eBay UK Global Shipping Program Cost To US Skyrocket

Liz Morton
Liz Morton


Comments

eBay UK sellers report costs for shipping to the US through the Global Shipping Program have skyrocketed, leading to questions about whether it's a glitch or the result of trade war sabre-rattling.

The Global Shipping Program in the UK is still run through a partnership with Pitney Bowes, allowing sellers to ship items to a GSP hub to be forwarded on to international customers - and while costs through the program have always been slightly higher than offering direct international delivery, those prices have ballooned to unrealistic proportions in the last couple of days.

GSP $90 postage cost
Hi, i just had a buyer message me about being quoted $90 usd for sending an item through GSP that should only cost a few dollars as item is under 100g. Something wrong with ebay today ?

Hi, i just had a buyer message me about being quoted $90 usd for sending an item through GSP that should only cost a few dollars as item is under 100g. Something wrong with ebay today ?

Massive jump in price for GSP orders to the USA (from UK)
Is anyone aware why global shipping scheme orders have suddenly jumped drastically in price for orders to the USA (from the UK?) A seller just informed me he’s being quoted $117 for a t shirt and another buyer cancelled an order and I can see they were refunded £129 for a £26 pounds order! Is this i…

Is anyone aware why global shipping scheme orders have suddenly jumped drastically in price for orders to the USA (from the UK?).

A seller just informed me he’s being quoted $117 for a t shirt and another buyer cancelled an order and I can see they were refunded £129 for a £26 pounds order! Is this is a glitch or is something else going on?

Re: Global Shipping Program jumped in price to same buyer
Yes, a member contacted me about an item of mine that what previously was shown to cost him around $35 in shipping is now quoted at around $135. I did check it and he was right. Then I checked other sellers with similar items and it’s charging $108 for a single comic book at a value of around £2-3..…

Yes, a member contacted me about an item of mine that what previously was shown to cost him around $35 in shipping is now quoted at around $135. I did check it and he was right. Then I checked other sellers with similar items and it's charging $108 for a single comic book at a value of around £2-3.. Ridiculous..

Another seller confirmed they were definitely only seeing the outragous prices for shipments to the US - other countries remained in the normal range.

Problems with high Global Shipping costs to USA - widespread problem - reported to ebay
To all - to make you aware there is currently an issue with extortionate GSP costs (which includes taxes) from the UK to the USA - I have reported it this morning and they have confirmed the issue is widespread and they are currently investigating. To give you an example - I have a Christmas card li…

To all - to make you aware there is currently an issue with extortionate GSP costs (which includes taxes) from the UK to the USA - I have reported it this morning and they have confirmed the issue is widespread and they are currently investigating. To give you an example - I have a Christmas card listed with a buy it now of £7 and offer GSP - the prices are shown are as below:

  • USA £92.90 (including taxes)

  • Singapore £13.70 + £4.02 taxes

  • South Africa - £15.52 + £8.32 taxes

  • New Zealand - £15.87 + £5.59

  • South Korea - £19.59 including taxes

  • Phillipines - £40.97 including taxes

This problem applies to all my listings and has nothing to do with the start price, current auction price, auction or buy it now.

On the buying side, I tested searching for items shipping to the US using Global Shipping and found that a realistic shipping price is shown in the search results but then it changes to a much higher price when click through to view the listing.

Some sellers speculated the price increase may be due to tariffs and changes to de minimis eligibility enacted by President Trump this week but there have not been any specific tariffs that would impact the UK.

And while tariffs and de minimis changes may impact any item made in China, regardless of ship from location, it likely wouldn't add that much in additional costs.

That leaves a technical glitch as a more likely scenario, especially considering everything else that has (or hasn't) happened on eBay UK this week, including a forced update leaving some unable to use the eBay mobile app for Android or iOS, delaying introducing pre-owned clothing category changes, and a botched failure to launch Buyer Fees for items from private sellers.

eBay’s February 4th Failure To Launch: No Buyer Fees, Missing Pre-Owned Conditions & App Outrage
eBay’s February 4th 2025 plans foiled by failure to launch Buyer Fees in UK, missing pre-owned clothing conditions & forced app update outrage.

eBay has so far not responded to any of the many posts in the UK community about the issue, or to requests for comment.

Stay tuned for updates and let us know in the comments below if you're seeing a sudden massive increase in Global Shipping Program costs from the UK to the US.

eBayShipping

Liz Morton Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Liz Morton is a seasoned ecommerce pro with 17 years of online marketplace sales experience, providing commentary, analysis & news about eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Shopify & more at Value Added Resource!


Recent Comments