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.

[kwlgirl]

I do not like the global shipping program. I had items sent to me through it and it cost me more fees such as "import fees" at checkout plus my packages arrive 3 days later than if I had not bought it through the program. I live in Canada so now when I shop I am limited to what I can buy on ebay because I avoid all sellers using this "program" meant to cost buyers more money to shop. Why even have it???

[priorstuff]

The Global Shipping Program, is not good! For example, I wanted to by a pen from a seller, the pen was $19.00 and he said he could ship to me in Canada for $6.50 USA POSTAL SERVICE, NO DUTY CHARGES, Then the EBAY invoice that was sent had thr shipping at $15.00 plus $7.50 duty' As a result we agreed to cancel the sale. $ 11.50 difference is far to much to be acceptable. He claimed he could not send a new invoice with only the $6.50 postage. 

[jean-philippe.vert]

---

@4ashbury wrote:

Pitney Bowes doesn't use Canada Post to forward your item to you (after they've had their way with it, financially and physically). Even though the sellers ships via USPS, Pitney Bowes uses Federal Express because they have an agreement to ship cheaper (increasing Pitney Bowes profit). This however is inconvenient to the buyer because Fed Ex only has one pick up location in the Greater Toronto Area as opposed to the post office which has hundreds, usually within walking distance. It is a 50 kilometer drive for me to pick up my package at Federal Express on New Toronto Street in South Etobicoke and I live in Scarborough. Then 50 kilometers to drive back. On top of what I've been gouged for, that is the **bleep**-off icing on the cake!

---

I received my 2 GSP parcels via PC, at my local post office.

[j.k.h]

Hello, i was a frequent buyer from the States through ebay but since the introduction of GSP I have bought little. My purpose of buying used was to save money. Agree with a number of other posts that the fees are excessive and force me to buy from Canadian sellers which, I would have done previously except few seem to sell the items I am looking for.

I often make enquiries if the seller will ship directly to me and am again shocked at how many say they did not intend it to ship through GSP and did not know their listing stated it as such.

Eg. Wanted to buy a 9.99 item but asked seller why shipping would be $45.00 when it was small enough to put in an envelope for approx. $2.00? They quickly changed their listing.

Because of the rising shipping costs and the introduction of GSP, which I think should be cancelled, i have found other methods of locally of buying used quality goods. Pick them up and pay no shipping.

Really surprised that ebay keep it going as sellers must be losing canadian and international sellers in my opinion. The convenience of buying from ebay US is not worth it if it exceeds the cost you can buy elsewhere. I have rarely paid import duty on items and when I did it was fair. I see nothing fair about paying upfront for fees that may not be charged normally and in most cases are excessive for the item. Seems just like a money maker to someone other than the seller, who in my opinion should be the one making the money on their item, not everyone else.

If more Canadian sellers have items, i will be looking to buy at home rather than US as out of principle I will not use GSP.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@jean-philippe.vert wrote:

---

@4ashbury wrote:

Pitney Bowes doesn't use Canada Post to forward your item to you (after they've had their way with it, financially and physically). Even though the sellers ships via USPS, Pitney Bowes uses Federal Express because they have an agreement to ship cheaper (increasing Pitney Bowes profit). This however is inconvenient to the buyer because Fed Ex only has one pick up location in the Greater Toronto Area as opposed to the post office which has hundreds, usually within walking distance. It is a 50 kilometer drive for me to pick up my package at Federal Express on New Toronto Street in South Etobicoke and I live in Scarborough. Then 50 kilometers to drive back. On top of what I've been gouged for, that is the **bleep**-off icing on the cake!

---

I received my 2 GSP parcels via PC, at my local post office.

---

I know that they use Canada Post at times and also Can Par. I hadn't heard of them using Fedex  before now.

[bobenis]

---

@francoeurdavid wrote:
I can confirm that they use Canada Post.

---

They used CanPar for my reciever delivery so I suspect it depends on the size and weight of the item.

Canada Post deliveries go Xpresspost which is great, CanPar is ground which is not great.

[romancranch]

Looks like the ebay global shipping program has now landed in ebay UK.   So it's not just for the USA anymore.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

Just check some of the listings on e-bay UK and it's there. So is Pitney Bowes handling that as well? or is it Royal mail?

Will Canada be next to get the global shipping program?

[kasiablue2000]

This is for US sellers to read regarding the GSP. You probably have already heard this before but I'd like Ebay to hear it.

I have been buying on Ebay for close to 14 years. I predominantly buy from US sellers because there are some things that are hard to come by in Canada since their place of origin is the States....ie., Star Trek toys, that my son loves. I also live remotely and online shopping has enabled me to purchase items I normally would never be able to access on a regular basis, including school resource for my job.

Since the GSP, I have found myself shopping on Ebay UK and AU, or I buy from US sellers that do not go through the GSP. Of course I also buy from Canadian sellers whenever I can.  But recently I had to buy a few items from a GSP seller because I lost track of time and needed some things for Christmas. Fortunately I was able to combine items enabling me to not get 'ripped off' so badly. The seller also gave me a bit of a refund for purchasing a few things in one shot.

Here is an example of why the GSP is going to cost US sellers International business:

I was able to buy Hello Kitty pjs for my daughter, from a seller, for 25.99 plus 9.64 in shipping. That's an expected spend for HK brand new. I can get HK pjs at Walmart for anywhere from 29.95 to 35.00 Canadian. If they are on sale I do better but normally they aren't.

However, to get a similar pair from a seller who uses Global Shipping would cost me 18.89, plus.....get this....21.44 + 19.91 for shipping and 6.69 in import fees. Grand total? Coming up on $70 for a pair of pajamas!

Similarly, buying a Star Trek toy from one seller would cost me 15.00 plus 12.95 in shipping for a used one not in packaging. Or I could pay a GSP seller 15.95 for one....and get dinged 22.64 + 14.70 for shipping.

Now which one do you think I'm going to buy? Certainly not the one that will cost me close to 55 dollars! The sale from the seller that doesn't use the GSP will cost half.

So, Canadian sellers, and I daresay other buyers outside of the US are going to be spending elsewhere, if they aren't already. Even online retailers in the US that I have now been buying from sell and ship for less.

Seems to me that because of this GSP, International buyers aren't getting any deals, therefore sellers won't be making as much money........and the only entity raking in a profit...will be Ebay.  If it becomes harder and harder to find non GSP sellers in the US, I guess I won't be visiting Ebay very often.

[vintagenorth]

You should probably post this on the .com Selling board. I doubt many US sellers read our Canadian boards, unless they get lost and end up here by mistake.

[kruzrrr]

There will be some sellers who will really like this GSP, as I have run across some who refuse to ship to Canada.  

For me the GSP is just another reason to avoid buying from the U.S. on ebay.  The first red flag for me was seeing the shipping price different and higher when going from the search page to the item page.  I tried to contact ebay about that difference... no reply!

It seems counterproductive for ebay sellers to have their customer based reduced like this.  As a seller I would want my customer pool to increase not decrease.  

It will have to be up to the U.S. sellers whether or not this global shipping program stays or not.

It would take most or all the sellers to refuse to use it for ebay to consider dropping it.

I don't see that happening, so I will continue to omit looking at GSP sellers.

I do find I am looking more closely at where any items I am interested in are sold from, and I am focusing more on Canadian sellers.

[bigbearsbye]

I know we're supposed to keep our comments positive but that's impossible to do when there's nothing positive about the Global Shipping disaster. It's a huge mistake, and it along with the astronomical shipping charges from U.S. sellers has had me almost quit ebay altogether.

[highland.2112]

Folks, l agree that all of these posts may be simply shouting into a vacuum.

American sellers don't read them.

I doubt very much that ebay reads them.

But likely many Canadians read them and in doing so are looking for a solution to the GSP challenge.

To date, the only solutions that have worked for me are:

1. Find a seller who is willing to forego GSP;

2. In your feedback, give that seller full documented marks for foregoing the GSP;

3. Just use ebay a lot less.

[afantiques]

Looks like the ebay global shipping program has now landed in ebay UK.   So it's not just for the USA anymore.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

Just check some of the listings on e-bay UK and it's there. So is Pitney Bowes handling that as well? or is it Royal mail?

It's not Roayal Mail. PB already have their European distribution hub in the UK, so adding on extra UK to EU parcels is a trivial modification.

[exotictights]

Hi, 

I purchased an item where the seller is using the Global Shipping Program, but I accidentally put the wrong shipping address (as I hadn't updated in on my ebay account prior to purchase). How do I contact the program or the centralized location to ensure that my package doesn't wind up at the wrong address. 

Kate 

[pierrelebel]

Contact your seller immediately - TODAY!

[pmlinne]

I have drastically reduced the number of items that I used to buy from the USA.  The Global Shipping Program can double (at least!) the shipping/handling costs.   When it first appeared I bought two dolls at about the same time- one using GSP and the other seller did not use it.   Basic shipping charges were about the same, but then the GSP added about the same amount again.   Both were shipped at about the same time from about the same area.   The one without GSP arrived first.  The one with GSP ended up being shipped across country before being forwarded to me.... arriving a week later than the first.   I did not pay import taxes on the non-GSP doll.  

As a result, I avoid sellers using the GSP.   I now look to see if an item is available from a Canadian seller.   I don't want to spend time scrolling through lists to see if I can find a USA seller that doesn't use GSP. 

[jeffnet3d]

I am expecting a large (50lb) parcel that is coming to Canada through the Global Shipping Program. Can anyone tell me which carrier is likely to handle the local delivery? FedEx? The tracking number provided does not register with any carrier I can find.

[highland.2112]

Great synopsis!

There's a reason they don't call this joke the Global Shipping SERVICE. 

[afantiques]

I am expecting a large (50lb) parcel that is coming to Canada through the Global Shipping Program. Can anyone tell me which carrier is likely to handle the local delivery? FedEx? The tracking number provided does not register with any carrier I can find.

Canpar.

[jean-philippe.vert]

---

@afantiques wrote:

I am expecting a large (50lb) parcel that is coming to Canada through the Global Shipping Program. Can anyone tell me which carrier is likely to handle the local delivery? FedEx? The tracking number provided does not register with any carrier I can find.

Canpar.

---

Got my 2 x 44 lb parcels at my local Post Canada office. (l'm in Montreal)