eBay

ut.babe · ‎09-02-2013

Another thread on the GSP but the more the merrier.... maybe they will get the message. These comments are based on my own experience and opinions.

I purchased a figurine that arrived with minimal packing material and single boxed. I asked the seller how he had packaged it ... he said it was in its original manufacturers box, double boxed with lots of packaing. He was shocked to hear it arrived in a single box - the manufacturers box was missing - and minimal packing.

Upon complaint, ebay (Paypal) answer was to refund me the SELLERS shipping cost, not Pitney Bowes (the GSP provider they use), thereby stinging the seller who was in no way responsible.

Another item was switched from a box to an envelope. Thank heavens it was unbreakable.

Also, 98% of the items I buy cross-border (I'm in Canada) would not even be valued for customs duty, their price is too low. Yet the GSP charges it anyway.

My guess and opinion? Pitney Bowes is repackaging items to lower the weight and the end cost of their shipping, plus pocketing the excessive customs duties. What other reason for repackaging items?

Plus you pay for the seller to ship to them, and then for them to ship to the buyer. AND you often have to purchase before knowing the end cost - is that even legal? And then you are on the hook for the item anyway.

The only people happy with this is Pitney Bowes - they are getting rich off this unbelievable scam. I will not use them for anything ever, and have in fact chosen to not use them for my business either. I have returned all the shipping equipment I had from them and refuse to deal with them on any level.

I WILL NOT PURCHASE FROM SELLERS USING THE GSP PROGRAM... EVER. I'd rather do without.

Many times when I explain why I'd love to buy from them but don't the seller is unaware of the issues and takes the item OFF the GSP (Yes they can do this!) Then I purchase 🙂 So buyers, check with your sellers, give them the chance to accomodate. I can understand it simplifying their shipping but they don't realize the cost.

Wake up Ebay and wake up sellers to the stupidity of this scheme. Its costing you buyers.

I have been buying on ebay for 13 years and have close to 2900 100% feedbacks. I purchase everything under the sun on here but have started looking elsewhere to find the items I need - even if I pay a little more. I just will not support this program in any way, shape or form.

i*m-still-here · ‎09-06-2013

alwaysthemusic........... Yes, the GSP is a problem for buyers, and the most recent issue is that they are re-packaging items.

I bought two items via the GSP and one was suspicious and the second was definitely repackaged with no regard for my item.

That is not to say that they re-package ALL parcels but in my case they are going at it in a very heavy handed manner.

There is something very intrusive about that.

For buyers it's a problem.

For sellers: The thought that P-B is rifling around my packages would bother me to no end.

When I explained to my seller how his parcel arrived he responded that he was "mortified" ................ I get that................

pierrelebel · ‎09-06-2013

"second was definitely repackaged"

That may or may not be true but there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the repackaging - if it took place - was made by Pitney Bowes.

i*m-still-here · ‎09-06-2013

@pierrelebel wrote:
"second was definitely repackaged"

That may or may not be true but there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the repackaging - if it took place - was made by Pitney Bowes.

It is true.......... not "may" be true.

I don't know why you continue to bring that up Pierre because it's obvious to me that P-B is responsible for what happens to packages once the parcel is in their hands.

In other words............ it doesn't matter if P-B gave the package to Bugs Bunny and the rabbit opened the box and rifled through it looking for a carrot............ P-B is accountable for the package.......... and the rabbit is accountable to P-B.

A more concrete example: When someone uses the Post Office to ship an item, and that item is opened en-route by anyone and/or damaged .......... the Post Office is responsible to the sender for the damage.

I haven't bothered commenting on that before because it should be obvious.

pierrelebel · ‎09-06-2013

"I don't know why you continue to bring that up"

You did!

A parcel was repackaged or appears to have been repackaged. You do not know who did it. You have no way to know who did it. But, because you "hate" (your word) Pitney Bowes so much, you put the blame on them. That is wrong.

It is quite possible Pitney Bowes did repackage the item. Why? Was the parcel damaged in some way and required repackaging? Was the parcel not properly addressed by the seller and required to be opened and readdressed? We will never know. However, that is no valid reason for you to blame Pitney Bowes post after post after post without any evidence.

It is also possible the parcel was repackaged by the seller prior to shipping, by the original carrier, by the carrier taking it from Pitney Bowes or by the final delivery carrier. Yet, you have constantly ignored these possibilities and keep on blaming Pitney Bowes.

Where is your credibility?

i*m-still-here · ‎09-06-2013

@marnotom! wrote:

I'll admit that I can mete out a strange brand of "tough love"

Tough love is something you use for people in need of re-hab or to discipline children and in some cases your underlings.

marmatom! Again: This is not about you but that statement says a lot about the general atmosphere here.

Posters here are your peers and in many cases much more knowledgable than you and other regular posters here regarding buying on eBay.

Posters recognize when they are being condescended to.

It's a very self-serving way to package "help."

i*m-still-here · ‎09-06-2013

Pierre........ Once again......... Your post is full of incoherent arguments.

There is no logic to it other than to argue.

If I have some time to kill a little later I'll respond.

However, by now it's clear that no matter how often you get these things clarified you're right back to the same argument which is so clearly full of holes.

i*m-still-here · ‎09-06-2013

Ok........ so it turns out I have time now.

PierreLebel wrote: ""It is quite possible Pitney Bowes did repackage the item. Why? Was the parcel damaged in some way and required repackaging? Was the parcel not properly addressed by the seller and required to be opened and readdressed? We will never know. ........................"""

1. It's been pointed out to you time and time again that it is customary to let buyers know when a package has been opened and P-B is not doing that. Why are they hiding it?

2. Moreover, if they have such a high rate of damage that is problematic as well.

3. You know full well that sellers do not address packages to buyers so why even bring that up?

PierreLebel wrote: ""It is also possible the parcel was repackaged by the seller prior to shipping, by the original carrier, by the carrier taking it from Pitney Bowes or by the final delivery carrier. """

1. You are suggesting that these sellers are lying to us. I doubt that very much.

2. As posted above (did you even read post #63 prior to resonding to what is said?).......... Pitney-Bowes is responsible to the shipper, and those they employ en route are responsible to P-B. In other words....... it doesn't matter who opened the parcel en route as far as the shipper is concerned it was P-B. If their employees are opening packages and rifling though them along the way then they need to hire better people.

bennett4612 · ‎09-06-2013

Hello.

The PB packaging/repacking question was mentioned on another thread, which linked over to this one. Below is a copy & paste of what I posted over on that thread. Hope it helps.

Just wanted to clarify the role Pitney Bowes plays, as far as packaging/repackaging.

The shipping center follows regulatory laws, which state that parcels will be opened if they fall under certain categories and/or conditions.

Here is a cut & paste from the "Seller Information" page (http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/shipping/globalshippingprogram/update_faqs.html#shipping-cen... --

--

If the parcel does not identify country of origin, it will be inspected for country of origin identification.
If the order is for a multi-quantity of a single commodity, quantity of contents of parcel will be verified.
If the order is for multiple commodities, quantity of the contents of the parcel will be verified.
If the order is for a commodity that is restricted, the parcel will be opened for investigation.

US Customs and/or the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA) may open parcels for inspection after shipping from the US shipping center.

--

--Ben

pierrelebel · ‎09-06-2013

Thank you Ben.

Yes your informationt helps. It confirms that if a parcel is opened by PB there are valid reasons to do so.

It does not mean that every parcel that seems to have been repackaged has been opened by Pitney Bowes or its staff but clearly define the reasons why it could happen.

It is not a question of "tempering" as has been suggested or "Everything suggests that P-B is repacking to bring shipping weight down so their shipping cost is less than we paid.."

bennett4612 · ‎09-06-2013

You are very welcome.

Not sure why but the infamous "blue box", indicating that I am an eBay employee, is not showing up in this thread.

But please note that I am, in fact, an eBay employee.

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that.

---Ben

pierrelebel · ‎09-06-2013

"Not sure why... "

I suspect your "blue" status is recognized by Lithium on eBay.com but they may have forgotten to give you access as such on eBay.ca.

i*m-still-here · ‎09-07-2013

I suppose that since I once posted "I Hate the GSP" in a moment of annoyance, I've somehow become the anti-GSP spokesperson.

However, as a buyer I don't care as much about the GSP as most of the buyers posting about it seem to, and certainly not that much about re-packaging.

Since it's about the only thing buyers post about any longer I do respond, and when I do my posts get noticed and get blown out of proportion.

Thank You Benentt from eBay for posting.

Yes, I hope that puts a some of the questions to rest.

While it doesn't explain what happened to my or babe's item, it's a start in the sense that there it is an admission and acknowledgement from P-B that items are getting opened by them.

Patience Pierre. I understand that you want to be clear on all the details rightt now…………. However………..

Time will tell.

Either

a) Concerns about re-packaging will get back to P-B and they'll stop or be more careful with our items……… or……….

b) There will be an increasing number of reports over the course of the next year.

(I'd also like to note just for sake of being accuracy: I made a mistake regarding the breakdown of my GSP item. My item cost $50 and my landed cost was just under $90 for a 12 by 12 by 12 box weighing 180 grams.)

Still……… $90 to land a $50 item is not in line with normal shipping costs.

marnotom! · ‎09-07-2013

@i*m-still-here wrote:

While it doesn't explain what happened to my or babe's item, it's a start in the sense that there it is an admission and acknowledgement from P-B that items are getting opened by them.

Or by the US Customs and/or the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA).

pierrelebel · ‎09-07-2013

"it is an admission and acknowledgement from P-B that items are getting opened by them."

Where exactly does it say that?

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-07-2013

Since it's about the only thing buyers post about any longer I do respond, and when I do my posts get noticed and get blown out of proportion.

I don't think that they get blown out of proportion....just my opinion.

.

(I'd also like to note just for sake of being accuracy: I made a mistake regarding the breakdown of my GSP item. My item cost $50 and my landed cost was just under $90 for a 12 by 12 by 12 box weighing 180 grams.)

Still……… $90 to land a $50 item is not in line with normal shipping cost

You may have provided this information earlier and I missed it but by landing cost, do you mean shipping + import fees and if so, what was the breakdown of each when you purchased the item?

Are you sure it was just 180 grams? I have a box that is 12x10x4 and it weighs 260 gr when empty so I would think that a 12 x 12 x 12 box + item would weigh more than that.

synetech · ‎09-07-2013

Someone should just put up some sort camera for sale, and set it to start recording once they drop it off at the post office. Then when the buyer (the seller?) gets it, they can retreive the footage and post it for all to see exactly what happened along the way. (Of course it would have to be a special low-res, low-power camera with battery pack and large memory card.)

I for one no longer buy anything from the US because of this and not even from Canada because of Canada Post’s ridiculously high shipping rates. Now I use local classifieds (e.g., Kijiji, eBay Classifides, Craig’s List, etc.) as much as possible and only use eBay for the occasional low- or free-shipping item from the UK, Inidia, or China (though I’ve been bitten too many times to trust China anymore, so I try to avoid Chinese items whenever I can because they tend to be cheap garbage that doesn’t work well if at all—and that’s if it’s not outright fake/counterfeit, yet eBay does nothing about it).

i*m-stilll-here · ‎09-07-2013

Food For Thought: I don't want to rain on anyone's parade......... but there is a Canadian (poster) who transports our Canadian packages to the US and ships to American (and other) locations from within the States.

He does what the GSP does in reverse on a small scale.

His website does not indicate that he limits items to those valued under $200 (the American tax free limit), so one has to assume that there is no ceiling to the value of shipments.

Does he collect taxes on all Items over $200 and remit that money to the US government?

If not, does he pay a broker and pass those costs on to sellers who pass the fees on to buyers?

Are those packages ever opened and examined for contents by customs as he crosses the borderr?

I don't know the answers to those questions, but I do think its one way to understand the GSP and what it really means for buyers and sellers in more concrete terms.

i*m-still-here · ‎09-07-2013

Ooops......... I left out that his fee for doing that is sixty-five cents / package.

Compare that to the GSP.

marnotom! · ‎09-14-2013

Just found this page an hour or so ago. This is the party line from Pitney Bowes. Make of it what you will:

http://blogs.pb.com/ecommerce/2013/07/17/global-shipping-program-faqs/

Will every parcel be opened at the processing center?

No, parcels are only opened if Regulatory Law requires due to:

Commodity lacks Country of Origin – commodity will be inspected for COO identification
Commodity lacks Country of Origin – commodity will be inspected for COO identification
Order is for multi quantity of a single commodity – quantity of contents of parcel will be verified
Order is for multi commodities – quantity of contents of parcel will be verified
US Customs and/or TSA may open parcels for Inspection after shipping from Processing Center

Will the Processing Center repackage, or add void fill to my commodity?

The Processing Facility will add professional void fill and/or repackage a commodity, for no additional fee to the seller, if:

The original parcel is too large for the commodity – and then a replacement carton will be used of smaller dimensions
The quality of the original parcel is worn or tattered the processing center will re-tape and reseal the parcel
The original parcel is overweight and the commodity can be repackaged into (2 or more) parcels, allowing parcels to ship forward to buyer