What Is eBay’s Global Shipping Program?

Your international opportunity through eBay’s Global Shipping Program is massive. Last quarter, eBay reported 183 million worldwide active buyers. These completed over $21.7 billion dollars worth of gross merchandise volume (GMV), generating $2.6 billion in revenue for eBay for Q3 of 2019. Of that, 59%—or $1.534 billion—of eBay’s total $2.6 billion of Q3 revenue was international.

This means the opportunity on eBay is larger outside of the U.S. than it is inside. How can a U.S. seller take advantage of this growing international opportunity? eBay's Global Shipping Program (GSP).

Pros and cons of eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP)

eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP) offers sellers the opportunity to expand geographically to penetrate key global markets like the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Japan, and Australia (and many, many more). Listing items on their international sites is a great way to attract more buyers and increase your sales. Here are some of the pros and cons of using eBay’s GSP.

Pros

- If you are using eBay's Global Shipping Program, all the logistical challenges of international shipping, such as customs clearance, will be taken care of for you. You'll pay any import charges up front, so you won't pay anything extra when your item is delivered. You'll also benefit from international tracking.

- If an item is lost or broken during international shipping, eBay Money Back Guarantee cases will be resolved in your favor, and your seller performance standards won’t be affected.

- When you provide free domestic shipping to the shipping center, you’ll automatically receive 5 stars for shipping costs in your detailed seller rating.

- Any negative or neutral feedback that can be attributed to the Global Shipping Program from item handling during international transit will be removed.

- You can choose which countries you'd like to use the Global Shipping Program for. - There are 104 eligible countries.

Cons

• GSP is restricted by category as well as package size and weight.
• There is a list of Prohibited and Restricted Items that sellers must abide by.
• There’s no delivery to APO or FPO addresses. PO boxes are typically not allowed with some country level exceptions.

Each country is different with eBay GSP, so it’s important to take the time to learn and understand the different systems, laws and practices. The benefit of using a global ecommerce partner like Pattern is that we can help you navigate international markets and logistics. Contact us through the form below to learn more. Learn how to get started on eBay here.