crossed this threshold, I don't see them rolling that behavior back.

 

It becomes impossible to stay on top of your account when you have to constantly watch to undo a change (or maybe changes next) made to it against your will by eBay. This is especially true if you are listing items regularly and have to act like a paranoid schizophrenic with OCD constantly checking and rechecking your account settings to make sure nothing has changed.

 

I don't know how anyone can defend this, except Saul Goodman.

[THE_BEYONDER]

 

 

[Chip Cataldo]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

[KPR Comics]

That is, unless someone steals them from your front porch :wink:

[DarthBane]

That is, unless someone steals them from your front porch :wink:

 

I could be mistaken but even if you purchase insurance, they are not on the proverbial hook until that bar code on the label is scanned yielding you the sender an "acceptance" status for your package.

 

Now in the scenario if you have them come to your home and were actually there to hand them the packages, are they able to scan the labels at your home site or not until it gets back to the PO?

 

 

[october]

Am I the only person that likes the GSP?

 

Saves me the headache of filling out forms, waiting in line at the PO, calculating shipping overseas...all positive experiences so far.

 

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

 

Still requires more work than just sending it to Kentucky. That's about as easy as it gets. If someone outside the US doesn't want to pay extra for the GSP, they can avoid my listings.

[JollyComics]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Don't do that. Some US Post workers are thieves. I lost $1200 while the mail was in the process. USPS didn't do anything after few months of my tireless efforts.

[october]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Don't do that. Some US Post workers are thieves. I lost $1200 while the mail was in the process. USPS didn't do anything after few months of my tireless efforts.

 

I have heard a lot of horror stories about USPS home pickup. Everything I send gets scanned in at the PO while I watch.

[FlyingDonut]

Am I the only person that likes the GSP?

 

Saves me the headache of filling out forms, waiting in line at the PO, calculating shipping overseas...all positive experiences so far.

 

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

 

You're doing it the hard way if you do this as well. Ship flat rate.

 

I don't use GSP. I don't weigh packages either. Everything goes into a package, I hit print, and drop it off.

[Logan510]

Am I the only person that likes the GSP?

 

Saves me the headache of filling out forms, waiting in line at the PO, calculating shipping overseas...all positive experiences so far.

 

I like it as well.

[Buzzetta]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

 

I would NEVER schedule a pickup. I like the comfort of knowing that I personally handed off someone's package to the post office. Once they have paid for the item it is no longer mine. It is theirs. I could never in good faith leave someone's package on the stoop to be picked up... or outside while I was at work.

 

That's how things go missing.

[herc2000]

I bought one lot of comics once with global shipping program, I always avoid it like the plague now. Funny thing is, they say the costs is for all the packing as well, which is sad, as the comics I did get via global shipping program were just placed in an overly large box, no padding, or card, so they just shook around in the box till they got to me, .

[musicmeta]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

 

I would NEVER schedule a pickup. I like the comfort of knowing that I personally handed off someone's package to the post office. Once they have paid for the item it is no longer mine. It is theirs. I could never in good faith leave someone's package on the stoop to be picked up... or outside while I was at work.

 

That's how things go missing.

 

Same here. I always mail packages at the Post Office.

[THE_BEYONDER]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

 

I would NEVER schedule a pickup. I like the comfort of knowing that I personally handed off someone's package to the post office. Once they have paid for the item it is no longer mine. It is theirs. I could never in good faith leave someone's package on the stoop to be picked up... or outside while I was at work.

 

That's how things go missing.

 

Same here. I always mail packages at the Post Office.

 

ditto

[Real Frantic One]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

 

I would NEVER schedule a pickup. I like the comfort of knowing that I personally handed off someone's package to the post office. Once they have paid for the item it is no longer mine. It is theirs. I could never in good faith leave someone's package on the stoop to be picked up... or outside while I was at work.

 

That's how things go missing.

 

Same here. I always mail packages at the Post Office.

 

ditto

 

I even ran into a problem once by just taking packages to the post office. It was crowded and I was in a hurry, so I set some packages on the counter in a spot where people normally leave pre-paid stuff. They were all low-priced packages, and I thought they would be safe there since the clerk saw me do it. Somehow one item disappeared and was never scanned. Fortunately, I had insured it through auctiva, and they accepted the claim.

 

Ever since this happened, I make sure that I witness everything being scanned when I take it to the P.O.

[HighRadArt]

You're doing it the hard way if you opt out of GSP.

 

Get an accurate shipping scale and print off the form through ebay. Attach to the package and drop the pre paid package off at the P.O. - No waiting in lines.

Schedule a pickup through USPS.com and they'll pick it up at your house for free when they deliver your mail. No need to go to the post office at all.

 

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

 

I would NEVER schedule a pickup. I like the comfort of knowing that I personally handed off someone's package to the post office. Once they have paid for the item it is no longer mine. It is theirs. I could never in good faith leave someone's package on the stoop to be picked up... or outside while I was at work.

 

That's how things go missing.

 

Same here. I always mail packages at the Post Office.

 

ditto

 

I even ran into a problem once by just taking packages to the post office. It was crowded and I was in a hurry, so I set some packages on the counter in a spot where people normally leave pre-paid stuff. They were all low-priced packages, and I thought they would be safe there since the clerk saw me do it. Somehow one item disappeared and was never scanned. Fortunately, I had insured it through auctiva, and they accepted the claim.

 

Ever since this happened, I make sure that I witness everything being scanned when I take it to the P.O.

 

I make sure I get a receipt as well.

[Chip Cataldo]

That is, unless someone steals them from your front porch :wink:

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

Yep it happened the one time and I worked it out with my carrier. I'd schedule a pickup, have the packages in the house by the door ready to go and when they delivered my mail they'd ring the doorbell, scan the packages and then put them in their mail truck.

 

Never an issue after that and I never had to go to the post office. I'd witness the scanning right at my door.

[Chaseman210]

That is, unless someone steals them from your front porch :wink:

Isn't that how you lost some packages?

Yep it happened the one time and I worked it out with my carrier. I'd schedule a pickup, have the packages in the house by the door ready to go and when they delivered my mail they'd ring the doorbell, scan the packages and then put them in their mail truck.

 

Never an issue after that and I never had to go to the post office. I'd witness the scanning right at my door.

 

I did a pickup a few weeks ago, and there's an option for them to ring the bell when they deliver the regular mail.

[Action252Kid]

I bought one lot of comics once with global shipping program, I always avoid it like the plague now. Funny thing is, they say the costs is for all the packing as well, which is sad, as the comics I did get via global shipping program were just placed in an overly large box, no padding, or card, so they just shook around in the box till they got to me, .

 

Honestly that's my biggest fear. What happens if I sell a raw 9.4 on eBay, ship it to GSP in Kentucky and someone there re-packages it/damages it, then the customer in Germany gets it and considers it overgraded. Do I have to pay $30 to have them ship it back to me for a refund?

 

It seriously takes maybe 30 seconds longer to print out the customs form through eBay on an international package and I know it makes the customers happy -- I'm sticking with that option over GSP!