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,

[femmefan1946]

The system you describe has been in place for about 15 years.

[pjcdn2005]

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@afantiques wrote:

The GSP excludes business purchases, see the terms and conditions, so 'Never' is the answer to your general question.

You need to keep your own records. Screen prints of the items bought should suffice.

---

There is no breakdown of tax or duty written anywhere which is a major bone of contention.

[chimera148]

Yes , I doubt if  much of the shipping and import charges would stand up to a CRA audit if they were claimed for a personal business expenses.

  http://www.pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html  

 

[chimera148]

Proper link, effective date March 10, 2014

http://www.pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

[bennett4612]

Hi tacori09. 

If a buyer wishes to obtain a refund, some sort of case must be filed (same as a non GSP transaction). If a refund case is decided in a buyer's favor the GSP "Program Fees" are refunded by eBay / Pitney Bowes (these Fees include shipping and handling as well as import charges/taxes/etc.)

Returns is a separate question. And technically speaking, returns are not supported with the GSP (returns have to be worked out directly between buyer and seller). 

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

Hope that helps.

---Bennett

[roddley666]

i bought a 28$ bag for work paid  15$ for the import fees at checkout and still got a 23$ customs charge at the door which seems crazy can i get this money back from either ebay or the seller?

[joethetomato]

I bought an item through Global Shipping Program from USA to Canada. Seller shipped it. Tracking shows it arriving at the Global Shipping Plant. Now it's 'gone' in transit. However I waited too long and can't file an eBay claim (a day past the 45 days). What can I do to try and trace my item? or get a refund.. or???

[theafkgamer]

Import fees have nothing to do with the seller, they never get the money, so they wouldn't be the one to get a refund from.

You would want to contact either the people at the GSP or Canadian Customs. You only have to pay customs once, so you should get one refunded.

[devil8chocolate]

Well here's a question for you:

How can you justify that as a buyer we have to pay the seller shipping fees (which is fair enough) + another shipping company ( who is doing nothing more than USPS already does as the seller just posts his items via the post and charges up to 4x the original shipping amount the seller is asking) + have to pay taxes of 20-35% even on items costing only $20. Have you got any idea any how much extra we have to pay for the smallest of things when we're not even supposed to pay tax for items under $100?

Shouldn't that be addressed? Fair enough Canada wants to avoid taxes being unclaimed but this amount on such small amounts is a pure ripoff.

And you know the worst? The sellers even don't know this is being charged to their international buyers as it doesn't reflect on the listings on their side, nor on their invoices, not understanding either why nobody buys or bids on their items.

A little more clarity towards sellers in giving this option and what it entails would do a world of good. Cause the sellers I contacted where shocked to hear what I was being charged on their listings.

Ebay is a great invention but not as long as this global shipping goes forth the way it does now. You're loosing a lot of transactions and customers fast.

To address with BW:

-why are we paying taxes of 20-35% on items <100$?

-create  GSP as an option giving the choice to customers rather than obligation, leaving sellers free to adjust in invoice system

-show GSP fees to sellers in their listings for clarity, not only show fees to potential buyers.

Good luck!

[marnotom!]

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@devil8chocolate wrote:

Well here's a question for you:

How can you justify that as a buyer we have to pay the seller shipping fees (which is fair enough) + another shipping company ( who is doing nothing more than USPS already does as the seller just posts his items via the post and charges up to 4x the original shipping amount the seller is asking) + have to pay taxes of 20-35% even on items costing only $20. Have you got any idea any how much extra we have to pay for the smallest of things when we're not even supposed to pay tax for items under $100?

Shouldn't that be addressed? Fair enough Canada wants to avoid taxes being unclaimed but this amount on such small amounts is a pure ripoff.

And you know the worst? The sellers even don't know this is being charged to their international buyers as it doesn't reflect on the listings on their side, nor on their invoices, not understanding either why nobody buys or bids on their items.

A little more clarity towards sellers in giving this option and what it entails would do a world of good. Cause the sellers I contacted where shocked to hear what I was being charged on their listings.

Ebay is a great invention but not as long as this global shipping goes forth the way it does now. You're loosing a lot of transactions and customers fast.

To address with BW:

-why are we paying taxes of 20-35% on items <100$?

-create  GSP as an option giving the choice to customers rather than obligation, leaving sellers free to adjust in invoice system

-show GSP fees to sellers in their listings for clarity, not only show fees to potential buyers.

Good luck!

---

Can you provide a listing number for an item shipped through the GSP that has the type of charges you're describing?  We might have half a chance at breaking down the charges if we can see an example.  Knowing the province you live in would help, too.

It's important to note that "import charges" aren't simply taxes.  In the GSP buyer terms and conditions page, there's a description of the various things that go into them.  Duty may be charged on items that aren't manufactured in free trade zones or where the seller hasn't provided the item's country of origin or manufacture, for starters, but there's also various processing and customs-related charges.

[afantiques]

Now it's 'gone' in transit. However I waited too long and can't file an eBay claim (a day past the 45 days). What can I do to try and trace my item? or get a refund.. or???

File the INR claim anyway. It is possible that the GSP does not stick strictly to the 45 day from payment deadline. In any case it may shake something loose.

[puckstopshere]

The import fees that are charged on shipments from the U.S. to Canada - who actually gets the money?

I bought some mint Canadian stamps to use as postage.  I was charged a fee (about 25% of purchase price).  

I am told by Canada Border Service that such stamps are duty free.  I am also told that they waive their normal handling fee when an item is duty free.  So, who got the money.  I have also been charged import fees on hockey cards imported into Canada.  Yet, they are duty free and only subject to HST. 

Is this another hidden fee that we are paying? 

I called eBay.  After 55 minutes and talking to numerous "specialists", I was informed that, in this case, it was a brokerage fee.  She also tried to tell me that it covered the item if it was lost, stolen or damaged.  I paid for International Priority Mail - do they not cover these items.  Does eBay/PayPal buyer protection not cover this? 

Seems to me this is just another fee that eBay/PayPal/Pitney-Bowes are collecting. 

That was my last purchase from the U.S.

[theafkgamer]

It seems like you were wrongly charged by Pitney Bowes. I wouldn't trust any of those ebay "specialists" over the phone. They don't help.

[pjcdn2005]

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@puckstopshere wrote:

The import fees that are charged on shipments from the U.S. to Canada - who actually gets the money?

I bought some mint Canadian stamps to use as postage.  I was charged a fee (about 25% of purchase price).  

I am told by Canada Border Service that such stamps are duty free.  I am also told that they waive their normal handling fee when an item is duty free.  So, who got the money.  I have also been charged import fees on hockey cards imported into Canada.  Yet, they are duty free and only subject to HST. 

Is this another hidden fee that we are paying? 

I called eBay.  After 55 minutes and talking to numerous "specialists", I was informed that, in this case, it was a brokerage fee.  She also tried to tell me that it covered the item if it was lost, stolen or damaged.  I paid for International Priority Mail - do they not cover these items.  Does eBay/PayPal buyer protection not cover this? 

Seems to me this is just another fee that eBay/PayPal/Pitney-Bowes are collecting. 

That was my last purchase from the U.S.

---

The way that I understand it to work is that PB gets the import fees and then makes a declaration and pays Canada customs for the tax/duty owed. If more was paid than what was due, there is no refund. Part of those fees are always a 'service charge' for PB handling the package and/or paying fees to customs.  If there are no import fees on an item under C$20 then the service charge is included with the shipping cost.

In the case of the stamps and cards there should still be HST due right? So the import fees would include a service charge and HST. 

[marnotom!]

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@roddley666 wrote:

i bought a 28$ bag for work paid  15$ for the import fees at checkout and still got a 23$ customs charge at the door which seems crazy can i get this money back from either ebay or the seller?

---

I would try to figure out what went wrong, first.  A $23 charge on delivery for a $28 item sounds as though the seller sent the item directly to you by a carrier such as UPS rather than through the Global Shipping Program.  Did the package have the seller's return address on it or the address of a Canadian office?

[afantiques]

This double charging case is very interesting, and I hope the poster comes back with details of the shipping labels.

[puckstopshere]

In the case of the stamps and cards there should still be HST due right

HST is charged but it would be less than half of the import charge that I paid. 

Ebay also said that they make no money from these fees. 

I would guess that there agreement to put all the business through

Pitney-Bowes probably results in a kick back of some kind. 

I also wonder how the shipping charge works.

As I understand it, the seller pays the postage to ship the item to P-B's

facility in Kentucky.  Then there is additional cost to mail it to mail it to

Canada.  It appears we are also paying double shipping.

I will never buy from a seller in the U.S. that lists Import Charges.

I have bought from a number of sellers who do not charge it and

mail there items direct.  Definitely cheaper.  Yes, I know that occasionally,

I will have to pay the HST.

[marnotom!]

---

@puckstopshere wrote:

The import fees that are charged on shipments from the U.S. to Canada - who actually gets the money?

I bought some mint Canadian stamps to use as postage.  I was charged a fee (about 25% of purchase price).  

I am told by Canada Border Service that such stamps are duty free.  I am also told that they waive their normal handling fee when an item is duty free.  So, who got the money.  I have also been charged import fees on hockey cards imported into Canada.  Yet, they are duty free and only subject to HST. 

Is this another hidden fee that we are paying? 

I called eBay.  After 55 minutes and talking to numerous "specialists", I was informed that, in this case, it was a brokerage fee.  She also tried to tell me that it covered the item if it was lost, stolen or damaged.  I paid for International Priority Mail - do they not cover these items.  Does eBay/PayPal buyer protection not cover this? 

Seems to me this is just another fee that eBay/PayPal/Pitney-Bowes are collecting. 

That was my last purchase from the U.S.

---

I worked out that the fee for processing your purchase for customs was $3.32.  If you find that onerous, so be it, but it's generally acknowledged that Pitney Bowes' take of the import charges tends to be in the neighbourhood of US$3.25 to $5, be the item relatively inexpensive or more pricey.

The possible components of a GSP listing's "import charges" is actually described in the terms and conditions page that buyers agree to when they commit to purchasing the item.  I'm afraid I don't agree that this is a "hidden fee" although I will grant that since we don't see a breakdown of the import charges, we don't know exactly what is going to whom after taxes.

You also didn't pay for "International Priority Mail."  The descriptor for the GSP's shipping method is "International Priority Shipping" which is simply a network of freight and (mostly) commercial carriers.  The rep you spoke to was correct:  the program itself has some sort of insurance policy, too, as they take responsibility for the item once it's in their possession.  Just like a seller shipping directly to you might want to insure their item against damage or loss, so does the GSP.

I've only purchased one item through the GSP but it worked out reasonably well for me.  The seller offered free domestic shipping so my only shipping charge was what the GSP itself charged, which was comparable to First Class International.  Because I'm in BC, I'm not charged PST (for various complicated reasons), so the import charges I paid were less than what I'd pay if I bought from a seller in BC who collected PST and GST.  The GSP made sense for my purchase.  It doesn't make sense for a lot of purchases, but it made sense for mine. 

[theafkgamer]

Not sure where you're getting this $100 rule from. Anything over $20 is eligible to be taxed by Canadian Customs.

[femmefan1946]

Andd that's $20 CANADIAN  about $18 USD at the moment.

As I understand it, the seller pays the postage to ship the item to P-B's

facility in Kentucky.  Then there is additional cost to mail it to mail it to

Canada.  It appears we are also paying double shipping.

Not exactly. The seller is not shipping to Canada. He only ships to Kentucky with cheap domestic rates for Delivery Confirmation.

Shipping to Canada would be more. How much more would depend on the service chosen.

The Pitney Bowes charges something (around $5 apparently) to move the item from Kentucky to your doorstep.

So which is cheaper

$5 domestic shipping + $5 KY to Canada shipping? Which may or may not attract duty and tax for doorstep payment.

$10 First Class International Shipping to Canada? (Because the duty and taxes are not really part of the 'shipping' cost and go to the Canadian government, eventually.)

$25 Global Priority Shipping to Canada? (This was the only Delivery Confirmed service available until quite recently)Which may or may not attract duty and tax for doorstep payment.

$10 UPS Ground Service to Canada? Plus $25 service fee plus duty and taxes on the doorstep (Remember those threads?)

What we really need here is the Harper Government to increase the duty free allowance to $200, as it is for cross-border shoppers. Then most of the screams of pain will go away.