eBay Global Shipping

[ge_rik]

Hi Folks
A few weeks ago, I had a message from eBay asking if I wanted to participate in their "Global Shipping Programme". I think it must have been an invitation to opt out rather than opt in because I don't remember doing anything about it. I then promptly forgot all about it.

Yesterday, I sold some old Esso maps on eBay which I'd listed ages ago (and almost forgot about). I'd gone for eBay's "Simple Delivery" (I do like to keep things simple) and so clicked on the postage label link and printed it out. I did think the address of an industrial unit in Lichfield looked a bit strange but I've sent books to booksellers before who have presumably then made a fortune on reselling them. The postage cost was £2.94 (GBP).

I always print out two copies of the packing slip (one for the customer and one for my records) and was surprised to see the postage cost listed as £18.33 (GBP). It was then I noticed the registered address of the customer was in Canada. I had a slight panic that I might suddenly be charged for the additional postage (more than three times what I was making on the sale) so contacted eBay's customer services. After ten minutes trying to explain my problem to a very unintelligent AI bot, I was finally put through to a far more intelligent and knowledgeable human who patiently explained how global shipping works.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/global-ship ... me?id=4646

So, if something similar happens to you and, like me, you only read instruction manuals when something goes wrong, you'll hopefully now know what's going on. And don't be surprised if what you're selling ends up anywhere in the world for the cost of local postage.

Rik

[GAP]

Not available outbound from Australia unfortunately. Down here you are on your own,

Saw this yesterday and thought it interesting https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... settlement. Talk about customer service,

[ge_rik]

Not available outbound from Australia unfortunately. Down here you are on your own,

Saw this yesterday and thought it interesting https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... settlement. Talk about customer service,

A weird story. It does make one wonder whether some people with large amounts of money don't always have the most common sense.

eBay isn't all bad, though, as this 2014 article suggests.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... eople-shop

For example.....

Mark Radcliffe became Britain's first eBay millionaire five years ago, selling up to 6,000 low-cost products from protein supplements to iPod holders from his parents' garden shed in Stockport. Now the former £7-an-hour trainee manager at Tesco has bought a £700,000 home, a £150,000 Ferrari and a £118,000 Aston Martin with his earnings from the eBay shop First2Save.

Rik