Well, it was inevitable I suppose. eBay.co.uk are going to start putting sellers on the 'new' Global Shipping Programme for international shipping soon. So international sales will be coming to a complete end in the near future :-(

Read all about it here:

http://portal.ebay.co.uk/gsp

Note, sellers will be automatically opted into the scheme. You then have to opt out to stop it actually appearing on your listings

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kevin F,

We've had to opt out in the U.S. since it started, so your roll out should be similar to ours. I used it once or twice (on accident, both times) and while it was very easy on me the seller, I found out it cost the buyers in both cases much more than it would have cost if I'd sent them, even counting what I'd have had to spend to get the tracking number ($14 in addition to postage).

Pretty much all of this is over lost package disputes essentially, and a way to end them. It's a good idea in theory. The problem is that international postage costs have risen so sharply of late, that it is basically impossible to guarantee delivery overseas without massive expense incurred for someone (whoever pays it) at the post office.

Big ticket items will still sell from country to country, but coffin is pretty well nailed shut on lower priced things, which so many of our beloved cards are, especially when just building sets and the like.

It's just hard to justify spending double (or more!) of an item's worth to get it delivered in such a way that satisfies the in the modern "online tracking required" age.

Way of the world, to file under.

I have been through this scenario so many times on this website but the answer is just the same - so long as the seller is guaranteed a "no come-back" clause by the buyer, just send the cards according to his instruction.

I saw a single card I wanted the other day listed at $1.35, postage was stated at $20.40. I sent the seller an email that said "Can you please send the card to me in a stiff plastic sleeve and pop it into a plain white envelope. I will give you my word that if the card should fail to make it to me or gets damaged on the way I will not take any kind of action against you." He did and mail costs were $2.30.

I do this all the time and have never had a problem. Just because poxy Ebay is introducing these hare-brained schemes does not mean that we have to buy into them.

I have stopped buying altogether from sellers in the US who use the GSP. Sadly this means several sellers I have bought a lot from over years no longer see my money.

I cannot believe it is an opt out system, surely that sort of thing should be outlawed.

Having said that anything Ebay is frustrating, I took up the offer of a free shop on Ebay to sell some spare cards a few months back, never got told it had come to an end until I got extra charges on my seller account recently. Safe to say I went back to being a private seller.

Sorry, I'm confused. Is this an "opt out" system or not. If it is not an opt out option does this mean that international sellers must use this outrageous system??

Opt out means that when you write your eBay advertisement, you need to remember to untick the box that provides the GSP. You are not forced to use it, but it is easy to forget to do the extra steps necessary to avoid it. But it looks like you can just opt out at the account level so only need to do it once.

I had better get cracking on actually selling some cards - I had been procrastinating but it would be good to get going before the GSP starts.