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.

[flint12345]

WHERE IS THE SETTING FOR EXCLUDING SELLERS WHO ARE USING THE"GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM"

there has to be a setting some where ?the GSP is new and i do not agree with it at all i always made shure that the seller ship the item with USPS and there was never any charges for me ,if this continue i will QUIT ebay all together so far i got over 100 items on ebay ,if the sellers getting lazy and just use GSP well good luck to them, not with me .

just my to cents worth

fred 

 i  

[denim-2000]

Well, after cutting down my monthly purchasing habits from sometimes hundreds to practically 0 from US sellers due to the utterly DISGUSTING, borderline illegal, cash-grab of a joke global shipping program, it seems the virus has migrated itself over to the UK as well. So much for eBay listening to it's users. I was still buying from the UK since your horrid program wasn't triple-charging me in taxes there, like it was for the US. So, sadly, my eBay purchases are pretty much done at this point. It's now cheaper, or on par, to purchase the item new from a healthier competitor such as Amazon, or simply online from the manufacturer. Avoiding GSP sellers is impossible since you've slipped it in by default, without most sellers even being aware of it. (Nice, honest, customer service, BTW).

Way to go, eBay. I've been on here since 2003 and this GSP singlehandedly destroyed my eBay purchasing experience. Take a look around and *listen* to what your users are saying.

At the end of the day, money talks. You won't be getting mine anymore and judging from the thousands upon thousands of **bleep** off users, you won't be getting theirs either. 

Your greed will cost nobody else but you in the end. Good luck with that!

[reid4311]

I noticed the GSP virus in the U.K. last week. Now the seller I used to buy cds from who asked for $9.70 for two now wants $27.50 for a single cd shipped.

Buck up! 

There's always Germany! I haven't seen it there yet.

[anglia51]

It's nice to see somebody with character willing to make some sacrifice to stand up & try to make things right. Most everyone one here just wants business as usual & there answer to the gsp is to buy only from the sellers who don't participate in the gsp or contact the seller & ask them to change there add.

[reid4311]

I guess it hasn't occurred to you yet that it simply isn't going to go away. You can rattle the swords all you like but it's not going anywhere. So what do you do? You can make noise or as has been mentioned shop with sellers not using it or of course shop with Canadian sellers exclusively.

There are over 5,000 posts here and I've not read a single positive yet they've done nothing. That in itself sends a clear message.

You can try to educate sellers in other countries but you've got to remember that a high percentage of the don't ship outside there own country so even if they do sign up and get no international business what have they lost? Precious little I'd say.

As a side bar a U'S' seller I buy DVDS from who has not signed up contacted me to asked what I thought. I told him. He thanked me by stating that he had no intention of losing any international customers, period.

Now, here's the kicker! He told me he had asked because they had sent him a e-mail to his private box (he wasn't impressed) offering him $50.00 if he'd sign up! He moves a lot of flicks on a weekly basis and has two site you can visit and then combine from both into one package. I think they smell money there. Now, I only have his word as to this offer but why would he lie. As I mentioned he wasn't impressed and categorically turned them down. He also sends personal invoices that undercut the listed shipping price by $2.00.

Bottom line is I think perhaps the only way to get their attention is by simply not buying from those who use it which sends a message or perhaps some sort of petition?

Otherwise, sadly, get used to it!

[anglia51]

That all maybe true at this point I don't care I'm just not buying from anyone on eBay period. eBay is a public company & they have to answer to there investors/shareholders  & when they start losing $$$ & sellers aren't moving there inventory somebody will have to do something or go down with the ship. I have my mind made up no more eBay for me. There are other places for me to buy & sell & the chances of being ripped of are no or worse than dealing on eBay. I have nothing to loose buy using alternative sources. And to add insult to injury president Obama is proposing an internet tax. So the way i see it eBay will be a thing of the past.     

[reid4311]

I agree. I don't buy from G.S.P. users either and am slowly winding things down. I did a G.S.P. purchase once when it first started and I knew nothing. Boy, did I learn fast! I only bought music and movies here and now like yourself I look elsewhere and can get a cd or dvd shipped to my door for what the G.S.P. cost alone without factoring in the cost of the disc.

I heard about the net tax on the tube but now that Obama has a minority gov. he may have a hard time getting it (anything) through. I.S.P. companies are already singing long and loud. Notice that the first thing voted on was Keystone!

Also you're right about eBay outliving its usefulness. Besides there is too much drama here what with regular tech problems and I still haven't forgotten that they didn't alert us to the hacking until in turned up on TV news and that was what, almost a month after the fact. Had it not been broadcast nationwide I'd be willing to bet they never would have brought it to our attention. For me that really eroded their credibility.

[reid4311]

By the way, is that your Anglia?

[mb571]

I will not buy anything from the USA using this Pitney Bowes money grab. I paid duty and brokerage on a $20 item that would not have been paid had it been shipped USPS.  I will be attempting to fill my shopping needs in Hong Kong before buying in USA.

[mater721]

"WHERE IS THE SETTING FOR EXCLUDING SELLERS WHO ARE USING THE"GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM"

Unfortunately there is no setting to filter those listings out.

In list view, you need to look for the text "Customs services and international tracking provided" - located right of the price.

Ignore all sellers with that text.

[donvker]

It's now 10 days after the seller shipped the item, and GSP provides its first tracking update (location and time stamp).

The package has been moved 1/2 way across the US in 10 days. Unfortunately it's still in the US. This speed is comparable to the Pony Express. In 35yrs of buying items from the US this is by far the worst, and by a hefty margin too. Is GSP a storage company?

The real test will be GSP crossing the great lakes. I've got a towel ready.....

---

@donvker wrote:

GSP is a farce.

There is no meaningfull tracking provided. No location, no carrier, no time stamps, and therefore no tracking. I am paying for a placebo.

In the future whenever I see GSP, I will also avoid like the plague. They are completely ineffective, by reducing the visibility, increasing cost and increasing delivery time.

GSP means fewer sales.

---

[mater721]

"Most everyone one here just wants business as usual & there answer to the gsp is to buy only from the sellers who don't participate in the gsp or contact the seller & ask them to change there add."

You make the above sound like a negative thing.

Why is your solution (do not buy on ebay) the only good solution?

Why is only buying from non-GSP sellers not a good solution?

[reid4311]

Half way across the U.S. in ten days is par for the course. It isn't airmail, it's truck or train. That way they get to keep more of the money they've ripped off! Since we've now got snow on the ground in Ontario perhaps they'd consider dog sled.

My wife worked for H.S.B.C. till she retired. They had a contract with P.B. to service their postage meters and they screwed it up so were fired!

[reid4311]

Not buying from G.S.P. users I think is the best solution at present. 

The best way to get their attention is by keeping your money. I feel no loyalty, my only loyalty is to my wallet! 

You could always visit the discussion area in .com and .co.uk and leave notices there for sellers about whats happening. Try to engage sellers who haven't yet fallen into the G.S.P. virus. Make them aware of the reality of the situation. And that reality is that their international business will disappear pronto and if they currently do not ship internationally and they do sign on it won't make any difference.

[mater721]

"Not buying from G.S.P. users I think is the best solution at present."

That's what I've done so far - have not found any items with Final Price that justify buying from a GSP seller.

I suppose, if there was an item I really wanted (hard-to-find collectible) , and the Final Price was somewhat reasonable, the possibility exists I might buy from a GSP seller. Conditions described though, have not been met.

"The best way to get their attention is by keeping your money. I feel no loyalty, my only loyalty is to my wallet! "

For me, has nothing to do with loyalty. it's just not easy to find the items I want elsewhere.

[reid4311]

I understand that but if you read between the lines there are a lot of buyers who seem to be loyal to eBay and haven't or wouldn't consider Amazon. May be they had a bad experience there in the past. But if you are looking for a disc that's commonly available then you can get it from Amazon all in for less than the G.S.P. cost alone without even factoring in the price of the cd/dvd! Like you, I used a seller once who had a cd I didn't even know existed by an artist I liked. It was so h.t.f. it wasn't even listed in the artists website. (it wasn't a bootleg). All told I won the disc for around $5.00 but the postage was over $18.00! All told I guess totaled up it was okay but it still left a bad taste in my mouth and I've ignored it ever since. Now if I find a rarity I add it to my watch list and wait. Eventually someone will offer it without G.S.P. or one turns up elsewhere. 

I only buy cds and dvds here so I'm always comparing prices between the two. As for music there are any number of online shops who offer used discs (Gemm, Musicstack etc.) As for new, you can't count them!

[mater721]

"All told I won the disc for around $5.00 but the postage was over $18.00! All told I guess totaled up it was okay but it still left a bad taste in my mouth and I've ignored it ever since."

That's the key... if final price of $5.00 + $18.00 was reasonable for you, then you got a decent deal.

Look at it another way... if the rare CD was Buy It Now for $23.00 with Free Shipping, would you feel differently?

The collectibles I buy (mostly action figures produced in the 70s) are not available in many places. I have a budget, and only buy when I am within my budget and the item+shipping is reasonable.

Unfortunately the rare collectibles don't often go for a low bid - so the high bid + high GSP shipping just does not work for me.

[reid4311]

Since I'm retired I do like you have a budget. I think I would have most likely bought the disc for that total with free shipping. Since I'd never seen this cd before even though it had been released in 95 or 6 the next closest price I saw was Amazon.com where the total was well past $30.00 U.S. Even there shipping one cd up here costs over $14.00 but from Amazon.co.uk you can buy the same disc with a shipping rate of a little over $5.00! Seems out of whack doesn't it?

I know action figures are quite popular so for you it might be different in that if you decide to wait someone from the U.S. where the G.S.P. isn't an issue might snatch it up and who knows when or if you'll ever see another. A bit of a quandary isn't it.

[anglia51]

My solution is not the only solution. But my solution will get noticed quicker. You have to hit them where it will hurt the most in the pocket book. Like i said eBay is a publicly traded stock & investor have little patience for slow & week preforming stocks. They want results not excuses. The way i see it you need to make sellers cry foul & the investors sell there stocks. Now I am not retired I am 61 & I work a seasonal job from May to mid Dec. I work more hours in that time than a full time worker working 40 hr. a week working 52 weeks. I don't have time to be contacting sellers to do this or do that. I'm not a big fan of eBay it is slanted toward the seller & do little to protect the buyer. The feedback form is a scam it is buy no means a way to judge if a seller is reputable or not. In the 11 years I have spent in excess of $50,000 dollars collecting die cast.  Now with the addition of the GSP i buy nothing from no one. I have other means to buy die cast mostly on social media. There are many groups that have buy sell trade groups that i can get what i'm looking for. Yes I'm taking a risk but no more risk than of eBay. Believe me I have been ripped of on eBay on several occasions & eBay did nothing only made excuses.         

[anglia51]

Yes it is.it's my pride & joy. It has a 427 big block Chevy pushing 510 hp. it is tubed with a turbo 400 trans with a narrowed 9" Ford rear-end with 16" wide tires with wheelie bars on the back.  You could say it is built Ford tough with Chevy stuff