Comments about the Global Shipping Program

[kalvin@ebay.com]

Feel free to share your thoughts about the Global Shipping Program here. 

A few questions to get the ball rolling:

• What has worked well for you with the Global Shipping Program?
• Any ideas to help improve the experience for Canadian buyers?
• What has deterred you from buying items offered using the Global Shipping Program?
• How have you managed to search for items outside the program?

Please try & keep the comments constructive 🙂

If you have any questions about the program, please post them here.

[jayy.monstar]

Why should I be constructive when ebay can be destructive

So I say this... **bleep** you ebay and **bleep** your GSP

Ban me, I don't care... I won't be using ebay anymore anyway.

[holdmygold2]

You're welcome.  perleblee tried to make it about .ca vs .com and sidetracked the issue.  I'm sorry to say I bit.

I'm not an eBay pundit and so I do make the occasional gaffe about policy, rules, and regulations.

However, I do understand how the system works in practice very well.

Until recently one could only open a case for these items on paypal and not on eBay.

They've buried my post here now so no one will see it.

They are trying to "shape" people into not to using paypal billing for these items and I believe this is part of that scheme.

Their goal is to force sellers to cancel the purchase and re-list rather than bill via paypal which IMO is not the better choice for the buyer.

[nice_yacht]

They are definitely feeling the "pinch" economically at eBay when they resort to charging IMPORT DUTY for Canada.  Did the Canadian gov give them the right to collect IMPORT DUTY on a used item worth $20.00 ?  I doubt it !    The shipping cost hikes in the past 2 years were intolerable - you end up paying double (shipping cost) for an item you spend days and weeks bidding on - now they want fuzzy import duty fees and tax and handling and brokerage too ?  And it looks like they are "emerging" with different fees by country (ie:  Global Shipping for the IK   Pitney Bowes for another).  Now I have known for a long time that the UK will tax you for brushing your teeth if they could, but when it comes to them making deals with eBay where folks who cannot afford to buy new things make themselves feel somewhat like they have some buying power ?   Time to deal directly with Chinese sellers only.  Hell, why not just MOVE to China - there is plenty of work there.

[iankimmerly]

Did the Canadian gov give them the right to collect IMPORT DUTY on a used item worth $20.00 ?

Yep.

The same 'right' is given to Land's End, UPS.FedEx, LL Bean and many other companies shipping across the border.

The maximum Canadians can import through a shipper (including Canada Post) is $20,

The Harper government raised that to $200 for cross-border shoppers but not for postal shoppers.

The CBSA and Canada Post seem to have a policy of not bothering to assess small items and low-value items on the sensible basis that it costs more to do the assessment and collect the duty (and sales tax) due than to ignore it.  This confuses a lot of people who aren't used to bureaucracies that make sensible decisions.

However, private  companies must follow the letter of the law. Also they charge a fee for doing so, $25 and up for UPS for example on top of the applicable duty and sales tax.

Some US companies print special catalogs for Canada with the duty built in to the asking price, btw.

[soph276]

gps is a terrible shipping program for buyers in canada, i do not have any issues with receiving items from overseas or the us or Canada only with sellers who use this program. the tracking information shows delivered to OH, i'm in canada,  item shipped aug 2nd. the tracking # has not been updated since august 4th. i do not have such item and am grateful paypal has a resolution center.

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kalvin@ebay.com wrote:

Feel free to share your thoughts about the Global Shipping Program here. 

A few questions to get the ball rolling:

• What has worked well for you with the Global Shipping Program?
• Any ideas to help improve the experience for Canadian buyers?
• What has deterred you from buying items offered using the Global Shipping Program?
• How have you managed to search for items outside the program?

Please try & keep the comments constructive 🙂

If you have any questions about the program, please post them here.

---

[pierrelebel]

"Did the Canadian gov give them the right to collect IMPORT DUTY"

To be more precise, it is not a "right" but a "legal obligation". They do not have a choice.

"used item"

There is no difference in Canadian law between "used" or "new" when it comes to GST/HST. Consumption taxes are payable on both used and new taxable items.  Take a quick visit to Value Village, a seller of used goods, for confirmation.

" I doubt it !  "

Don't.  It is the law.

[pierrelebel]

As to the question "Who owns Pitney Bowes?"

Pitney Bowes is a multi billion dollar American public company with shares listed on the stock exchange.  For more information:

http://www.investorrelations.pitneybowes.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83377&p=irol-irhome

eBay accounts for only a very small tiny portion of its worldwide business.

[pierrelebel]

It should be noted that in addition to carriers, forwarders and customs brokers who are required by law to collect and remit Canadian consumption taxes (GST/HST/PST (and duty when applicable) many American retailers are also registered by the Canadian government to collect and remit taxes (GST/HST) when shipping taxable goods to Canada.

Of the the best known is LL Bean.

http://www.llbean.com/customerService/FAQs/shipDeliveryCanada.html

"By ordering goods from L.L.Bean, you authorize UPS SCS Inc. chosen by L.L.Bean to act as your agent, and to transact business with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to clear your merchandise, account for duties and taxes, to return merchandise to L.L.Bean, and prepare and submit refund claims on your behalf for any merchandise that you return. You understand that the CBSA will send any refund of duties and taxes that were paid on the returned merchandise to the broker, and that you will obtain the refund directly from L.L.Bean. Further, you also authorize the customs broker to endorse any refund cheque issued by the CBSA in your name, so that L.L.Bean can be reimbursed."

This is not unusual.  You will find a large number of American businesses registered to collect and remit GST/HST.

It is quite possible that many readers have not yet had dealings with such exporters and are unfamiliar with their tax collection requirements..

[leebez556]

it takes  all the fun from shopping when the customs or import is as high as the purchase of an item.

is it to do with the promise to  balance the budget by 2015 ?

Price:

US $120.00

Shipping:

$12.99 International Priority Shipping to Canada  | See details

price $120

shipping 12.99

customs  $44.49

total $177.48

Item location:

Frisco, Texas, United States 

Ships to:

Import charges:

$44.49 (amount confirmed at checkout)  

you see import plus shipping  almost the purchase price..............................

item is considered second hand or used.........

[mater721]

Is this using the Global Shipping Program (GSP)?

If so, the cost is not quite what you think...

[massageubysue]

You can turn off the global assistant program, which I just did for a woman buying a swim suit from me. I figured I don't want it to go to Kentucky then CA. So I will just ship myself to Vancouver CA.

[afantiques]

It could be an auction with a BIN option and no bids yet, this will show a the start bid as the price but taxes are calculated on the BIN figure. One bid will remove the BIN and reduce the import charge figure to something more reasonable.

[mater721]

Also, I think the Total, including shipping & "customs" is $177.48.  That seems to be "all in". Unless I'm reading it wrong.

So the import charges + shipping ($57.48) are hardly equal to the value of the item ($120).

Sure it adds to the cost, but I've seen waaaaay worse. For example: a $40 item, with GPS of $40 added does actually double cost to $80.

[femmefan1946]

You are reading it right.

The OP is mistaken.

[qctepp]

Paid with funds already in my paypal account. When I check out the payment on payal it states the seller has not claimed the funds. Have never came across this when buying. The money was in my account so what would the problem be. If the seller does not wish to sell at this time. Is there any problem getting my money back for the shipping and duites paid thru the GSP as they have claimed there money.

[pjcdn2005]

That's great that you are willing to do that. Unfortunately, some sellers will only ship internationally through the gsp.

A lot of buyers will not even look at a gsp listing..they will just move on to the next one without gsp and will not ask the seller to make an exception. If you are willing to ship to Canada without the gsp, you might consider taking Canada off the gsp country list and always shipping directly.

[cebacba]

I personnally tend to avoid any transaction involving the GSP since the cost is really high. I've just bought in August 2014 two items from the same seller using the GSP program and he couldn't combine shipping or send me an invoice for both items with this program so I ended up paying twice the shipping price (one amount for each item). I found it impossible to ask an invoice from my seller using this method. AVOID! Hopefully, it will be canceled very very soon!!!

[arlene_v]

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@iankimmerly wrote:

Did the Canadian gov give them the right to collect IMPORT DUTY on a used item worth $20.00 ?

Yep.

The same 'right' is given to Land's End, UPS.FedEx, LL Bean and many other companies shipping across the border.

The maximum Canadians can import through a shipper (including Canada Post) is $20,

The Harper government raised that to $200 for cross-border shoppers but not for postal shoppers.

The CBSA and Canada Post seem to have a policy of not bothering to assess small items and low-value items on the sensible basis that it costs more to do the assessment and collect the duty (and sales tax) due than to ignore it.  This confuses a lot of people who aren't used to bureaucracies that make sensible decisions.

However, private  companies must follow the letter of the law. Also they charge a fee for doing so, $25 and up for UPS for example on top of the applicable duty and sales tax.

Some US companies print special catalogs for Canada with the duty built in to the asking price, btw.

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Although this is true I would suggest that the major difference between these companies and the GSP here on eBay is that LL Bean and Land's End are generally motivated to get things right in terms of tax and duty charged to the buyer, not only  to stay competitive, but to remain professional because they actually wish to sell to international customers.

Here. on the other hand,  many US sellers are unwittingly opted in to the GSP, and really don't wish to do business with "foreigners".  They don't even know, nor likely even care, that the info they are inputting into the item specifics is going to be used to calculate tax, duty and shipping for overseas buyers.

When one thinks about this it is actually quite mind boggling.

So, despite the surface similarity, what is happening here on eBay with the GSP is very, very different to what  respectable companies like LL Bean and Lands End do.

Yes, the GSP is perfectly "legal". The buyers who don't check the fine print don't have a legal leg to stand on. But this does not make how the GSP is functioning here right, nor does it make it one bit more palatable.

I'm somewhat leery to  lend this botched program an air of respectability with comparisons to companies like LL Bean.

[pierrelebel]

"I'm somewhat leery to  lend this botched program an air of respectability with comparisons to companies like LL Bean."

Once again, I totally agree with you. 

I do not think anyone is trying to compare this badly deployed program with LL Bean or other American retailers.  The point was made to answer the many questions raised questioning the legality of the program from a tax collection perspective.

[pjcdn2005]

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@cebacba wrote:

I personnally tend to avoid any transaction involving the GSP since the cost is really high. I've just bought in August 2014 two items from the same seller using the GSP program and he couldn't combine shipping or send me an invoice for both items with this program so I ended up paying twice the shipping price (one amount for each item). I found it impossible to ask an invoice from my seller using this method. AVOID! Hopefully, it will be canceled very very soon!!!

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If you put the items in a cart before you purchase, there should be a shipping discount of some sort showing in the cart.