eBay

kalvin@ebay.com · ‎09-26-2013

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,

~Kalvin
eBay.ca Community Manager

kalvin@ebay.com

00nevermind00 · ‎05-01-2014

@afantiques wrote:
we realized that we had maybe not done the greatest job educating the sellers around these types of customization options.

Masterly understatement. Evidence is that there are very may sellers who do not even know they are offering GSP items.

The fundamental problem is that any sellers wise enough to understand fully the use and implications of the GSP are usually sellers quite wise enough to handle their own international sales.

The GSP is targeted specifically at sellers too ignorant to handle international shipping, not a good client base for a complicated process that takes a lot of reading and comprehension skills to understand.

I know this is never going to happen, but I really wish that everyone involved in this gigantic fiasco called GSP would cut out this post, frame it, stick it on the wall and read it every day. Because this is exactly what seems to be happening.

How are sellers supposed to "customize" their GSP listings when they don't even know they're using the program to begin with? That "New User Agreement" is a deceitful and underhanded way of rounding up sellers into the program. (Is it possible that too few of them were falling for this scheme on their own?) Ebay knows that very few people are going to read the entire thing before clicking on "I Agree" and I think that they are in fact counting on it.

Shameful!

bennett4612 · ‎05-01-2014

Hi dasia143.

Two part answer --

In an auction, when a buyer clicks "commit to buy", he or she is then, well, committed to buy. To quote the Buyer Terms & Conditions page, "the quoted Program Fees are derived from real-time, proprietary estimates of applicable international shipping and import charges by Pitney Bowes". In other words the estimated fees are usually very accurate and rarely change between "commit to buy" and "buy".

That being said there is a small chance that the final fees will change. However keep in mind that this can work in either direction (become a little higher or become a little lower).

In a "buy it now" transaction, the same fees estimate scenario is true. HOWEVER, once the buyer is on the "checkout" page he/she can simply close the browser window and back out of the transaction.

Hope that answers your question.

---Bennett

00nevermind00 · ‎05-02-2014

Since this is the GSP questions thread, here's one I'd like to ask. Sorry if it has been answered before, I'm too lazy to go through all the previous posts.

If an item is damaged at the hub or during the international portion of its journey, the buyer is fully refunded including all GSP-related fees and the seller gets to keep the buyer's payment. The process could be explained more clearly to buyers and sellers alike, but at least it exists and it makes sense.

But what happens if an item is already damaged when it arrives at the hub? Let's say it wasn't packaged properly and broke en route to Kentucky. I'm assuming that the seller will have to give back the money they received, but what happens to the GSP fees paid by the buyer? Does the buyer get that money back? If so, how? If not, why the h£ll not?

dasia143 · ‎05-02-2014

Thank you for the prompt reply, Bennett.

It does not set my mind at rest to know the price can change after one bids, even if only slightly. (Some posters have said the increase was quite substantial. Individual definitions of "slight," perhaps.) I'm not a gambler and prefer to follow eBay's advice to new buyers:

"Consider shipping costs, handling time and other shipping services before you bid on or buy any item."

The GSP is touted as preventing buyer "surprises" at the door. Surprises during the payment process are no more palatable!

"In a "buy it now" transaction, the same fees estimate scenario is true. HOWEVER, once the buyer is on the "checkout" page he/she can simply close the browser window and back out of the transaction."

That is news to me! I thought a buy-it-now was as binding as a bid. I would not feel right backing out that way.

There is so much about the GSP that just doesn't feel right. But I do appreciate your efforts to help us understand how to work with it.

marnotom! · ‎05-02-2014

@00nevermind00 wrote:

Since this is the GSP questions thread, here's one I'd like to ask. Sorry if it has been answered before, I'm too lazy to go through all the previous posts.

If an item is damaged at the hub or during the international portion of its journey, the buyer is fully refunded including all GSP-related fees and the seller gets to keep the buyer's payment. The process could be explained more clearly to buyers and sellers alike, but at least it exists and it makes sense.

But what happens if an item is already damaged when it arrives at the hub? Let's say it wasn't packaged properly and broke en route to Kentucky. I'm assuming that the seller will have to give back the money they received, but what happens to the GSP fees paid by the buyer? Does the buyer get that money back? If so, how? If not, why the h£ll not?

I don't think this issue has been brought up before, but my thoughts are that it would simply be a reversal of the payment process. The seller has to return their portion of the monies from the sale to the buyer and Pitney Bowes would return their portion of the monies to the buyer.

It's likely that the buyer would have to file an "item not received" claim in order to get the ball rolling on this, though. I don't get the sense that the Global Shipping Center initiates anything itself for any situation requiring the buyer being made whole.

bennett4612 · ‎05-02-2014

Hi 00nevermind00.

I will quote marnotom! here, because as usual some great info was provided:

"I don't think this issue has been brought up before, but my thoughts are that it would simply be a reversal of the payment process. The seller has to return their portion of the monies from the sale to the buyer and Pitney Bowes would return their portion of the monies to the buyer.

It's likely that the buyer would have to file an "item not received" claim in order to get the ball rolling on this, though. I don't get the sense that the Global Shipping Center initiates anything itself for any situation requiring the buyer being made whole."

This is right on, with one caveat (if I am understanding marnotom! correctly). In a situation as described by 00nevermind00, Pitney Bowes DOES refund the buyer for the GSP Program Fees.

However, in a situation as described by 00nevermind00, the buyer should actually file a "not as described" case. Since they did, in fact, receive the item.

Hope that helps.

---Bennett

marnotom! · ‎05-02-2014

@bennett4612 wrote:

This is right on, with one caveat (if I am understanding marnotom! correctly). In a situation as described by 00nevermind00, Pitney Bowes DOES refund the buyer for the GSP Program Fees.

However, in a situation as described by 00nevermind00, the buyer should actually file a "not as described" case. Since they did, in fact, receive the item.

Hope that helps.

I should have read 00nevermind00's post a bit more closely and not jumped to a possibly erroneous conclusion, which was that I thought that this was in reference to a situation where the item was found damaged when it reached the hub and not forwarded to the buyer as a result. That's why I was suggesting an "item not received" claim rather than one of "item significantly not as described".

I did make reference to Pitney Bowes returning its portion of the monies to the buyer, but what may have confused was my statement about Pitney Bowes not "initiat[ing] anything for itself". I have the sense--rightly or wrongly--that buyers aren't always notified when an item is undeliverable and it's up to the buyer to start the refund process whether or not they receive notification in a form other than what's in the tracking information.

carenmichelle · ‎05-02-2014

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-02-2014

All items shipped through the gsp go to the Kentucky depot and are then sent to the buyer from there.

afantiques · ‎05-02-2014

The position with regard to items arriving at Erlanger damaged in transit from the seller needs to be clarified.

007dominik1 · ‎05-03-2014

I've bought an item because of a fault on my adress it was returned. But the seller certifies not receiving the item.the iem wasin transit
The tell al tracking is: UPAA000000052904184, i want to know if global shipping is sage or not?

afantiques · ‎05-03-2014

The only way you will get a refund is by starting a Paypal item not received claim.

Your seller may have funds frozen for a short period but will not lose any money.

No other course of action will do any good.

hocotatefreight · ‎05-03-2014

I think it's as "safe" as any other shipping method. Not "fast" or "efficient" or "logical" but it is safe. The problem was with the address you gave?

trits10 · ‎05-03-2014

Here's the tracking info I have for a purchase I made on April 7, 2014 and was shipping through the Global Shipping Program...just to be clear, the date is now May 3, 2014. Has anyone gotten the "Exception - Held at Terminal" message before? Should I just accept that this item won't get delivered? I would like a little more detail around why it was held, it's just a lumbar support pillow, but I have no idea who to contact. I've had good communication with the seller who has no idea what has happened here, and they can't seem to get any answers from eBay. So frustrating, any information/comments would help.

Friday, Apr. 11	ETOBICOKE, ON	In transit - Exception-Held at Terminal
Thursday, Apr. 10	N/A	Customs Documentation and Labeling
Thursday, Apr. 10	N/A	Processing at US Shipping Center
Thursday, Apr. 10	FT MITCHELL, KY	In Transit-Sorting Complete
Thursday, Apr. 10	FT MITCHELL, KY	In Transit-Arrival at Post Office
Thursday, Apr. 10	CINCINNATI, OH	In Transit-Depart USPS Sort Facility
Wednesday, Apr. 9	CINCINNATI, OH	In Transit-Processed through USPS Sort Facility
Wednesday, Apr. 9	KENT, WA	In Transit-Depart USPS Sort Facility
Tuesday, Apr. 8	KENT, WA	In Transit-Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility
Tuesday, Apr. 8	LYNNWOOD, WA	In Transit-Dispatched to Sort Facility
Tuesday, Apr. 8	LYNNWOOD, WA	In Transit-Acceptance

00nevermind00 · ‎05-03-2014

You need to open an "Item Not Received" case from the Resolution Centre. That is the only way to get your entire payment refunded.

trits10 · ‎05-03-2014

Thanks for the reply. I've already talked with the seller and they are fine with refunding my money, I'm not worried about that part of it. I'm just looking for information as to what happened in the shipping, and is it because of this Global Shipping Program.

00nevermind00 · ‎05-03-2014

@trits10 wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I've already talked with the seller and they are fine with refunding my money, I'm not worried about that part of it. I'm just looking for information as to what happened in the shipping, and is it because of this Global Shipping Program.

You need to use the Resolution Centre. The seller can only refund the money he received from you, so you'd lose the GSP portion. If you go through the Resolution Centre, you'll get the entire amount back and the seller will keep the money he received from the sale. Your refund will come from Pitney Bowes.

I have no idea what happened to your item, but it could well be a GSP issue.

afantiques · ‎05-04-2014

Thanks for the reply. I've already talked with the seller and they are fine with refunding my money, I'm not worried about that part of it. I'm just looking for information as to what happened in the shipping, and is it because of this Global Shipping Program.

nevermind is 100% right. It may seem more civilised to sort it out amicably with the seller, but unhappily the only way to proceed is with a formal claim. You could explain this to the seller, possibly refer them to this thread.

Their money will be tied up for a few days but I'm sure they'd prefer this to losing it.

I'd say there is next to no chance of finding out what happened.

trits10 · ‎05-04-2014

Ok, I feel we are focused on the wrong part of my question here. Lets assume I've already submitted a claim through the resolution center and my refund is being processed. Now, my original question was about the Global Shipping Program. Has anyone got the tracking message "Exception - Held at Terminal" and does anyone know why/how this happened?