As a buyer, is there any way to opt out of GSP (or whatever ebay calls it now)?

[devicemodder16]

I'm located in canada, and i buy from the US quite often. I've found that when my orders come in via GSP (or whatever it is, just gonna call it GSP for simplicity), the shipping takes twice as long than it would if it were shipped direct via USPS > Canada Post.

Also, I've had them lose a few of my items in the past

Is there a way that I can blanket opt-out of having my orders shipped through GSP, seeing as they make the delivery take longer, and lose my stuff sometimes?

Or is it more of a message the seller and ask them not to use GSP to ship out.

[marnotom!]

The international forwarding service for the .com site is now unimaginatively called “eBay International Shipping” (eIS). The GSP is still a thing on the UK site, however.

eIS and the GSP are the seller’s choice. Most sellers use these services because they come with quite a few perks and incentives that make direct international shipping quite unattractive in comparison.

At least for sellers. Buyers, not so much.

You’ll have to check in with the seller to see if they’re willing to cancel the listing and relist it with direct international shipping to Canada. They can’t just change the listing with a few keystrokes, unfortunately.

For what it’s worth, I doubt your lost items were actually lost at the eIS forwarding hub. eIS has a pretty strict set of rules for sellers to follow when it comes to preparing and packaging items, particularly if lithium-ion batteries are involved, and items will dead-end at the hub if they’re unable to be forwarded due to non-compliance. For some reason, sometimes these items don’t get a final scan that notes their fate.

[3islanders]

Guess I am very late to the party, as I haven't bought anything from the USA for quite some time.  Mostly quit because of exorbitant shipping costs with GSP.  I just bought a small item, it said "eBay International Shipping", and the cost was reasonable.  So I thought they were just not using the dreaded GSP and shipping directly with USPS.  Then I get a message about the item going to be shipped to a "hub", and I went "what??"... so here I am on the forum hunting for some info.  When did this program change, and is "International Shipping" just a new name for GSP?  It sounds like basically the same thing.

[john_koenig99]

Yeah. New name,  same 💩. 

Basically, you pay and then you have to wait forever to get something that would have taken maybe 2 weeks, at the most,  to arrive, had it been sent via USPS/CP. 

But instead, with this particular order from nearby state in the US, it took almost 5 weeks. Ridiculous. 

[brettjet38]

I have never purchased an item from any Seller using eIS.

[marnotom!]

eBay International Shipping (eIS) has been around for a few years and has replaced the GSP in the United States, @3islanders. The basic principle is the same (Seller ships to a forwarding hub, item gets forwarded, buyer pays for both the charges for shipping to and from the hub, seller’s responsibility for shipment ends at the hub) but there is one important distinction for buyers. The GSP charged and collected what it called “import charges” to cover taxes, duties, and customs processing, while eIS may or may not do this, which means that buyers may have to shell out for these charges separately before they can receive their item.

There are more benefits for sellers using eIS than there were for sellers using the GSP, but I won’t go into those as I’m tapping this response out on my phone 🤪

[reallynicestamps]

It is important to remember that eIS and GSP (still used in the UK) are Seller Protection programs designed to encourage reluctant xenophobic and paranoid sellers to ship internationally.

Did you know US sellers can not only block some states but even military personnel?

The advantages are that the seller does not have to ship outside theUSA and therefore does not have the onerous task of spending ten seconds putting the HS code (product description) and Country of Origin  on the shipping label.

When the seller does not do this eIS must, causing delays.

The buyer on the other hand forfeits most Money Back Guarantee protections, since once the eIS accepts the shipment,it is considered Delivered, even though it may take weeks to get to the buyer.

FWIW, I've been selling online since the 1970s, and it's been my experience that in all that time it has always taken about 21 days for any shipment to be delivered between Canada and the USA. (Europe used to be faster, but not anymore.)

Best advice?
Don't watch tracking.

Mark the last estimated date for delivery on your calendar.

If the parcel doesn't arrive by then, open a Claim.

The eIS/eBay will refund you, not the seller.

If the parcel arrives late, you keep it, it is not wanted back.

[mrdutch1001]

"Is there a way that I can blanket opt-out of having my orders shipped through GSP, seeing as they make the delivery take longer, and lose my stuff sometimes?"
>NO, your only option is to NOT purchase from those sellers who use the eIS system.

"Or is it more of a message the seller and ask them not to use GSP to ship out."

Yes, you can "ask"/"request" that, but the seller is under no obligation to grant  that request. The eIS program is for the benefit of the seller , not the buyer and it matters not to those sellers if you  purchase or not as most USA sellers could care less as they prefer  to have the benefits and security of shipping via the eIS program as it releases them of all responsibility after they ship to the eIS Hub.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@devicemodder16 wrote:

I'm located in canada, and i buy from the US quite often. I've found that when my orders come in via GSP (or whatever it is, just gonna call it GSP for simplicity), the shipping takes twice as long than it would if it were shipped direct via USPS > Canada Post.

Also, I've had them lose a few of my items in the past

Is there a way that I can blanket opt-out of having my orders shipped through GSP, seeing as they make the delivery take longer, and lose my stuff sometimes?

Or is it more of a message the seller and ask them not to use GSP to ship out.

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@devicemodder16 

@3islanders 

@john_koenig99 

When GSP in the past first became a thing followed by eIS I and others suggested/requested a way for buyers to deselect/opt out of those programs doing a search. One would think that would be the fair and equitable thing to do consider sellers were given the option to opt in. Back then eBay was super hyped about all these new fangled filters. Most likely because the program is so benefitial to sellers and as a side to eBay that suggestion NEVER went anywhere. Still the same, it's always nice to dream!!!

As a side, like many others tried both programs at their beginning. Bad experience each time so have chosen to never buy from sellers using these programs. As for the request for sellers to opt out on a by listing basis, that either falls on a hard no or the no response scenario. It might happen for others from time to time but more likely exception vs the rule. 

devon@ebay  Hey, it never hurts to ask!! 🙂

[3islanders]

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@marnotom! wrote:
eBay International Shipping (eIS) has been around for a few years and has replaced the GSP in the United States, @3islanders. The basic principle is the same (Seller ships to a forwarding hub, item gets forwarded, buyer pays for both the charges for shipping to and from the hub, seller’s responsibility for shipment ends at the hub) .....buyers may have to shell out for these charges separately

I’m tapping this response out on my phone 🤪

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Great.   Sounds like a way to make a purchase sound more appealing with cheaper shipping, and kind of hiding the fact that you may get socked with extra charges later.  "It's a trap!" 😆  My recent purchase did say something about no import duty, but I wonder if that's just at their end.

A few years??  Really, it's been that long?  Sometimes it's terrifying how fast time passes. 😕

So if you want to avoid this GSP-clone, what would you look for in a listing?  You used to be able to tell, with GSP clearly stated.  I feel like "international shipping" could be anything (I mean, of course it's international, I'm in Canada).  Would the listing just say "USPS"?  Or are they all using this now?

Dictation 😉
...although if you're like me, you'll have to go back and correct half of it anyway

[john_koenig99]

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@3islanders wrote:

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So if you want to avoid this GSP-clone, what would you look for in a listing?  You used to be able to tell, with GSP clearly stated.  I feel like "international shipping" could be anything (I mean, of course it's international, I'm in Canada).  Would the listing just say "USPS"?  Or are they all using this now?

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It's tricky. For some sellers, the EIS warning is right in the listing. I purchased from this seller before, so I know it actually ships through EIS:

However, I've also purchased from this other seller, and it went through EIS, BUT...nothing appears to indicate this, in their listings: 

So, there's no way to know, 100%. I guess you could cancel the order after it's showing the information in the payment disclosure, as it should say there if the item will be shipped through EIS, or not. 

[marnotom!]

@john_koenig99, I have a feeling that second item was sent using eBay International Standard Delivery, an abomination that was supposed to have been eliminated as a shipping option when eBay International Shipping became established, but for some reason it's hung in there and caused confusion because the abbreviations for the two services are so similar.

eISD differs from eIS for sellers in that it's actually an international postage option and sellers don't get the bells and whistles of "protections" through eISD that they do through eIS.  It's basically eBay trying to horn in on the international mail consolidation train.

The tracking for the item should make reference to a "consolidation centre" rather than a "hub" and could be located somewhere other than Carol Stream, IL.