You may have seen the Global Shipping Program featured if you are new to eBay, or if you’ve been selling eBay for some time. Global Shipping Program, eBay’s international delivery program, allows you to sell your products overseas.
The products are shipped to eBay’s shipping centres. They take care of international delivery and all associated costs, making it easier for you.
The Global Shipping Program looks great on paper and offers eBay sellers a decent way to expand internationally. But that’s not all.
You should still consider certain things when you are considering the GSP. Read our article to learn more about the benefits and disadvantages of the Global Shipping Program.
What is eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP)?
eBay’s Global Shipping Program makes it easy to make your listings available for international buyers. eBay will ship your items to other countries for you.
People outside the region can also buy items you have listed on eBay.com, eBay.co.uk, or any other regional eBay site. These buyers will be eligible to purchase your items and pay international postage and an additional customs fee. You don’t need to do anything as a seller. You just need to send your items to eBay’s local parcel processor in your area, who will forward them abroad.
Global Shipping Program: Advantages
Global Shipping offers many benefits beyond making your products accessible to millions of buyers around the world. These include:
- eBay will pay the seller’s money back guarantee if a product gets damaged or lost in international shipping. Your performance ratings won’t suffer.
- You will be awarded 5-stars if you offer free shipping within the United States to eBay’s shipping centers.
- You will receive 5-stars in your rating for shipping time if you send the items to the US shipping centre within 4 days after receiving payment.
- Your seller rating page will be removed if there is negative feedback about the Global Shipping Program during international shipping.
Global Shipping Program: Disadvantages
The Global Shipping program has its drawbacks. These are:
- You will need to ship the items to eBay’s shipping centre, where they will process and ship internationally. This increases the delivery time.
- All orders are subject to import taxes. While some countries in the EU may offer exemptions from import taxes, there are still countries that charge import taxes on orders.
- Global shipping is not without its problems. Excessive postage costs are another reason to avoid the program. Shipping costs can be high, especially if you sell small- to medium-weight items. International delivery can be made much more affordable by using alternative delivery methods.
What is the eBay Global Shipping Program?
You don’t have to be a professional in international selling if you just started out. The Global Shipping Program from eBay allows you to sell your items internationally while shipping them domestically.
Selling internationally is now easier and more affordable. After you have set up your Global shipping account, and applied the feature to your listings all eligible items will become visible to millions of buyers around the world who are looking for them on eBay.
The best part is that all eligible items include the total price including import fees and custom clearance fees. The buyer will see the total price at checkout. After the buyer has purchased an item, simply ship the package to eBay’s shipping centre. Global shipping will handle everything else, including package processing, import fees, tracking, and international delivery.
Tracking eBay Global Shipping Program
Don’t forget to include the tracking details and reference number when shipping your item to eBay. When you create a shipping tag on eBay, this information is automatically added.
Once you upload a tracking code, it will be converted into a Global tracking code that you can use for tracking the order. Your buyers can also use the same tracking number to track the package.
If you do not use eBay to create shipping labels then you should add the tracking number to the shipment when it arrives from the carrier. Include the reference number on the label. The international tracking number will automatically be added to your order once it has been received at the eBay shipping centre. This allows you and your buyer to track your order.
How do I sign up for the eBay Global Shipping Program
It is easy to opt out or in for the eBay Global Shipping Program. These steps will help you do this:
- In the MyEBay tab, go to Site Preferences.
- Click on Show and Shipping Preferences.
- Click Edit along with the ” Provide the Global Shipping Program“, then choose Opt in/out.
- Voila! Now you are signed up for eBay’s Global Shipping program. You can Opt-out at any time. After that, you’ll have to wait for 24 hours before you can sign up again.
Not everyone is able to sign up for eBay Global Shipping Program. A seller rating of at least standard must be achieved. You also need to meet these criteria:
- You must have your products physically available in the U.S.
- You must list your products on eBay.com
- These products can be legal, prohibited by eBay or subject to export restrictions.
- PayPal should be accepted as a method of payment for your listings.
- Most international countries require that the shipping address be a residential address, not a post office box. Box
- The maximum price your products can be sold for should not exceed $2500. (Varies depending on where you are located).
You can find more information on the guidelines page of eBay’s Global shipping program.
What is the average time it takes for eBay global shipping to arrive?
International orders are not delivered within the estimated timeframe. eBay clearly states that international delivery may take longer depending on many factors, including the destination country, customs clearance and order size. The average delivery time is between 14-18 days.
What is the cost of shipping to eBay Global?
Global shipping is free, however there are some fees that you and your buyer will have to pay. These are the charges that apply to all eBay listings.
Seller charges
Sellers must pay the standard eBay listing fee and PayPal fees for each transaction. You pay the final value fee based on the total sale price, which also includes domestic shipping costs.
Buyer fees
Buyers will find an estimate of shipping and import fees in your product listing. The complete cost will be displayed at checkout.
Buyers will see the shipping costs, which include the US shipping charges specified by the seller and any additional handling fees. Buyers will also be responsible for import fees which may include custom clearance fees and regional taxes.
Dropshipping: The Pros
Dropshipping is a great alternative to e-commerce and Amazon FBA. You don’t need inventory. You don’t have to keep inventory.
In this sense, you can be considered an affiliate of the vendor. This allows you to get up and running quickly, sometimes in less than one week.
It is also easy to explore new product lines. Dropshipping is a great alternative to e-commerce or Amazon FBA where you have to wait until the product can be tested and then get it in your inventory. With dropshipping, you simply find the vendor and place the item on the website. It’s easy to share new products with your audience.
Since you don’t keep any inventory, there is no need to spend time packaging and distributing products. This gives you a lot more time to market and promote your site to increase traffic.
These marketing experiments can have a direct benefit for your SEO. By creating new product bundles, you can create more content on your website that will help you rank higher in Google for the relevant keywords.
Dropshipping is similar to affiliate marketing or Amazon affiliate business model , but you need to search for the right suppliers and vendors. It doesn’t require a large upfront investment.
These positives are not to be overlooked. However, there are many negative aspects associated with the business model.
Dropshipping: The Cons
Dropshipping models have the biggest drawback: The profit margin is often very small.
You don’t have the option of sourcing the product or deciding how it will be shipped or stored. This leaves you with very little flexibility. The vendor is often in control of pricing and deciding when to mark it up. Bundles are also possible to give discounts for multiple products to encourage other purchases. This can be a serious problem and a limitation.
Your vendor may not be able keep up with your rapid growth. They might be receiving product from multiple manufacturers, each of whom faces different supply issues. If your orders are not fulfilled or are canceled due to high sales volumes, this can create a problem in customer service.
It can also be more difficult to advertise due to the small profit margins. Payed advertising requires that your tracking be accurate in order to avoid your advertising costs eating up all of your profit. Or worse, you could end up in the red.
Dropshipping is a difficult business model because it makes it hard to distinguish yourself from your competition. Unless you are in a niche, it is very likely that you will be competing with hundreds of people selling the same products as yours. You will need to think creatively if you want your website to stand out.
Is it worth the Global Shipping Program?
Global Shipping Program may not be right for everyone. It’s not the right fit for everyone. If you already sell a few international items, there is no reason to change to the GSP.
You’ve heard the expression, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix.” The GSP is for those sellers who have no idea how international selling works or are unable to do so because of the difficulties and high shipping costs.
Conclusion
The eBay Global Shipping Program is designed to make international selling easier for all eBay sellers. This program allows sellers to list their products for international buyers, and simplifies the whole process of international shipping. eBay handles everything, so the seller can ship only domestically.
GSP is a great program if you are looking to sell your product internationally without having to deal with the complicated procedures of international shipping.
Let us know your thoughts about eBay’s Global Shipping Program, and if it’s something you’ve tried. Leave a comment below.
