eBay

calicomolly · ‎08-09-2015

This program is a terrible ripoff to Canadian buyers. It makes items unaffordable to purchase. For example, a second hand skirt costing $6 and weighing under a pound is quoted as having a shipping cost of over $20 USD. Please don't forget about your Canadian customers when listing your items and using this program. 😞

pierrelebel · ‎08-09-2015

Canadian buyers do know that program (GSP) is not "Canadian user friendly".

It is not meant for use by American sellers offering items with a value under US$50.

The purpose of the program is to increase American sales overseas. So far it is working well for them... but not for us.

It is best for Canadians to simply avoid most items offered by sellers using that program.

calicomolly · ‎08-09-2015

How sad.

marnotom! · ‎08-10-2015

@calicomolly wrote:

This program is a terrible ripoff to Canadian buyers. It makes items unaffordable to purchase. For example, a second hand skirt costing $6 and weighing under a pound is quoted as having a shipping cost of over $20 USD. Please don't forget about your Canadian customers when listing your items and using this program. 😞

You may wish to post your concerns on an appropriate board on the .com site as the .ca site doesn't attract many users from outside of Canada.

Keep in mind, though, that you may be preaching to the choir. Many U.S. sellers aren't even aware that their listings offer the Global Shipping Program but they may not find out because they don't hang out on the discussion boards regularly.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-10-2015

To avoid GSP sellers.

Look or these words on the listing

Customs services and international tracking provided

Note that if you are shopping on a mobile device or using Gallery View in search that the warning will not appear.

However, before you click on Pay you will see the total.

If it appears high, go back and look for that warning.

You may have to cross check on a laptop or desktop.

The charges are on any item over $20VDN (about $16 USD). There will always be Canadian sales taxes and a ~$5 service charge from PitneyBowes who run the program. There may also be Canadian duty.

None of these import fees go to the seller.

mater721 · ‎08-10-2015

"Many U.S. sellers aren't even aware that their listings offer the Global Shipping Program but they may not find out because they don't hang out on the discussion boards regularly."

Saw another GSP listing yesterday that said in body of listing... "US bids only".

I sent an FYI email to them and low-and-behold they did not realize it was a GSP listing.

Anonymous · ‎08-10-2015

Then why did eBay opt in GSP in many US sellers that sell many items under $50.00. Many of US sellers claimed that they didn't know GSP was opt in their listings. It is eBay's doing!

marnotom! · ‎08-10-2015

@Anonymous wrote:

Then why did eBay opt in GSP in many US sellers that sell many items under $50.00. Many of US sellers claimed that they didn't know GSP was opt in their listings. It is eBay's doing!

I really wish PitneyBowes and eBay hadn't made declarations about this "$50 guideline." Many people seem to be treating it as gospel when in fact It's a rough and not particularly useful guideline because it doesn't take the nature of the item--particularly its size and weight--into consideration. A heavy $40 item can potentially ship less expensively through the GSP than through USPS, even with "import charges" factored in.

As for these mysterious "opt-ins," my understanding is that these are actually the result of sellers misreading (or not reading) sneakily-worded instructions in a user-agreement update, mistaking an "I agree" button with accepting the revised user agreement when in fact they were agreeing to opt into the GSP.

pierrelebel · ‎08-10-2015

" these are actually the result of sellers misreading (or not reading)"

There is no fun in that! It is so much more "rewarding" to blame eBay.

As far as the US$50 guideline, I agree that it is not carved in stone. However, eBay should have tools in place preventing American sellers from listing items though GSP when not appropriate to do so for low value items.

sylviebee · ‎08-11-2015

I mentioned this in a different post and it sticks in my mind.

About a week ago I spend some time on the phone with a paypal rep and she told me that paypal is inundated with GSP cases and that they far outnumber all other cases.

She also pointed out that many of the cases are for very expensive items and hinted that sellers are abusing the system.

She said that this is because sellers are heavily protected when it comes to GSP shipping.

I wish now that tI had asked her to elaborate on that comment.

I know that sellers can't get their stars dinged as much, but there has to be more to it than that because for some reason GSP buyers apparently file many more claims that others do.

It might have something to do with items arriving damaged, but in any case it's not something that buyers often consider and might be another reason sellers are clinging to the program as they are.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-11-2015

Of course the whole point of the GSP was to protect sellers from problems with foreign buyers.

The seller doesn't have to deal with customs forms.

The seller can use cheap domestic Confirmation of Delivery shipping to Kentucky.

The seller cannot receive dings for any duty or sales tax the foreigner may have to pay to his government.

The seller doesn't have to worry about parcels being refused and returned when the customer suddenly realizes that he must pay duty and tax to received the purchase.

If there are more claims it may be because some buyers have realized that without hurting the seller, they can get goods free. Just claim the item was damaged in transit.

PB/GPS has apparently been willing to accept these claims at face value and does not demand return before refund as most sellers, who have to watch the bottom line more closely, would.

But I doubt the value of the items claimed on is necessarily higher.

I would think the problem is that so many sellers were signed up without realizing that they were participating.

So eBay is seeing problems when buyers complain that they paid import fees twice, because the seller shipped directly.

Problems when buyers complain about badly repacked items.

Problems when PB /GSP refuses to ship (the guitar question).

Problems when the buyer panicks because he tried to follow the tracking and it is not up to the minute and transparent.

And complaints about the high shipping/import costs.... we all know how that goes.

The 'get goods free' bunch would be a very small number compared to those upset customers.

sylviebee · ‎08-11-2015

@femmefan1946 wrote:

If there are more claims it may be because some buyers have realized that without hurting the seller, they can get goods free. Just claim the item was damaged in transit.
PB/GPS has apparently been willing to accept these claims at face value and does not demand return before refund as most sellers, who have to watch the bottom line more closely, would.

I agree with most of what you posted, other than the statement above.

That might have been true in the beginning, but GSP returns are handled no differently than they are for other items now.

In other words, since the process for damaged items and items not as described is no different for GSP items as it is with other items, that doesn't explain the inflated number of GSP cases.

There is something else going on with these claims and the eBay rep told me that it has something to do with the fact that the GSP buffers sellers, not buyers.

sylviebee · ‎08-11-2015

I was editing that and ran out of time.

I meant to say paypal rep. Not eBay rep.

These are paypal claims and not eBay claims.

marnotom! · ‎08-11-2015

@sylviebee wrote:

I was editing that and ran out of time.

I meant to say paypal rep. Not eBay rep.

These are paypal claims and not eBay claims.

My understanding is that it's recommended that buyer's go through PayPal rather than through eBay for any GSP-related claims, which is probably the big reason PayPal is seeing this "increase" in claims given that the alternative isn't as workable.

afantiques · ‎08-12-2015

Have you any evidence that the GSP has changed its process for damaged items?

sylviebee · ‎08-12-2015

@marnotom! wrote:
@sylviebee wrote:

I was editing that and ran out of time.

I meant to say paypal rep. Not eBay rep.

These are paypal claims and not eBay claims.

My understanding is that it's recommended that buyer's go through PayPal rather than through eBay for any GSP-related claims, which is probably the big reason PayPal is seeing this "increase" in claims given that the alternative isn't as workable.

That doesn't make sense to me.

You're saying that when a buyer tries to open an eBay claim that they are re-routedt o paypal?

Sounds odd, but OK.

All I know is that the paypal rep told me that these claims are a result of the fact that sellers get increased protection when shipping via the GSP and t the suggestion was that sellers are abusing the system. I'm just not sure what she was referring to.

That has to be something other than protection from poor ratings because that wouldn't account for the increase in cases.

sylviebee · ‎08-12-2015

Maybe it does make sense:

Buyers go to eBay and file a case only to find that eBay won't help them because the GSP is heavily loaded towards seller protection.

That's why they open paypal cases.

It would make sense that buyers can open a paypal case even if the eBay case was found in the seller's favour now that the two have split.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-12-2015

Buyers go to eBay and file a case only to find that eBay won't help them because the GSP is heavily loaded towards seller protection.

ebay won't help them? GSP buyers have the same protection as any buyers so that doesn't make sense.

sylviebee · ‎08-12-2015

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
Buyers go to eBay and file a case only to find that eBay won't help them because the GSP is heavily loaded towards seller protection.

ebay won't help them? GSP buyers have the same protection as any buyers so that doesn't make sense.

It doesn't make sense to me either, but someone posted above that eBay buyers file cases at paypal and not eBay.

I don't know......... but the poster seemed to know what he/she was talking about.

I was a trying to understand why the paypal rep told me that they're overrun with GSP claims.

marnotom! · ‎08-12-2015

I could be wrong as I've taken a bit of time off this discussion board, but I'm under the impression that the only way for a buyer to get all the funds associated with a GSP purchase refunded--particularly the "import charges"--is to go through PayPal rather than eBay.

Have things changed?