eBay

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

In the item description, the GSP no longer shows import charges, just the shipping cost. The buyer won't know he's going to be charged import charges, which are often way higher than they should be, until after he/she has bought. Expect some angry buyers if you use GSP.

This probably won't effect many Canadian sellers as I doubt many of us use GSP but for those that do, beware. The US and UK sellers, many of whom do use GSP, are going to get a lot of angry buyers from this change. Nice surprise charge after you've committed to buy. Cool.

pierrelebel · ‎07-17-2016

All I can say is that your information is incorrect.

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2016

Please cite your source. Where was it NOT being shown? Can you replicate this for us?

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

well, for the last 2 days every listing I look at with seller using GSP does not show import charges. Here are 2 listings I grabbed at random, the first 2 I looked at.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Corgi-AA36102-1944-Consolidated-PBY-5A-OA-10A-Catalina-USAAF-WWII-Airplane-/...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CORGI-AVIATION-1-72-CATALINA-MKIIA-209-SQN-PEMBROKE-DOCK-OCTOBER-1941-AA3610...

Both show shipping costs but nothing else....there used to be import charges below the shipping charges.

esclyons · ‎07-17-2016

I AM SEEING IMPORT CHARGES ON BOTH OF THOSE AUCTIONS, SHIPPING CHARGES 30$ SOMETHING AND IMPORT FEES 30$ SOMETHING.. THEY ARE THERE.

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

???

all I see is the shipping charges.

could it be a browser issue? I can't imagine how it could, when I can see everything else on the listing page. I use IE10

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

Can't be browser. The only other possibility is that I am part of a beta test where it's been eliminated.

Will be interesting to hear if there are some others who can't see import charges like me.

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2016

I see it.

Your ship-to isn't a USA zip code, is it? Like do you have an alternate address that you last used to estimate alternate shipping costs?

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2016

And I cannot even look at the ebay.com listing.

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

try looking for the listing again.....I've been getting that error message off and on all week. The listings are there it's just another Ebay glitch.

My address is Canadian.......I have no other addresses. It wouldn't be showing GSP at all, anywhere if I had a US based address.

As I said, I must be part of a beta test where the import charges have been eliminated I see it exactly as you've posted except the line with Import Charges is not there. It goes from Shipping to Delivery lines. This is pretty bizarre.

silverpinups · ‎07-17-2016

"Will be interesting to hear if there are some others who can't see import charges like me."

That's because your searching on EBAY.COM not EBAY.CA which clearly shows the import charges.

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2016

Yes, very weird. A beta test where costs are hidden from buyers makes no sense, though. It would only enrage customers. Edit: Or what silverpinups said. What happens when you type .ca over the .com in the browser window?

More likely it's an unintended result of some weird thing they've working on. There's been a rash of bug reports lately.

I, for example, stretched my Watch list to 300 items from the usually 200 but could only do so if I added the items while using an iPhone app. Others have reported all their Collections are missing. Purchase History too.

My suspicions is that they are 'working on improvements' cough cough.

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

Interesting.......I always search ebay.com and never ebay.ca and import charges have always shown up before, until yesterday. It seems they have been eliminated on ebay.com.

Guys, try looking for those listing on ebay.com and tell me if you see import charges. If you can't do it by item number than just go to ebay.com and search 'Corgi Catalina' and those 2 listings I posted will be there, near the top. Then see if you can see import charges.

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2016

I still see the Import Charges. Went to ebay.com and searched your keywords. Are you logged in at the time so that ebay.com knows you're Canadian? I'm assuming so.

Maybe this is a question for Raphael at Weekly Board hour. If it's affecting Canadian buyers, he should know about it. I can't imagine that hidden Import Charges are a good thing. Buyers have complained about that on the boards but the assumption is always they just didn't look hard enough. Maybe the Import Charges weren't there.

I hope there is a simple explanation.

ypdc_dennis · ‎07-17-2016

@fort2b wrote:
well, for the last 2 days every listing I look at with seller using GSP does not show import charges. Here are 2 listings I grabbed at random, the first 2 I looked at.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Corgi-AA36102-1944-Consolidated-PBY-5A-OA-10A-Catalina-USAAF-WWII-Airplane-/...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CORGI-AVIATION-1-72-CATALINA-MKIIA-209-SQN-PEMBROKE-DOCK-OCTOBER-1941-AA3610...

Both show shipping costs but nothing else....there used to be import charges below the shipping charges.

For both of those listings I'm seeing the same as you, the import fees are hidden.

Main page has: International Priority Shipping to Canada via the Global Shipping Program

Under Shipping and payments I see "See import charges at checkout", so the question of importance to ask is this info available before or after you are committed to buy. I believe the old market phrase is buying-a-pig-in-a-poke.

-..-

Judging from other comments this has all the hallmarks of eBay doing selective market testing.

-..-

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2016

Oh golly, hiding costs from customers until the last second is NEVER a good idea.

And to whom would the potential buyer even direct that question? Half the USA-based sellers using the program are blissfully unaware of the fact they are enrolled, if we are to believe the reports. Those sellers wouldn't be able to estimate import charges for their buyer, nor should they have to. That's the GSP's job.

If this is deliberate, it's a terrible idea. It can only backfire.

pierrelebel · ‎07-17-2016

I have searched ten (10) different listings on eBay.com - different categories - and all of them clearly show "import charges". I use a desktop computer, Firefox browser.

Now, we have seen posts before from potential buyers (using cellphones) claiming not to have seen the "import charge" on the listing BUT the information was provided at time of Checkout BEFORE the buyer makes the purchase commitment.

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

@ypdc_dennis wrote:
@fort2b wrote:
well, for the last 2 days every listing I look at with seller using GSP does not show import charges. Here are 2 listings I grabbed at random, the first 2 I looked at.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Corgi-AA36102-1944-Consolidated-PBY-5A-OA-10A-Catalina-USAAF-WWII-Airplane-/...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CORGI-AVIATION-1-72-CATALINA-MKIIA-209-SQN-PEMBROKE-DOCK-OCTOBER-1941-AA3610...

Both show shipping costs but nothing else....there used to be import charges below the shipping charges.

For both of those listings I'm seeing the same as you, the import fees are hidden.

Main page has: International Priority Shipping to Canada via the Global Shipping Program

Under Shipping and payments I see "See import charges at checkout", so the question of importance to ask is this info available before or after you are committed to buy. I believe the old market phrase is buying-a-pig-in-a-poke.

-..-

Judging from other comments this has all the hallmarks of eBay doing selective market testing.

-..-

I see that now too......under shipping and payments...but who in the world will ever look for it?

If you click on 'buy it now' before you have to commit to buy, if you look it shows the import charges. This is what I went through yesterday on another listing. I was skeptical that there was going to be no import charges on a GSP listing so I looked carefully after clicking 'buy it now' and saw them before I had to click 'commit to buy'. But if I hadn't looked carefully I would have missed them. And for sure they don't show up on auctions anywhere and in that case, if you've won the auction, you'll be charged an extra whack in import charges that were never shown anywhere.

Crazy. This can only be construed as underhanded by the buyer........and it is the seller, not Ebay, who will bear the buyer's wrath. The seller won't know what the buyer is even talking about, since the seller can't see import charges ever and will think the buyer is a loon. All because of a change that ebay has made.

sylviebee · ‎07-17-2016

I've been posting about this on the Buyer's Board for almost 2 weeks.

It does look like the logo etc. is still on eBay.ca but no longer on eBay.com.

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/Comments-about-the-Global-Shipping-Program/m-p/149059#U149...

fort2b · ‎07-17-2016

@sylviebee wrote:
I've been posting about this on the Buyer's Board for almost 2 weeks.
It does look like the logo etc. is still on eBay.ca but no longer on eBay.com.

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/Comments-about-the-Global-Shipping-Program/m-p/149059#U149...

That's not surprising. Ebay.com changes often don't happen for a long time on Ebay.ca , sometimes they never happen. The look on ebay.com is a bit different than the look on ebay.ca for that reason. To me, when I search on ebay.ca for something, which is very rarely, it's like a trip down memory lane because the format is what ebay.com used to look like a few years ago.