Can't really track global shipping program - Frustrated

[myoldstuff276]

I do not like the global shipping program.  It's ability to track items is seriously flawed.  I live in a rural area and do not get ANY deliveries other than post .  Here is my experience:

I bought an item in the US shipped through the ebay shipping program.  I get an ebay tracking number, and a USPS tracking number.  The ebay tracking number doesn't tell me much about when to expect it.  The USPS number says the item is being sent expedited, and will arrive in two days.  When I update this number, in two days, the status shows it is being delivered.  It was only delivered to the centre in Erlander, Ky.  It sits there for several days.  I have no idea who has it, or what is happening.  If I check the other link (USPS) the only information that it was delivered, which doesn't tell me much or where or how it is being delivered.

The global shipping number can't be tracked outside of ebay, and the domestic shipping number is only for USPS, and shows it as delivered.

I have to logon with different devices, as different devices show different details.  None shows what carrier the item is being transported with, or when the actual realistic delivery date is.  A week wide guess really doesn't cut it.  I don't know if it is being shipped by mail, courier, or by an old guy who is now looking for my house on foot.

Finally, if I go in with one device, I get a link to the fact that this is supposedly being shipped by CanPar.  However, when I click on the hyperlink, I get taken to Canpar and told that that item can not be found.  This has been the case for several days.  I also got an email notice that Pitney Bowes (Ebay shipping) has prepared a delivery label for my through Canada Post.  But no parcel has arrived at Canada Post with that delivery label on it.

I want the ability to know WHO is shipping my parcel, and what the tracking number is ON THEIR SYSTEM.  Why does Ebay obfuscate this information?  And why does the information depend on what device  you are using to retrieve it.  Right now if I go to the Ebay site on my Win8 computer running Chrome, I do NOT get anyway to access the Canpar tracking number (even if it is apparently not correct).  The domestic shipping information that I get on this computeris a week old, and still shows that the package was delivered by USPS!  However, if I use the Ebay APP on a IPad, I get the Canpar information.  If I use the ebay App on a smartphone, I cannot access ANY domestic shipping information.

I need to know who has it because if it is not being sent by CanPost, the courier will not be able to deliver it due to my rural location, and will also have no way to contact me as I do not have a listed phone number.  This is simply dumb.

EBAY!  WHO HAS MY PARCEL AND WHY WON"T YOU LET ME KNOW THIS AND TRACK IT PROPERLY!

[marnotom!]

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@camaro_guy99 wrote:

This is now the 3rd time I have had issues.

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By "issues" do you mean that your items aren't reaching you within the delivery estimate frame on the listing page?

[camicha_0crbpyel]

YUp, I agree.  A big pain.  Ive had problems with it also.  It also puts ridiculous shipping charges sometimes more than the product is worth!!!  Looks like the US has it great!!

I contact sellers and I let em know if they would agree for me to send a UPS label to my Paypal confirmed address to avoid this.  And surprise, if they agree I only get charged $7.00

Jokes!!   And, for the critics out there...that's not a violation of anything so dont get antsy..the transaction is still done through Ebay and Paypal.  I just pay the shipping.

Why did they implement this anyway?

[thestuffofchris]

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@camicha_0crbpyel wrote:

Why did they implement this anyway?

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Unlike many Canadian sellers, many US & UK sellers are leery of selling outside of their own borders. The GSP is intended to provide a way to ease those fears: the sellers ship to the GSP hub in Erlanger, KY, and then the GSP handles the international shipping. The program is not, nor has it ever been, meant to help buyers. It is to get more US & UK sellers selling internationally.

You may have already seen the other threads on this board with thousands of replies from other Canadian buyers who don't like the program (I'm one of them.). You're not alone.

[innovativeautoworx]

I will never use this service due to this, I understand exactly what you are talking about. I am so frustrated. My parcel has taken over 2 weeks. and the seller is taking all the brunt of this. EBAY you need a change!!! 

[femmefan1946]

if they would agree for me to send a UPS label to my Paypal confirmed address to avoid this.  And surprise, if they agree I only get charged $7.00

Jokes!!   And, for the critics out there...that's not a violation of anything so dont get antsy.

Two reasons a seller would turn this down.

• A buyer offering to send a UPS label is actually a well-known scam.

The label arrives at the buyer's work address, because the label was printed on the employer's account. The buyer claims it. BUT come month end, the bookkeeper denies the payment for the label and UPS comes back to the seller for the cost of the label.

• UPS is much more expensive than the Global Shipping Program. Both shippers are required to assess and collect the appropriate duty and (mostly) sales tax. But the GSP service fee is~$5 while the UPS one is $25 or more. There is a very long (5000+posts) thread about this that is little used these days because GSP is preferred by sellers.

[femmefan1946]

My parcel has taken over 2 weeks.

Having been a mail order seller of everything from postage stamps to woodstoves since the 1980s, I allow 20 days for anything to arrive in Canada from North America.

So two weeks is normal in my experience.

and the seller is taking all the brunt of this.

The seller's only fault was to use the GSP. And many new sellers were defaulted into the Program even though they never intended to sell internationally.

Your seller's responsibility ended when your purchase arrived in Erlanger KY.

If your plan is to leave negative feedback for him, he can have it removed.

Remember too, that both Canada and the USA just had their July long weekend holidays, which slows shipping.

Every dozen posts someone gives this information, since no one ever seems to look for information on how to track packages after they arrive in KY.

Another poster worked this out for buyers who have not yet received their GSP shipment.
TRACKING SYSTEM FOR GSP
It's not user friendly... But I found how to track your package via the global shipping program, once it gets to Canada you need to:
- Log on to eBay.ca
- Under the My eBay menu select Purchase History
- Under your orders find the specific order.  It should have something like the following:
        Estimated delivery Mon, Jan 11 - Thu, Jan 21
        Tracking number: Tracking number UPAAB000000#########
- Click on the UPA number.  This should open up a Shipment Details window, which should contain something like this:
     This shipment has been transferred to CPC for delivery to the final destination # 70351#########
-Click on the Canada Post number to see where the Canada Post Tracking history and expected delivery
 And there is this method too (originally posted by unison)
I found this thread today while awaiting a shipment. Once I learned that Pitney Bowes was the relevant company, I was able to find my package's tracking info in about 10 seconds.
 
Step 1: Go to the Pitney Bowes Parcel Tracker page at https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/
 
Step 2: Enter your eBay-supplied Global Tracking number (mine began with UPAA...)
 
Step 3: You will be shown limited tracking info. In my case, only up to the point the package left the USA and entered Canada.
 
Step 4: Click on the "Track on carrier's website" link at the top right.
 
Step 5: You will be provided with tracking on the page of the actual shipping company, in my case Canada Post, with a tracking number in THEIR system.
 
Problem solved! If only eBay would put a link to https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/ in their shipping emails, this could all be avoided...
 

[platelet2005]

Having similar problems in Canada. Shipment tracked to Montreal customs - 4 weeks now!- and then vanishes into the ether and off Canada Post's and eBay's databases. A refund for a lost antique painting just doesn't cut it.

[marnotom!]

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@platelet2005 wrote:

Having similar problems in Canada. Shipment tracked to Montreal customs - 4 weeks now!- and then vanishes into the ether and off Canada Post's and eBay's databases. A refund for a lost antique painting just doesn't cut it.

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Antiques were once a prohibited item with the Global Shipping Program and past posts such as yours would lead me to conclude that the GSP is not well-suited for antique, vintage or otherwise collectible items.  It seems best suited for electronics, automotive parts, and little else.

Having said that, the fact that your item made to the customs inspection process in Montreal suggests to me that the painting could have been problematic to ship by almost any other means.  Have you checked Pitney Bowes tracking page to see if there's a bit more information on why it got snagged there?

https://parceltracking.pb.com/

[reallynicestamps]

. Shipment tracked to Montreal customs

One of the touted advantages of the GSP is that all customs (and sales tax) assessments are done at the GSP plant in Kentucky.

Is it possible that your seller did NOT send the painting to KY/GSP? but instead shipped it directly to you?

If that were the case, and it does happen quite often when sellers don't bother to learn how GSP works, then you have a bigger problem including double payment of taxes. *

There is a Canada Post central plant in Montreal, like the ones in Mississauga , Winnipeg and Richmond BC. And most GSP items are eventually delivered by Canada Post.

* I'm not an expert, but 'used' goods are not usually dutiable, although sales taxes (GST/QST) do apply. Plus the shipper's service/customs brokerage charge.

[camicha_0crbpyel]

No, in this case it was wayyyy cheaper !!!!
I have a Ups brokerage account ( costed nothing ) plus a shipping incentive for small business ( anyone can open online ) I had a nice seller send it to me it costed 10.00 cheaper than global shipping.
That scam is kinda not around since the ship pier has to put all their prepaid info on the electronic label. Nice excuse thou....

[sahibjones]

calling that number (1-888-727-0781)  works, but be prepared to be horribly disappointed. my order says pitney bowes (that's who the global tracking/shipping provider is), received my package on Saturday, July 22. meanwhile the pitney bowes guy on the phone is insisting they received it on July 25, and that they take an additional 24-48 "business hours" to process. it's a ridiculous system, and i'm going to try and avoid this at all costs in the future.

[marnotom!]

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@sahibjones wrote:

calling that number (1-888-727-0781)  works, but be prepared to be horribly disappointed. my order says pitney bowes (that's who the global tracking/shipping provider is), received my package on Saturday, July 22. meanwhile the pitney bowes guy on the phone is insisting they received it on July 25, and that they take an additional 24-48 "business hours" to process. 

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Since the rep is referring to "business hours" I would interpret this to mean that while the package was delivered to the Global Shipping Center on Saturday, because it was on the weekend it wasn't transported to where anything could be done with it until Monday or Tuesday when it was "received" by whoever's contracted by Pitney Bowes to process it.

[fzbw9br]

start a claim the day after the expect delivery time. you'll get some response then!

[kellistheone]

Terrible advice! Never send a package without tracking or YOU will be responsible for the refund. TERRIBLE advice.

[marnotom!]

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@kellistheone wrote:

Terrible advice! Never send a package without tracking or YOU will be responsible for the refund. TERRIBLE advice.

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A seller is still on the hook for the refund of an item sent with tracking if the tracking shows that the item wasn't delivered to the buyer.

[femmefan1946]

Let me tell you the Good News about Cookie Jar Insurance.

Basically this means adding a small amount* to every asking priceand putting those virtual dimes into a virtual Cookie Jar.

If a problem comes up, BEFORE eBay gets involved, the seller takes some of those dimes from the Cookie Jar and uses them to send a Return Shipping Label**.

This is self-insurance.

Most sellers have perhaps 1-2% problem transactions. And because most people are honest, those problems can be worked out.

And sellers report that between money saved on not buying tracking / insurance and keeping customers happy they actually make money on Cookie Jar Insurance premiums. Just like a real insurance company.

YMMV.

Designer purses however, would always be travelling parcel rate and as such would always be tracked and usually insured. You've noticed that Snap Ship prices on Regular and Expedited are the same, but Expedited includes insurance, I'm sure.

Most of my items are cheap and my buyers not only like to read they actually enjoy following instructions, so on my smaller items I use LetterPost/Light Packet items, and trust the postal system to deliver promptly.

It's worked pretty well since 1998, for me.

*usually less than a dime, but it can vary with the percentage of problem transactions

** apparently we can now buy USPS shipping labels from Canada through Shippo.

[onthe4edge90]

Totally agree!!!

Avoid GPS at ALL COSTS! Twice the time AND twice the cost!!!

[vanessni-2]

Have you ever tried a third party parcel tracking tool?

[marnotom!]

The Global Shipping Program is a network of subcontracted carriers and logistics companies, not an actual shipping service. When one looks up the tracking for an item destined for Canada on the PBI tracking site, one should get detailed tracking information from all the different carriers that are handling that item.

In effect, the PBI tracking site is doing the work of a third-party tracking tool.

[mmel7863]

Global shipping should be dismantled. It’s useless.