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.

[romancranch]

I have noticed some UK sellers I've seen who are now listed as GSP yet in their listing they clearly still state they do not post outside of the UK

Maybe some of the UK sellers have got signed into Global Shipping without their knowledge.

[reid4311]

It looks like they had a mass opt in recently.

Two weeks ago I bought two cds from a U.K. seller for GBP 5.50 shipping for both.

I checked him out Monday past and he was now a G.S.P. seller and it would now cost me GBP 15.00 for only one!

I dropped him a note and his exact words were "I have been enrolled". You can read that however you want but I know what it sounds like. When I told him about the increase he stated he was "unaware of the postage costs that eBay charge".

He has said he thought he could untick a disc if I saw one I wanted and create his own international posting option.

I hope he's right!

[afantiques]

I have noticed some UK sellers I've seen who are now listed as GSP yet in their listing they clearly still state they do not post outside of the UK

Maybe some of the UK sellers have got signed into Global Shipping without their knowledge.

There was an announcement that sellers who did not have overseas shipping set and who had not set specific blocks on shipping to various counbtries would be roped in automatically. An e-mail informing them was also supposed to have been sent.

Most sellers won't be reading all the ebay announcements, many will not know about setting shipping blocks.

The ones who are on the lookout for ebay tricks will have spotted this, but the relatively ignorant masses of small and new sellers will not have noticed. I expect most will have ignored the e-mail or simply not understood it if it was as clear as most ebay communication, or simply accepted the idea because they had no idea of the disadvantages.

As usual, the least suitable sellers with the least suitable items will have been recruited.

[afantiques]

I have noticed some UK sellers I've seen who are now listed as GSP yet in their listing they clearly still state they do not post outside of the UK

Maybe some of the UK sellers have got signed into Global Shipping without their knowledge.

There was an announcement that sellers who did not have overseas shipping set and who had not set specific blocks on shipping to various counbtries would be roped in automatically. An e-mail informing them was also supposed to have been sent.

Most sellers won't be reading all the ebay announcements, many will not know about setting shipping blocks.

The ones who are on the lookout for ebay tricks will have spotted this, but the relatively ignorant masses of small and new sellers will not have noticed. I expect most will have ignored the e-mail or simply not understood it if it was as clear as most ebay communication, or simply accepted the idea because they had no idea of the disadvantages.

As usual, the least suitable sellers with the least suitable items will have been recruited.

[rubiscobav]

In addition to my post a while ago about the GSP scam I have a further question.

The 4 items I want are rare, over 100yrs old, very small, weigh only a few grams, and I cannot find them elsewhere. They are priced about right so I don't want to buy them with the 43% GSP ebaytax. The seller says they only use GSP and wont budge. They say that as they are a small time operator they cannot get insurance any other way.

I am in the UK buying these from the US. Total value to be insured approx $358.  Is there another cheaper but proper system I can suggest to the seller that guarantees insurance if the items are lost? I do not want to have to pay over $150 extra.

Am I also right that if I am visiting the US I could have the items sent to my hotel and then GSP would not apply?

many thanks

[afantiques]

I am in the UK buying these from the US. Total value to be insured approx $358.  Is there another cheaper but proper system I can suggest to the seller that guarantees insurance if the items are lost? I do not want to have to pay over $150 extra.

The seller could insure these with Shipsurance.com or U-Pic.com for about $4 and there is also an ebay insurance you can pay for while printing a shipping label for about the same price. Insurance for any seller is cheap and simple, and the UK is not on any insurance exclusion list.  If the seller declares the full value you may get hit with 20% import VAT and a Royal Mail £8 collection charge.  I really cannot see the seller in this case having the commons sense to declare a modest value, something that would do him no harm and help safeguard the shipment.

Am I also right that if I am visiting the US I could have the items sent to my hotel and then GSP would not apply?

It would not apply,and of course you could bring back the items as part of your luggage,tax free. You could also use another US reshipper, like shipito who will let you complete the customs declaration and are vastly cheaper than the GSP.

Trouble is I cannot see such an inflexible and reluctant seller being anything but horrified at the prospect of sending to another address, even if you go through the process of entering it as a secondary address and selecting it at checkout. By now they are probably quite convinced that unless they defend themselves robustly you will have the redcoats breaking down their door at any minute

[rubiscobav]

thank you. I will investigate.

I thought that antique items were only charged at 5% VAT over a certain value (about £100 I think). Though the customs often charge the full 20% and then expect you to claim back the 15% while charging a huge handling fee! They always get your money somehow.

I think this seller might play along. She is not too inflexible but says she has had things go missing in the past. I am in New York in January for an antiques fair so could get them then.

The sellers are the losers just as much as buyers, though they may not realise it.

[christophervolk]

There is no doubt this is an unethical money grab and should be an embarrassment to any company that involves themselves with such. Bogus handling and excessive fees as well as charging duties on items that are not dutiable.....just cancel the program!!!!!!

[afantiques]

I thought that antique items were only charged at 5% VAT over a certain value (about £100 I think). Though the customs often charge the full 20% and then expect you to claim back the 15% while charging a huge handling fee! They always get your money somehow.

How would they ever know? 

If you are talking about if the sellers posts them to Britain, unless they are a member of some recognised antique selling group like the British LAPADA, customs will take no notice of 'antique'; there would need to be some certification to get the lower rate.

[stinkygopher1]

If they can't cancel the program they should be able to set up a search so that you can eliminate the items that have GSP added.I refuse to purchase items that have double shipping on them.Just another money grab.

[afantiques]

.Just another money grab.

Please  say what a 'money grab' is, and what the other 'money grabs' you refer to are, or at least some of them.

Please explain how a 'money grab' differs from making a profit by supplying goods or services.

(Some may detect that if I  see this silly cliche again, my eyeballs are going to boil. 🙂  )

[thebidsniper]

The reason people continue to refer to this idiotic program as a money grab is due to the ridiculous costs involved.  Paying shipping fees twice, paying import fees, handling fees, and then paying taxes (in some cases) all add up to an overpriced service delivered with very questionable quality.  

Buyers are suckered into it by having their listings automatically opted into the program, buyers are ignorant of what items are appropriate (Ebay takes a huge chunk of the blame here as well) and new/ignorant buyers are suckered into paying these prices because they simply don't understand the program or are unaware of the true costs they will have to pay (and from what I see here, these buyers are not repeat users of the GSP)...and Ebay seems to be content with this.  Clearly, because nothing about the program has changed since its started.

My question here is - who asked for this program?  I remember buying on Ebay even three years ago and not having any issues finding items to buy from sellers who were happy to ship to Canada.  Now, we don't even have sellers like this because their items are opted into this program automatically and many don't want to deal with the hassle of editing every listing they own (or they're unaware of how to do so).  In the past two years, I may have purchased six items, all non-GSP.  This is a huge downturn from the +150 items I used to buy yearly.  I still search for the random item from overseas and Canadian sellers, but I find myself not missing shopping here and have discovered other sites that are much more convenient and MUCH cheaper.  

[thebidsniper]

EDIT:

Sorry, it should say

Sellers are suckered into it by having their listings automatically opted into the program, sellers are ignorant of what items are appropriate...

[mater721]

"My question here is - who asked for this program?"

It was either some US sellers who were leery about selling out of country (GSP simplifies it for them) or at ebays initiative to get more sellers selling out of country.

Or more likely... both of above.

[00nevermind00]

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@afantiques wrote:

Please  say what a 'money grab' is.

---

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=money%20grab

Money grab

Obtaining money from someone without returning anything of real value. Requiring someone to pay a fee out of purely greedy or opportunistic motives.

The first part of the definition seems to fit the GSP to a T, from the buyer's standpoint, and some people will argue that the second part does as well

[weg98]

I've 'lost' only one bidder, and gained 100.

[mater721]

"I've 'lost' only one bidder, and gained 100."

Curious... how do you know how many bidders you have "lost"? You've noticed are marked increase on bids for your items?

And your increased bids are on GSP listings?

[00nevermind00]

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@weg98 wrote:
I've 'lost' only one bidder, and gained 100.

---

Unless you have a 6th sense, how do you know how many people have hit the back button on your listings because of the GSP? My guess is that you "lost" many more bidders but don't know about it.

Actually, even more "lost" buyers probably didn't even make it to the back button. They saw the tell-tale "Customs services and international tracking provided" blurb on your listings and kept right on going without a second glance.

[pierrelebel]

"My guess is that you "lost" many more bidders but don't know about it."

If I may.

Like most Canadians I do not like the Global Shipping Program as it was ill conceived and is badly administered.  eBay suggests American sellers do not use it for items worth less than $50 yet, the majority of listings we see offering GSP are priced well under $50 and it turns everybody off, mostly Canadians who have experience buying from American sellers.

On the other hand, the poster is most likely correct.  eBay's recent financial results clearly demonstrate there has been a huge increase in "cross border" transactions this year because a lot of American sellers now get buyers from outside their country.  That is a reality whether we like it or not.  And this is why GSP will continue to expand.

I do not like it... I do not use it. 

But I understand how it could increase an American sellers sales when used properly.

[elgie620]

GSP costs more on small ticket items to Canada. Canada Post waives taxes and duty on items less than $50 I find so bottom line is if I am ordering items of less than $50 on eBay, I buy from sellers who don't use GSP. Actually today I ordered an item directly from the sellers web site as it was cheaper than eBay after tax and duty got added to this $26 item.

[ccor3952]

    Sending and item  using the 'Global Shipping Program" might be cheaper for the seller than using a standard service such as USPS, FedEx, UPS etc., but it's definitely not better especially not for the buyer.

      I purchased an item about two weeks ago, and the buyer shipped it using the Global Shipping Program, the latest tracking information is 5 days old   it says is that " item has been shipped to an international destination" ( I live in Canada) and the last location listed is Erlanger , Kentucky.  So I guess instead of being able to track my item...I just have to wait until it shows up at my front door, which is no tracking system at all.

    Ebay, I would suggest you look into improving the Global Shipping Program, or discarding it, and getting something that works better.