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,

[nubian_treasures]

You can't get around it after the fact. Once you bid/bought the item, you agreed to Global Shipping. You would get an unpaid item strike if you tried to not pay because you don't like GSP. In the future, ask the seller before bidding/buying if they are willing to remove the GSP for the item. By the way, make sure you don't mention shipping in the feedback. This would only make you look bad because you agreed to it by buying the item.

[00nevermind00]

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@arlene_v wrote:

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I've spent many hours reading up about this program and to this day can't figure out what would happen in the following  scenario:

A buyer purchases a 14k diamond ring from a seller using the GSP, and pays a considerable amount for the ring.  Add onto that tax, duty and overpriced shipping.

Ring arrives and buyer takes it to gemologist who indicates that the clarity and colour are not per item description. Buyer wishes to return ring because it is not as described, and naturally also expects to get a refund of the whopping tax and duty.

How does one do this under the GSP, when it is clearly stated under the T&C that returns are not supported under this program? Is the seller responsible? Is eBay going to cough up the amount? That no clear explanation is provided anywhere, at least not  that I can find, is  unacceptable  and inspires  no confidence whatsoever in this ill-conceived program.

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I've never purchased anything using the GSP and it will be a very cold day in hell before I do, but here's what I think: it never occurred to the GSP designers that a buyer would need to return an item due to seller's fault. So they didn't plan anything for this contingency.

Just like it never occurred to them that maybe, just maybe, buyers like to combine several purchases in order to save on shipping costs. And just like it never occurred to them that buyers wouldn't exactly be tripping over themselves rushing to buy $1.00 postcard-sized items with $16.00+ shipping on each item.

It would have been nice if they'd talked to real buyers who actually purchase a variety of items from the US to find out what they needed from a GSP-type shipping program. But I think that they were too arrogant and/or too incompetent to do so. I also believe that they thought US goods would be so irresistibly attractive to international buyers that they would still buy, not matter how outrageous the charges. I think that they were genuinely baffled by the less-than-enthusiastic reaction (although it was entirely predictable), and scrambled to try and patch up the disaster in the making. That's when we got the "$50 good fit" thingy and a whole bunch of piecemeal measures that were explained just as poorly as the original program had been.

[jancia57]

Yes it does make the cost of a purchase considerably higher.  I also am noticing a few sellers that don't use the GSP but use USPS First Class Mail Intl shipping to ship their items are overcharging by an extreme amount.  A small item (lip gloss as an example) that only costs $15.00 and the shipping cost through USPS is $40.95!  Where so they get this price from/  Are the sellers are charging so much more to pocket the money for themselves?  The shipping cost shouldn't be any more than $6.00 to $7.00.  Can anything be done to report these sellers for abusing this? 

[mater721]

Is that USPS priority shipping? Can't be First Class with a giant mark-up like that. If it actually is First Class, they are trying to profit big-time from shipping, or do not really want to ship to Canada. Only thing you can do is exercise your option to not buy from that seller.

[reallynicestamps]

You don't pay the buyer.

The buyer pays you.

To stop offering Global Shipping you will have to go to your listings on eBaydotCOM and remove the option one by one.

[pjcdn2005]

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@arlene_v wrote:

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@00nevermind00 wrote:

It's still a mystery to me why eBay is trying so hard to strong-arm sellers into the GSP, to the point of resorting to tactics that are highly questionable ethically, and why it is so intent on forcing it on unwilling buyers.

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Me too, I just don't "get it". Sellers who are opted in without their explicit consent would seem to me to be a recipe for disaster. Also, buyers  are faced with these charges that make little or no sense, especially only the occasional shopper, and of course get totally confused.

I've spent many hours reading up about this program and to this day can't figure out what would happen in the following  scenario:

A buyer purchases a 14k diamond ring from a seller using the GSP, and pays a considerable amount for the ring.  Add onto that tax, duty and overpriced shipping.

Ring arrives and buyer takes it to gemologist who indicates that the clarity and colour are not per item description. Buyer wishes to return ring because it is not as described, and naturally also expects to get a refund of the whopping tax and duty.

How does one do this under the GSP, when it is clearly stated under the T&C that returns are not supported under this program? Is the seller responsible? Is eBay going to cough up the amount? That no clear explanation is provided anywhere, at least not  that I can find, is  unacceptable  and inspires  no confidence whatsoever in this ill-conceived program.

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@arlene_v wrote:

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@00nevermind00 wrote:

It's still a mystery to me why eBay is trying so hard to strong-arm sellers into the GSP, to the point of resorting to tactics that are highly questionable ethically, and why it is so intent on forcing it on unwilling buyers.

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Me too, I just don't "get it". Sellers who are opted in without their explicit consent would seem to me to be a recipe for disaster. Also, buyers  are faced with these charges that make little or no sense, especially only the occasional shopper, and of course get totally confused.

I've spent many hours reading up about this program and to this day can't figure out what would happen in the following  scenario:

A buyer purchases a 14k diamond ring from a seller using the GSP, and pays a considerable amount for the ring.  Add onto that tax, duty and overpriced shipping.

Ring arrives and buyer takes it to gemologist who indicates that the clarity and colour are not per item description. Buyer wishes to return ring because it is not as described, and naturally also expects to get a refund of the whopping tax and duty.

How does one do this under the GSP, when it is clearly stated under the T&C that returns are not supported under this program? Is the seller responsible? Is eBay going to cough up the amount? That no clear explanation is provided anywhere, at least not  that I can find, is  unacceptable  and inspires  no confidence whatsoever in this ill-conceived program.

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An item not described is not handled the same as an item that is returned because the buyer changed their mind. In the first instance, a buyer would file a claim and if they won, the buyer would be refunded for the item and all fees that had been paid. In some cases, ebay doesn't require that the seller return the item.

[arlene_v]

Thanks PJ for your answer, much appreciated. 

I know that an eBay rep commented on this issue on one of the weekly board sessions, but is there a link to this info supplied by eBay or PB, stated in black and white, in the T&C of the program, to support this info? I ask this because most of the time the right hand does not know what the left is doing on eBay,  and add an international shipping program into the mix .... ?!

When buyers are dealing with the least competent of sellers in the eBay pile (these are usually the ones using the GSP), it is only sensible to ask these questions. This is just one of the many reasons I won't touch items under the GSP. There seems to be little protection for buyers, in fact, quite the opposite to everything eBay provides under regular seller-buyer transactions.

The bar is set very high for those, but very low for GSP ones.

 A very poor program indeed. I sincerely hope it fails.

[arlene_v]

I've been reading the UK boards  According to the eBay rep on that site, buyers will be covered under the Money Back Guarantee. Here's what  Hannah, a UK rep stated (based on consulting the UK legal team re a question on this very issue).

QUOTE:

" Items sent to buyers via GSP are eligible for the eBay Money Back Guarantee in the countries where the Money Back Guarantee is offered (it isn't offered on all eBay sites around the world). The buyer would put in a claim on the eBay site where they ordered the items.  In countries where the Money Back Guarantee isn't offered, the buyer would need to claim through PayPal Buyer Protection.  For example if they bought from your listing on ebay.co.uk they'd claim through UK eBay Money Back Guarantee, but if they bought from your listing via ebay.fr they'd claim through the French PayPal Buyer Protection." END QUOTE

So this is my question, does this mean that buyers will need to return an item to the seller, if the seller agrees as per the Money Back Guarantee, and who pays for the return shipping with this GSP item ...  and who reimburses the import fees?

I am sorry to be repeating the same question over and over but this is just not making sense to me, not at all, if GSP items are eligible under the Money Back Guarantee, it would seem to imply that items can be returned.

This is very different to a GSP item getting lost or damaged in transit, where all money is refunded and the buyer and seller are "made whole" due to Pitney Bowes error. 

The fact that GSP items are eligible for the Money Back Guarantee now opens another can of worms. Or maybe I am just not able to understand this. Sorry.

[love2shoppe4me]

Amen to that!! Options are the best selling tool to implement to all potential buyers. I was wondering the same thing Patken. Buyers should be given choices on how to be charged and what route to take.

The global shipping program deters buyers from even from wanting to view items for sale in the US. In Canada, I have noticed over the past several years, Customs many times randomly selects packages to charge import taxes. Over the last 11 purchases I have received 2 have been charged import taxes. I am ok with any import charges when they arrive at my door. But with the GSP you are guaranteed import taxes up front. As for getting a better deal side of things, I try to steer away from any listings that implement the GSP. Also it is impossible to track these items until they leave the States. A buyer paying for this shipping route, deserves to be able to track from start to finish.

A choice should be given. This way it's in the buyers hands to accept the flaws of the GPS or stay clear of them.

[pierrelebel]

"A choice should be given."

I totally agree.

The seller owns the item.  It has to be the seller's choice as to how to sell it (auction style or fixed price), where to sell it (eBay, other online venues or elsewhere) to whom to sell it (domestic only or foreign markets) and how to ship it (directly to buyer or with the assistance of a third party).

So yes, the choice belongs to the seller, the owner of the goods.

[afantiques]

How does one do this under the GSP, when it is clearly stated under the T&C that returns are not supported under this program? Is the seller responsible? Is eBay going to cough up the amount?

This is a very clearly stated example of the 'seller fault' problem, and one that is never answered despite the many times it has been asked.

[moxymish]

We can go thru customs with anything less than $100.That includes mail.

[toby_le_pue]

Don't know where you get your information from but it is wrong. ..............You may be able to drive across the border.........and stay a while and bring back $100.00 or more of duty free and tax free items ............But when you import by mail that limit is only $20.00 Canadian.. ...It is not ebay that charges the duty and taxes on this but Pitney Bowes and then they forward the taxes and duty to the Canadian government. Read the following link and also pass it along to who ever told you the limit for importing by mail was $100.00 http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html#c1

[00nevermind00]

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@afantiques wrote:

How does one do this under the GSP, when it is clearly stated under the T&C that returns are not supported under this program? Is the seller responsible? Is eBay going to cough up the amount?

This is a very clearly stated example of the 'seller fault' problem, and one that is never answered despite the many times it has been asked.

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This continued silence is simply unacceptable. Ebay's big salespitch to buyers is that of a "safe buying experience" where the buyer is made whole if something goes wrong with a transaction. If an international buyer pays a "premium" (for lack of a better word) because a seller is using the GSP, the buyer will only be made whole if both the GSP and non-GSP portions of the transaction are refunded.

Ebay, your international buyers deserve to know what happens in case of a problem with their GSP item that is the seller's fault.

When Bennett was the GSP spokesman, even though he often was content to repeat the party line, he would at least "go to bat" for buyers and sellers who were having GSP-related problems. But he appears to have moved on to another job and has been replaced by a ghostly ghost.  Was he even replaced?

[afantiques]

Was he even replaced?

I had a message from him with the ID of a replacement person, but it was on the US boards and I can't access it.

I have seen no posts from that new ID, however.

[waxworx_gemm_com]

for me, I just fell into this trap, I purchased two items from a single seller and was charged shipping, import fees TWICE.  the seller states they HAVE to send them to ebay in separate boxes.. silliness, why can't two records from a single seller be shipped in ONE box if going to the SAME person.    So in theory, I have now twice the chances of the items getting lost/stolen/damaged, and am paying twice the shipping (not to mention putting twice the cardboard in the trash).  Seems illogical.

[knight2565mike]

hi what up with ebay the shipping is getting out of hand I live in Canada and how many time I have been charge oversea shipping and this global shipping is not great for seller and buyer and why seller will have a hard time selling there stuff how many time I have pass on global shipping in auction I love one shirt starting at 12.99 but wait shipping is 38.00 what the shipping is 3 time the shirt ok pass to make my story short no more will I buy again that as global shipping waist of time not any faster shipping but will buy of any one that does not have this program sorry seller no sales from me

[afantiques]

I sugest you post your comments on the US site where US sellers may see them. They won't be looking here.

[rocca]

I've just had my second experience with GSP cancelling my purchase at the last moment (ie 2 weeks after purchase and the item has made it all the way to Kentucky) because of 'weight or size limitations'. These are typical items I regularly purchase without any difficulty and was counting on for delivery - now I'm left scrambling to find a replacement. 

Not only does GSP increase the cost of purchasing internationally, but the fact that they can for whatever reason simply cancel your order weeks after the fact without any concern is disgusting. This GSP policy completely undermines the entire eBay experience/process.

If this doesn't get resolved amicably it'll be the end of our 16 year relationship with eBay.

Member since: 15-May-98 in Canada

[chauphamasia]

Why I am charged extra by pitney & Bowes when the shipping fees is already applied?