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Global Shipping Program Scam!
Summary: In this detailed forum discussion, joeyarrows criticizes eBay's Global Shipping Program (GSP) for its mandatory nature, high fees, and slow delivery times. They argue that buyers are forced to use this program, which they consider illegal and detrimental, citing personal experiences with unnecessary duties and fees, as well as lengthy shipping durations compared to alternatives like USPS or even shipments from China. Responses from other participants, like fh991586 and mrdutch1001, dispute these claims and argue that purchasing decisions are ultimately up to the buyers. Participants highlight the GSP's protection for sellers, while acknowledging that it might not always benefit buyers. The conversation becomes confrontational as joeyarrows responds to differing opinions with frustration, and other participants call for a more respectful dialogue. A moderator reminds everyone to maintain a respectful discussion in accordance with Community Guidelines.
This GSP is getting super annoying and I refuse to buy from US sellers that opt for this program. The issue here is that Ebay forces you to use the GSP and charges duties and taxes on your item, even when it's low value. According to the Canadian legislation a buyer has the right to self-clear goods at the nearest CBSA office! The shipping company has the obligation to send the self-clear documents to the buyer within a reasonable timeframe!
With Ebay they force you into the GSP (with no other option) and that is illegal!
DHL has already been in the news for charging COD fees to customers on items that are low in value and I've been in that situation as well. I told them that I wanted to self-clear my goods and that I refuse to pay any COD fees since I didn't consent to have them act as my broker. Reluctantly they sent me the documents and I went to my nearest CBSA office and guess what? I had to pay sweet Fudge all for import/duties/taxes!!!
I wish ebay would give a buyer the option for the GSP program because I wouldn't use it at all! With the GSP my good from the US will take 3 weeks average to get here in Canada. With USPS it takes about 1 week. Heck, goods from China arrive here within 2 weeks and there's an ocean between us!
Sorry US sellers but if you're using the GSP then you won't have my business anymore!
BTW, I contacted Ebay customer service and the only thing they can say about it is that they're sorry for the inconvenience! LMFAO!
fh991586
·3 years agoI have used GSP a couple of times over the years, but it was for items I knew I could not obtain otherwise, or that it would have cost even more to ship directly because of size/weight (you need a little bit of experience to gauge this, but I've been a user for more than 20 years). Sometimes it went right, others it went wrong. Like any other shipping options...
When I didn't feel it was a good bargain, I simply didn't buy the item. It happened again last week with a magazine, which is really not the type of item fit to use the GSP! Did I come here ranting about it? No. Because I have a life outside the internet, and I can go for years without buying on eBay. My life doesn't depend on it...
joeyarrows
OP3 years agoLOL! because I have an opinion about the GSP members like yourself try to belittle me and insult me on this forum but I'm the one that isn't friendly or respectful because I fire back at you? People like you are looking out for post like mine so you can troll them and spam them with derogatory comments. Well, you have the right to do that but don't start crying when I return the favor!
lotzofuniquegoodies
·3 years ago@joeyarrows
Sadly or unfortunately shopping on eBay (with US sellers) became basically a 3 strike program. I tested GSP when I first discovered. When I found out how slow/unreliable and expensive it was I ran away from US sellers as soon as I found them. At first would try messaging and asking for standard run of the mill USPS. When that no longer happened I switched to buying from Canadian eBay sellers (when/if I could find what I was looking for) or other sources. Strike 1. 2nd strike was the switch to MP and not having available funds in PayPal/having a record of purchases I could easily track if I went back to PayPal. No longer possible when it was routed through eBay. Last minor strike was eBay Bucks. Was nice to have the tiny perk to shop with. It wasn't a boatload but it helped convince me at times to seal the deal.
Because these programs(in their various aberrations) have become the defacto (defecto) method for US sellers to ship, the associated shipping cost rarely justifies the purchase. Big time on low value items. Many other long time regular buyers that I've spoken to feel the same way. Just how it is. All it took was a buyer to have 1/2 bad experiences with these programs before they ran to the hills screaming into the night. In connection with the recently announced program, it has been stated that it should/would make shipping cheaper for buyers. As far as I can see it (going by the Coles Notes version, the savings are only for the sellers if reduced fees for shipping. Buyers to reap? Not likely!!
-Lotz
PS. As a side, on GSP help page on dot com it was noted that a seller could opt out on a per listing basis. Many sellers in my discussions with them told me that they were unaware it was possible or just said they couldn't be bothered. They may have felt differently if they understood the extra cost at the buyers end. Unfortunately that was NEVER explained to them by eBay. (Crazy revenue streams!!!)
kh-leslie
·3 years agoHi everyone,
This discussion has gotten a bit heated. Please remember that, while it is fine to disagree with others, discussion should always remain friendly and respectful as required by the Community Guidelines.
Thank you for your cooperation.
fh991586
·3 years agoThere is only one person here which isn't friendly and respectful, who only came here ranting and totally dissing out other people. Do you need pointers to help moderate? Anywhere else, that user would have been banned...
marnotom!
·3 years agoThanks for posting that, @femmefan1946. Now I'm also wondering if the OP isn't complaining about a recent purchase that was forwarded through the GSP, but rather one of eBay's more recent international forwarding schemes, particularly "eBay International Shipping." DHL does have a mail consolidation service--maybe more--that requires Canada Post to collect taxes and duties and DHL's processing/brokerage charges at the time of delivery.
I'm thinking back to that post from a few weeks ago from a user who bought an item that was supposed to be handled by the GSP--they even paid import charges at the same time as they paid for the item--but it was handled as an EIS item instead, and the buyer found that the import charges were a lot higher through EIS than they were through the GSP. I wonder if the OP is complaining about an EIS item that was handled through a DHL mail consolidation service or if they're just using DHL as an example of a carrier that's received bad press due to consumer unawareness of how taxes and duties are supposed to be applied to personal imports sent by mail or courier?
marnotom!
·3 years agoI find that generally people who complain about import charges on "low value" items don't realize just how low the duty/tax-free limit is for personal imports of items sent by mail or courier and that the reason they often get mailed items delivered without import charges is because CBSA doesn't think it's worth dinging the buyer, not because they're actually supposed to be tax or duty-free.
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/courier/menu-eng.html
For what it's worth, I found one CBC news piece online on DHL charging import charges to buyers and from what I could see, DHL was perfectly within its rights to do so. If the buyers had purchased the items on eBay and had them shipped through the GSP, those import charges would likely have been considerably less.
joeyarrows
OP3 years agoAnd a shipping company should give the buyer the option to self clear items!
So go act smart somewhere else and keep paying all these extras!
marnotom!
·3 years agoIn a province with 13% HST, a $25 item would attract $3.25 in taxes. The remaining $16.75 would be DHL's charges for brokerage, customs clearance, processing, whatever you want to call it. Not cheap if compared to the price of the item, but not as unreasonable as some carriers. A thread about UPS charges made back in 2006 attracted over 900 other posts. You may want to skim it:
https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/50-UPS-Brokerage-fee/m-p/60899
Most of the customs clearance work on an item forwarded by the GSP is done in Kentucky. Would it be worth your while to go down to Kentucky to self-clear your item in order to save less than US$5?
As for CBSA not assessing and charging taxes/duties and Canada Post charging you C$9.95 for collecting them on CBSA's behalf, CBSA wasn't always this lax. When my wife and I started buying online in the late 90s, we could count on about half our items being stopped by CBSA and assessed taxes (and duty, if applicable). Two thirds of the way through the next decade, those assessments became a very rare event. For what it's worth, one time my wife bought me an antique pocket watch on eBay that was reassessed for taxes because whoever looked at the customs form didn't believe the declared value on it and instead used "market value" for the declared value.
femmefan1946
·3 years agoIf DHL charged you then your seller did not use the GSP.
The GSP is a Seller Protection program and is only available to US and UK sellers.
All your import fees are paid before the seller even ships and there are no further charges.
Further, the duty free limit for US purchases is $150 Cdn and the tax-free limit is $40, so your item was not coming from the USA.
Couriers like DHL don't get waved through Customs like USPS shipments.
The duty and tax free allowance for overseas imports is $20Cdn, and has been since the mid-80s.
I wonder if your "US" seller is really in China, and your $25 (Cdn or U$) item was charged duty and sales taxes by CBSA, and DHL's customs brokerage fees.
brettjet38
·3 years ago@joeyarrows "This GSP is getting super annoying and I refuse to buy from US sellers that opt for this program."
OK?! As a Buyer that is your choice, eBay has nothing to do with that...
@joeyarrows "taxes"
You will pay taxes on anything you purchase online, except bullion...
@joeyarrows GSP the program is being retired was announced months ago...
As for the rest of your post...
joeyarrows
OP3 years agoMost items of low value are not being taxed in Canada so why pay import/duties/taxes?
So Brettjet, you pay your extra/illegal fees and be happy but don't reply with stupidities.
fh991586
·3 years agoEverything you purchase from a store is taxed in Canada, except some food items or other very specific things. The value of the item is irrelevant to it being taxed or not...
Like someone else said here, it's not because you didn't pay taxes on previous orders that it wasn't taxable! You were lucky, that's all.
You sound exactly like the Old Man Yells At Cloud meme...
brettjet38
·3 years agoInformation for buyers on eBay.ca
https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/selling-policies/tax-policy?id=4348&st=3&pos=1&query=Tax%20policy&intent=buyer%20tax&lucenceai=lucenceai#full%20policy
No matter what anyone says to you, you are evidently in deep denial...
NO ONE FORCES YOU TO PURCHASE FROM ANYONE USING THE (SOON-TO-BE RETIRED) GSP which has been in place for years, and yes you pay local taxes on any purchase you make on a marketplace facilitator (eBay, Amazon, Etsy, etc, etc) since July 1 2022.
joeyarrows
OP3 years agoAnd the way you support the GSP and try to belittle me is amazing....I wish you'd put the same amount of dedication in your personal life. Maybe then you don't have to wait on your computer for a post to show up you don't like.
brettjet38
·3 years ago@joeyarrows "Ebay seems to be the only thing in life that excites you... you made that clear."
Really, OK if ya say so, but seeing as I have over 18K Items sold as a Seller & have 1,962 Feedback received as a BUYER I know a little bit more about ebay that you...
@joeyarrows "And the way you support the GSP and try to belittle me is amazing...."
Really, I never purchased from any Seller using the GSP and you have "bellittled" only yourself, sweetie!!
@joeyarrows "I wish you'd put the same amount of dedication in your personal life. Maybe then you don't have to wait on your computer for a post to show up you don't like."
Maybe you should seek help for your passive/aggresive personality disorder instead of calling people names and ...
...because you do not like the responses you are getting, no one FORCES you to use the Global Shipping Program you do have the choice to shop elsewhere...
aramatic
·3 years agoNever mind. Siding with authority is a national weakness, and some of the people here exemplify it perfectly. Try complaining about poor service in a store or restaurant... in the UK and the US other customers support you, in Canada they gang up on you.
femmefan1946
·3 years agoYou will be happy to know that the GSP is being replaced by a service that drops the import fees part of the service and in future you will be paying import fees on delivery, saving that ~$5 and picking up at the nearest PO or at the UPS office out by the airport.
Around here the minimum wage is 25c minute.
femmefan1946
·3 years agoThe GSP is a Seller Protection program.
You as buyer don't have the option not to use it.
It protects the Seller several ways.
All import fees (including a ~$5 GSP service fee) are paid before the seller ships.
The seller is only responsible for shipping to the GSP plant.
The only advantage to the buyer is that sellers who use it may not ship outside the lower 48 states without such protection.
avidhiker-33
·3 years agoThe GSP also does provide some buyer protection in terms of knowing full costs upfront.
In one of my early online purchases w-a-a-a-y back in '04 the US seller sent the US$200 item via the lowest-cost tracked option (for the seller): UP$ $tandard. On that one I got hit with CAD$95 in "fees" and sales taxes, and had to make a 60 km round-trip across the city to pick up the package during hours convenient for UP$, but inconvenient for anyone with a life.
Have only made one GSP purchase in the ~ 2.5 years I've been active on ebay, and in that case the price + GSP shipping of a new item was less than local Kijiji sellers were asking for used.
mrdutch1001
·3 years agoand just what did you expect eBay to do for you?? > it was YOUR choice to purchase from a seller who uses the GSP ...NOT all USA sellers do so don't know where and /or why you think all USA sellers are "forced" to use it. What you purchase & from whom you purchase is YOUR choice...This is not on eBay, this is on you!
fh991586
·3 years agoAre you happy now that you have ranted?
By buying something on eBay that uses the GSP option for international shipping, you forfeit your right to self clear customs. That's it.
Not happy by the seller's choice? Send him a message, or go see elsewhere. Nothing else to do...
Also, your rant about DHL isn't related to GSP at all, so irrelevant.
If you want to let China profit from your clientele, then go ahead and buy from them. But don't come back later ranting about their customer service or quality of goods...
joeyarrows
OP3 years agomrdutch1001
·3 years agoWhenever a disgruntled member does not like the answer /comment provided by fellow eBay members, said members are always accused of "you all work for ebay" > NO we do do not! we are fellow eBay members/sellers...
Perhaps it's just time for you to move on and go do whatever it is you feel you must do and not engage in your illegal tax theories, conspiracy theories,etc,etc...here in the forums...
joeyarrows
OP3 years agomrdutch1001
·3 years ago"I absolutely do not understand how you can agree with the GSP. Do all of you really like to pay more for items?"
why would/can I agree to something I do not use? I DO NOT purchase ANY ITEM from a USA seller who uses any method of shipping but USPS ... and I do not order ANYTHING from the USA if I can find it here in Canada - even IF I have to pay MORE for that item located in Canada, I will do so rather than purchase from the USA.
brettjet38
·3 years ago“hear ye, hear ye,”
joeyarrows
OP3 years agoActually it's super funny to see how many of you are passed off with my comment. And them you call me the old man yelling?! Lmfao
Just keep paying the extras!