GSP confusion

[pjcdn2005]

I can totally relate as to why some buyers find the gsp 'experience' confusing and annoying.

On Sept 30 I purchased 3 items from a gsp seller in Texas.  The items were lightweight so shipping would have been less expensive if shipped directly but I had a coupon which would help cover the extra cost.

This weekend I checked to see how the tracking looked.   Only 3 items were purchased - my order details shows 4 packages.

package 1of 4 -  shows all 3 items were delivered on Oct 3 - in Cincinnati 

package 2of 4 shows that 1 of the items arrived in Erlanger on Oct 5' then went to Mississauga, Calgary, the city I live in and then Edmonton.  Hopefully it is on its way back here.  

package 3 of 4 and 4 of 4 show the identical information as package 1.....that all 3 items were delivered in Cincinnati on Oct 3.

 packages 1, 3 and 4 all have the identical USPS tracking number. (Are there really 3 packages???)

When I enter that number on the USPS site it does show the package went to  Cincinnati AND then went to Erlanger.   So finally some evidence that all 3 items did reach Kentucky.

I imagine that I will receive all 3 items today or tomorrow but honestly it took me a while to come to that conclusion because the info is a mess and not all in one place.  Regardless of the reason why it is set up like that it shouldn't be that difficut for a buyer to figure it out.  It should be apparent in one glance where their package currently is.

[thestuffofchris]

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Regardless of the reason why it is set up like that it shouldn't be that difficut for a buyer to figure it out.  It should be apparent in one glance where their package currently is. 

---

I agree. I have only purchased 2 items through GSP (both hard-to-find items that were actually cheaper to buy through GSP) and the shipping information was confusing at times.

My most recent package went through 3 different cities in one state before reaching Erlanger. At one point when it was in Cincinnati, it was marked as having arrived at a USPS facility, then a few hours later at a post office, then an hour later having departed the USPS facility.

In both cases my items arrived and I was happy with them, but the tracking definitely can be confusing at times if you want to know where your item is. (Yes, I know tracking is more for the seller than the buyer, but I have always liked tracking my packages just to see what sorts of fun routes they may take to get to me.)

Edit: I didn't realize until now that you are a fellow Albertan. (I live in Edmonton )

[momcqueen]

I agree that it isn't as 'buyer-friendly' as it could be. Or should be, since they're trying to sell the buyer on a value-added service for the additional cost. 

I've ordered from sellers using the program twice now, once each from ebay.com and ebay.co.uk. My ebay.co.uk arrived wrecked because it had been improperly repacked at the UK hub and all squished together to save space and then broken as a result while my ebay.com order was half missing. I ordered two of the same item from the seller (I know they cannot combine shipping but this wasn't like that exactly) and had to go through a whole BIG stinking deal with paypal that involved filing a police report to demonstrate I had only, in fact, received one item in my box when I had paid for two. It was an awful experience. Awful awful awful.

Both times I used GSP because I could not find the item anywhere else. 

Now, if I see something in the USA that I would like to buy and the seller ships with GSP, I simply send it to my American address and declare it at the border after picking it up myself. I save nothing much much like this in terms of time or money since I have to drive 250 miles (and then back) to get it, plus I pay taxes on import at the border as it is all legally declared as brought-over during a day trip only, but at least I actually receive what I paid for like that. So that saves me immeasurable stress and grief.

The Global Shipping Program could certainly be improved. I do not stand opposed to it on principle because I see that it serves a point but it's just not being implemented as well as it should be. Maybe there are too many fingers in the pie to do it right. Seller -- > ebay oversight --> Pitney Bowes hub --> uncaring workers --> postal carriers or couriers. Just too many places exist where things could (and do) go wrong. 

You'd think they'd have studied or audited the process by now to correct this kind of thing. 

[pjcdn2005]

Waves at you from central Alberta

I lived in Edmonton and St Albert for about 12 years.

I received my  package today and all is well. I don't tend to babysit tracking but was curious about this one because I read so much about how bad the tracking is for the gsp.    As mj said, you would think that they would have worked out the kinks by now.

[momcqueen]

Speaking of the problem that I had with my Global Shipping Program long ago that resulted in me swearing off GSP forever, I read this  below today with interest. Recognizing, of course, it bears little to do with your GSP post, and nothing at all to do with Global Shipping itself, I have to wonder how this seller's experience went so terribly wrong. Neither Paypal nor ebay took my mere word for it when I had to file my claim that half my order was absent -- I had to go to the police to file a mail fraud complaint -- but this buyer could just say 'the box was empty' and it was accepted at face value? That seems a bit odd to me. (I do love how the letter opens, though, it starts like a letter to Playboy, I think, ha ha.) 

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/letters/blog.pl?/pl/2016/10/1476284928.html

International eBay Sale Proves an Expensive Lesson

Dear Ina, 

Never let it be said that eBay and PayPal let common sense interfere with policies apparently set in stone.

Over the years, I've seen buyers attempt many types of scams but this was a first for me....

[momcqueen]

(The situation outlined by the letter in the link above actually provides a fairly good argument for the USA-based seller in question to use the Global Shipping Program.)

[marnotom!]

It sounds as though the "buyer" in this case tied eBay's hands by filing an INR claim for a item that was supposedly SNAD.  INR claims require online proof of delivery, as we all know, which the seller claims wouldn't have been available for this shipment.  I wonder if the outcome would have been any different had the buyer filed SNAD?

[retroman_studios]

I had this once where there were multiple tracking numbers.

Sellers are asked to input tracking numbers and if they enter additional numbers by mistake, the system will still try and track it, even if it's for a different customer.