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,

[marnotom!]

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@s00keh wrote:

Why is EBAY GLOBAL SHIPPING CHARGING DUTY ON PREOWNED CLOTHING SHIPPED FROM THE USA TO CANADA??????? Now an Amazon Customer!!!! 

I will not make any purchase with GLOBAL SHIPPING....

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How do you know it's duty being charged when the "import charges" are made up of a lot of charges added together and you can't see the breakdown of those charges?

Besides, anything manufactured outside of a zone where Canada has a free trade agreement is subject to duty, no matter where it ships from.

And anything sent by mail from the U.S. (or anywhere else) with a declared value of more than C$20 is subject to taxes (GST/HST/PST, etc.) too.  It just doesn't always get charged, that's all.

Also keep in mind that we pay duty on stuff all the time but most of the time it's buried in the selling price, as is likely the case with much of the stuff that Amazon sells.

Also keep in mind that a lot of U.S. sellers still ship directly to their non-U.S. buyers.  Stop buying on eBay and you could be hurting sellers that are trying to work with you.

[f2424]

why is the u.s.a. the only country charging this "global shipping program and why is it that the buyer has to pay for shipping "TWICE"..just another money grab by e-bay??o

[afantiques]

Best way to get around Sales and duty tax is to have the seller Change from Global mailing system to just normal shipping , Then Mark the item as a gift .

Gift is pointless, it is the marked value that matters. Gifts are subject to import charges. This idea that gifts get a free ride seems to be the world's biggest misconception. You find it everywhere.

That said, my stuff is always shipped decribed as near as possible to  'Total Rubbish' and valued at 'Not worth stealing'.

[marnotom!]

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@f2424 wrote:

why is the u.s.a. the only country charging this "global shipping program and why is it that the buyer has to pay for shipping "TWICE"..just another money grab by e-bay??

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What!  You want more countries' eBays to have the Global Shipping Program for sellers to use?

Just kidding.  But you do have to admit that somebody could misread your statement and think that's what you mean.  🙂

eBay.com has a lot of sellers on it, but many of them still don't open their sales up to international shipping, either because they have misconceptions about it or else they're pretty comfortable dealing with an already large pool of buyers and they don't feel it necessary to spread their wings and step out of their comfort zone.

On the other hand, eBay.com sales in general have reached their saturation point.  The only way to continue to increase the sales volume on the site is to expand the pool of buyers able to purchase from the site, and that means more international buyers.  eBay.com needed some way to draw more international buyers but at the same time keep the more risk-adverse U.S. sellers comfortable.  There are a number of forwarding companies that work with international buyers buying on eBay.com already, so the concept was borrowed.  Because the postal system isn't being used (at least not extensively) by the GSP, eBay has to follow the rules that commercial carriers have to follow when international transactions are made, and part of that is collecting any taxes and duties that may be due on the shipment upon import.

I doubt that eBay.com makes much off a GSP shipment.  The seller will pay a bit more in PayPal fees and eBay.com gets a "referral fee" from Pitney Bowes (the GSP administrator/contractor) but from what I can see there isn't much of a pie to split between all the parties involved.  Where I think eBay.com hopes to make money is in additional sales revenues.

Keep in mind that while the GSP may suck bigtime for shipping items that can be shipped in a pretty straightforward manner as oversize letters (First Class International / Small Packet), its price advantage over parcel post is more apparent with larger items, provided the buyer is willing to pay the taxes and duties owing on the item that they may escape paying if the item is sent through the mail.

[masterdetailer_ca]

How can US sellers combine shipping through the GSP?

[femmefan1946]

They can't.

So your seller should be billing you directly through Paypal (don't worry, this is eBay legal) citing the eBay listing numbers in the text box for the description of goods.

This is also the way the seller can avoid shipping through GSP, which often is unnecessarily expensive. Even eBay does not want sellers to use GSP if the value of the item being shipped is under $50.

[dreadnatz]

What he said... This is really frustrating and annoying and I hope it gets scrapped.So far I've been avoiding sellers who are using the program.

[d3drocks]

I bought an item earlier this week, and the seller (seemingly unaware that he was part of the global shipping program) just shipped directly to me through USPS. I haven't had an issue with the global shipping program as it makes the customs go much faster (in my experience), but now I'm going to have to pay the import taxes when the item arrives, even though I've done so already!

what am I supposed to do in this situation?

can I at least be refunded my fee for the global shipping program since it was never used? if this is possible, how do I do this?

[marnotom!]

Are you certain that you're going to have to pay a second set of import charges?  Many items go through the Canada Border Services inspection stage without getting assessed taxes.  Even $300 equalizers.  What mailing method did your seller use?

[d3drocks]

he used USPS first class international mail. I've bought other items in this one's series in the past without the global shipping program and I've been dinged when Canada post brings it to my door. he directly emailed me the tracking number so I know it's been sent out .I know of the guy's company though and they do good work so I don't think this was intentional at all.

[afantiques]

Don't do anything till you are asked to pay any taxes. If you are, refuse the package. Then go through the full process of an ebay item not reseived claim, as it is the only way you will get all your expense back.

If you are not asked to pay any taxes, and you got your item in an acceptable time and condition, accept the item. You are no worse off than you would have been if the seller had shipped with GSP. Do not ding the seller's FB and stars in either case, the fault lies with the implementation of the program and the total lack of active education of sellers using it, often unwittingly and inappropriately.

In either case an e-mail explaining the situation to the seller would be advisable.

[d3drocks]

thanks afantiques. the problem is that I don't know who will be home when the item shows up. since it's the holidays tons of family will be going in and out. someone might pay it, bring it in then ask me for the money. I'm seriously hoping there wont be any taxes on it. I've already emailed him about it and pointed him to the info on the global shipping program.
this really sucks. I've never actually had issues with the global shipping program before. most sellers just use it properly I find. most of my **bleep** without it gets stuck in customs for a week. wasn't until last night that I realized the issues with it. I'm really hoping there is some way to just get ebay/paypal/pitney bowes/whoever the hell deals iwth this to just refund me.

[marnotom!]

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@d3drocks wrote:
I'm seriously hoping there wont be any taxes on it. I've already emailed him about it and pointed him to the info on the global shipping program.
this really sucks. I've never actually had issues with the global shipping program before. most sellers just use it properly I find. most of my **bleep** without it gets stuck in customs for a week. wasn't until last night that I realized the issues with it. I'm really hoping there is some way to just get ebay/paypal/pitney bowes/whoever the hell deals iwth this to just refund me.

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Unfortunately, it seems that right now the only way to instigate a refund of the GSP import charges is to get a refund of the entire sale through the formal dispute/claim process.  The lack of flexibility in working with or around the GSP is likely due to the fact that it's not eBay that's administering it; it's a farmed out. service.  What works for PitneyBowes (the GSP administrator) doesn't completely work with eBay, and vice versa.

Ideally, the easiest thing to do if you did get dinged by Canada Border Services and Canada Post would be to simply pay them and then contest the charges afterwards with proof that you paid taxes to PitneyBowes.  Unfortunately with the GSP, you just have proof that you paid a set of "import charges" that were partially used to fulfill the tax bill on the item.  Technically speaking, you weren't really charged taxes, according to eBay.

[wesmen_05]

Does eBay offer any way to search for items that are not a part of the Global Shipping Program? I will never buy an item that is a part of this program and would prefer to search for only items being shipped for a fair price.

I have been purchasing items monthly off eBay for the last 8 years but am disgusted by the Global Shipping Program! I not only use eBay for online purchases but purchase items regularly from the USA to Canada. Items under $60 coming into Canada are charged no taxes or duty. However now when you buy a $20 item you are charged $16 for shipping and fees which makes the purchase too expensive to follow through with.

How is it possible eBay does not allow Canadians to combine shipping anymore! When a seller offers good combined shipping rates I buy more items which give eBay more end value fees and grows there business. The Global Shipping Program has completely turned me off of eBay.

I used to buy baseball cards for $1 and get them shipped for another $1. Now that $1 card will cost $17 to my door. So now if I would like to buy 3 baseball cards I am looking at about $51 to my door, instead of $4.

[floatyourboat-123]

I as a Canadian rarely get hit by customs charges unless it is shipped UPS or the item is a large item or It is over 100 dollars..So I hate Global Shipping..I avoid sellers with GS...Relax..It may not happen..I have done 85 transactions this year ..no charges

[marnotom!]

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@wesmen_05 wrote:

Does eBay offer any way to search for items that are not a part of the Global Shipping Program? I will never buy an item that is a part of this program and would prefer to search for only items being shipped for a fair price.

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Not exactly.  What you can do is search in "list view" mode rather than "gallery view" mode.  This ensures that the subtitle "Customs services and international tracking provided" shows up with the GSP listings in your search results.

As far as items being shipped for a "fair price" is concerned, the GSP is terrible for items that can ship as oversized letters, but starts looking better for heavier items that can only be shipped by parcel post.

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@wesmen_05 wrote:

I have been purchasing items monthly off eBay for the last 8 years but am disgusted by the Global Shipping Program! I not only use eBay for online purchases but purchase items regularly from the USA to Canada. Items under $60 coming into Canada are charged no taxes or duty. However now when you buy a $20 item you are charged $16 for shipping and fees which makes the purchase too expensive to follow through with.

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Just because items under $60 aren't charged taxes and duty doesn't mean that they're not subject to taxes and duty.  My wife and I have received our share of items sent through the mail with declared values of twenty to thirty bucks that have been hit with taxes (and duty, in the case of an item from the UK).  Not taxed doesn't mean not-taxable.

Just out of curiosity, do you cost out how much an item at a brick and mortar store is going to cost with taxes before deciding if it makes the purchase too expensive to follow through with?

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@wesmen_05 wrote:

How is it possible eBay does not allow Canadians to combine shipping anymore! When a seller offers good combined shipping rates I buy more items which give eBay more end value fees and grows there business. The Global Shipping Program has completely turned me off of eBay.

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What do you mean "anymore"?  Sellers who don't use the GSP can still combine shipping if it's important to you.

My guess as to why the GSP won't combine shipping is the extra headache it makes for calculating taxes and duty due.  If you buy one $18 item, it won't be subject to taxes and duty.  If you buy four of 'em and want it combined into one shipment, all of a sudden that's a $72 shipment and a completely different ball of wax in the tax department . . . 

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@wesmen_05 wrote:

I used to buy baseball cards for $1 and get them shipped for another $1. Now that $1 card will cost $17 to my door. So now if I would like to buy 3 baseball cards I am looking at about $51 to my door, instead of $4.

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Think of it this way:  Most sellers who are using the GSP are likely ones who have never sold internationally in their lives, and there's a chance they're not even aware that they're using it.  (It's a long story.)  If there were no GSP, you'd likely not be finding these sellers' listings on eBay.ca.  All the GSP is doing is sending out a message to you that says "This seller doesn't likely know what they're doing and they're best avoided."  

[macdmac_gpwn8evd]

My package tracking information changed so that the original tracking number no longer works, and it has a new Canada Post tracking number.  However since the 16th it has just said "Electronic information submitted by shipper" and it is now the 22.  Should I contact somebody about this?  If so, who?

[pierrelebel]

Here is a question from the eBay.com International Board:

How does eBay's Global Shipping Program work?

Here is the reply from an American seller:

So far so good. We usually post both options for cusotmers, the GS and our own shipments.

Some go with GS others with ours regardless of having choce and many of htem used the GS before

and like it.

The difference between when and how you ship normally to the other country and GS:

Your own shpping:

• List your item with international shipping selected,
• specify cost of shipping and countries you ship to
• sell item
• pack, ship
• it goes normal way to the country of destination
• they get it to the custom office
• customs might assign tax, might not depending on luck and the item
• if no custo tax, postal service forward to the customer,
• if custom tax, customer pays it and then as above.
• Takes for some reason longer then GS

GS:

• List your item with option GS checked in the listing in the shipping section
• customer in.. let's say UK looks up your item and see:
   shipping to Bolivia = your cost to ship to US center + their cost to ship to UK
   (he sees only one shipping number though the total)
• customer sees precalculated taxes and he has to pay them upfront along with the shipping and the item
• you sell the item
• you see that the address you are shipping to is in Kentucky and not in  UK, you put this address on the box
• along with the special number that ebay assigns to this transaction and this number links evrything together
• you shop the package, it gets to Kentucky Ebay center, they re-label it and ship foward to UK
• it gets to customs and is cleared immediatley
• guy picks up his package
• very fast shipping and delivery

Bottom line - to the seller it is rather easier to use GS as you only ship to Kentucky and do not worry much, to the buyer not necessarely as some buyer are used to get lucky

and not paying tax sometimes. While you use GS they pay every time so old customers are sometimes

frustrated but the new are okay with it. It is all how you see it.

We like GS. We get more customers for Gs because we think it is more pushed by Ebay on the other side so

we get more exposure.

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One thing that is not explained anywhere is that stamps are not permitted with the GSP, yet they are letting listings of many non permisable items appear.

There are other things that you can find in what ebay says about it that include the opinion that it is not suitable for low value items.

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Now some may agree and some may not but this is the way some American sellers see it.

http://community.ebay.com/t5/International-Trading/How-does-eBay-s-Global-Shipping-Program-work/m-p/...

Many other threads are available on eBay.com on the same subject.  Always interesting to get different perspectives.

[pierrelebel]

One thing that is not explained anywhere is that stamps are not permitted with the GSP, yet they are letting listings of many non permisable items appear.

There are other things that you can find in what ebay says about it that include the opinion that it is not suitable for low value items.

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[andremontevilla]

I cannot find an option in the advanced search to show items that use the Global Shipping Program. Although slow and having a heavy carbon footprint (last order was 4 States and 2 Provinces), I prefer knowing how much import duties and taxes I would pay beforehand. 

Please add this option.

Thank you. 

[marnotom!]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

Here is a question from the eBay.com International Board:

How does eBay's Global Shipping Program work?

Here is the reply from an American seller:

So far so good. We usually post both options for cusotmers, the GS and our own shipments.

Some go with GS others with ours regardless of having choce and many of htem used the GS before

and like it.

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For what it's worth, I discussed with that seller the fact that buyers in GSP-"supported" countries actually don't have a choice between direct shipments from the seller and the GSP on the same listing, but I don't think she gets it.  Unless she means that she offers two different types of listings for the same item, as she does seem to have multiple quantities of many of the things she sells.