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,

[nicolaslga91]

Hello all,

I bought a brand new DVD from an American seller. I used to buy on eBay before the Global Shipping Program started up and this is my first experience with the program.

The DVD just got a scan of "Delay at Global Shipping Center - Item Potentially Restricted" and I'm kinda confused.

I mean I understand delays and all, but the "potentially restricted" part of the scan info is kinda scary. This is a DVD of a movie I could have easily bought on amazon (either in Canada or in the US)... so I'm a bit puzzled by what could be the eventual restriction.

Is this something that occurs normally or should I start being worried?

[reallynicestamps]

No it is a little unusual.

But eBay gave you a last estimated date for delivery.

If there is a delay beyond that date you can file a Claim for a refund.

[cujo246]

how do i know what carrier my order was shipped via after it leaves Kentucky, i am in Canada

[reallynicestamps]

FWIW - It's usually Canada Post.

They are cheap, efficient, and deliver everywhere.

As a bonus, they are also profitable and the profits go to Canada's general revenues.

Another poster worked this out for buyers who have not yet received their GSP shipment.
TRACKING SYSTEM FOR GSP
It's not user friendly... But I found how to track your package via the global shipping program, once it gets to Canada you need to:
- Log on to eBay.ca
- Under the My eBay menu select Purchase History
- Under your orders find the specific order.  It should have something like the following:
        Estimated delivery Mon, Jan 11 - Thu, Jan 21
        Tracking number: Tracking number UPAAB000000#########
- Click on the UPA number.  This should open up a Shipment Details window, which should contain something like this:
     This shipment has been transferred to CPC for delivery to the final destination # 70351#########
-Click on the Canada Post number to see where the Canada Post Tracking history and expected delivery
 And there is this method too (originally posted by unison)
I found this thread today while awaiting a shipment. Once I learned that Pitney Bowes was the relevant company, I was able to find my package's tracking info in about 10 seconds.
 
Step 1: Go to the Pitney Bowes Parcel Tracker page at https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/
 
Step 2: Enter your eBay-supplied Global Tracking number (mine began with UPAA...)
 
Step 3: You will be shown limited tracking info. In my case, only up to the point the package left the USA and entered Canada.
 
Step 4: Click on the "Track on carrier's website" link at the top right.
 
Step 5: You will be provided with tracking on the page of the actual shipping company, in my case Canada Post, with a tracking number in THEIR system.
 
Problem solved! If only eBay would put a link to https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/ in their shipping emails, this could all be avoided...
 

[sam-oscar2012]

I am interested in placing a bid on ebay but before I do I want to understand a bit more about the Global Shipping Program.

If it states:

No additional import charges at delivery!

Does this mean if your bid wins, you pay what you bidded (if you won) plus what it shows the approximate freight is? Can they up the freight to more depending on where you are located?

Thanks

[marnotom!]

---

@sam-oscar2012 wrote:

I am interested in placing a bid on ebay but before I do I want to understand a bit more about the Global Shipping Program.

If it states:

No additional import charges at delivery!

Does this mean if your bid wins, you pay what you bidded (if you won) plus what it shows the approximate freight is? Can they up the freight to more depending on where you are located?

---

The short answer to your question is that what shows up on the listing page should correspond to what you'll be paying for your item and its shipping, but there are lots of "make sures" here.

Make sure you're logged into eBay,ca and have your current shipping address set as the default shipping address.  That ensures that your shipping charges and import charges reflect your location.

Make sure you're searching and viewing listings on eBay.ca and not eBay.com.  Global Shipping Program listings will not show import charges when viewed on the .com site and you won't find those out until checkout.  What the GSP calls "import charges" are the taxes and duty that Pitney Bowes (the administrators of the Global Shipping Program) have estimated they'll be paying on your behalf, plus processing fees.

If you find a listing with import charges of "$0.00", it means that the import charges have been added to the shipping charge instead.

Not related to your question, but make sure it makes sense to have your item forwarded by the Global Shipping Program.  Can the item actually be shipped to Canada?  Some items that have the Global Shipping Program listed with them have had the program automatically added by eBay, even if the item may be problematic to send to Canada.  The seller won't even be aware that they might be sending their item off to Kentucky to be forwarded to Canada.  If it's an item that's pretty fragile or subject to shipping restrictions if sent by conventional shipping methods, or if the seller doesn't appear to know what they're doing, proceed with caution.

Also, make sure that it's not more economical to ship the item by mail, even though you may be taking chances on the item being hit with taxes, duty and a ten dollar processing fee when it goes through customs.

And one last "make sure":  If you're lucky enough to live in central Canada, make sure that you're prepared to wait for your item a little longer than if it were sent directly to you by mail or courier.  Most of the complaints about slow forwarding times by the GSP appear to be from people who live in Central Canada who seem to be used to having their items take a week to reach them from anywhere in the States.  😉

Have I missed anything, anyone?

[cuse19751]

is there a contact number i can call to verify and tracking number once it leaves kentucky into canada?

[marnotom!]

---

@cuse19751 wrote:

is there a contact number i can call to verify and tracking number once it leaves kentucky into canada?

---

From what I can figure out, there used to be but it's not available anymore.

Your best bet is to use Pitney Bowes' tracking website:

https://parceltracking.pb.com/

You're not likely going to see any tracking information between Erlanger, KY and the Canadian receiving hub (likely Mississauga), however, as your item's going to be part of a truckload of freight at that point.  It's only an eight or nine hour trip, anyway.

[gorf-]

It's a scam and there needs to be a lawsuit launched by someone who has been screwed by it.

As for myself I will never support the program and I skip sellers that use it. There are a wide range of sellers that never sold their product because those are the items I skip over no matter how great the price and they will never know how Ebay screwed them out of a sale.

[marnotom!]

---

@gorf- wrote:

It's a scam and there needs to be a lawsuit launched by someone who has been screwed by it.

As for myself I will never support the program and I skip sellers that use it. There are a wide range of sellers that never sold their product because those are the items I skip over no matter how great the price and they will never know how Ebay screwed them out of a sale.

---

Okay, but what's your question about the Global Shipping Program?

By the way, I doubt that most those sellers you're referring to are even aware that the GSP has been automatically applied to their listings by eBay.  At the very least, they don't care.  They never configured their listings for international shipping, so they're not losing sales that they likely wouldn't have seen in the first place.  Zero minus zero is still zero.

[seeachef5]

I have recently made a purchase off my cc and after it has gone through ebay has sent me ,a notice that the account i was communicating with may havebeen hacked. . I do not know what to do . Is it or is it not? Maybe so maybe no.? Information is not percise.. Do I try to cancel the payment..? or just further business with this account till further notice. Will I get my stuff or wont I ? Mail says they dont see any issues with my account at this time.But any offers wont be covered by ebay. I recieved this mail to late if this is the case. I didnt get the ebay message until after the transaction.

[chimera148]

Are you certain the notice is really from ebay and not a phishing scam. You can check the email address the notice came from, and forward the message to ebay to see if it's legitimate.

After I've purchased from ebay in the past, I've received notices from phony fedex, bank and paypal sites. When I block them I see their addresses.

---

@seeachef5 wrote:

I have recently made a purchase off my cc and after it has gone through ebay has sent me ,a notice that the account i was communicating with may havebeen hacked. . I do not know what to do . Is it or is it not? Maybe so maybe no.? Information is not percise.. Do I try to cancel the payment..? or just further business with this account till further notice. Will I get my stuff or wont I ? Mail says they dont see any issues with my account at this time.But any offers wont be covered by ebay. I recieved this mail to late if this is the case. I didnt get the ebay message until after the transaction.

---

[reallynicestamps]

Look back at the original listing.

Look at the seller's feedback.

Was the last feedback left by the seller more than six months ago?

Is the item your purchased like the items the seller was buying or selling? (with very old FB, you have to look at what the person who left the FB buys or sells).

If the account has been consistently active and selling the same sort of thing, there should be no problem.

If there has been a long pause, an inactive account has been hacked.

If the seller is Not A Registered User, it was a dormant account that was hacked and has been closed by eBay.

Is it or is it not? Maybe so maybe no.? Information is not percise..

EBay is covering itself against legal action in case they are wrong.

Will I get my stuff or wont I ?

Probably not.

Open an eBay dispute for Item Not Received as soon as possible.

With these notices, you may be able to do so immediately.

If not, go to your Paypal account. The Resolution Centre is at the top of your PP account page under Tools.

Open an Item Not Received dispute.

Don't bother trying to contact the scammer. That's a suggestion in any case.

State in the dispute that the seller is Not A Registered User if that is the case.

At any rate, if the seller/scammer does not prove that the item hase been delivered (not shipped, delivered) you will be refunded.

Please note that new and occasional sellers have their customers' payments Held for up to 21 days as a Buyer Protection.

It is unlikely that the scammer has seen your money.

[pellegard53]

Just saw this comment. I totally agree.Lately I have been buying items in the $15.00-$50.00 range from the US. Global shipping program is a ripoff. However if it is sent via regular International post I almost never get charged any import tax or whatever and it actually gets to me faster. I believe Canada Post has many more high dollar value items to inspect and tax than my piddly purchases. Now I demand the seller use USPS or NO SALE. 

[femmefan1946]

You need to contact your MP

Jane DoeMP

House of Commons

Ottawa ON

K1A 0A6

You don't even need to stamp the envelope. Just mark it OHMS.

The $20 CDN (~$16USD) duty free limit has been in place since the mid 1980s.

There is some talk of raising it.  Canadian retailers are against it, although it might actually lower some of their import costs.

CBSA has been informally ignoring small and low value (under $100?) items on the basis that it costs the taxpayer more for them to assess these imports than can possibly be collected. Which shows that the public service is smarter than the politicians.

One exception is untracked items from China which are getting close inspection for criminal imports of fentanyl, which has killed over 500 people here in BC so far this year.

[rasealchikh-sulaima-0]

Hi,

can I use the GSP to sell items from Canada to the glob?

[afantiques]

No.

[femmefan1946]

Beware of the Glob!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK5jyVCdXwc

[a-delle]

Ebay Global shipping program is **bleep**.  It is just a way for Pitney tools and Ebay to make extra money.

I ordered some sunglasses off ebay Sept 4.  The seller went out of his way and shipped them first thing in the morning on the 5th.  My first time using global shipping program as it made it sound easy.  Pay everything up front and your item flys through customs. 

The seller lives one hour from the Ontario border so I am think no problem.  I will have these for my race on the 16th no problem....

Well It takes 4 days to go to KENTUCKY (wrong direction tools).  Then it takes another 3 days to get to Canada customs. 

So that is 7 days for it to take a 1 hour trip north to the border. 

Now because of pitney losers with their GREAT process it gets stuck in customs where it still is.  For 7 days it has been waiting to clear customs in Canada.  I have never seen this in my life.  Oh that's right, I have not used GSP before. 

When I use AMAZON>COM to get my stuff and pay in advance fees it is here Super quick. 

Ebay you wont see much more of my business if I am FORCED to use the GSP, I will make every effort possible to buy somewhere else before considering ebay..  Pitney Bowes will never see any of my business!