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.

[pierrelebel]

'when the item arrives I will be stung again for additional import fees."

No you will not.

[femmefan1946]

I'm not so sure that automatic enrollment is no longer happening. The eBay.com message boards are still full of sellers wondering how they got an international sale when...

We may just have to take eBay's word for it, but let's face it, some of those startled sellers just got their first international sale ever -- the USA is the largest economy in the world, is a consumer society, and Americans have traditionally been happy to buy through mail order.* Some of those sellers might only sell one item in 100 or one in 1000 outside the USA. So -- time lag.

But, yes. Really stupid rollout. Talk about xenophobia. Apparently it never occured to the MBAs at head office to ask their international members how they would like the program. Or even their international employees.

*When I was selling wood stoves, Vermont Castings which only sold mail order in the USA, had to find dealers in Canada,because Canadian would not buy a $1500 item sight unseen from a catalogue. Way different culture.

[resilutions]

I have used eBay for several years without issue. I have never posted to a community forum...until now.

I got caught up in the GSP twice, then began to ask sellers if it was required or if they might entertain more economical shipping options to Canada or if they might consider opting out for an item. One did, and I purchased from her. Another accused me of trying to cheat the government out of import duties (of which none were applicable on the item). The third time the seller said this is set by eBay, "if you don't like it complain to them." Therefore, while I used to purchase 2-3 items per month from US Sellers, I have made one purchase since the inception of the program. I now wonder why I bother to even look at what I refuse to bid on.

I cannot understand the discrepancies. One item $599.00 plus $16 shipping and $120 in estimated duties, versus another item $12.98 plus $32 shipping and $ 0 duties. I know there are different duties on different categories of goods, but how can the shipping vary so much when the more expensive item is heaver than the less expensive. USPS First Class International used to work just fine for the last 250 items I purchased. Never lost one. Always arrived within 2 weeks...It was a nice run eBay but I'm out.

In answer to the questions: nothing of it has worked well

I do not see a way to improve it, remove it.

Everything about it has deterred me. It has strained relationships with sellers, it has put me in the position of having to contact every seller in the program (uncomfortable for the nice Canadian buyer...um sorry to bother you but....), and oh yeah...the increase cost.

No virtually all the items I want need to come from the US, and now virtually all the sellers I used to use are part of the program.

[mwc1942]

"I'm not saying the changes are all that much use, but the question was 'have there been any."

Thanks for confirming that there has not been much of a change from eBay.  Appears all the negative postings are going to waste. 

Tis a shame eBay does not provide the required info to all, as easily or as quickly as you!

[afantiques]

Tis a shame eBay does not provide the required info to all, as easily or as quickly as you!

I'm not paid to follow a party line on this massive snafu, all I try to be is accurate, as do most other posters making serious comments about the GSP.

[femmefan1946]

. One item $599.00 plus $16 shipping and $120 in estimated duties, versus another item $12.98 plus $32 shipping and $ 0 duties.

I'd wonder if the seller was the culprit here.

The seller has always chosen the shipping method and it is possible that the second, less sophisticated. seller was charging Global International rates instead of Domestic Confirmed Delivery* rates.

With GSP, the seller is only shipping to Kentucky not to Canada. PitneyBowes/GSP takes it from there.

Partly my question is based on shipping an item valued at only $12 with the Program. EBay does not recommend using GSP for items valued under $50.

*Obviously I have no idea what these rates are actually called by USPS.

[jewelsmommy]

Huge scam!!! Beware. I was charged for this shipping by the seller and then a second charge showed up on my PayPal from Pitney Bowes directly. I had to dispute both. 

Major Scam!!! Stay away from sellers using this option. 

PS: Item didn't ever arrive either.

[pierrelebel]

Why did you bid on the item?

The listing clearly shows shipping cost and import charge.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Black-Doc-Martens-/151288088069?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item2339790605

[pierrelebel]

By the way, if the item had sold (if you had a winning bid of less)  than Cdn$20.00, there would have been no import charge.

The government of Canada starts charging taxes (and duty if applicable) on postal imports valued at $20 or more:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html

[mwc1942]

"I'm not paid to follow a party line on this massive snafu, all I try to be is accurate, as do most other posters making serious comments about the GSP."

Was implying that you are that much better than eBay with providing quick and reliable info. 

[femmefan1946]

PS: Item didn't ever arrive either.

So you opened an Item Not Recieved dispute within 45 days of purchase and got all your money back?

If more than 45 days have passed, so has the PP Buyer Protection deadline. Instead go to the credit card you actually paid from (PP is just the mediator) and start a chargeback. Have all your dates, transaction numbers and amounts handy for the Customer Relations clerk to proces the chargeback.

 I was charged for this shipping by the seller and then a second charge showed up on my PayPal from Pitney Bowes

The shipper charged you the cost of sending the item to PB in Kentucky. PB then charged you import fees covering applicable duty, Canadian sales taxes, and the cost of shipping into Canada. And yes, they make a profit on this.

As noted, both these amounts, not broken down very much admittedly, show on the eBay site, right before you confirm payment the second time.

If you didn't confirm, you could walk away from the transaction at that point.

[ontariaro]

All you have to do is bring back "request total from seller" on the invoice & then just fill in whatever the seller has agreed to the new shipping charges (often much much less than GSP). Easy peasy to do & no hassle with eBay or PayPal.

[splante1944]

Sorry, but in spite of the policy you mentioned, I have yet to have any surcharge placed on any item of any value by the gov't of Canada on a USPS shipment.

I am one of those who will avoid EVERY seller who chooses to ship using the GSP

[splante1944]

I have tried to work with sellers to avoid the GSP.  We have been unsuccessful every time.  My understanding is that, once the seller has chosen the GSP, he is locked in.  That is what sellers have told me.

[pierrelebel]

Unfortunately these sellers were misinformed or did not care.  For more information how easy is it for American sellers to either opt out of the program or exempt Canadian buyers, please take a look at this link and fee free to send it to all those sellers:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/shipping-globally.html

To opt out of the Global Shipping Program:

1. Go to My eBay > Account > Site Preferences. You may need to sign in.

2. Click the Show link to the right of the Shipping Preferences section.

3. Click the Edit link to the right of Offer the Global Shipping Program.

4. Click on the Opt Out button.

5. Review the information. If you still wish to opt out, click the Continue to opt out button.

   To remove a single active listing from the Global Shipping Program:

   1. Go to My eBay > Activity > Sell > Active.

   2. Select the listing you'd like to change.

   3. In the Edit drop-down menu, select Edit selected.

   4. In the Add shipping details section, click the Edit selected policy link.

   5. In the International shipping section of the Edit shipping policy dialogue box, clear the Send it to the US shipping center, and the rest will be taken care of for you box.

   6. Save and confirm your changes.

      To remove all active listings from the  Global Shipping Program:

      1. Go to My eBay > Activity > Sell > Active. You may need to sign in.

      2. In the Edit drop-down menu, select Edit all listings.

      3. In Edit listings, select all of your listings by checking the box at the top of the left column.

      4. In the Edit drop-down menu, select Shipping policy.

      5. In the Edit business policies dialogue box, select Change to from the Shipping policy drop-down menu, and then click the edit link next to the shipping policy name.

      6. In the International shipping area of the Edit shipping policy dialogue box, clear the Send it to the US shipping center, and the rest will be taken care of for you box.

      7. Save, confirm, and submit your changes.

         To customize your Global Shipping Program preferences by country:

         1. Go to My eBay > Account > Site Preferences.

         2. Click Show to the right of the Shipping Preferences section.

         3. Click Edit to the right of Offer the Global Shipping Program.

         4. Select the Allow me to customize international shipping by country checkbox.

         5. Click Submit.

         6. In the International shipping section of your listing, select the shipping services you'd like to use for specific countries. You can add up to 4 international shipping options in addition to the Global Shipping Program.

[1gurl75]

i'm not a fan of this global shipping fees from pitney bowes. i will no longer be buying items from other countries. this is **bleep**py because most of the stuff i bought came from the states. what happened to the just so recent way? where no additional shipping fees were charged? this seems like a great cash cow and I am opting out!

I went to see how much something would cost from a seller that i bought from in the past and the shipping was free. Now, its $24. $11 from the seller and $13 from pitney bowes. This makes the sale no longer a good deal and i will go without.

😞

[1gurl75]

i will no longer buy items that use pitney bowes or fedex or any items that may be charged import charges....wait a minute! thats almost all of the sales now! this greatly reduces the amount of items i will be purchasing using ebay. way to go

[1gurl75]

i am a former canadian buyer that finds the pitney bowes cash cow to be as obscene as fedex . im out!

[1gurl75]

i am going to avoid the GSP with as much vigor as I avoid the rip offs of Fedex.

[tinytec_canada]

I have to say I'm not a fan either I use to use ebay for a lot of my shopping needs but not so much any more an if I do I'm filtering it to within Canada only. Why? I don't like being ripped off. Of all my purchases I've had to pay an import duty once which was approximately 23$ that however was for a computer and truthfully turned out to be less then I expected. Now however between the shipping cost and the import duty that total can actually be more then the item itself and no where but here would that ever be the case. 

Example:

NEW $64.99 Mens Avia A5792MBYR Black/Yellow/Red Running Sneaker Size 11

 Price:

US $32.99 buy it now

ApproximatelyC $36.01

Shipping:

US $21.20 (approx. C $23.14) International Priority Shipping to Canada  

Item location:

Scarsdale, New York, United States

Ships to:

United States and many other countries 

Import charges:

US $15.74 (amount confirmed at checkout)  

So ebay has effectively doubled the price and made them more expensive then the retail price. Guess rather then using you guyss for a deal i'll shop at the mall.