The eBay Global Shipping Program (GSP) is an eBay-operated international fulfillment service where US sellers ship items to eBay’s domestic logistics center in Erlanger, Kentucky, and eBay handles all international shipping, customs documentation, import duties, and delivery to buyers in more than 100 countries. Sellers who enroll in the Global Shipping Program pay no additional fee for international shipping management beyond the standard Final Value Fee and Managed Payments fee on the international sale. Buyers pay the international shipping rate and any applicable import duties at checkout, calculated and collected by eBay at the point of purchase.
The Global Shipping Program is defined as eBay’s logistics service that converts domestic US sellers into de facto international sellers by managing the cross-border shipping complexity on their behalf. Once the seller ships the item to the Kentucky facility, eBay’s logistics partner handles customs documentation, duty classification, international carrier routing, and last-mile delivery to the buyer’s country.
What Is the eBay Global Shipping Program and How Does It Work for Sellers?
The Global Shipping Program works in 4 stages: the seller ships the item to eBay’s Erlanger, Kentucky facility using a standard domestic carrier label provided by eBay, eBay receives and processes the item, eBay’s international logistics partner ships the item to the buyer’s country through the appropriate international carrier, and the buyer receives the item with all duties pre-paid. The seller’s responsibility ends when the item arrives at the Kentucky facility.
Enrollment in the Global Shipping Program is available to all US-based eBay sellers. Sellers opt in through the Shipping section of their listing preferences. Once enrolled, applicable listings automatically display international shipping options to buyers in participating countries.
The seller’s domestic shipping label takes the package from the seller’s location to the Erlanger, Kentucky facility. eBay provides this domestic label, which the seller prints and uses to send the item to the facility. The seller pays only the domestic shipping cost to the Kentucky facility, not the international carrier cost.
The seller retains zero responsibility for the international leg of the shipment. If the package is delayed, damaged, or lost during international transit after leaving the Kentucky facility, eBay manages the claim and resolution with the buyer. The seller’s transaction defect metrics are not affected by international transit issues that occur after the package reaches the Kentucky facility.
What Are the eBay Global Shipping Program Fees for Sellers?
The Global Shipping Program does not add fees charged to the seller. The seller pays the standard Final Value Fee on the international sale at the same rate as a domestic sale, plus the Managed Payments processing fee. International buyers pay a global shipping fee that eBay collects, which covers the international carrier cost, import duties, and taxes. The seller does not pay any portion of the international shipping cost or duties.
The Final Value Fee on an international Global Shipping Program sale is calculated on the item price only, not on the global shipping fee eBay charges the buyer. An international buyer who pays $100 for the item plus $35 in global shipping fees generates a Final Value Fee for the seller based on $100, not on $135. The $35 global shipping fee is eBay’s revenue, not the seller’s.
The Managed Payments processing fee for international Global Shipping Program sales is 2.7% of the sale amount (item price plus any buyer-paid shipping to the seller, not including eBay’s global shipping fee) plus $0.30. International currency conversion fees do not apply to Global Shipping Program sellers because eBay handles the international payment and pays the seller in USD.
International sales through the Global Shipping Program generate the same seller protections as domestic sales. The seller is protected from not-received claims for the international transit portion because the seller’s delivery obligation ends at the Kentucky facility, and eBay’s tracking confirms delivery to the facility.
Which Countries Does the eBay Global Shipping Program Cover?
The eBay Global Shipping Program covers more than 100 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and most of Western Europe. The program excludes countries with trade restrictions, countries without reliable international carrier infrastructure, and countries that impose prohibitive import restrictions on certain product categories. Buyers in excluded countries see no international shipping option on GSP-enrolled listings.
The United Kingdom is the largest international buyer market for US eBay sellers using the Global Shipping Program. Post-Brexit, buyers in the UK pay import VAT and any applicable customs duties. eBay calculates, collects, and remits this VAT on behalf of sellers through the Global Shipping Program, eliminating VAT compliance requirements from the US seller.
Germany is the second-largest international buyer market for US eBay GSP sellers. German buyers pay German VAT (currently 19%) on imported goods. eBay collects and remits this VAT through the GSP.
Australia charges a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on all imports regardless of value. eBay collects and remits Australian GST through the Global Shipping Program, eliminating GST registration and filing requirements from the US seller.
Countries with trade sanctions or embargoes (North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba) are excluded from the Global Shipping Program and from all eBay international selling. eBay automatically blocks sales to sanctioned countries in compliance with US export control regulations.
What Is eBay International Standard Delivery and How Does It Differ from GSP?
eBay International Standard Delivery is an alternative to the Global Shipping Program where eBay facilitates international shipping through a different logistics network without routing through the Kentucky GSP facility. eBay International Standard Delivery is available in select countries and offers lower international shipping rates to buyers than the GSP in some markets. Sellers still ship to a domestic eBay facility but through a different routing process than the Erlanger GSP center.
eBay International Standard Delivery was introduced as a streamlined alternative to the GSP for select markets where the GSP’s transit times were longer than desired. International Standard Delivery uses optimized carrier routing to reduce delivery times while maintaining seller protections against international transit issues.
Sellers who list items with eBay International Standard Delivery show buyers estimated delivery times specific to each country. The estimated delivery time for International Standard Delivery is typically 7 to 21 days depending on the destination country, compared to GSP delivery times of 10 to 25 days for distant markets.
Both the Global Shipping Program and International Standard Delivery protect sellers from customs-related returns and import duty disputes. Buyers who pay import duties through eBay’s checkout process at the time of purchase cannot dispute duties after delivery as they acknowledged and paid them during checkout.