eBay

irismoon12 · ‎06-25-2013

I'm hoping you can point me in the right direction. All the posts I've found via the forums are people upset with the program itself, which is not currently my issue.

I need to return an item that I purchased from the US via the GSP. However, I have received no invoice or other documentation regarding the breakdown of fees paid and more importantly NO contact information. I recognize these fees were not paid to ebay or to the seller. However, when I import via Canada Post I receive documentation and information on how to arrange for a refund or correction etc.

How do I go about doing this with the GSP?

Thank you very much.

Just as an aisde, I purchased an expensive camera, and the GSP fees seem very comprable to "regular" import charges, i.e. sales tax at 13% and a brokerage fee. I see that this is not the case for people buying low cost items.

pierrelebel · ‎06-25-2013

That question was asked from eBay two weeks ago. NO REPLY yet from the staff and management at eBay.ca other than:

"These are all great questions for which I'll have to source answers from a colleague from the GSP team."

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Weekly-Board-Hour-Session/June-12th-Weekly-Board-Hour/m-p/73398#U73398

Hopefully they will soon address that question affecting many Canadian buyers.

eBay's silence on the subject is difficult to understand.

irismoon12 · ‎06-25-2013

Thanks for the quick (unlike ebay) response. My problem is I'm currently trying to negotiate a return or refund, and the prospect of losing $235 due to GSP fees isn't very appealing.

Thanks again.

pierrelebel · ‎06-25-2013

Try contacting kalvin@ebay.com with all details. He may be able to help or direct you to someone who can.

Good Luck.

marnotom! · ‎06-25-2013

@pierrelebel wrote:

eBay's silence on the subject is difficult to understand.

It don't find it difficult to understand. eBay is waiting for answers from someone who likely doesn't have the answers themselves.

All the "thou shalt not request a refund" commandments in the GSP terms and conditions for buyers leave me with the impression that nobody at Pitney-Bowes considered the possibility that returns and refunds do exist on eBay and thus a way to handle them through the GSP was never devised.

chimera148 · ‎06-25-2013

@pierrelebel wrote:
eBay's silence on the subject is difficult to understand.

The focus seems to be more on getting US sellers into the Program.

pierrelebel · ‎06-25-2013

"The focus seems to be more on getting US sellers into the Program."

Of course. That is how eBay earns extra income (commission they get from Pitney Bowes and added fee from PayPal)

chimera148 · ‎06-25-2013

Yes, promoting and encouraging some sellers into a program highly unsuitable for their

@pierrelebel wrote:
"The focus seems to be more on getting US sellers into the Program."

Of course. That is how eBay earns extra income (commission they get from Pitney Bowes and added fee from PayPal)

wares and then making it difficult for the seller to get out. Very nice.

marnotom! · ‎06-25-2013

I've read from one Canadian seller and one American seller who figure that eBay's cut of the GSP fees is pretty insignificant. Instead, eBay is banking on increased international sales to bolster its bottom line rather than the GSP in and of itself.

I tend to agree with this assessment.

chimera148 · ‎06-26-2013

@irismoon12 wrote:
Thanks for the quick (unlike ebay) response. My problem is I'm currently trying to negotiate a return or refund, and the prospect of losing $235 due to GSP fees isn't very appealing.

Thanks again.

If the seller isn't able to help recover your GSP fees, you could check the ebay buyer protection or the paypal purchase protection plan.

Check whichever one was on the site where you bought the camera.

pierrelebel · ‎06-27-2013

"...who figure that eBay's cut of the GSP fees is pretty insignificant..."

Insignifixant?

Maybe these folks did not look at the big picture.

The commission earned by eBay from PB is minimal.

However the fees raised by PayPal are very substantial. Keep in mind that from the USA, PayPal collects an extra 1.00% cross border fee. Now, PayPal will collect fees (including the cross border fee) on duty and taxes payable by the buyer. Canada is small potatoes. Look at Europe with 300,000,000 potential buyers and VAT approximating 20%-25%. That is a lot of money.

Insignificant? I think not.

i*m-still-here · ‎06-27-2013

@marnotom! wrote:
I've read from one Canadian seller and one American seller who figure that eBay's cut of the GSP fees is pretty insignificant. Instead, eBay is banking on increased international sales to bolster its bottom line rather than the GSP in and of itself.

I tend to agree with this assessment.

I don't know if those who implemented the program thought that they would make money via fees from increased sales or fees from the GSP directly............

However, I'm pretty sure that the extra money spent paying CSRs to deal with all the related issues is staggering.

That is, the money put into promoting the GSP and the money paid out to deal with GSP issues........... could very easily outweigh everything else.

Not to mention that the offshoot that shoppers are stressed by it and won't return and buy less in the long run........... Especially if they fall prey to the program one time.

The GSP does not make for a pleasant buying experience.

I notice very day that very few sellers are opting in and many who did at first stopped using it.

Considering the way the program is being promoted that speaks volumes.

marnotom! · ‎06-27-2013

@pierrelebel wrote:
"...who figure that eBay's cut of the GSP fees is pretty insignificant..."

Insignificant?

Maybe these folks did not look at the big picture.

The commission earned by eBay from PB is minimal.

However the fees raised by PayPal are very substantial. Keep in mind that from the USA, PayPal collects an extra 1.00% cross border fee. Now, PayPal will collect fees (including the cross border fee) on duty and taxes payable by the buyer. Canada is small potatoes. Look at Europe with 300,000,000 potential buyers and VAT approximating 20%-25%. That is a lot of money.

Insignificant? I think not.

Not denying most of that, Pierre, but you were alluding to eBay's cut of the GSP fees and nothing else and I responded in kind. I certainly don't doubt that there are hopes for a ripple effect for eBay revenues with the use of the GSP, but that wasn't your original point.

marnotom! · ‎06-27-2013

@i*m-still-here wrote:
@marnotom! wrote:
I've read from one Canadian seller and one American seller who figure that eBay's cut of the GSP fees is pretty insignificant. Instead, eBay is banking on increased international sales to bolster its bottom line rather than the GSP in and of itself.

I tend to agree with this assessment.
I don't know if those who implemented the program thought that they would make money via fees from increased sales or fees from the GSP directly............

However, I'm pretty sure that the extra money spent paying CSRs to deal with all the related issues is staggering.
That is, the money put into promoting the GSP and the money paid out to deal with GSP issues........... could very easily outweigh everything else.

Not to mention that the offshoot that shoppers are stressed by it and won't return and buy less in the long run........... Especially if they fall prey to the program one time.

The GSP does not make for a pleasant buying experience.

I notice very day that very few sellers are opting in and many who did at first stopped using it.

Considering the way the program is being promoted that speaks volumes.

Not sure how you're doing your research on the number of sellers opting in, but I'd argue that after the initial flurry of interest in the GSP where sellers who didn't do their homework first and/or who are selling items inappropriate for its use, the dust appears to be settling.

At least it's settling until the new eBay.com user agreement kicks in and users will be presented with what may be for some of them a perplexing "click through" option.

Also not sure how you can make a broad generalization about the user experience. I believe I posted elsewhere that I checked on the feedback of four or five users who'd posted that they'd no longer use eBay after having some exposure to the GSP and all of them had recent feedback as a buyer a few months after making those posts.

I guess I've been on eBay long enough to conclude that even though eBay's notorious for messing up new initiatives, somehow things work out and the site keeps chugging along. Or, as Pierre would say, "and still. . .life goes on."

i*m-still-here · ‎06-27-2013

Take a look at some of the other ebay sites discussion forums.

Do a search for GSP and the posts will give you some insight into how those countries view the GSP.

I took a few minutes and checked the UK board which has a $20 tax free import limit and at the other extreme Australia which is has very high tax free limit.

The comments are the same..............

They are all trashing the GSP.

Seems unanimous as far as buyers are concerned.

i*m-still-here · ‎06-27-2013

BTW..........While I have mixed feelings because I do believe that the GSP is a negative experience for buyers and it chases them away from eBay........

It's also true that if all If enough US sellers sign up it could boost sales for Canadians.........(but that's not really happening, is it?).

marnotom: Do you have shares in P-B? Just wondering.

marnotom! · ‎06-27-2013

I*m-still-here, people don't generally post to discussion boards when they're happy about something or when things are going properly. Visit the .com board's International Trading Discussion board and read a page or so of threads and you'll no longer wonder why some U.S. sellers conclude that selling to other countries is going to be a disaster for them.

So while it may be "unanimous" from buyers that the GSP is unworkable, keep in mind that these buyers are likely trying to buy the sorts of items that aren't appropriate for the GSP. These are the sales that eBay and Pitney-Bowes never really considered in the first place. Those that have had good experiences with it (and I'll admit those are probably few and far between at the moment) would likely not think, "Hey! I should post my experiences on an eBay discussion board for all to see!"

I'm not sure if a flood of U.S. seller interest in the GSP would boost sales for Canadians. Most savvy Canadian sellers have figured out that with Canada being at a disadvantage compared to the U.S. for international sales due to Canada's higher postal rates, the best way to make a go of it on eBay is to sell items that don't get much in the way of southside competition but still have a pretty strong niche interest.

And as I've suggested earlier, a regular poster on the .com board's International Trading discussion board has done some experimenting and has found that many larger items ship less expensively--even with the "import charges" factored in--with the GSP rather than through the postal system. No point in Canadian sellers trying to compete with that if they sell internationally.

marnotom! · ‎06-27-2013

Oh, and, no, I don't believe any of my investment portfolios include any Pitney-Bowes stock.

However, I do find it interesting that after bottoming out a couple of months after the GSP was introduced, P-B's stock has rebounded back to slightly above where it was prior to the GSP's introduction.