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,

[pjcdn2005]

---

@josejosep wrote:

Hello,

I purchased a Phone over eBay deals on 27th January 2014 Item no: 380827328783 and the seller shipped the item promptly using EGSP to my address in Canada and it showed up with the tracking number UPAAB000000046415525 soon after. The item moved slowly all around the US and reached Erlanger, KY shipping office and it is stuck there since 3rd February till now. The estimated delivery date to my address in Canada was listed at 20th February but I see no hope in getting it back. The customer care people say they don't know where it is, the seller says it is not his responsibility and there is no proper logistics company like UPS for me to call directly.

eBay representatives asked me to escalate my case to paypal who handled the money to claim for a refund. This is my first purchase from eBay Canada and I am so frustrated that I had to wait 1 month to know that even eBay doesn't know where it is. I come from India where I have purchased over 200 items from eBay India and have never even missed a single package. Why does eBay even run this irresponsible shipping program where all they can do is collect my money and refund it back after a lot of waiting and hazzles.

Somebody please tell me what to do, I'm so depressed to have missed this offer because of eBay's first class shipping program.

---

All you can do is what the ebay rep suggested. Open a paypal case for item not received. If the item reached kentucky the seller won't have to refund you.....Pitney Bowes will. PB is the company that administrates the gsp. 

[femmefan1946]

Best thing you can do is contact the seller,

No. The seller used the GSP specifically to avoid dealing with international claims.

Go to eBay's Resolution Centre, up to the right under Customer Support, and start an Item Not Received Dispute. PP and Pitney Bowes who run the Program will refund you.

[bignosycat]

 Thank you for the reply.. 

What company do they use for air freight? DSL? So sellers do not even know how the item is shipped - not priority post as I was told - so now I passed on misinformation.  eBay needs to fix this as sellers list items shipped by priority post.

One of eBay's tactics to sell the program is to keep the seller from sending items that are not allowed into another country.  A safety check for the seller -  If that is part of the service and a seller sells an item banned from another country  - when Pitney bowes receives the item, informs the seller, ships it back to the seller - will the seller be responsible for the shipping fees?  

[bignosycat]

Sorry I may have read your note wrong shipping to Canada is done by the post office?

The customs form information I am looking for.  When I was reading the benefits of GSP - customs forms were noted  not standard ones which would scare any seller into not shipping the item themselves.  I am looking for what I have read - will post when I find it. 

[bignosycat]

thank you so much for the information and  reply 

[afantiques]

Sorry I may have read your note wrong shipping to Canada is done by the post office?

No, shipping within Canada is done by Canada Post or Canpar.  The international shipping is done by airfreight.

The customs form information I am looking for.  When I was reading the benefits of GSP - customs forms were noted  not standard ones which would scare any seller into not shipping the item themselves.

No customs forms are used by the seller for GSP items. Customs documentation is dealt with by the re-shipper in Kentucky.

The normal customs form for sensible sellers who do their own shipping is one tick, a couple of words and a number, nothing scary about that.

[femmefan1946]

Don't be too concerned about tracking. Tracking benefits only the seller. It is used by sellers to prove that purchases have been delivered in case of a PP dispute.

Your protection as a buyer is the Resolution Centre.

If your item does not turn up within 20 days of cleared payment, contact the seller with your problem.

If it does not show up within 30 days, open an Item Not Received dispute with eBay/Paypal. You have up to 45 days to do this.

If the seller cannot prove delivery, he will be required to refund. If he doesn't do this himself, PP will refund you. (And then go after the seller.)

It's a little more complex behind the scenes when the GSP is involved, but for the buyer it comes down to : No proof of delivery,buyer is refunded.

[bennett4612]

Hi josejosep (and sharkgun).

As usual the Community has provided some excellent advice. 

The best thing to do on a missing GSP item is to open a "Item Not Received" claim. This will make it "official" and will notify Pitney Bowes, eBay, and PayPal. The refund process will then start automatically. 

As noted in the thread, once the item reaches the US Shipping Center it is no longer the seller's responsibility. If an item is lost during international transit it is the responsibility of eBay/Pitney Bowes to issue the refund. 

It is also worth noting that for the domestic portion (i.e. getting the item to the US Shipping Center in Kentucky), the seller can use whatever shipping method he/she chooses. If a slower method is chosen it will naturally take the item longer to arrive at the Shipping Center. 

Hope this helps. 

---Bennett

[apeg91]

I have been using ebay for over 10 years, they were constantly the lowest priced retailer. But since the introduction of this new import system i find myself getting better prices everywhere.

This was clearly a knee jerk reaction from ebay to simplify the process to sellers. Seeing how a quick Google search for this problem yields pages and pages of results with 100's of people posting (including 2 closed threats from this forum) my guess is this wont last long once they start seeing the amount of lost revenue.

Some of the posts try to offer justification via Canada's tax, but that wont explain why i just back out of an auction for $150 shoes because the import fees came to $80.

This service is a rip off and you know it ebay, you are a big enough company to effect how US/Canadian import should work. Correct this problem for the better of your customer and your business, until them you can reach me shopping at your competitor.

[marnotom!]

---

@apeg91 wrote:

I have been using ebay for over 10 years, they were constantly the lowest priced retailer. But since the introduction of this new import system i find myself getting better prices everywhere.

This was clearly a knee jerk reaction from ebay to simplify the process to sellers. Seeing how a quick Google search for this problem yields pages and pages of results with 100's of people posting (including 2 closed threats from this forum) my guess is this wont last long once they start seeing the amount of lost revenue.

Some of the posts try to offer justification via Canada's tax, but that wont explain why i just back out of an auction for $150 shoes because the import fees came to $80.

This service is a rip off and you know it ebay, you are a big enough company to effect how US/Canadian import should work. Correct this problem for the better of your customer and your business, until them you can reach me shopping at your competitor.

---

As I've earlier posts on this suggest, I did my homework and managed to get what I thought was a very good deal on a Smartphone shipped through the GSP.  I think it helped that the seller was aware that they were offering the program in the first place and also that they offered "free" shipping within the U.S. which meant that I only had to pay the shipping charge from the Global Shipping Center in Kentucky to my door.  I had no issue with the import charges, either.

What would probably help eBay combat these charges of the program being a "rip off" is if the import fees were more transparent and that there was a mechanism that forced sellers to fill in appropriate shipping weights and dimensions as well as Item Specifics--particularly the item's country of origin.

I suspect that in the case of the shoes to which you're referring, it's an auction with a "Buy it Now" option, and the import charges are calculated on the BIN price, not the opening bid amount.  It's also likely that duty makes up a considerable part of those import charges, either because the shoes aren't manufactured in a region where Canada has a free trade agreement, or else the seller didn't bother to note the item's country of manufacture in the first place.

[canajungirl]

I bought a set of dinnerware for $175 US on eBay. Along with shipping I was charged $42.22 in import duties. Import duties are charged by the Canadian government and are based on the nature of the item and it's value.

I bought 8 replacement pieces of the same dinnerware which cost $59.00 US and I was charged $40.70 in import duties.

How does the math work on this?

I can't find a way to contact eBay support directly on this.

Thanks

[femmefan1946]

Rather than contacting eBay, I would suggest contacting the Canadian Border Services Agency, who collect duty and sales taxes. (Pitney Bowes sub-contracts this job from them as part of the Global Shipping Program).

CBSA may have a good reason. Or they may find an error and reimburse the difference.

[marnotom!]

---

@canajungirl wrote:

I bought a set of dinnerware for $175 US on eBay. Along with shipping I was charged $42.22 in import duties. Import duties are charged by the Canadian government and are based on the nature of the item and it's value.

I bought 8 replacement pieces of the same dinnerware which cost $59.00 US and I was charged $40.70 in import duties.

How does the math work on this?

---

Remember, the Global Shipping Program calls 'em "import charges" and not "import duties".  The term "import charges" is defined in the terms and conditions buyers agree to when they purchase an item shipped through the GSP.  In a nutshell, it's taxes (GST/HST/PST/QST/RST etc.) plus duty, if applicable, as well as various customs processing fees and a referral fee to eBay from Pitney Bowes.  The processing fees typically add up to around three to five bucks per listing.  If those eight replacement pieces were purchased from separate listings, those processing fees add up pretty quickly.

Another major factor that might affect the import charges levied on a GSP item is how the seller categorizes the item.  The GSP calculates duty (or lack of it) based on the category in which the item is listed.  If your replacement pieces were categorized differently than the dinnerware set, the GSP "bot" may have used a completely different formula for calculating duty.  This may also affect what processing fees get charged for the item(s) in question.

[ainsilie]

All I need to know is what happened with this item I purchased on EABY?

Vintage Briggs Stratton Flo-Jet Carburetor carb (181313924775)

Sale date: 06/02/14

Tracking number: UPAAA000000044728281

I really would like to know the reason why this item became;

Global tracking #:

UPAAA000000044728281

Carrier:

Multiple Carriers

Status:

ACCEPTEDIN TRANSITEXCEPTION

Exception: Undeliverable-SYSTEM_RESTRICTION

Feb-12-14, 08:05 AM, Erlanger

Processing at US Shipping Center

Feb-10-14, 17:17 PM, Erlanger

Arrived at US shipping Center

Feb-09-14, 13:56 PM, ERLANGER, KY 41018

In Transit-Processed through USPS Sort Facility

Feb-09-14, 13:45 PM, CINCINNATI, OH 45235

I really would like the answer from EBAY, someone from the GSP or Pitney Bowes..

I needed the item not a refund and I would like to purchase a similiar item but I am concerned that the same thing will happen.

Regards

---

kalvin@ebay.com wrote:

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,

---

[botenaybay]

I live in Canada & was going to bid on an item manufactured in The USA.   I noticed the seller was using Global Shipping.  The shipping cost is $28.00 & Global is charging $68.00 import charges.  The item costs $268.00 US,  I have purchasd directly from the manufacturer in the past & have never been charged import fees.  Justs a simple custom form & shipping costs of appx $28.00 Priority Int shipping.  Why does Global charge import feees on US manufactured goods? 

[marnotom!]

---

@ainsilie wrote:

All I need to know is what happened with this item I purchased on EABY?

I really would like the answer from EBAY, someone from the GSP or Pitney Bowes..

I needed the item not a refund and I would like to purchase a similiar item but I am concerned that the same thing will happen.

---

I'm not from eBay or Pitney Bowes, but I think it's pretty obvious that for whatever reason, the item can't be shipped through any of the GSP's carriers.  In situations like that, the item usually gets sold off in one of the many sales commercial carriers have for dead-ended freight.

It's annoying, but you're going to have to pursue a refund for this as I doubt that anyone from the Global Shipping Program will eventually notify you and voluntarily return your money.  All indications are that the seller won't lose out on this as the GSP should have had a mechanism to prevent the item from being listed with the program in the first place.

In order to get a full refund of all that you paid to the seller and Pitney Bowes, you'll need to go through the Resolution Centre and not the seller.

[bennett4612]

Hi ainsilie.

Apologies for leaving you hanging after my initial response last week. I just went back to the email chain and the person who was looking into it hasn't gotten back to me. I just sent out a new note, and added some additional folks from eBay as well as Pitney Bowes. 

As far as that specific item goes, as marnotom! stated, unfortunately returns are not supported with the GSP. However the refund process should start automatically once you open a case. By the looks of it the item clearly arrived at the US Shipping Center; so by all accounts the refund should go smoothly and fault should lie with eBay / Pitney Bowes. 

Again, sorry to leave you hanging. I will post back here as soon as I have more info on the carbeurator restriction. 

[ainsilie]

Hello Bennet.

Thank you for the reply. I got the refund no problem. The  seller got paid no problem. However as in my last post , what if I want to buy a similiar item,

---

@bennett4612 wrote:

Hi ainsilie.

Apologies for leaving you hanging after my initial response last week. I just went back to the email chain and the person who was looking into it hasn't gotten back to me. I just sent out a new note, and added some additional folks from eBay as well as Pitney Bowes. 

As far as that specific item goes, as marnotom! stated, unfortunately returns are not supported with the GSP. However the refund process should start automatically once you open a case. By the looks of it the item clearly arrived at the US Shipping Center; so by all accounts the refund should go smoothly and fault should lie with eBay / Pitney Bowes. 

Again, sorry to leave you hanging. I will post back here as soon as I have more info on the carbeurator restriction. 

---

is it going to be restricted also. The refund is fine however I still need a carburetor. Usually the only place I can find one is on EBAY.

Regards

[ainsilie]

Hello;

The refund was issued automatically. There was no problem with the refund. As soon as the restriction was posted I was notified and the refund process was launched without any input from me. The funds are back in my account.

I still need to know what the restriction is,

Thanks

[bennett4612]

Trying to get that answer for you. Stay tuned. 

---Bennett