Congrats on your 1000th post brother 
1 Like
You have to keep in mind that GSP ships using USPS Priority Mail (IIRC), which isn’t cheap unfortunately. eBay is just trying to cover that cost that they’re being charged by USPS.
The problem with shipping internationally without using the GSP, is that delivery confirmation isn’t available to all countries, only a select few. If a buyer from one of the non-DELCON countries happens to ask you to ship normally without GSP, then the seller is taking on 100% of the risk when the item is inevitably scanned as having departed the US, but never scanned as being delivered.
It’s perfectly understandable that buyers will generally want to get the best deal that they possibly can. However, it seems like they usually want to do that at the expense of the of the seller, which isn’t really fair. I often will be PMd on eBay (even for items where I have no Best Offer available) “Hey, will you take $X for this?”, but when I say “Sure, if you send it via Gift since the eBay fees will leave me with less if I just lower the price”, they usually don’t answer back lol. I think there has to be some sort of protection for both, the seller and the buyer, and GSP seems to provide that.
Btw, I don’t use GSP, since most of my customers generally are from countries that do offer delivery confirmation, but just today someone with 0 feedback (account was barely created today) bought one of my items. He happens to be from a country that USPS doesn’t offer DELCON for, so it’ll be interesting to see how this turns out for me, without the GSP… hope it ends all right lol.
Customs are charged by the recepient’s country, no? At least, that’s what I understand from looking through various sellers’ listings where they’ll state something like “Import/customs fees are the buyer’s responsibility” or something along those lines.
Like I said, the shipping is high because they ship using the priority mail option. I think $36 is worth it for something that the seller is asking $2,500 for. With something of that value, I wouldn’t want it in USPS’s hands for more than a few weeks lol. I undersand that it adds up real quick, but the $630 isn’t being charged by GSP. It’s being charged by your country.
If someone says an item was not as described however you may still get hit.
I’ve been waiting on a package from canada for 8 weeks now, i’ll wait another 1-2 before I contact the buyer about it. I chose cheaper shipping so have to deal with a slower process.
In this example scenario ( and irl ) the $630 is indeed charged by GSP. When international users buy item that is part of GSP 2 seperate transactions appear on your pp account, first going for buyer and second going to Pitney Bowes ( so called import charges ). Like said earlier that amount should have nothing to do with deal, customs of recipient’s country never gets a dime from it.
If we forget terrible pricing from buyer’s pov another disturbing feature in GSP is the fact they occasionally open and re-package items sent in by the seller. You can search about this from google/youtube and find lots of negative experiences, I’m most certain seller of item doesn’t put this piece of paper inside package:
2 Likes
Oh, ok. Thanks for clearing that up for me. So then, I’m guessing eBay/Pitney Bowes cover the regular import charges, and then mark it up when they charge the buyer import fees.
1 Like
They do have the right to check your parcels however,
In Australia atleast i think it’s less common. I’ve only ever had one package opened and checked by local post out of the hundreds i’ve received. Every single time ive got anything through gsp they have opened and repackaged, opening the possibility of them damaging your purchase (which they cover but that isn’t the point).
Not saying that countries shouldn’t have the right to check post necessarily but agree it can cause issues.
Listed about 10 ex era PSA cards for auction a couple days ago. Got this classic today.
1 Like
Hmm If I think you are who I think you are, I may have bought a card from you in the past!
I am scottlaw101
I see I bought my second charizard gold star off you a year or two ago! from memory you also made you tube videos? If so I may have also approached you for PSA Grading advice before I commenced grading!
Well I hope I gave you some helpful advice, I remember that Gold Star Charizard sale as well.
I used to make Youtube videos yeah, but it became a massive chore and the Youtube community in general just made me sick.
1 Like
Mate your my MENTOR! I found you at last! I watched all your videos! loved your cards, you seemed to be hell bent on getting that Charizard EX In PSA 10. I understand what you mean though, shame that I did enjoy your watching your collection progress. Your Charizard Gold Star is safe in my collection now. On the first page of my collection thread it is the second Charizard with the higher serial number. It has since been re slabbed into the newer Psa case!
Now I wonder if Mr Creed is on this site as well!
1 Like
Well that is quite humbling, thanks for your kind words. Glad to see someone so passionate make their way to UPCCC. I still don’t have the Charizard EX PSA 10 in English, but I have both the Japanese versions so I am quite content.
1 Like
English Charizard EX PSA 10. It was on my major wants list for a while, I’d still go after one now but I don’t have the money for it and it’s not a priority.
As for the Youtube crowd. They are obviously not all bad, I know there are a few people on UPCCC who are positive members of that community. But it’s what you can probably expect, people spamming your inbox with vapid inquiries about stuff they want to buy(most times they don’t want to buy at all and are just wasting your time) even when you explicitly make it known that you do not sell cards over Youtube. The absolute stupidity you encounter in the comments section of your videos.
None of that is actually the reason I stopped, I have been on the internet long enough that I can deal with all that and laugh it off. I stopped making Youtube videos because I wasn’t enjoying the process of making them and the time it took, the way the community is just made that decision easier.
3 Likes
I think a better way to describe the deficit of Youtube/Facebook is that they are too unregulated to be a healthy marketplace. When you have zero accountability, it is difficult to create and maintain standards. Virbank is a perfect example. You can probably get some deals, but the amount of bullshit you have to sift through is tiring.
6 Likes
Agreed. The systems are so poor they could make a crook out of an honest person.
3 Likes
Does anybody have an idea what’s going on with Global Shipping Programme if the tracking continuously says “Next tracking information will be available after 48 hours”? (for weeks)
Doesn’t feel like my item is really en route at all…