eBay UK Global Shipping Program Cost To US Jumps Due To Tariff Changes
UPDATE 2-9-25
On Friday afternoon, President Trump temporarily reinstated the $800 de minimis exemption for items from China.
Following that decision, users are seeing rates from UK to US for eBay's global shipping program come back down, but they still appear to be in flux.
hiiragi_tsukasa
I've been tracking the shipping price on the same item (a $25 Nintendo Switch game) and it's gone from $20 5 days ago, to $123, then back down to $50, and now just tonight it got back down to $35.
However, this is a temporary reprieve as the exemption is still slated to be removed once systems are put in place to clear the backlog of packages coming into the country and to handle incoming packages going forward.
So one way or another, GSP rates will likely go back up again in the not too distant future.
UPDATE 2-7-25
eBay community staff have confirmed that the Global Shipping Program prices that were £100+ above normal price were due to a technical issue which has since been resolved, but the "new" correct prices are still higher than they used to be due to recent developments with tariffs.
sly_raise
UPDATE 2-6-25
eBay UK community staff have confirmed this was a technical issue, but they say it has been resolved.
sly_raise
However, users are saying while the rates have come down some, they still aren't where they were a few days ago before the increase, leaving questions still open about what's going on and whether the problem has been completely fixed.
hiiragi_tsukasa
The exact same thing is happening to me. Shipping was showing as $20 a couple of days ago (and still shows as $20 if I see the item in my search results), but then I went to buy it and I was going to be charged a ridiculous $123.
Then later last night it went down to $49, but I want it to be the $20. I did wonder if it had something to do with all the tariff talk, but I thought the UK was the one country he wasn't threatening.
I checked imports from other countries and it didn't appear to have the same issue, but I know the UK to US uses the Global Shipping Program which promises no additional fees (customs, etc.), so maybe you'd end up getting unknowingly charged once your item arrived to the US from other countries. Not sure, but I hope the prices go back down before the item I want is gone!
UPDATE 2-6-25
While eBay has still yet to comment on the issue, it appears this was likely a glitch as listings which had the higher prices are now showing much more reasonable shipping costs from the UK to the US with the Global Shipping Program.
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.
gibbsma
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 ?
sly_raise
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?
affinity_books
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.
raela1
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.
Liz Morton
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.
