Couldn't agree more, I've got bad feedback on my account from shitty buyers, one guy refused to pay and left me bad feedback when I put as much on his feedback, another guy left bad feedback on "crushed" MP packaging, I refunded him in full and asked he amend his feedback, not only did he not amend his feedback he then went on to sell the very same boxes (very much uncrushed I might add) for more than he paid for them! Reported both cases to eBay, no response, no resolution. So yeah I'll protect myself any way I can when selling on eBay.

 

As a Canadian buyer, I only buy on ebay if the seller is from Canada or over seas, as its always fair prices and fair shipping. Its only the US sellers that pose any problems.

I would never ever sell on Ebay though. The fees are outrages and because I sell so little on there, Ebay WILL NOT give me any money until the buyer receives the items and leaves me positive feedback, or 21 business days later (which is usually the case).

Forums, conventions and Kijiji are the way to go for Canadians. If you're in Singapore, try to locate any local ad sites, like Kijiji or Craigslist, etc.

 

Really? I've never heard of this before, is this a new thing or something that is specific to Canadian ebayers?

 

I think it's feedback related, I got my money right away and I'm in Canada, but I know a couple Americans that have the same issue as well

 

I've been on e-bay since 1999 I am not sure what kind of buyers you people sell to, you do know you can set exclusions.

I am still not sure what these outrageous fees you people talk about.

 

Well I was about to purchase an accessory for G1 Vortex only to have the GSP quoting shipping to be USD 23

 

Consider yourself lucky. These days there a lot of them out there and ebay takes the buyers side 99% of the time in a dispute. Check ebays policy, they buyer has 100% satisfaction guaranteed or the seller must refund the item plus pay return shipping.

 

I use GSP through Ebay. Yes, its more convenient for seller and opens up the global market without dealing with all the complexity of understanding what's required for different countries from an import/export perspective and simplifies shipping, as we basically ship to Kentucky and Ebay handles it from there.

In terms of cost, I think the most important thing is making sure sellers have accurate weights in their listing for shipping purposes. If you're getting crazy shipping quotes, its probably because the seller has that Bruticus head, for example, listed at 1lb or something when really it can be less than 8 oz packed and ready to go.

As a seller, we do not see any of the additional cost info Ebay is charging (customs, international shipping, etc), which its why its important to have weight correct as that drives a lot of the cost shown to the international buyer.

 

Well, be happy it was just buyers...

Imagine my irritation being contacted by a seller after winning an auction for an $200 item (on the Swedish version of ebay) and being asked if I want to save money by having him stuff it into a plain envelope and mail it to me....

I thought he was trying to scam me...

After that I searched forums and I was gobsmacked when I first ran into the first "how to save on shipping" thread where there was a chorus of sellers going on and on about how to send stuff as cheaply as possible and various imaginative workaround for not being able to prove they sent anything...

I've sometimes had to cajole, beg, bribe & threaten to have the pleasure of paying extra $5-10 (yes it can be that little!!) for tracking and insurance on +$100 items

 

yeah It's something to do with your feedback, or how often you sell things on there, not sure exactly. Its pretty annoying though.

 

That's precisely why I stopped sending things anywhere outside of the US when I sell on Ebay. Most of the time when I would give international buyers an exact quote directly from the post office they would tell me, "No, it shouldn't cost that much." Between that, the extra forms that need to be filled out and the occasional language barrier, I just stopped. I don't sell enough on Ebay to make it worth the hassle for me.

When the GSP thing started I figured I'd give it a try since Ebay takes care of all of the complicated stuff. Even then I would get messages from buyers asking, "Why does it cost so much for shipping??" to which I'd have to explain to them how they need to take that up with Ebay since I have no idea what Ebay charges because they don't share that information with me. Once again, too much hassle so I don't do the GSP anymore either.

 

Correct, once you've received so many positive feedbacks you don't need to do deal with that any more of the funds being held...

 

I use GSP all the time. It sounds unfair to overseas buyers but it makes things easier and cheaper for US sellers. I'll ship first class for people I've dealt with before ot the value is something I would be safe eating. I think most buyers have no idea of shipping cost, I accepted the fact their shipping fee is their shipping fee, you don't like it don't bid. I use to charge a flat rate say $6 but you will get people who saw the cost was for $6 and will calculate you only really spent $3 so your cost is too high you should refund me.

 

Pretty much this. I had a buyer from China say he never got the item and immediately got a refund from PayPal. After being ripped off for over $100, I will only ship using the GSP when selling through Ebay.