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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.
" that $4-$5 is hidden. That is just plain wrong."
Everyone here agrees with you.
eBay has been made very aware of that fact. Yet, they will not change the way it is done.
As stated, Canadians should avoid purchasing low priced items offered through GSP. It is that simple.
GSP was NOT designed with Canadian buyers in mind. Sellers could, if they wanted to, exempt Canada from GSP. However it seems most do not take the time to understand their options.
"Now sure how sellers find the program profitable"
To understand the profitability, you have to forget you are Canadian for a moment.
One of the largest challenge facing eBay (an American public company) in its goal to increase international trade was the unwillingness of many American sellers from selling outside their borders. They saw too many risks.
We all know many have been shipping to Canada for years without problem. The new program was not meant for them.
On the other hand, we also know that Canadian buyers have been asking the same questions for years: "why don't American sellers agree to ship to Canada?" That same question was asked by many Europeans wishing to purchase goods offered by American sellers not offering to ship overseas.
So the program (GSP) was created to allow American sellers to sell overseas while shipping domestically. All the risks involved in international trade (shipping delays, knowledge of Customs rules, etc...) were removed from them and the ability to sell overseas came at no cost to them. Foreign buyers would pay the extra fees and shipping charges involved.
So yes, it is more profitable for many American sellers as they now sell goods to foreign buyers, a market they did not service previously.
Unfortunately, nobody at eBay considered Canadians at the time. We already imported from the USA. We have knowledge and expertize on the subject. We know how to deal with currency. Etc... Most of the problem we currently see could have been avoided IF eBay had allowed sellers to exempt Canada from the program at the beginning.
Water under the bridge.
The problem is NOT "duty".
As stated earlier, it is consumption taxes (GST/HST/PST). applicable equally to both new and used "whatever".
When you see "import charges" by Pitney Bowes, they include duty (if applicable), consumption taxes (GST/HST/PST)(In Europe they charge VAT) and a "service charge" generally around $4/$5.
Unfortunately, "duty" may be calculated on many items when they should be considered "duty free". Pitney Bowes has been blaming sellers for not correctly addressing the 'country of manufacture" issue for the problem.
Sellers from Canada don't have much of an issue with the Global Shipping program, so it's no skin of their "knee". It's the buyers that this program have stifled. Not only are they confused, but many times cannot track their items until they reach Canada. Yes I quite agree that if sellers could give options for buyers to use this shipping plan or just ship direct to the customer, many more US sales would pick up.
This GSP has certainly deterred my spending. I usually ask the Seller if they would opt out and ship it to me direct. Some agree, but most don't. But looking on the bright side, my pocketbook is smiling!! Thanks Ebay for making me spend less, 
" and we are just a drop in the bucket of overall foreign sales."
The last analysis I have seen on the subject is that Canada accounts for less than one percent of overall eBay volume worldwide.
From their perspective in their office in San Jose, we are basically irrelevant. Policy changes such as GSP are not made with Canada in mind. They were made looking at the world, mostly Europe with a population mote than ten times Canada, then Asia with its growing spending ability and South America..
"if GSP is as nasty to other countries as it is to Canada"
Once again it is not a case of being "nasty" and having to pay taxes and fees. From the perspective of buyers in Europe and South America and Asia, it is a question of access to a market.
Yes, those billions of folks are willing to pay fees and taxes to purchase goods from the USA not previously available.
As Canadians, we cannot compare their situation to ours.
Canada has 35,000,000 people
Europe has more than ten times as much
Asia has more than fifty times as much
From eBay's financial statements over the years, it appears than international sales by sellers account for about half (50%) of overall sales. Canada is a very small fish in a big pound.
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