eBay

jsmhighlanddude · ‎11-19-2018

So I am waiting on an item - it was coming from California, but because the seller uses the Global Shipping Program, it goes all the way to Erlinger, Kentucky (all the way to the east coast) before coming all the way back to Western Canada.

Now with the strike, the item (a new oxygen regulator for my mother who is on oxygen - and an oxygen regulator that is no longer available) is somewhere between Kentucky and Alberta. Is there no way that a secondary shipping center could be set up so that items that aren't crossing the country don't have to cross country.

I'm now in the frustrating position of the tracking information not giving any information - and we're a week overdue on delivery.

marnotom! · ‎11-19-2018

@jsmhighlanddude wrote:

So I am waiting on an item - it was coming from California, but because the seller uses the Global Shipping Program, it goes all the way to Erlinger, Kentucky (all the way to the east coast) before coming all the way back to Western Canada.

Now with the strike, the item (a new oxygen regulator for my mother who is on oxygen - and an oxygen regulator that is no longer available) is somewhere between Kentucky and Alberta. Is there no way that a secondary shipping center could be set up so that items that aren't crossing the country don't have to cross country.

I'm now in the frustrating position of the tracking information not giving any information - and we're a week overdue on delivery.

Cut the program a little slack here. If your item had been shipped by mail directly by the seller instead of forwarded by the GSP (the GSP is essentially a forwarding service) there's a good chance your item would have been delayed once entering Canada because of the Canada Post labour dispute.

Sometimes you can get a bit more information on Pitney Bowes' tracking site than you can on eBay. Have your UPAA tracking code ready and give this site a try:

https://parceltracking.pb.com

At the very least, you should be able to see if the option to "track [the] item on the carrier's website" works at this point.

As for the possibility of another forwarding base for the GSP is concerned, keep in mind that the GSP serves about 99 other countries in addition to Canada and the program seems to be ticking along with just the one forwarding hub to serve all those countries. Unless the overall volume of shipments to Canada warrants that sort of investment and environmental destruction associated with it, I doubt it's going to happen.

I appreciate that you're anxious about your mother's well-being and would have liked to have seen the oxygen regulator arrive the day before you purchased it, but you have to be fair to the GSP here. The GSP seems to catch a lot of flack for problems not of its own making, such as labour disputes.

momcqueen · ‎11-19-2018

It’s stuck in the backlog created rotating strikes. CUPW is responsible for that.

Write the Prime Minister’s Office.

https://pm.gc.ca/eng/connect

hfr1587-p5kioz · ‎01-04-2019

cant really blame canada post or any strike fir ebays slow delivery and poor tracking. IT IS ALWAYS THE SAME. any time i order from ebay i seem to have to wait 2 months and hope it actually arrives. 2 out of 10 packages never show up and i have to ask for a refund. its like throwing money into the wind. they should learn from amazon..

momcqueen · ‎01-04-2019

Amazon cannot be compared to ebay anymore than pineapples to grapes. I could explain all the reasons for this but that's the subject of an entire volume on ecommerce and online shopping.

I shop on both venues and as soon as I ignore my better judgement and place an order from one of Amazon's third-party merchants who are NOT fulfilled by Amazon or eligible for Prime, there is a 50 per cent chance my order will never arrive even after I wait for 45 to 65 days.

Problems with delivery delays are not caused by where you shop, it's from whom you purchase. If you want something fast, don't buy it from overseas. Look for Canadian sellers. Service by Expedited Parcel is within four business days across most of the nation. It's as if everyone under the age of 65 thinks lettermail from China travels not by cargo ship but at the speed of the data across the internet. It doesn't.

dannyw1975 · ‎02-22-2019

It is shocking to see anyone attempting to defend this scam of a "program". They open packages, and remove padding, bubble wrap, and whatever else they can to lighten the packages. This often results in packages being damaged when they arrive to the buyer. They charge fees which are well beyond what customs would be charging. They also charge "import fees" on items that should not even have them. This program is nothing but a fraudulent scam to illegally get more money out of buyers. It is shameful and disgusting. For instance, on EBAY, several people are selling video game codes. These can be redeemed on Steam, Origin, and other gaming platforms. The sellers email the buyers the game code after you win the auction. This GSP is charging people import fees on these **bleep**in auctions. These are emailed game codes, not even sent through the a postal service. This is **bleep**in illegal. People can attempt to defend this program all they want. The fact of the matter is, there is criminal activity involved in it, and no one should buy from anyone who has opted in to using it.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/AMD-Code-Choice-of-2-Games-Resident-Evil-2-Devil-May-Cry-5-or-The-Division-2...

You can see for yourself as stated in the item description , they email you the code, yet the shipping program is charging import fees. Again, this is illegal.

reallynicestamps · ‎02-22-2019

on EBAY, several people are selling video game codes. ...The sellers email the buyers the game code after you win the auction. This GSP is charging people import fees on these **bleep**in auctions. These are emailed game codes, not even sent through the a postal service.

Any seller who is using the GSP to 'ship' digital items is just not very bright.

Don't deal with dimwits.

Those sellers obviously don't understand what the GSP is.

If they think they are being protected by the GSP against non-delivery or damage in transit, they are failing to understand that that protection only kicks in when the (physical) item arrives at the GSP plant in Kentucky and shows Delivery Confirmed.

Digital items cannot be proven to have been delivered anywhere to the satisfaction of eBay or Paypal and any seller who tries to use the GSP to weasel out of a Dispute will fail.

I love the Dunning-Kroger effect.

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-22-2019

If the seller is emailing the code that was purchased and not mailing anything then they shouldn't be using the gsp on that listing. The gsp doesn't know if the item will or will not be mailed so it is up to the seller to set up their listings properly.

strange*highways · ‎02-22-2019

I thought Digital items had to be listed as classified adds in the "Everything Else" category they shouldn't be listed in the Games Category at all.

https://www.ebay.ca/pages/help/sell/selling-digital-items.html

dannyw1975 · ‎02-23-2019

The point is, this program is a scam, and no one should be using it. It costs buyers far more than direct shipping does. The shipping times are also 2 to 3 times longer than direct shipping. It is also illegal for Pitney Bowes to be opening packages, as well as repackaging/removing parts of the packages to reduce the weight and cost for them. They are not customs, and they have no right to be opening anything. This is what X-RAY machines are for. They are breaking the law. It is that simple. The only real objective of this **bleep**ty program is to extract more money out of buyers. I will be shopping elsewhere online from now on. I have waited three weeks already for my package to arrive using this **bleep**in trash program, and I am still looking at it being another week until I receive it. This is a parcel that has come from California, and is going to BC, Canada. WIth direct shipping, I would have received it in probably 3 days, maybe 4. The item I bought is brand new and in a sealed retail package. I bet that Pitney Bowes has opened it, and repacked it as well, so I will no longer have the original packaging now. I won't be surprised if my item shows up damaged as a result of their terrible repacking techniques. So many others have experienced receiving damaged items through this scam program. I was also charged more than double what the shipping and fees would have been through direct shipping with FEDEX or Purolator. I had to pay 170 dollars for shipping and "import fees". I contacted purolator, and asked what this parcel would have been if direct shipped. They said that I would have paid around 83 dollars total for shipping and fees if it had been direct shipped with them. They flat out stated as well that this GSP program is ripping people off, especially Canadians. I am not impressed at all.

ypdc_dennis · ‎02-23-2019

@dannyw1975 wrote:
... I contacted purolator, and asked what this parcel would have been if direct shipped. They said that I would have paid around 83 dollars total for shipping and fees if it had been direct shipped with them.

I'll assume your Purolator quote included the Fuel Surcharge of 11.5%, the Residential Delivery fee, the Dimensional Weight adjustment and the Value Surcharge fee of 4.5% (for shipments over $100).

Purolator does say that shipment rates do not include Custom Clearance Fees, Duty and Sales Tax. Those are all extra.

Purolator, a company that is 91% owned by Canada Post.

Unionized members are represented by Teamsters Canada. Current contract expires in 2022.

dannyw1975 · ‎02-23-2019

You have ignored the fact that what EBAY and Pitney Bowes are doing is illegal. They are not customs. They are not allowed to open packages, tamper with the products inside, charge their own inflated import charges to the buyer, or reduce the weight of said packages. This is against the law. People can attempt to defend these practices all they want. It won't change the fact that it is all a scam, and illegal.

retroman_studios · ‎02-23-2019

You will get no argument that GSP is overpriced etc.

But to state that these companies break the law, is well, rash. You may think they do but they actually have a contract with CBSA to assess products for tax and duty.

You see if Canada Post delivered a parcel, the officer who assessed your shipment could decide not to collect taxes and fees because it's too much of a hassle for such a small purchase.

Couriers on the other hand can't do that. They have to remit taxes and duty on every single shipment. No exception. They are not a government agency and can't decide to give you a break on taxes. Only the CBSA can do that.

reallynicestamps · ‎02-23-2019

They are not CBSA.

They don't collect duty and sales taxes as Canada Post and UPS/FedEX/etc do.

They collect a fee that covers duty and sales taxes. (And sometimes they collect too much or too little). Then they remit an amount to CBSA/Revenue Canada for the items they are importing.

The rumour that they open packages is part of that process. Not every package is opened and repacked.

Think about it (DKEffect again). How much time- paid time at the Kentucky minimum wage of $7.25US an hour- would it take to do that? Keep in mind that the minimum wage worker must also confirm that the package contains a product that is as described, is taxable in the particular country it is addressed to ( nearly 100 different countries are served by the GSP) and then repack the item after changing the box to something entirely different -- which the GSP would have to buy and keep in stock.

Or they could just accept that what the seller put on the invoice is what is in the box and keep it moving.

What they are doing when they do open packages is confirming that what is being sent is what GSP will pay duty on. Since the shipment was sent to their address, I'm not convinced that opening it, even without their specific name on it, is actually illegal.

marnotom! · ‎02-24-2019

@dannyw1975 wrote:

The point is, this program is a scam, and no one should be using it. It costs buyers far more than direct shipping does. The shipping times are also 2 to 3 times longer than direct shipping. It is also illegal for Pitney Bowes to be opening packages, as well as repackaging/removing parts of the packages to reduce the weight and cost for them. They are not customs, and they have no right to be opening anything. This is what X-RAY machines are for. They are breaking the law. It is that simple. The only real objective of this **bleep**ty program is to extract more money out of buyers. I will be shopping elsewhere online from now on. I have waited three weeks already for my package to arrive using this **bleep**in trash program, and I am still looking at it being another week until I receive it. This is a parcel that has come from California, and is going to BC, Canada. WIth direct shipping, I would have received it in probably 3 days, maybe 4. The item I bought is brand new and in a sealed retail package. I bet that Pitney Bowes has opened it, and repacked it as well, so I will no longer have the original packaging now. I won't be surprised if my item shows up damaged as a result of their terrible repacking techniques. So many others have experienced receiving damaged items through this scam program. I was also charged more than double what the shipping and fees would have been through direct shipping with FEDEX or Purolator. I had to pay 170 dollars for shipping and "import fees". I contacted purolator, and asked what this parcel would have been if direct shipped. They said that I would have paid around 83 dollars total for shipping and fees if it had been direct shipped with them. They flat out stated as well that this GSP program is ripping people off, especially Canadians. I am not impressed at all.

The terms and conditions of the Global Shipping Program state that "Pitney Bowes is authorized to open and inspect any GSP item without notice" and that title to the item remains with the seller until it is delivered, so it's not your item that's being opened at that point. The most common reason that GSP items are opened is that the seller hasn't provided Pitney Bowes with information on the item's country of manufacture and that needs to be ascertained for customs purposes. In plain language, the seller messed up and Pitney Bowes needs to do the seller's job.

And, yes, you probably were charged a fair bit for having the item forwarded to you. You had to pay the seller for having the item shipped from California to Kentucky as well as Pitney Bowes' fee for shipping the item from Kentucky to British Columbia. If the seller charged an arm and a leg to have the item shipped to Kentucky, that's going to affect the overall shipping charge accordingly. I've had three cell phones shipped through the GSP that had no shipping charge to Kentucky, and Pitney Bowes' shipping charge was comparable to that of First Class International.

(Also, if the seller doesn't provide Pitney Bowes with information on the item's shipping weight, the GSP bot has to take a guess at it based on a category average. This is often why small items shipped through the GSP have stupid shipping charges while larger ones have quite cheap shipping.)

Long post short: You don't have to like the GSP, but doing your homework on the program before you buy, finding sellers who use it and know what they're doing can save you a lot of headaches and aggravation.

You can also have your item sent to an address in the States and pick it up or have it forwarded yourself (perhaps via Purolator?) if you want to bypass the GSP.

reallynicestamps · ‎02-25-2019

@marnotom!

sent to an address in the States and pick it up or have it forwarded yourself (perhaps via Purolator?)

Now that's just being mean.

marnotom! · ‎02-25-2019

😜 The poster was waxing rhapsodic about that particular carrier, @reallynicestamps. 🤷🏼‍♂️

dannyw1975 · ‎02-25-2019

Looking over the forums, it is almost always the same people coming to the defense of this GSP garbage. A few of them are responding in defense of this program in this thread as well. No surprise there at all. It is obvious that there is a deliberate agenda in place with these people to try and block the truths regarding this complete scam from getting exposed further.

dannyw1975 · ‎02-25-2019

They all do the same thing. They come in, and will respond in defense of the program. The others involved in this agenda will then click the "helpful" button on their posts. It wont be long before one of them posts here again, and you will see 2 or 3 "helpful" clicks then added to their post. This bull**bleep** is happening all over the forum on every single thread that talks negatively about the GSP fraud.

momcqueen · ‎02-26-2019

There is no scam where the Global Shipping Program is concerned. There is, however, laws in place that govern the collection of duty. May I recommend some reading?