Global Shipping... I can’t stand it

[peter_ohare]

 Global Shipping sucks.  Everything I buy shipped via Global Shipping takes for ever to  arrive at my door.  One item I bought came from Minnesota it traveled all the way down to Erlanger, Kentucky and then back up to Manitoba, Canada. Minnesota borders on Manitoba. The package traveled to 5 different cities before the final destination. The package took 12 days. The tracking was useless, it said “customs cleared”  and that was it for tracking updates, 6 days later my $900 item was sitting on my front step when I got home.

 There’s no way I would by a  guitar  Shipped by The Global Shipping program, a wood chipper would be safer.

 Lately whenever possible I buy products from people that don’t use Global Shipping, unfortunately they are getting fewer. I’d rather pay any duty and tax at the door and have my package delivered in a timely fashion.

[mrdutch1001]

First off, you have to understand the workings of the GSP. If a seller utilizes the Global Shipping Program, it matters not where the seller is located - the hub for GSP is the Kentucky location = ALL GSP items are shipped by sellers to that Kentucky location and dispersed from there. All shipping these days travels to  sortation centres. There is no such thing anymore as "direct route" shipping - central hubs are utilized and that's just the way it works now.

All items shipping from the USA go through customs and must be cleared by customs before they can be handed over to Canada Post and/or other Canadian carriers.

Options to GSP:

 - ask the seller if would consider shipping using a different shipping method...sometimes seller agrees, sometimes not.

- Don't purchase from a seller who uses GSP if you are that adamant about the program.

It's the Buyers choice when it comes to purchasing an item through a seller that utilizes GSP.

Even items that are shipped not using GSP , can be held up at customs, sometimes for weeks...so there is no guarantee that an item shipped via another shipping method would arrive in "a timely fashion."

[femmefan1946]

I've been selling mail order since the 80's-- everything from woodstoves to postage stamps.

I consider any item that arrives within 20 days from North America to be on time, based on that experience.

From overseas, I allow 30 days, never more, although it has been my experience that delivery from Europe is faster than from North America, probably because Europeans tend to use Air Mail.

When I compare my FB left on shipment to my FB received from buyers, I see no reason to change my opinion.

What was the date eBay gave you for delivery?

If delivery is later than that, you have 30 days to open a Not Delivered dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page and get a refund.

6 days later my $900 item was sitting on my front step when I got home.

Now that is a problem.

Not for you-- for GSP/Pitney Bowes.

EBay advises sellers to use Signature Confirmation on any item valued over $750 (including shipping charges).

The Money Back Guarantee does not protect sellers who do not use SC in such circumstances.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Hmmm...Never really took that into consideration. Almost, always find either in my community mailbox or front step. Trying to remember the last time I received an item purchased through eBay that needed my signature of assorted values? <Insert smoking brain cells here> . The last anything needing a signature was a Staples delivery and a couch. Anything can state delivered. If there is no signature required/asked for by driver, how does anyone know it was delivered to the correct address or didn't walk away after delivery?

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

EBay and Paypal are happy to accept Confirmation of Delivery on any tracked item on the carrier's word.

Because any story about theft in the postal system is pretty much a "man bites dog" tale, worth telling because it is so unusual.

And to steal an item that the carrier signed for at the terminal and then confirmed that he delivered it? Stupid or insane. (And most of those "postie's house found stuffed with months of undelivered mail" stories are part of a story about mental health).

So the seller is covered if the shipment is tracked and delivered.

If at that point, the shipment is stolen from the porch, the seller is required to refund and go to the shipping service with an insurance claim.

USPS, I hear, uses GPS on tracked deliveries, so if the carrier drops the parcel a block away, or two miles away,  from the actual address, the postmaster can see that and rectify the error.  Canada Post has much smaller postal walks, and does not do that.

But if the item goes over $750 in value, eBay and Paypal will not help the seller. At that point they require Signature.  I suspect that eBay refunds from their own pockets more often than most of us think. Although they then go after the recalcitrant seller.

But, sellers can add Signature Confirmation to anything. It's relatively cheap and worth the peace of mind for a item that sold outside the seller's comfort zone.

Most of the items I've signed for were delivered by couriers like UPS rather than the post office. Perhaps they get more claims?

[pjcdn2005]

So the seller is covered if the shipment is tracked and delivered.

If at that point, the shipment is stolen from the porch, the seller is  NOT required to refund  (according to ebay and PayPal seller protections)