eBay

kerstingunnel · ‎06-22-2013

Since 2009 I have been and am a VERY happy eBay buyer. The recent surge of US based eBay sellers partnering with GSP, however, has me scratch my head. From what I can tell, it postures to solve a completely non-existing problem while creating a very tangible and substantial one.

In the years I have been buying on eBay, a shipment to me from the US has NEVER ONCE been halted at the Canadian Border Agency to accrue charges of broker's fees, sales taxes and import charges. I have NOT PAID A CENT EVER in such charges for shipments originating from US based eBay sellers. Shipments can be halted, but in my own experience, they rarely, if ever, are.

For each and every purchase from a seller who is partnering with GSP, however, such charges are paid (probably in addition to monies paid to eBay and GSP for their hand in the arrangement) and paid substantially. In a typical eBay transaction an item won at $26 cost $11.50 to ship and $9.51 (!!!) in GSP import charges.

Postal rates have gone up steeply for international shipping recently, adding to the sudden increase in the cost of shipping to Canada..

EBay may not be able to influence US postal costs, but the GSP partnership with eBay vendors is definitely an area of eBay's direct control and prerogative.

I will not buy from an eBay business who partners with GSP.

This year we Canadians number 35 million people and I'm sure that there are many of them who LOVE eBay as much as I do. Since this is a substantial market, I think it would be exceedingly foolish and myopic of eBay to jeopardize it altogether by taking GSP on board. Several eBay sellers I have contacted say that if the partnership becomes mandatory, they will cease to offer their listings to Canadians. Some have tried to work with GSP and find immediately that it doesn't serve them or their Canadian customers well - they have subsequently backed out of the partnership. Many have figured out beforehand and on their own that it wouldn't be in their interest or that of their Canadian customers and they have not opted for bringing GSP on board. All sellers say that they are encouraged by eBay to partner with GSP.

Every seller I have discussed this issue with was under the impression that this a valuable service devised to streamline the buying process and solve existing problems for their Canadian customers. This is, then, patently untrue. If this is how eBay, against their better knowing, "sells" the GSP program to their vendors, eBay actively misleads them. If eBay is unaware of the real state of affairs in regards to import charges, it ought to look into the factual situation more diligently before making such a serious move. It appears to be a predatory and parasitic practise.

It seems, thus, that the arrangement benefits GSP, eBay and the coffers of Canada. It doesn't benefit eBay vendors or their Canadian customers. In the end, since we all coexist and are interdependent, if it chokes or severely affects the Canadian market, only GSP and the government of Canada come out the winners, not eBay, not eBay sellers, not Canadian eBay buyers.

Other US based on-line businesses are partnered with similar programs for shipping to Canadian customers, which is one of the reasons I always prefer to buy on eBay.

Why fix what works perfectly well without fixing?

chimera148 · ‎08-22-2013

The Update in the attachment was made July 25 am.

i*m-still-here · ‎08-22-2013

I bought an item via the GSP and I'm almost positive it was repacked. I buy on a regular basis and everything about packaging was really wonky...........

Over the years I've received a few parcels opened at customs and it was always apparent when that happened.

This package was just like that: Very sloppy re-taping etc.

I have no idea why it would have been opened.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-22-2013

It was the 27th parcel to go by the clerk on a Wednesday afternoon before the coffee break and there was a bird inside the building. Also the clerk was bored.

In other words, customs will open packages randomly as well as for reasons.

The bad repacking is a worry though.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-22-2013

Items - new or used - purchased from a thrift store managed by the Salvation Army are generally sold on a tax exempt basis (considered a donation to a charitable or religious organization). The fact most items sold in the thrift store are used has nothing to do with taxes.

On the other hand, new or used items purchased from Value Village (for example) will not be exempted.

Gosh, I had never noticed that, and I am a regular at the SVP near my office. Another reason for avoiding VV and GoodWill besides their high priced books.

lpwasy · ‎08-31-2013

Re: Canadian buyers and GSP [ New ]

in reply to lpwasy

‎08-20-2013 03:58 PM

marnotom,

My reference to bulk shipping: If I were a us seller selling pocket watches and sold 10 in a week I could ship all 10 at once in a box to Kentucky at a cheaper postal rate than I charged for the 10 individual sales.

AS AN ILLUSTRATION: 10 watches X $10 each for shipping = $100 Shipped all at once to KY for $40 t0 $70. And regardless of whether my figures are correct it would still be cheaper and ill gotten gains at the expense of Canadian buyers.

I'm not marnotom but I would like to comment on your post. If 1 buyer purchased 10 watches and they were sent to Kentucky in one package, I am sure that they would receive a combined shipping price from the seller. If 10 different buyers each bought a watch, the seller would have to send each watch in a separate package and therefore pay separate postage for each package.. PB does not open up packages so that they can be repackaged and/or shipped separately.

Actually, even if it was a single buyer...unless they purchased those watches all in one transaction, they can't be sent separately through the GSP. That is defintely a problem for some Canadians.

The GSP does not benefit American sellers by providing them more money from Canadian sellers. It does provide them with what they feel is a "safer" way to sell internationally. Whether it really is more safe has yet to be proven.

pjcdn2005, how is it that you know "PB does not open up packages so that they can be repackaged and/or shipped separately"?

Is it somewhere in the bowels of how the GSP works and I have missed it?

Here is a new situation, seller opts out of GSP and is presently unable to accept bids from outside US.

The quote from the seller is below. Now this is probably a temporary glitch but it certainly makes one wonder. The program can

handle several bids from all over the world and process them in the last 5 seconds of bidding yet as I stated before it can take up to

72 hours to opt out of the GSP and now this.

As I have mentioned to Bob in Email, I opted out of Global Shipping and so Ebay will not take bids outside US

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-01-2013

pjcdn2005, how is it that you know "PB does not open up packages so that they can be repackaged and/or shipped separately"?

Is it somewhere in the bowels of how the GSP works and I have missed it?

Honestly, I'm no longer certain that they do not open packages, I've heard that they do but I don't know for sure either way.

If they do open them to repackage them so that they are smaller, sellers & buyers should be made aware of that as it certainly isn't spelled out anywhere. It seems intrusive to me.

As far as them opening up a package so that the parcels inside can be shipped separately such as in the watch scenario...I don't think that the system is set up that way.

The program can handle several bids from all over the world and process them in the last 5 seconds of bidding yet as I stated before it can take up to 72 hours to opt out of the GSP and now this.

That is very odd that it would take up to 72 hours. I wonder if a faster way would be for the seller to end the listing and then relist it with international options.

lpwasy · ‎09-02-2013

pjcdn2005,

Thanks for the response.

As to ending then relisting with international options I would think most sellers couldnt be bothered for one more bid.

I do think this program is designed to be such a hassle to avoid in hopes that eventually it will be accepted.

As to someone chirping about having to pay Canada Post $10.00 to collect taxes, fine, I would rather pay C Post than a foreign corporation.

PB is also located in Canada someone said, big deal. It is about blood, belonging and nationalism.

*** WITH THE GSP I DO NOT AGREE ***

marnotom! · ‎09-02-2013

Funny how the nationalist card gets played when it's pointed out that an item sent by mail may also be subject to charges beyond the actual taxes due.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-02-2013

The GSP fee seems to be around $3.40 most of the time. I don't think (but don't know for sure) that the fee is ever a percentage of the sale. So if you would rather pay $10 to Revenue Canada then $3.40 to PB, that's your choice. Don't get me wrong, I'm not running out to hurry and buy items through the GSP but I do realize that there are times when it would be to my benefit to use it.

kstjm5 · ‎10-09-2014

I am a Canadian who's been buying from the U.S. since 1991 and that includes ebay for about 5 years now. I have not paid customs 99% of the time in 23 years, so why should I pay it now. I did buy a few rare glass ornaments using the GSP four times. The first two times I noticed that they were not packed well. I knew that seller is excellent at packing its glass ornaments and found that weird. The third and fourth time there were breakage because Pitney Bowes opens the packages and does not pack them properly. The fourth one had NO Styrofoam peanuts, it was missing one extremely rare ornament, two of them were broken and only one ornament made it in one piece. I was fuming and it was the last drop for me. I opened a case with paypal and called them 15 minutes after and YELLED at them. In about one hour I was reimbursed the full amount of the ornaments and all the shipping cost. Before I was reimbursed the seller offered me a $20 discount from a $160 order. I was fuming even more because they said to me it was Pïtney Bowes fault, but I answered back by saying that "you" retained their service. I will not buy anything if they ship using this rip off of a program.

kstjm5 · ‎10-09-2014

They opened all four boxes that were shipped to me. I ended up with breakage with the 3rd and 4th orders.

kstjm5 · ‎10-09-2014

You seem to really enjoy your kook-aid offered by Ebay. That program is a scam and Pitney Bowes opens every goddamn packages and they don't even bother to pack them properly. 99% of the time I don't pay customs. So why the hell would I pay for that **bleep** of a program that only benefits ebay and Pitney Bowes. Also, there is NO indication on the packages of any money paid to our governments. It is a rip off.