Questions about the Global Shipping Program

[kalvin@ebay.com]

Do you have questions about the Global Shipping Program? Please post here & I'll do my best to track those answers down for you!

If you have any comments about the program, use this forum instead.

Thanks,

[fiona_w1956]

It can actually be cheaper for heavier items.  I recently bought a set of 12 old books for $60.00.  Shipping was only $26.68, plus an import fee of $11.99, for a total of $38.67.  A month ago I bought a very similar set from the U.S. and had it shipped via USPS and Canada Post.   The cost to ship those was $75.00, so I saved over $35.00 by using the GSP.  It is the lighter items for which it is not worthwhile.  In spite of the fact that it was cost effective for me, I will not be using the GSP again - mainly because I really don't like CanPar being used as a local delivery agent.

[bennett4612]

Hi everyone. 

Apologies for the delay as I am just seeing this thread now. 

I have sent an inquiry down the line and will keep after it. 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. 

Stay tuned ....

---Ben

[bennett4612]

Ok, here is some more info. This one was beyond my area of expertise so I reached out to a couple co-workers to investigate and provide some info. 

To quote:

"This listing (251245118863) looks like a problem that is driven by the underlying structure that drives quoting today. Quotes are provided at category level. The category this item is listed in on eBay is:

Home & Garden > Food & Beverages > Honey, Syrup & Sweeteners

This categorization is not as granular as the member's expectation for quoting.  Their expectation is that the quote will be provided based on country of manufacture and the seller of this item did not provide the country of manufacture in the listing that was referenced.

We are working to get a better means of item classification in place, but we do still rely on the seller to provide us the country of manufacture."

Hope that helps. And thanks for your patience. 

---Ben

[pierrelebel]

Thank you Ben for taking the time.

Now, the listing is : Maple Syrup - Pure Vermont

The description states: "We are a small family farm located in EastFairfield, Vermont. Here we have raised our four children while keeping the farm in production of Vermont Milk and Maple syrup."

Everything in that listing clearly indicates American made.

Now, even if the Vermont Maple Syrup were manufactured somewhere else, outside the USA, how can you justify "import charges" into Canada of $69.92 for a bottle of maple syrup selling at $19.99?

More so that your experts at Pitney-Bowes would know that maple syrup is not taxable (GST/HST) when entering Canada (or within Canada for that matter) as it is considered basic grocery and, as such, tax exempt.

How did Pitney-Bowes, or eBay, or whoever did the calculation come up to $69.92 (when shipping to Ontario) a slightly lower amount when shipping to Alberta and ZERO when shipping to the UK?

In other words, how do they explain how they arrived at the amounts shown in all the listings under "shipping charges" from that seller when shipping into Canada - as all of them are way out of whack.

Coincidence?

[bennett4612]

Hi petitecroissant550.

Just wanted to send a little more info that I thought might help. 

You should open a "not as described" case, which will get the refund process started automatically. It will also help make sure you are refunded the entire amount (including shipping, import fees, etc.).

You should also be aware that returns are not currently supported with the GSP. And that if the item needs to be returned then it will have to be arranged directly between you and the seller. 

Hope that helps. 

---Ben

[anguscoinshop]

You should also be aware that returns are not currently supported with the GSP. And that if the item needs to be returned then it will have to be arranged directly between you and the seller. 

Hope that helps. 

---Ben

this is an even stronger reason why you shouldn't buy anything from sellers that use the gsp

now this poor buyer has to deal with two entity instead of one.

looks like this is going to be a lesson for everyone else.

[petitecroissant550]

We (the seller and I) made a mutual agreement to rectify the issue. I don't mind using the GSP when I need to, but I always like to know if there is a proper process to do such things as exchanges.

[bilge21]

Pierre, it's not just maple syrup, it's many other items that the GSP has no clue about. Items such as medical devices which are duty and tax-free, but GSP still assesses taxes and fees upon.

Examples:

Item # 121233507118 (Hearing aids)

Item # 121231531703 (Hearing aid batteries)

Item # 291031626631 (Glucose meters for diabetics)

Item # 171192989484 (Test strips for above meters)

These are just a few examples and I brought it up in another thread a few months ago, and one of the staff was supposed to look into it but it looks like nothing is done. Granted, the fees are not high as they are with the maple syrup example you gave, but they still should not have any kind of import charges attached.

[afantiques]

so I reached out to a couple of co-workers

Why not just say 'contacted'

Corporate emo-babble is not big and it is not clever.

[afantiques]

looks like a problem that is driven by the underlying structure that drives quoting today.

Translation:  We have no idea.

[marnotom!]

---

@bilge21 wrote:

Pierre, it's not just maple syrup, it's many other items that the GSP has no clue about. Items such as medical devices which are duty and tax-free, but GSP still assesses taxes and fees upon.

Examples:

Item # 121233507118 (Hearing aids)

Item # 121231531703 (Hearing aid batteries)

Item # 291031626631 (Glucose meters for diabetics)

Item # 171192989484 (Test strips for above meters)

These are just a few examples and I brought it up in another thread a few months ago, and one of the staff was supposed to look into it but it looks like nothing is done. Granted, the fees are not high as they are with the maple syrup example you gave, but they still should not have any kind of import charges attached.

---

It seems to be the same situation as stated by Ben's co-worker.  The import charges are based on the "Health & Beauty" umbrella category, not the sub-category of "Hearing Assistance" or "Glucose Monitors".

[bennett4612]

They actually do have a pretty good idea what the problem is. And whether you choose to believe it or not, we ARE working with Pitney Bowes to figure out how the country of origin and category distinctions can produce better quotes.

Not sure what you mean by "Corporate emo-babble" but I wasn't trying to be clever.  Not sure why I chose "Reached out to" vs. "contacted". Didn't really think about it I guess. 

pierrelebel:  I sent a follow-up question regarding YOUR follow-up question (message #16 in this thread). Still waiting to hear back. 

---Ben

[bennett4612]

Hi pierrelebel. 

I heard back a little quicker than expected. 

Before I paste in the answers, I should mention that these questions have been very helpful on our end. So thank you to the Community for pointing out these inconsistencies, and please continue to do so. 

Here is the info from Pitney Bowes. Hope this helps. 

++++++++++

>Regarding “the import charges of $69.92”: we’re currently investigating a change to allow such commodities to be applied the appropriate importation charges

>Regarding “maple syrup is not taxable (GST/HST) when entering Canada (or within Canada for that matter) as it is considered basic grocery and, as such, tax exempt.”, we don’t support such tax exemptions for Canada.

>Regarding “how did the calculation come up to $69.92 (when shipping to Ontario) a slightly lower amount when shipping to Alberta, and ZERO when shipping to the UK”:

--Taxes applicable to Ontario residents is higher (13%) relative to taxes applicable to Alberta residents (5%)

--The UK import charges are $0 as a result of the commodity value being under the UK limit for the application of duty and tax

++++++++++

On a related note, and as mentioned at the top, there is some additional "looking into it" going on as well. After the initial question in the “Honey, Syrup, and Sweeteners” category, they decided that some updates were needed in this (and several other similar) categories. So stay tuned there, and thanks again for pointing all this out. 

---Ben

[pierrelebel]

"we don’t support such tax exemptions for Canada."

??

You are kidding, are you?

You can go into any Canadian grocery store, purchase a container of maple syrup - any size, go to the cash, and you will be charge the price shown WITHOUT ANY TAX WHATSOEVER. And that applies to every province of Canada.  Maple syrup, like corn syrup, molasses,and similar sweetener is considered "basic groceries" and as such GST/HST exempt.

I do not know who "we" are but it may help to get a Canadian perspective on the matter.  And, even if the syrup were taxable (it is not) it does not explain the huge "import fees" nor the difference between the amount charged in Ontario (13% HST) and Alberta (5% GST).

Please do not take my word for any of it, check the official website of Canadian federal and provincial governments to see "maple syrup" is most definitely tax exempt:

http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/guides/rst/500.html

[afantiques]

Indeed, the problem is not the fact that  the stuff is taxed, they have still not ironed out the fact that tax free books to Britain are taxed. The problem is why such a huge charge?

[afantiques]

I don't disbelieve that some efforts are being made to sort out the bigger problems, but here is another one.

The other day, I looke at the listings of a coin dealer. The GSP rules specifically exclude coins, the items were listed in the right category, and they showed GSP as the shipping method.

I have noticed quite a few other items that are on the restricted list, and presumably won't get past Erlanger, antiques, ceramics, antique ceramics, in fact that last is restriced twice.

Why is this happening. It does say a warning is given when listing. Can sellers simply ignore this? Are items that are opted into the GSP automatically when a seller signs up filtered for appropriate category? Do the filters work with listing programs like Turbolister.

These would be interesting questions to get some answers to, if possible. A lot of sellers are going to face problems if they don't know what they are doing with their categories.

[macdmac_gpwn8evd]

If you buy an item that is shipped with GSP from an american retailer, and they mark it as shipped, how long should you wait until it says "accepted" in the global shipping information?  Mine was marked as shipped on the 9th, but today is the 11th and it still has not been "accepted"?

Will it not be marked as accepted until it reaches Kentucky?  Or should it be marked as accepted when the seller actually drops it off to be shipped to Kentucky (from New Jersey)?  My understanding is that the way it is just the little package icon marked as shipped right now, only indicates that the label has been printed through paypal/ebay.

Thanks.

[theoldestfart]

---

@bennett4612 wrote:

Hi kfc21859.

Technically speaking returns are not currently supported by the GSP. If a return is necessary it must be worked out between the buyer and seller, per the terms of the seller's return policy.

However in cases where the item is Not As Described, you should report it in the same was as you would with a non-GSP transaction. The rest should then happen automatically. 

Returning of the product is not a requirement for refund. Once the Not As Described case is reported the refund portion should begin automatically, with the shipping and import fees refunded by eBay / Pitney Bowes. 

You can read more on the Buyer Terms & Conditions page:  http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

Hope this helps. 

---Ben

---

Sorry to say but this information is not at all what I experienced with a SNAD item purchased under the GSP. Returning the item was a requirement to get a refund from the seller for the item price and the shipping. There is no mention when on initiates a complaint through resolution center for a GSP that indeed the Import Charges will be refunded via eBay.

I had to call eBay and get them to refund my Import Charges and to make sure the seller was not going to try to charge me a 15% restocking fee which was not visible in the listing.

I also had to pay $17 out of my own pocket to ship back an SNAD item and one which I discovered after launching the SNAD complaint,  appears to be DOA as well.

[afantiques]

However in cases where the item is Not As Described, you should report it in the same was as you would with a non-GSP transaction. The rest should then happen automatically. 

Returning of the product is not a requirement for refund. Once the Not As Described case is reported the refund portion should begin automatically, with the shipping and import fees refunded by eBay / Pitney Bowes.

Ben, can you point to specific contract terms specifying this?  A quote will be good.

Obviously it is of considerable importance to anyone with a problem item, like the poster above.

[theoldestfart]

---

@afantiques wrote:

However in cases where the item is Not As Described, you should report it in the same was as you would with a non-GSP transaction. The rest should then happen automatically. 

Returning of the product is not a requirement for refund. Once the Not As Described case is reported the refund portion should begin automatically, with the shipping and import fees refunded by eBay / Pitney Bowes.

Ben, can you point to specific contract terms specifying this?  A quote will be good.

Obviously it is of considerable importance to anyone with a problem item, like the poster above.

---

The automatic notices generated by the resolution center makes no mention of the refunding of the Import Charges. It just indicates price of item and shipping. Import charges are separate from the shipping charges. I had to phone eBay and talk to a GSP specialist after jumping through hoops  to find the secret code and phone number.