I certainly do ship internationally, but do not touch Global Shipping Program (or GSP for short) with a ten-foot pole since I briefly used it around 2014, was deeply dissatisfied with the added expense and time the buyers had to put up with, not to mention from being blocked direct access from my own international sales! I quickly opted out of the GSP, and have done it all myself ever since. Apart from recent, resolved severe problems with "cougar_rinard" that temporarily severely impaired my seller account till said problems were successfully appealed and overturned (and resulting a hefty partial eBay smackdown of Cougie who apparently has not only lost his GSP "privileges" but also is in the process of losing his UK/Ireland-specific Top Rated Seller status) , I have had very few problems with handling all the international shipping myself. But you have to use common sense and protect yourself, without being paranoid and xenophobic.
Unless I absolutely trust the buyer, I never EVER use First Class International anymore. Nerve-wracking extreme slowness, no insurance, very little safety. Always, always use Priority Mail International, even if it means paying part of that shipping yourself if it makes sense. I also add a surcharge for those with Feedback below 100, that is refunded to those international customers with Feedbacks of 101+. You need to protect yourself from the international scammers, but also embrace and welcome good collectors from overseas (you can meet a lot of them here on the Acaeum!)
Though new eBay sellers seem to be stuck with GSP until they are able to opt out of it, its benefits (liability protection) are greatly outweighed by the added time and expense---you ship the item to a center in the US, then they repackage it and finally send it to the international buyer. The program has been revised so it is not an outright scam like it was when I briefly used GSP in 2014. But unless I am mistaken, there is no really good reason to use GSP. It capitalizes on fears that all international buyers are bad buyers, and undermines your own control over your own sales, not to mention gaining the needed experience of filling out your own customs forms. Use your wits and your experience, and you can minimize problems from two-bit scammers and arch-scammers like "cougar_rinard". You will also have delighted GOOD international customers who are happy to be receiving their items 1-2 weeks earlier than they would, had you the seller used GSP, and more likely than not they are paying less for you to ship it direct, than it would if you were using GSP.
You can exclude certain countries (Russian Federation immediately comes to mind) or (as I do) select to ship worldwide without restrictions (other than State Department restrictions, of course), if you are shipping from the USA to points abroad. again, use Priority Mail and insure whenever possible because there are good countries where the mail service is extremely bad. For example, Italy has a lot of great buyers, but has a deservedly horrible reputation for its mail services to the point where I refuse First Class International shipping even to great Italian customers simply because of the problems associated with the Italian postal service!
Sorry about the long-winded rant, but it comes straight from personal experience. I hope some of it is helpful.
---Pauly
This space can be YOURS if the price is right!!! (Okay, still working on this . . . :p)
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