Crouching Prices, Hidden Charges

[i.am.vivian]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of GSP items are now showing up first in SEARCH as 'Free Shipping' but when you click on it you see the $16.45 actual cost?  The gray 'customs included' message is still there so once we know this is happening we can pass them by as usual.  This could be just a glitch but I put nothing past the GSP pushers.  

[pierrelebel]

Are you searching on eBay.ca or eBay.com?

Many items have "free shipping" on .com for US customers

[i.am.vivian]

Hi, thanks for the reply.  I was searching dot ca.  I thought it might be a glitch if the USA seller offers Free Shipping inside the states and is in GSP.  My gripe is that small items show up first in SEARCH with Cost P&S Lowest as 'Free Shipping', when we click on it this listing would be way down the bottom because of the high GSP charges to Canadians.  It looks like a tricky way to get phone users to buy the first item on the Search list that happens to be a GSP item.  Like I say, maybe a glitch but I can't shake these suspicions.  🙂  

[pierrelebel]

Could you please provide an example of such search and listing number.

Are you using a computer or a cellphone to search? (yes results are presented differently!)

[i.am.vivian]

Thanks for doing this with me. I would love to see if you get the same results. I am on a regular computer.  

In the search bar is "Royal Philharmonic" from the category "Music". The location is WORLDWIDE.

Try that and see what you get.  I get a lot of low-cost listings with "Free Shipping" but are GSP items with expensive shipping.

[i.am.vivian]

Also, I am finding this with just about everything I search. The music one was just a quick example. 

[owlgebra]

I confirm, I see the same thing.  However, I also see "Customs services and international tracking provided" in the search results, which is the red flag for GSP. Anyway, indicating free shipping is not right of course.

[i.am.vivian]

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@owlgebra wrote:

I confirm, I see the same thing.  However, I also see "Customs services and international tracking provided" in the search results, which is the red flag for GSP. Anyway, indicating free shipping is not right of course.

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Thanks for adding that.  I see the "Customs services" bit too so I know that it is not really a Free Shipping listing.  My concern is for phone users or new users who don't read the boards and might be led to believe that the charges aren't real or won't be added, not when it did say "Free Shipping".  In the long term I'm sure that would be bad for business, not good, so must be a system error, but I just don't trust the GSP people or the lengths they'll go to.

[sylviebee]

Crouching Prices, Hidden Charges 

Luv It. 

[lady.stark]

Unfortunately, this problem is not just with items with free US shipping. If you make a search with "Price + shipping lowest first", there is often GSP items. But when you click on the listing, shipping is something else entirely!

[i.am.vivian]

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@lady.stark wrote:

Unfortunately, this problem is not just with items with free US shipping. If you make a search with "Price + shipping lowest first", there is often GSP items. But when you click on the listing, shipping is something else entirely!

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It is still doing it today.  My beef is that people searching  "Price + shipping lowest first" are now shown GSP items at the very top, but they are not the lowest price.  For the US maybe, but pick any thing you want to search and first showing are GSP items that say Free shipping in bold.  the "Customs services provided" line is still visible, but after all this time I don't believe it is a glitch.  It may not be illegal, but foisting GSP items on shoppers this way by putting them first is unethical because they are not the lowest price when searching on dot ca.  Those GSP items with their extra high costs belong a lot further down the search list.  

[pjcdn2005]

I've seen the 'free shippin' gsp items in search but not on a consistent basis so I think that it is more than likely a glitch, not something being done on purpose.  I don't know if the problem has ever been reported.  I would suggest that when you see it, send a screenshot along with item numbers to raphael@ebay.com. He should know who to talk to about it.

[lady.stark]

If I remember correctly, it was brought up a few times at the "weekly" board hour. It has never been resolved. Which is not really a surprise considering many things are never resolved. 😞

[i.am.vivian]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I've seen the 'free shippin' gsp items in search but not on a consistent basis so I think that it is more than likely a glitch, not something being done on purpose.  I don't know if the problem has ever been reported.  I would suggest that when you see it, send a screenshot along with item numbers to raphael@ebay.com. He should know who to talk to about it.

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Thanks for the input.  I've seen free shippin' show up here and there and that was likely a mistake.  Now I am seeing it every day, no matter what I search for.  Do you not see it at all if you search North America for things?  I'll try the screen shot for a brown purse.

[i.am.vivian]

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@lady.stark wrote:

If I remember correctly, it was brought up a few times at the "weekly" board hour. It has never been resolved. Which is not really a surprise considering many things are never resolved. 😞

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Thanks, I agree, although I think it never hurts to mention these things, again and again and again if necessary.  Sorry the above screen shot was so big, I need to improve my skills in that department.  😉  

I was wondering if this is something just me is seeing or if other users who search for thing are seeing this also.

[pjcdn2005]

This is very odd. When I search brown purse in North America, the search page does show free shipping to Canada for gsp listings if I use price plus shipping lowest.  The same search using best match or newly listed or ending soonesr DOES show the shipping cost.

But when  I searched brown purse Coach I could see the shipping cost for gsp items in all search modes including lowest price.

[i.am.vivian]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

This is very odd. When I search brown purse in North America, the search page does show free shipping to Canada for gsp listings if I use price plus shipping lowest.  The same search using best match or newly listed or ending soonesr DOES show the shipping cost.

But when  I searched brown purse Coach I could see the shipping cost for gsp items in all search modes including lowest price.

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I tried to SEARCH every item on my desk this way, ipod, coffee cup, phone, clock, etc. All items searched under LOWEST PRICE show GSP items in the slot where they would be if they did not have the GSP.  It could be a glitch but after this much time it seems fishy to me when they say most people search PRICE PLUS SHIPPING LOWEST and that half of all purchases are made from a phone, and that GSP information does not show up on a phone.  Maybe I am wrong and it is NOT being done to trap unwary impulse buyers using phones into choosing a GSP item that they wouldn't normally if they had all the facts.  

Thanks for checking anyway, I was wondering what other people might see.

[lady.stark · Accepted solution]

I just did a search for "brown purse" in North America with "Price + shipping lowest first", and the results are showing free shipping on GSP items. But if you click on the item, that is not the same shipping price. Not cool.

[i.am.vivian]

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@lady.stark wrote:

I just did a search for "brown purse" in North America with "Price + shipping lowest first", and the results are showing free shipping on GSP items. But if you click on the item, that is not the same shipping price. Not cool.

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Exactly.  And it is STILL doing it on anything I search after all this time. A glitch?  I doubt it, not at this point. Unbelieveably annoying and I wonder how many unsuspecting people they've trapped.  "Not cool", that's an understatement!