Comments about the Global Shipping Program

[kalvin@ebay.com]

Feel free to share your thoughts about the Global Shipping Program here. 

A few questions to get the ball rolling:

• What has worked well for you with the Global Shipping Program?
• Any ideas to help improve the experience for Canadian buyers?
• What has deterred you from buying items offered using the Global Shipping Program?
• How have you managed to search for items outside the program?

Please try & keep the comments constructive 🙂

If you have any questions about the program, please post them here.

[pocomocomputing]

When I list on eBay.com and use Flat rate shipping, the eBay Sell Your Item form does not require any dimensions or weight to be entered. So I can see why items shipped by the seller to the GSP center in Kentucky can arrive over the dimensions and weight limits for shipping internationally for some countries.

So not only does the Country of Manufacture need to be filled in to help reduce the opening of packages for determining duties, taxes and processing fees, the dimensions and weight of the package needs to be filled in by the Seller to help determine if the item can be shipped internationally to a country. With all this info provided by the seller plus the eBay category and subcategory to block items not allowed in a country, the item could be flagged as GSP ineligible for a country before it is even listed, let alone sold.

[arlene_v]

Great post. kxeron.

I wonder if there is an equivalent term in business for the psychiatric one known as "folie à deux"

Surely in this case it would apply to Ebay and PBI! 

[arlene_v]

Thanks Pocomocomputing ...

It's so obvious and clear as you state, and yet Ebay and PBI  are doing nothing about these issues. Just foot dragging.

Almost seems deliberate. 

[afantiques]

The seller did not have to refund the money they were paid and the buyer had their money back. Where is the stealing there?

THe seller is in exactly the same position they would have been in if the deal had gone through perfectly, and the buyer is in the same position as they'd be if the item were lost in transit. I know the buyer would rather have the item, but the deal was conducted in accordance with the published terms and conditions and no-one apart from PB lost any money.

[i*m-still-here]

It's way too late for GSP fixes even for those who believe that's possible.  That ship sailed a long time ago.

The program has been running for about one and half years and has been such a turn off that it's now avoided by almost every Canadian at a glance.

No Second Chances are likely as it has earned such a bad name that turning it around now is out of the question.

Had they been able to sell the concept that Americans would decide how other governments collect taxes while their own citizens are immune was too flawed from day one, but even those few who bought into it were put off by the numerous flaws in the program itself.

[jmlart]

That's right "I'm still here". I am Canadian and my feed back numbers consist of 228 purchases and 14 items sold on ebay, nothing but praise, quick payment, 5 star buyer, etc. Today I received what is likely my last purchase from an american ebay seller, it cost me over 35$ (24$ for shipping and 9$ import charges) to get a jigsaw puzzle from the US. There are great items for sale from US sellers but this is nonsense.

[rick31797]

---

@afantiques wrote:

The seller did not have to refund the money they were paid and the buyer had their money back. Where is the stealing there?

THe seller is in exactly the same position they would have been in if the deal had gone through perfectly, and the buyer is in the same position as they'd be if the item were lost in transit. I know the buyer would rather have the item, but the deal was conducted in accordance with the published terms and conditions and no-one apart from PB lost any money.

---

What about not getting the dream guitar you finally bought , what about all the aggravation you need to go through to get your refund and the time spent.. i dont think when you read a post you see the whole picture.

[afantiques]

What about not getting the dream guitar you finally bought , what about all the aggravation you need to go through to get your refund and the time spent.. i dont think when you read a post you see the whole picture.

The deal went feet up. It happens, you shrug and move on. The bit I objected to was silly talk about theft.

The seller got it wrong because they did not observe the size limits of eligible items., possibly because they did not know them. For them, the result is a win, they don't have to pay to have the item shipped back to them. They get to keep the buyer's payment. Any negative FB can be removed.

For the buyer it is a bit of a disappointment, certainly, but it'd be the same if the item was broken in transit.

I do tend to see very many implications, for the sake of brevity I like to stick to the facts of the case.

[pierrelebel]

Hi jmlart.

I take it from your post that you are no fan of GSP.  Neither am I. Let's face it: very few Canadian buyers are.  One major problem is that eBay somehow lets American sellers list "stuff" that should NOT be shipped through GSP: low priced items that will cost substantially more to Canadian buyers than warranted.

That being said, I noticed that the last two feedbacks you posted for your sellers read:

"Recv'd! Love it! UN-reasonable shipping due to Ebay's GSP canadian buyers beware"

I am a bit confused and do not think it is fair to the sellers.  One item was NOT offered through GSP but clearly offered direct shipment through USPS:

"Shipping:  US $23.65 (approx. C $26.13) USPS First Class Mail Intl / First Class Package Intl Service "

In both instances, it was your decision to purchase the items knowing what the shipping costs would be.  Why post that feedback?

Did you also penalize the sellers through DSRs (Detailed Seller Rating = stars) ?

[pjcdn2005]

---

@afantiques wrote:

The deal went feet up. It happens, you shrug and move on. The bit I objected to was silly talk about theft.

The seller got it wrong because they did not observe the size limits of eligible items., possibly because they did not know them. For them, the result is a win, they don't have to pay to have the item shipped back to them. They get to keep the buyer's payment. Any negative FB can be removed.

For the buyer it is a bit of a disappointment, certainly, but it'd be the same if the item was broken in transit.

I do tend to see very many implications, for the sake of brevity I like to stick to the facts of the case.

---

I agree that it isn't theft as neither buyer nor seller have lost money. However, it does qualify as a bad buying experience, one that could have been avoided had the seller been required to list the dimensions before being allowed to list with gsp.

I have to agree with @kxeron that ebay and PB seem to most concerned about making this easy for the seller and shielding them from any consequences of their actions. A win win for the seller is not necessarily a win win for the buyer. When a buyer loses, that does affect all ebay sellers as the buyer then has a negative view of the site.

[jmlart]

Monsieur Lebel,

I did not penalize the sellers with the rating, gave them both 5 stars on all fronts. I was only venting in the comments. US sellers must see a decrease in their sales because of this, hopefully ebay will come to their senses. The items I bought are rare so I did not want to pass up on those, I had no choice. I wias very aware of the shipping charges. The item that was not through the GSP had a reasonable cost so it wasn't so bad. Anyway M. Lebel I think you were one of the first ebay sellers I dealt with, when I bought mint never hinged Canadian stamps from you. You always have great comments and input in the ebay community and I know leaving negative rating affects sellers, I would never do that.

Thank you for your reply. Regards, jmlart

[i*m-still-here]

I also have to think that after a year and a half that American sellers should know how their listings appear to those they're selling to.

There's no excuse for ignorance after all this time

For goodness sakes.............. it's high time they scrolled down to the shipment and payments link and punched in another country to see what we see.

It's getting harder and harder to be understanding all the time.

[rick31797]

---

@afantiques wrote:

What about not getting the dream guitar you finally bought , what about all the aggravation you need to go through to get your refund and the time spent.. i dont think when you read a post you see the whole picture.

The deal went feet up. It happens, you shrug and move on. The bit I objected to was silly talk about theft.

The seller got it wrong because they did not observe the size limits of eligible items., possibly because they did not know them. For them, the result is a win, they don't have to pay to have the item shipped back to them. They get to keep the buyer's payment. Any negative FB can be removed.

For the buyer it is a bit of a disappointment, certainly, but it'd be the same if the item was broken in transit.

I do tend to see very many implications, for the sake of brevity I like to stick to the facts of the case.

---

That facts are i have had 8 guitars shipped to me USPS, and all came perfectly packed,and on time and no damage, ... reading about problems like this confirms my decision never to use GSP.. You have to be a guitar player to get the disappointment that would follow, i know guys that have search for years, for certain models... so to you it may not mean anything, but too others , it does mean something..they want there item.. that's why they bought it in the first place..

[mallet1665]

Anyone in this thread trying to justify GSP is wasting their time.  If you are not a cross border seller, and do not understand the gouging going on, then step aside.  The program is meant to make international shipping easier?  Sure.  The expense?  Absurd. Shipping to some place in KY so another company can dip in, calculate duty/taxes (which is ridiculously easy by the way) and then ad a brokerage fee on top of that is outrageous. Then they have to ship again, to the destination.  This is a massive logistical waste of time and resources just to pad the pockets of yet another company.  US Ebay sellers who want access to markets outside the US are losing business like mad.  I no longer deal with any seller that uses this.  I send a message, explain the situation, and nine out of ten times they agree and send it USPS - the ONLY way to send to Canada for lighter packages.  Nobody else comes close. Once you get over a certain weight, you first look at Purolator, perhaps another shipper in the odd case.  This is all about money.  All the dumb logic in the world that is being spewed here borderlines on retarded. Check your heads people. Its about COST.  Who cares WHY.  35$ in shipping for a 21$ item is NONSENSE.   This is a lazy sellers tool, and it will cost them business.

[mallet1665]

It is absurd.  Lazy sellers deserve to lose business.  I just contacted a seller who, still, had NO idea the shipping was that high.  Even then, they shrugged and said don't buy it.  They didn't have the "time" to ship usps instead.  Get real.

[pierrelebel]

"35$ in shipping for a 21$ item is NONSENSE."

You are correct and I do not think that anyone on this board would ever try to justify that.  Such item should never have been offered through GSP by the seller.  And I do not necessarily blame the seller for doing it.

[jalex23]

That is a question I have. Amazon does charge import charges in advance, but then if the tax was not collected or if the charge was lower then THEY RETURN YOU THE MONEY.

I once bought a kindle (in the early days) and they charged $25 in import charges. I was angry because the import charge stated in my packaged said $12.5. But then next day I had in my account a refund for the other $12.5. Now this is the way you do stuff, and you are sure the money goes to the government.

Having funds available is one thing, ripping people off is another.

[walker0017]

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

jalex23 wrote:

That is a question I have. Amazon does charge import charges in advance, but then if the tax was not collected or if the charge was lower then THEY RETURN YOU THE MONEY.

I once bought a kindle (in the early days) and they charged $25 in import charges. I was angry because the import charge stated in my packaged said $12.5. But then next day I had in my account a refund for the other $12.5. Now this is the way you do stuff, and you are sure the money goes to the government.

Having funds available is one thing, ripping people off is another.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The biggest difference is that Amazon is a professional internet business that knows what it is doing and relies on first class customer satisfaction as they know that if the buyers regardless of which country they are from are not happy they will not be buying from them again. After a year and a half with the GSP eBay clearly does not care about buyer satisfaction but only trying to get more US sellers shipping worldwide and being able to rake in as much money as possible from the fees.  When they overcharge on an order and don't refund the difference to the buyer as Amazon does then they are ripping you off to line their pockets cut and dried no matter what type of weasel words they use in their GSP T&C contract to justify it.

[kxeron]

---

@pierrelebel wrote:

"35$ in shipping for a 21$ item is NONSENSE."

You are correct and I do not think that anyone on this board would ever try to justify that.  Such item should never have been offered through GSP by the seller.  And I do not necessarily blame the seller for doing it.

---

I'm glad that you express this sentiment, as there are many (including eBay themselves) who would likely blame the seller for not knowing how the programme works. There is a push for "seller education" but this is a workaround to the greater problem that the programme is needlessly complex and obscure for the purpose of furnishing PBI and eBay a 'liability-free' source of revenue.

eBay/PBI isn't interested in seller education as it means a potential for:

• Low-cost item sellers to pull out of the programme which would remove more of eBay/PBI's ability to skim income from the programme without anyone noticing (including charging for duty when the item doesn't qualify for duty, then keeping the duty charge and not remitting any duty to the CBSA/CRA);
• High-ticket item sellers may be hesitant to use the programme because of PBI's unilateral power to seize items if they declare that the item isn't shippable (despite the fact they received the item fine) and "reimburse" the buyer, meanwhile neither parties have the item any further and PBI can sell off the item in its "disposing" with a markup on the original cost to make a profit off of these seizures.

eBay/PBI isn't interested in buyer education either as it means new buyers will pay these charges without questioning them assuming that the programme is fair and just, but not really knowledgeable that the "Import Charges" is not calculated by customs nor anyone qualified to authoritatively calculate these charges, but rather eBay/PBI unilaterally through the programme.

All of the true details are hidden beneath legalese that contractually authorizes eBay and PBI to collectively operate with impunity and execute their interpretation of non-American law as they see fit.

[afantiques]

High-ticket item sellers may be hesitant to use the programme because of PBI's unilateral power to seize items if they declare that the item isn't shippable (despite the fact they received the item fine) and "reimburse" the buyer, meanwhile neither parties have the item any further and PBI can sell off the item in its "disposing" with a markup on the original cost to make a profit off of these seizures.

This is more than a bit far fetched. Why would a seller care, they stay paid, the item is sold, and from their point of view, it is no skin off their nose if whoever ends up with the item sells it at a profit. I really cannot see that the re-shipping center would have an expert appraiser of just about any and everything scanning all packages to select any that seem to have potential for a profit, any sales of unshippable items are likely to  be distress sales to recoup whatever the shippers can,  and would as a rule involve a cash loss.