What the heck is up with GSP now! France Spain Germany etc somehow not able to use it - EBAY SORT IT

[thetreasurepirate101]

As if 2020 isn't bad enough right now I'm being bombarded with questions about shipping in Europe - puzzling as I am with GSP and have used it for years on all my listings. Needs sorting asap or I shall take it off my 1800 active listings....

[rusticrye]

It seems you've been asleep for the last few days, and so missed the news that Europe is not currently accepting goods from the UK due to the 'new' and apparently more transmissable Covid strain. A mutation peculiar only to parts of the UK and which hasn't yet reached Europe (highly unlikely, on both counts, but that's another story), and one which Europe quite naturally does not want.

Click on Ebay's Announcements link, and do a web search to see photos of Kent, which is now a giant lorry park, plus full information on the situation.  You can also read all about it on any carrier's website.

@thetreasurepirate101 

[tsmgmd]

I know eBay get blamed for a lot of things but I'm sure we can't blame them for the current state of the world due to Covid.

The advice has been given by responders to use Royal Mail and that decision is up to you.

Personally given the current problems I would not consider sending out purchased to anywhere except the UK mainland..

[m25jet]

To be honest if you want to sell to international buyers as well as nationally based buyers you'd probably be better off opting out of the Global Shipping Programme and including your own overseas postage option on your listings so that you can receive payment if an overseas buyer decides to purchase something from you.  That way you could still sell to buyers from international destinations, and your overseas buyers would also not have to pay the extortionate charges imposed by the Global Shipping Programme.

[arkwebus]

There really is no point now in using GSP to EU.   There is - apparently - no VAT or duty to be paid so all you need to do is to pack it up and take it to Post Office and pay for tracked postage. 

If you use GSP you send it to the hub where they repack it [!] and charge a sum called "Import Charges" [it is not duty] which is costly compared to postage

@thetreasurepirate101 

[plpmr]

indeed £17 to post a neck tie via Global to Eire - £17!!

[rusticrye]

Just to add that in case anyone's still unaware, mail services to Europe, excluding the ROI, were suspended on the 23rd December. So the likelihood of any Post Office accepting such mail on Tuesday is pretty much nil - unless the postage labels were bought before the 23rd December, or unless the suspension ends before Tuesday.

If you haven't already done so, do bookmark Royal Mail's International Incidents board so that you can keep on top of what's happening - it's updated very quickly when changes occur. 🙂

@thetreasurepirate101 

@plpmr @m25jet @arkwebus 

[thetreasurepirate101]

Just to note I use hermes not RM. Nowt against them except I know they have had such difficulties this christmas, and I don't care for the post office here its full of jobsworths. Hermes to date have been super reliable...

[rusticrye]

Europe has blocked all imports from the UK, so it doesn't matter who you use. No doubt Hermes has similar information on their website, but I tend to use Royal Mail's information page as i find it more useful and quicker to update.

@thetreasurepirate101

[tsmgmd]

This is the update from RM on 23rd December.

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5317/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xN...