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New Ebay international shipping (replacing global shipping program) have killed all deals on ebay

Summary: The discussion revolves around eBay's transition from the Global Shipping Program (GSP) to the new eBay International Shipping (eIS) service, which has resulted in increased shipping costs and unknown duties/taxes for international buyers. thechabinator expresses frustration, as they are now deterred from purchasing due to steep, uncertain fees and potential high brokerage charges. Multiple participants agree that the new system is a significant step backward, making international purchases less attractive compared to Amazon and local options. Some sellers and buyers are conflicted on how the changes should be handled, and experiences with the program vary. The unpredictability of fees and charges has led some long-time buyers to consider alternatives, questioning the platform's viability for international transactions. The forum moderator eventually closed the discussion due to its lengthy nature, advising participants to continue in a new thread.

Since new ''Ebay international shipping'' replaced ''global shipping program'', shipping prices have drastically raised and duties/taxes are now unknown since they are charged at delivery (the charges will be way higher then the included duties/taxes from global shipping program). I also dont know which carrier they will use, so great possibility of enormous clearance fees if they use UPS, fedex, etc

I was buying a lot from both Canada and Usa sellers. When Ebay introduced taxes on all canadian sales, I stopped buying from Canada sellers because it killed all deals. Now, the new shipping program have killed all deals from USA. I was buying A LOT , and now I haven't bought anything since.

thechabinator

325 View listings

Posted 3 years ago·Last reply 1 year ago

55 comments

kh-phdan

·1 year ago

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue discussing this topic.

Thanks for your understanding!

reallynicestamps

·1 year ago

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM APRIL 2023

The problem with zombie threads is that the advice is often out of date and no longer applicable or the problem has been answered but the new posters have not read the entire thread.

peymundo

·1 year ago

Agree, it's complete rubbish.

For Canadians the old global shipping program was bad enough, but at least you knew the final all-in price. I used to buy a lot from the US to Canada then the first (global) shipping program came in and made it much more prohibitive but at least sometimes still managable, but now this new program is completely uneconomical.
I just bought something and didn't realize the program changed and I got a surprise invoice for duties/taxes.

So pretty much no more buying from eBay from outside my own borders now I guess.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

So why is DHL charging $25? That's a 50% TAX!

It's a tax if the money goes to a government.

It's a FEE when the money goes to a private company.

Couriers and other private carriers have long been criticized for their very high "customs brokerage fees".

There is an archived thread over 5000 posts long about UPS and this practice, pre-GSP/eIS.

xenotime

·2 years ago

I kind of miss the undisclosed nature of the packages that came from GSP. My wife, for example, used to buy intimate apparel from the US, via the GSP, because there was no customs form and no embarrassment to her. But now it's stamped right on the package what she ordered, so she's not buying stuff like that from the US anymore.

marnotom!

·2 years ago

Does this happen both with items where taxes have been pre-paid as well as where taxes are paid on delivery, @xenotime?

My two purchases of eIS-forwarded items were made in the earlyish days of the program being in effect. Neither had taxes payable and neither had customs documentation or anything else that revealed the item’s contents.

ebcomputers

·2 years ago

Me too, my business has probably spent $1,000,000 on eBay in the last ~20 years, and now I rarely use it.

The loss of PST exemption status for US and Canadian purchases (as a legitimate reseller), and the new mysterious "Duties" surcharge have killed it.

scopesandammo

·2 years ago

So how do I know which/what listings will give me the option of paying the duties/taxes/brokerage fees up-front?

I'm not going to commit to buy, then find out I may get f'kd on brokerage fees afterwards because there is no option provided for pre-pay.

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@scopesandammo wrote:

So how do I know which/what listings will give me the option of paying the duties/taxes/brokerage fees up-front?

That information is in the “shipping” section of the listing, @scopesandammo. It’s pretty easy to find if you’re using the desktop version of eBay, but a bit trickier if you’re using the mobile version. I don’t use the app so I can’t evaluate how it displays the two options.

rh6921

·2 years ago

These days you need a very flexible seller who is willing to adjust their listing settings to make a sale work because of how broken and convoluted eBay's systems have become. I've ran into some incredibly unhelpful and uncooperative sellers who insist that everything is set right and all I have to do is add everything to the cart and immediately pay and they'll refund me whatever on shipping.

I recently ran into one guy where some of his listings are eIS while some are USPS Priority. So he's running both systems at seemingly random and he refused to even acknowledge the difference between the two. I asked him to no avail about amending the shipping options on a few of his listings so that I could get an invoice from him for all 8 items so they could then be sent in the same USPS Priority box.

So due to his listings having mismatched shipping systems I would've ended up paying over $300 of shipping for the 8 items. 3 of them would've combined in a USPS box, uninvoiced for nearly $200 shipped directly from the seller. I'm supposed to just ram it through and pay immediately and then take my chances that he refunds me the extra shipping cost that he expects me to just simply overpay for.

While the other 5 items were under eIS and I would've had to spend another $125 of shipping on that and then have them all arrive 4 to 6 weeks later in different packages. I had no choice but to walk away from these purchases and look elsewhere. When you message a seller you never know how they're going to respond and it does get irritating when you try to explain things and waste so much time.

Rarely ever do I get a seller who will go to whatever lengths to make a sale work even if it means taking a few clicks to change some settings on a listing. The complexity and difficulty of making things work is apparently beyond the typical seller that I've dealt with recently. Most of them seem allergic to making revisions, they do the bare minimum, and want to make sales with no further effort put forth.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@rh6921 wrote:
These days you need a very flexible seller who is willing to adjust their listing settings to make a sale work because of how broken and convoluted eBay's systems have become. I've ran into some incredibly unhelpful and uncooperative sellers who insist that everything is set right and all I have to do is add everything to the cart and immediately pay and they'll refund me whatever on shipping.

I recently ran into one guy where some of his listings are eIS while some are USPS Priority. So he's running both systems at seemingly random and he refused to even acknowledge the difference between the two. I asked him to no avail about amending the shipping options on a few of his listings so that I could get an invoice from him for all 8 items so they could then be sent in the same USPS Priority box.

So due to his listings having mismatched shipping systems I would've ended up paying over $300 of shipping for the 8 items. 3 of them would've combined in a USPS box, uninvoiced for nearly $200 shipped directly from the seller. I'm supposed to just ram it through and pay immediately and then take my chances that he refunds me the extra shipping cost that he expects me to just simply overpay for.

While the other 5 items were under eIS and I would've had to spend another $125 of shipping on that and then have them all arrive 4 to 6 weeks later in different packages. I had no choice but to walk away from these purchases and look elsewhere. When you message a seller you never know how they're going to respond and it does get irritating when you try to explain things and waste so much time.

Rarely ever do I get a seller who will go to whatever lengths to make a sale work even if it means taking a few clicks to change some settings on a listing. The complexity and difficulty of making things work is apparently beyond the typical seller that I've dealt with recently. Most of them seem allergic to making revisions, they do the bare minimum, and want to make sales with no further effort put forth.

@rh6921

Opting in and out of programs, like sending/requesting revised invoices and combining on shipping are features eBay have done a good job at making as cumbersome as possible. It was previously possible to opt out of GSP on a per transaction basis but it was well hidden and/or many sellers just either didn't know about it, were too nervous to attempt or just couldn't be bothered. This is making for bad experiences with many (some not all) transactions going forward.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@rh6921 wrote:

Rarely ever do I get a seller who will go to whatever lengths to make a sale work even if it means taking a few clicks to change some settings on a listing. The complexity and difficulty of making things work is apparently beyond the typical seller that I've dealt with recently. Most of them seem allergic to making revisions, they do the bare minimum, and want to make sales with no further effort put forth.

The reality is, many US sellers don’t need overseas sales to make a decent go of it as their domestic market is so huge compared to ours. International sales are viewed more as an afterthought in the US than they are a necessity in Canada where the market is roughly one-tenth the size.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

It would also have been helpful if the GSP gave a breakdown of the different charges that made up their final shipping cost for the buyer. If buyers want to contest the customs charges with Canada Customs, they are SOL because they Customs require documentation of the duty and customs fees.

The main reason buyers have given on these Boards for wanting a breakdown is for business and taxation for a business.

But.

The GSP specifically is NOT for B2B (business to business) transactions.

Should a private customer claim that a purchase is Damaged in Transit (or Not Received) the GSP would simply tell the person to trash it and refund them.

The Not As Described was more complicated, since the seller has the right to demand Return before Refund.

I have no idea have import fees were handled for those.

@marnotom! Thank you for the information about PB.

chriluh0

·3 years ago

Just a FYI:

I purchased items in the past that were shipped with international shipping (to Canada) and the total cost was always cheaper than with Global shipping. Most of the time I was not charged customs fees and was rarely charged HST on the purchases. I preferred international when it was available, versus global because I found global was allot higher and there was never a breakdown of what their charges were. With global the added fees charged were always inconsistent . I bought 2 items identical in size and weight. The item worth $50.00 had import fees added, whereas the item worth $125.00 had no added charges. Both were vintage cameo brooches. This never made any sense to me since they were virtually identical. I won't know if there are any increases now with international since global is out of the picture.

I am am having all my purchases sent to a Detroit mailbox address and picking them up, crossing the border, and declaring them. Thus far I've never paid HST or customs fees. Customs is far more likely to refrain from charging these fees at the border because it's far more of a hassle to collect them at the border, unless the value is $500.00 or more. They also know which items are exempt (items made in Mexico, the US and European countries, which is almost everywhere in the world, as well as computer goods). Shipping within the US is significantly less than in Canada, so I save big time with shipping. So are their state taxes. I wait until I have several packages before I cross over to pick them up and make a day of it by purchasing groceries (more variety and way cheaper than in Canada) eating lunch (twice the variety, bigger portions and cheaper) as well as other household items. other Groceries are exempt from any HST and customs fees. It's a win win for me. My husband retired from working in the US, across the Detroit River and has earned his income in USD. His retirement earnings are in USD, so we aren't having to pay more in exchange rates from CDN to USD. We have Canadian Bank USD credit cards to pay at the time of purchase. I wish I had done this years ago. I was always over there to go to Dr. and dentist appointments anyway. I would have saved allot of money had I known this was possible.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@chriluh0 wrote:

Just a FYI:

I purchased items in the past that were shipped with international shipping (to Canada) and the total cost was always cheaper than with Global shipping. Most of the time I was not charged customs fees and was rarely charged HST on the purchases.

@chriluh0, the "international shipping" that we're referring to here is a new eBay service that's uninterestingly called "eBay International Shipping." What you seem to be describing is shipments that were sent directly to Canada by mail. eBay International Shipping is a forwarding/consolidation service along the lines of the Global Shipping Program.

chriluh0

·3 years ago

Thanks for the clarification. It would be interesting to know if eBay International shipping will be higher than the GPS. It would also have been helpful if the GSP gave a breakdown of the different charges that made up their final shipping cost for the buyer. If buyers want to contest the customs charges with Canada Customs, they are SOL because they Customs require documentation of the duty and customs fees. This is not provided on the invoice at the time of purchase or with the package. No breakdown and no documentation means buyers in Canada can't dispute the charges determined by the GSP.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@chriluh0 wrote:

Thanks for the clarification. It would be interesting to know if eBay International shipping will be higher than the GSP.

The problem with comparing eBay International Shipping's prices with the GSP is that the cost of pretty much everything has gone up in the past year. Checking the typical price of shipping cell phones through eIS, for example, I've found that the price through eIS has gone up about four bucks US in the past few months. It does look as though the shipping price of smaller items is more reasonable through eIS than through the GSP, provided the seller offers "free" shipping within the US.

@chriluh0 wrote:

It would also have been helpful if the GSP gave a breakdown of the different charges that made up their final shipping cost for the buyer. If buyers want to contest the customs charges with Canada Customs, they are SOL because they Customs require documentation of the duty and customs fees. This is not provided on the invoice at the time of purchase or with the package. No breakdown and no documentation means buyers in Canada can't dispute the charges determined by the GSP.

Okay, brace yourself, this is going to be a mind-bender. You don't pay duty, taxes and other customs-related charges on a GSP-forwarded item. Pitney Bowes (DBA "The Global Shipping Program") pays those. The "import charges" on a GSP shipment are an estimate based on information the seller provides on the item and its category and are your way of "paying back" Pitney Bowes. Sometimes the "GSP bot" gets the estimate right, sometimes it lowballs it, sometimes it's a bit on the high side, but my experiences with the GSP were that there'd be a pad of less than US$5.00 above taxes, which IMO is extremely reasonable when you consider that Canada Post levies a C$9.95 charge in the rare event that CBSA assesses taxes and duty on a postal import.

Anyway, that's why you don't get a document that you can use with customs for disputes, @chriluh0. You didn't directly pay duty, taxes, etc.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

@chriluh0

Thank you for the reminder that in addition to the new NAFTA agreement we are also covered under the CETA agreement with the European Union.

This is not an official page, and it is very general, but I think it covers the CETA situation.

https://www.jetworldwide.com/blog/free-trade-canada-and-europe-ceta-shipping

I bought 2 items identical in size and weight. The item worth $50.00 had import fees added, whereas the item worth $125.00 had no added charges. Both were vintage cameo brooches. This never made any sense to me since they were virtually identical.

The two sellers may have given different information to the GSP, which has already shown as a weakness in the eIS, because it seems the program is applied without forcing the seller to supply at least weight, dimensions, and category of goods, as I posted above.

If they had been sent through the postal system, it is possible that neither would have been charged since CBSA sensibly ignores low value (under ~$100) and low bulk (brooches, tube socks, fentanyl) shipments.

At best we can put it in the same category as that 6/49 ticket. A little flutter. Sigh.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@reallynicestamps wrote:

I bought 2 items identical in size and weight. The item worth $50.00 had import fees added, whereas the item worth $125.00 had no added charges. Both were vintage cameo brooches. This never made any sense to me since they were virtually identical.

The two sellers may have given different information to the GSP, which has already shown as a weakness in the eIS, because it seems the program is applied without forcing the seller to supply at least weight, dimensions, and category of goods, as I posted above.

If this happened a few years ago, also remember that there was a period where eBay and/or Pitney Bowes was/were experimenting with folding the estimated import charges in with the item’s shipping charge.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

@marnotom! You want a US seller to add more information that he absolutely has to? What about his FREEDUMB!

Unless the information is mandatory, too many will still ignore it.

I am old and unAmerican.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@thechabinator

My recollection of the early days of the GSP is that the "GSP bot" was sometimes coming up with some pretty bizarro shipping and import charges that varied wildly depending on whether the listing was viewed on .com or .ca. That seemed to get mostly sorted out in time, but one of the GSP's big weaknesses remained, and it seems to be shared with the new eBay International Shipping program: Both schemes are very dependent on the accuracy and completeness of the information the seller provides on the item.

What you're likely seeing in those really high eIS shipping charges are situations where the seller hasn't provided any information to eBay on the item's shipping dimensions and weight, so that throws the "eIS bot" for a loop. I don't think it's a matter of sellers "not passing on the savings" as I don't believe they have any say in the calculation of eIS's share of the shipping charges. However, they should be providing eIS with enough information on the item for customs and shipping purposes.

I do have to say that I find interesting your claim that taxes are "killing deals" on eBay when the "import charges" on GSP items are/were largely made up of an estimate of taxes due on the listed item. I agree, though, that as the carriers involved with eIS are largely unknown at the moment, it does make it difficult to anticipate the charges on delivery. I have seen a few listings where eIS is used where it notes that the import-related charges and taxes will be payable at checkout, but I'm not sure what triggers that option; it may be the item's selling price.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@thechabinator

@marnotom!

Doing daily research on products (specific categories - LV electronics, Books, DVDs, CDs) search results routinely bring up sellers with out of this world shipping options to Canada. Several years ago it was more of the exception vs the rule. Now, not so much. And sorting by lowest price is no guarantee the results you will see are in the correct order. They just get smattered in randomly. Most of the sellers are the one's with 10's of thousands of listings. (Not always, but usually.). If sellers no longer need to include actual parcel measurements causing results to be bot driven this will become ever worse of an issue going forward. According to the dot com release for this new program shipping to Canada is "supposed" to be reasonable for smaller parcels.

-Lotz

Side note. Same thing happens if you search using closest. I am Calgary. Often it brings up items in China first. (11,000 km approx as the crow flies). I've even seen listings in the UK magically appear in the mix with a few Canadian listings down the page. So something is something is definitely screwy in Botswana, so to speak.

From the International shipping page:

Discounted shipping rates

Buyers will see lower shipping costs, making your listings more competitive. And by the end of the year, eBay will allow buyers to choose whether to pay import charges at checkout or upon delivery.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Doing daily research on products (specific categories - LV electronics, Books, DVDs, CDs) search results routinely bring up sellers with out of this world shipping options to Canada. Several years ago it was more of the exception vs the rule. Now, not so much.

Shipping a 150 gram package to Canada is now US$15.75 by First Class Package International. I found a listing for a CD that has eIS applied to it, and its shipping cost is US$22.00. The seller is charging US$7.00 to be shipped by media mail within the US and presumably to the eIS consolidation hub, so that would make the eIS's shipping charge to Canada US$15.00. While the price difference isn't much, it's still a discount over the USPS rate.

From what I've seen of other eIS listings, @lotzofuniquegoodies, its rates aren't too bad compared to USPS if the seller has provided shipping size and weight, but the seller's domestic shipping charge on top of eIS is what seems to be the deal-breaker, just as it was sometimes with the GSP.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Doing daily research on products (specific categories - LV electronics, Books, DVDs, CDs) search results routinely bring up sellers with out of this world shipping options to Canada. Several years ago it was more of the exception vs the rule. Now, not so much.
Shipping a 150 gram package to Canada is now US$15.75 by First Class Package International. I found a listing for a CD that has eIS applied to it, and its shipping cost is US$22.00. The seller is charging US$7.00 to be shipped by media mail within the US and presumably to the eIS consolidation hub, so that would make the eIS's shipping charge to Canada US$15.00. While the price difference isn't much, it's still a discount over the USPS rate.

From what I've seen of other eIS listings, @lotzofuniquegoodies, its rates aren't too bad compared to USPS if the seller has provided shipping size and weight, but the seller's domestic shipping charge on top of eIS is what seems to be the deal-breaker, just as it was sometimes with the GSP.

@marnotom!

As per eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/ebay-labels-services/ebay-international-shipping-services/ebay-international-standard

Feature comparison chart:

https://ir.ebaystatic.com/pictures/aw/pics/sc/pdf/ebay-international-shipping-features-comparison-table.pdf

Lost, Damaged, or Undeliverable Items.

eBay Money Back Guarantee. EIS Items purchased by your Buyer (and sent to your Buyer’s specified delivery address or a collection center near your Buyer designated by the shipping carrier) may be covered by an eBay Money Back Guarantee in countries without eBay Money Back Guarantee.
In general, you will be responsible (under the eBay Money Back Guarantee) for the loss of, or damage to, an EIS Item until it is accepted at the US Shipping Hub or if the item has been returned to you from the US Shipping Hub. For example, you will be held responsible for eBay Money Back Guarantee cases or other disputes (whether or not an EIS Item can be repackaged or returned to you) where eBay finds that:
1. The EIS Item that you sold was not received at the US Shipping Hub.
2. The EIS Item that you sold was noted as damaged by the domestic carrier when received at the US Shipping Hub.
3. The EIS Item that you sold was found to be damaged upon opening after receipt thereof at the US Shipping Hub.
4. A Parcel contains the wrong or no EIS Item associated with the Buyer’s order, or where the EIS item is deemed counterfeit.
5. One or more of the following pieces of information provided by you is incorrect or indeterminable (and it is not practicable for eBay or its service providers to correct):
  - Country of Manufacture
  - Item Category
  - Item condition
  - Weight of Parcel
  - Dimensions of Parcel
  - A Parcel is oversized and/or overweight and cannot be sent through an upgraded service.
  - The EIS Item that you sold requires destruction (e.g., contraband).

With this program there appears to be a number of things that cause an order to go off the rails. And that's what buyers are starting to report.

The unknown shipping courier mentioned in a previous post could be a very major 1.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·3 years ago

Hey, @lotzofuniquegoodies, that rate sheet you found is for eBay International Standard, not eBay International Shipping, which is what @thechabinator is posting about.

As far as things that can cause an eIS shipment to "go off the rails" goes, I don't think that laundry list is really that much different from the GSP. The big difference is that the eIS seems to be (justifiably, IMO) more insistent in getting sellers to be more responsible for getting their Ps and Qs in order when preparing the item for shipment than the GSP did and they're spelling it out in a manner that the GSP never really did.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
Hey, @lotzofuniquegoodies, that rate sheet you found is for eBay International Standard, not eBay International Shipping, which is what @thechabinator is posting about.

As far as things that can cause an eIS shipment to "go off the rails" goes, I don't think that laundry list is really that much different from the GSP. The big difference is that the eIS seems to be (justifiably, IMO) more insistent in getting sellers to be more responsible for getting their Ps and Qs in order when preparing the item for shipment than the GSP did and they're spelling it out in a manner that the GSP never really did.

@marnotom!

@thechabinator

@devon@ebay

@reallynicestamps

That could be the problem? Buyers not knowing what they are getting tied into because of the similarities of the 2 now up and running programs tripping over each other. In my research it is very difficult to track down sellers using close to comparable shipping to what I posted even when you look at the service attached to the listing. As for EIS it does state that shipping "should" be cheaper for buyers.

Maybe what eBay desperately needs is for a filter that buyers can use tied to the different services for any Intl. shipping? That would be a REAL IS listing improvement!! I know if I want to buy something from UK seller I know what I am getting. Same as my buyers from the USA.

That has been my biggest issue from the get go. Buyers not being able to tell what specific service is going to be used. All the get in Intl Priority 9 times out of 10 and an inflated window. How these programs are advertised/pushed seem to be more about the seller and less about the buyer.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
That could be the problem? Buyers not knowing what they are getting tied into because of the similarities of the 2 now up and running programs tripping over each other. In my research it is very difficult to track down sellers using close to comparable shipping to what I posted even when you look at the service attached to the listing. As for EIS it does state that shipping "should" be cheaper for buyers.

If by "EIS" you mean "eBay International Standard" then, yes, it should be a bit less expensive for buyers as it's basically discounted USPS rates (I think) and there's only the one shipping charge the buyer has to pay, i.e. the buyer doesn't have to pay the seller's domestic shipping rate to get it to the consolidation hub.

Having said that, my understanding is that eBay International Standard is being phased out the way the Global Shipping Program is. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about this.

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Maybe what eBay desperately needs is for a filter that buyers can use tied to the different services for any Intl. shipping? That would be a REAL IS listing improvement!! I know if I want to buy something from UK seller I know what I am getting. Same as my buyers from the USA.

Seeing as many of these services have negotiated deals with eBay, I suspect the last thing the suits in charge of these services would want is to be shut out in buyer searches. That's not why they gave eBay the deal it did.

And if you were to finally get your FedEx account to work on eBay, would you want buyers to block your listings because they're not being shipped through the postal service?

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
That has been my biggest issue from the get go. Buyers not being able to tell what specific service is going to be used. All the get in Intl Priority 9 times out of 10 and an inflated window. How these programs are advertised/pushed seem to be more about the seller and less about the buyer.

My wife buys a lot of stuff from the US from sites other than eBay and I bet she could count on one hand the number of times she's known the carrier(s) involved at the time she's clicked that "buy" button. There are just too many variables involved for a marketplace facilitator to give that sort of information.

And of course it's more about the seller than the buyer. The shipping service(s) used are one of the few "protections" sellers have on this site. It's part of their risk analysis. Most of the time eBay focuses on the buyers because that's ultimately where all the money comes from.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

How these programs are advertised/pushed seem to be more about the seller and less about the buyer.

None of these programs were designed for the buyer.

They were originally (and publicly) designed as a Seller Protection program for xenophobic and parochial US* sellers who were terrified to sell internationally.

I know you have seen dotCOM threads about the horrors of freight forwarders and the total ripoff **of being charged an international fee for shipments to US addresses .

EBay's US sales were flatlining and the GSP was brought in to encourage international selling.

Any policy of eBay is good for eBay.

It would be interesting to know which company decided to end the GSP, eBay or Pitney Bowes. Most of the problems seemed to have been ironed out - and I suspect most of the complaints were from Canadian buyers used to the free pass postal imports were getting from CBSA who were now being charged duty and taxes on the miserable $20Cdn duty &tax free allowance.

PB was very generous about damage in transit and even NAD claims, refunding without demanding returns. Was that the problem? I notice that is not going to be the eIS policy.

And there were a lot of complaints about poor tracking from the plethora of demibottomed last mile delivery services. Was keeping reasonable subcontractors the problem?

Sometimes ya just gotta pay the guy who can do the job and get the job done right.

**I do have a little sympathy for this one. Not much, but a little.

*And later UK because; Brexit.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies @devon@ebay

One or more of the following pieces of information provided by you is incorrect or indeterminable (and it is not practicable for eBay or its service providers to correct):
- Country of Manufacture
- Item Category
- Item condition
- Weight of Parcel
- Dimensions of Parcel
- A Parcel is oversized and/or overweight and cannot be sent through an upgraded service.
- The EIS Item that you sold requires destruction (e.g., contraband).

My hope and concern is that the shipping label for eIS shipments may not demand this important information.

Devon, could you post a sample of the form the US seller would see if they are using the eIS?

If the shipment can't proceed without this, many of the concerns faced by buyers would disappear since the eIS would be dealing with complete information, and not trying to decide if the shipment is an anvil or a picture of an anvil.

devon@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin3 years ago

Community AdvisorView listings

@reallynicestamps wrote:

@lotzofuniquegoodies @devon@ebay

One or more of the following pieces of information provided by you is incorrect or indeterminable (and it is not practicable for eBay or its service providers to correct):

Country of Manufacture

Item Category

Item condition

Weight of Parcel

Dimensions of Parcel

A Parcel is oversized and/or overweight and cannot be sent through an upgraded service.

The EIS Item that you sold requires destruction (e.g., contraband).

My hope and concern is that the shipping label for eIS shipments may not demand this important information.

Devon, could you post a sample of the form the US seller would see if they are using the eIS?

If the shipment can't proceed without this, many of the concerns faced by buyers would disappear since the eIS would be dealing with complete information, and not trying to decide if the shipment is an anvil or a picture of an anvil.

Hi @reallynicestamps! I can try to see if this is something I can get and share with everyone here.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Doing daily research on products (specific categories - LV electronics, Books, DVDs, CDs) search results routinely bring up sellers with out of this world shipping options to Canada. Several years ago it was more of the exception vs the rule. Now, not so much.
Shipping a 150 gram package to Canada is now US$15.75 by First Class Package International. I found a listing for a CD that has eIS applied to it, and its shipping cost is US$22.00. The seller is charging US$7.00 to be shipped by media mail within the US and presumably to the eIS consolidation hub, so that would make the eIS's shipping charge to Canada US$15.00. While the price difference isn't much, it's still a discount over the USPS rate.

From what I've seen of other eIS listings, @lotzofuniquegoodies, its rates aren't too bad compared to USPS if the seller has provided shipping size and weight, but the seller's domestic shipping charge on top of eIS is what seems to be the deal-breaker, just as it was sometimes with the GSP.

@marnotom!

See following discussion on some US sellers "problems" with these assorted programs especially post 30. (+28/29)

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/eBay-International-Shipping-Program/m-p/33671411#M2191914

-Lotz

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@marnotom!
See following discussion on some US sellers "problems" with these assorted programs especially post 30. (+28/29)

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/eBay-International-Shipping-Program/m-p/33671411#M2191914

In the case of post 30, it looks as though the seller posting is could be selling some merchandise that's problematic to import into Canada, and probably the other countries that show up on the exclusion list.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/fpa-apa/species-especes-eng.html

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@marnotom!
See following discussion on some US sellers "problems" with these assorted programs especially post 30. (+28/29)

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/eBay-International-Shipping-Program/m-p/33671411#M2191914
In the case of post 30, it looks as though the seller posting is could be selling some merchandise that's problematic to import into Canada, and probably the other countries that show up on the exclusion list.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/fpa-apa/species-especes-eng.html

The main concern in all that is sellers/buyers and eBay all being on the same page when it comes to what is or isn't allowed. From several posts that I've read any seller speaking to the various folks in CS are unable to get honest answers to that million dollar question.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
The main concern in all that is sellers/buyers and eBay all being on the same page when it comes to what is or isn't allowed. From several posts that I've read any seller speaking to the various folks in CS are unable to get honest answers to that million dollar question.

I'm wondering if one of the reasons why the online chat options for CS are superior to the telephone options is because the CSRs on chat can more easily duck out of the conversation and find out what they need to know.

thechabinator

OP3 years ago

15% taxes on canadian to canadian transaction killed the deals (nothing to do with ebay but the new laws in canada) **that was before new shipping program

-shipping fees are way over what it was (compared same items from sames sellers I already bought from)

-not knowing what taxes/duties I am going to pay or any brokerage fees ...brokerage fees will be obviously much more then what pitney bowes charged (gsp program)

-GSP program seemed to not charge the provincial taxes since parcel were not cleared in my province..now I will have to pay possibly to pay

**my transactions were from 300$ to 2500$, no small items

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

@thechabinator

15% taxes on canadian to canadian transaction killed the deals

That would vary from province to province /territory depending on the buyer's location.

Here in BC, PST+GST is 7%+5% so if I bought from an Ontario dealer I would pay 12% in sales taxes. An Albertan would pay only 5%.

And it would be the same for an import from the USA if the value of the item was over $40. (Duty for US imports kicks in at $150).

If I imported from Singapore, which is not under the new NAFTA agreement, I would be paying* duty and sales taxes on any item over $20.

Basically, the tax-free days of internet buying are over.

As you point out though, the problem is that with eIS we don't know who is delivering, and couriers charge very high fees compared to Canada Post ($9.95) or GSP (~$5 USD).

*Although CBSA has been ignoring low value imports for decades, figuring that it was more expensive to assess and collect import fees than the labour cost for doing so.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@thechabinator wrote:

15% taxes on canadian to canadian transaction killed the deals (nothing to do with ebay but the new laws in canada) **that was before new shipping program

Yes, but I don't get how paying QST and GST on an eBay shipment within Canada is any different than paying a mess of import related charges and GST on a GSP shipment. A lot of people posting to these discussion boards resented the GSP's import charges, not really understanding what their makeup was and why they weren't charged on a shipment from the US sent directly by mail. You're one of the few who don't seem to mind them, probably because of the reasons you give later in your post.

@thechabinator wrote:

-shipping fees are way over what it was (compared same items from sames sellers I already bought from)

Looking at a few listings from your past sellers, I see that they seem to be using flat-rate shipping within the US or even free shipping within the US. They're probably not including information on the item's weight and size when creating the listing, so the "eIS bot" has nothing to work with. My understanding is that with the GSP, the "GSP bot" made a guess based on an average for the category in these sort of instances. That could have led to some really good deals on shipping to Canada. On the other hand, the "eIS bot" may be calculating its shipping charges a different way when it doesn't have enough information on the item's weight and size. I suggest advising these sellers that their shipping prices with eIS seem to be out of line and ask if they're providing eBay with information on the item's shipping weight and size.

thechabinator

OP3 years ago

I have been talking with a seller I am used to buy with and all the size and weight were filled correctly...and still the shipping price have raised a lot.....

They are no more deals to find in the US ....people will only buy from USA on things they aren't able to find in Canada or elsewhere

New mandatory taxes on any sale between 2 canadian kills all deals in canada....people will focus on local listings (kijiji, facebook marketplace)

RIP EBAY

marnotom!

·3 years ago

How do the new rates compare to those from the US Postal Service, @thechabinator?

This page may help.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

Although this one might be easier to negotiate.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@reallynicestamps wrote:

Although this one might be easier to negotiate.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

Possibly, although if one is playing around with weights, it's a bit time-consuming to keep going back to tweak with that info. The chart has everything at a (slightly daunting) glance.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@thechabinator wrote:
Since new ''Ebay international shipping'' replaced ''global shipping program'', shipping prices have drastically raised and duties/taxes are now unknown since they are charged at delivery (the charges will be way higher then the included duties/taxes from global shipping program). I also dont know which carrier they will use, so great possibility of enormous clearance fees if they use UPS, fedex, etc

I was buying a lot from both Canada and Usa sellers. When Ebay introduced taxes on all canadian sales, I stopped buying from Canada sellers because it killed all deals. Now, the new shipping program have killed all deals from USA. I was buying A LOT , and now I haven't bought anything since.

@thechabinator

In the past it was possible to find US sellers with reasonable shipping options. Unfortunately, since the implementation of GSP and going forward, this new program (by appearance - the majority of searches) US sellers are unable/unwilling to pass on any savings when it comes to shipping for international buyers. Sadly, this is what we are now stuck with. Call it the new reality!!

-Lotz

brettjet38

·3 years ago

Finally, Shopping Canadian will have cheaper shipping rates than the Americans by the looks of things...

brettjet38

·3 years ago

You will pay TAXES no matter where you purchase your items from and as for the GSP being replaced by the ''Ebay international shipping''...

As the buyer, you should be aware of possible:

• Delays from customs inspection.

• Import duties and taxes which buyers must pay.

• Brokerage fees.

Fees payable at the point of delivery.

Your country's customs office can offer more details, or visit eBay's page on international trade.

3 min article

International purchases and shipping for buyers

When purchasing from an international seller, keep in mind that shipping can sometimes take longer and cost more than buying from a seller in your own country. If you have any questions about shipping, contact the seller before you go to checkout.

Customs and import charges

As a buyer, it’s your responsibility to check which customs and import charges may apply, and to pay them. Your seller might be able to give you some information about import charges, but before you bid on, or buy an item, it's a good idea to check with your country's customs office for more specific details.

Import charges include

Sales, goods, and services
Value added taxes
Duties
Tariffs
Excise taxes
Other amounts assessed or levied by any government authority in connection with the importation of goods into the applicable country of importation
Third party brokerage fees (including advancement and disbursement charges as well as customs brokers’ handling and filing fees)
Penalties
Classification charges associated with the assignment of a Harmonized System (HS) classification code
Charges for export compliance screening and verification and the assignment of an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN)
Charges relating to the management of variances between the quoted import charges and actual costs

Import charges are in addition to the customs duties and taxes imposed by country tax and customs officials.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/buying/postage-delivery/changing-delivery-address-method/international-purchases-postage-buy?id=4057

scopesandammo

·2 years ago

It it is the "unknown" fees that are the issue- especially brokerage charges- which could be a "low" as $10.00 if the item comes through the postal system or as high as $100.00 if shipped using a courier such as UPS or Fedex.

This is a HUGE step BACKWARD for international shipping and ebay. As the OP posted, it is now a real deal killer. Looks like this will be the end of my dealings using ebay after roughly 25 years.

Not sure why anyone as Ebay thought people would somehow find this new internation shipping program appealing, but guess what- now you've just pushed more business to Amazon and more local sellers. Are you actually trying to kill your business internationally at this point?

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@scopesandammo wrote:
It it is the "unknown" fees that are the issue- especially brokerage charges- which could be a "low" as $10.00 if the item comes through the postal system or as high as $100.00 if shipped using a courier such as UPS or Fedex.

This is a HUGE step BACKWARD for international shipping and ebay. As the OP posted, it is now a real deal killer. Looks like this will be the end of my dealings using ebay after roughly 25 years.

Not sure why anyone as Ebay thought people would somehow find this new internation shipping program appealing, but guess what- now you've just pushed more business to Amazon and more local sellers. Are you actually trying to kill your business internationally at this point?

@scopesandammo

@devon@ebay

Tagging you in on this. Unsure if there is a similar sentiment for outside of NA but definitely a major concern for any Canadian buyer making a purchase from a US seller when this info is an unknown until it becomes sticker shock when the item is about to arrive. It's been mentioned in numerous posts along with the not knowing who will be the end of line carrier. Just have to read through the other attached posts to this one to see how other buyers feel.

B) Did you ever get any follow up to your post 16 from this discussion? We watch for this info but seem to rarely ever see.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·2 years ago

It looks like eBay can’t win on this. I remember when the GSP was unleashed in 2013, it had it share of complaints from buyers who didn’t like having their taxes and duties (if applicable) considered paid when they went through checkout.

The possible good news for you, @scopesandammo, is that many listings for items that are forwarded through eIS now offer buyers the choice between paying taxes (and duty) at checkout or taking their chances and paying them on receipt of the item.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
It looks like eBay can’t win on this. I remember when the GSP was unleashed in 2013, it had it share of complaints from buyers who didn’t like having their taxes and duties (if applicable) considered paid when they went through checkout.

The possible good news for you, @scopesandammo, is that many listings for items that are forwarded through eIS now offer buyers the choice between paying taxes (and duty) at checkout or taking their chances and paying them on receipt of the item.

@thechabinator

@marnotom!

Should buyers be forced to feel like they are taking a chance by choosing the 2nd option? Not knowing the courier and the surprise of a mystery amount? Hopefully when it is a courier the system blocks the transaction if there is a postal code involved. But no guarantees that is working like it should.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Should buyers be forced to feel like they are taking a chance by choosing the 2nd option? Not knowing the courier and the surprise of a mystery amount?

I don’t think they need to be “forced” to feel that they’re taking a chance by selecting that option, @lotzofuniquegoodies, but it’s far preferable to know what the possibilities are with that option than it is to be ignorant of them.

By the way, from what I’ve seen so far, the difference in shipping price between the two options is pretty close to negligible.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Should buyers be forced to feel like they are taking a chance by choosing the 2nd option? Not knowing the courier and the surprise of a mystery amount?
I don’t think they need to be “forced” to feel that they’re taking a chance by selecting that option, @lotzofuniquegoodies, but it’s far preferable to know what the possibilities are with that option than it is to be ignorant of them.

By the way, from what I’ve seen so far, the difference in shipping price between the two options is pretty close to negligible.

The shipping price may be negligible, but the differences in the custom charges can be substanial between what mostly sounds like dhl and a few others compared to CP(a known entity). Remember pre eIS you were choosing on the method (USPS) AND a service. Now that is next to impossible. And when there is a problem with the transaction it appears to there is no way to get a credit for (incorrectly) charged customs amounts. Not the surprise a buyer may want after the fact.

If it's CP to the doorstep and buyer pays at time of delivery they get a receipt they can use to claim for a refund for a return.

Lastly this discussion was opened back in April of 2023. Reviewing back through the posts it seems like very little has been resolved in that time.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Lastly this discussion was opened back in April of 2023. Reviewing back through the posts it seems like very little has been resolved in that time.

What needs to be resolved is Canada's handling of taxes and duty due on casual imports, be they by mail or by a commercial carrier/courier. Why are digital marketplaces compelled by law to collect taxes for the feds and provinces for domestic sales but not cross-border sales? It doesn't make for a level playing field-- especially if an item is sent by mail and CBSA barely takes a look at it--and I know how important level playing fields are to you.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

Ebay thought people would somehow find this new internation shipping program appealing,

It's a Seller Protection program, and is not meant to appeal to buyers.

With GSP there were complaints from Sellers that Buyers were upset that the import fees were included in the cost of the item at time of payment.

This made the purchase seem much higher, than if those same fees were paid at the doorstep on delivery.

So eIS makes upfront payment of import fees optional.

Which makes the Seller's price seem lower than what the Buyer will actually eventually pay.

nyb_shop

·2 years ago

I'm Canadian, and I bought a sport card from USA seller for $50 bucks, paid $20 for shipping. DHL forced me to pay an additional $25. HST is Ontario is 13%. So why is DHL charging $25? That's a 50% TAX! What the heck was my $20 dollars shipping for???? This will be the LAST time I buy ANYTHING from a USA seller.