eBay

joshua_1988 · ‎06-12-2015

I won a item on ebay for $50 and the shipping was $22 with $13 in import charges. I asked the seller if he could remove the GSP import charges and he said he would have to cancell the order and repost it as buy now to remove this fee. I accepted the cancell order and he reposted the item as buy now for $69 and the shipping is still with GSP but now $35 and import fee of $15. Can anyone explain this to me. The seller said to make a offer for $50 and he would accept but the shipping is now $50 with import fees instead of $35 with import fees from the previous hour.

reid4311 · ‎06-12-2015

Not really sure how this works out for you but I've asked many american or U.K. sellers to drop the GSP scam. A few have refused but those who have and have done it properly will have the listing reappear showing no reference to GSP and in most cases it'll say 'may not ship to Canada'. Others will drop it and go the distance finding out the rate and adding it. If the order was cancelled then you're off the hook. I'd simply look for another seller.

joshua_1988 · ‎06-12-2015

I may be off the hook but im still very VERY anoyed. Apparently now ive lost out on the item i was going to buy and bid on and won. I mean it would have been $85 usd which is like 104 can. And now the cheapest i could get is for is 100 usd. How did i get off the hook? Just got screwed over by ebay AGAIN. Plus ive wasted numerous hours trying to resolve this and nothing came from it.

marnotom! · ‎06-13-2015

It's hard to make any sort of call on this without seeing the listing in question, but I'm guessing that it has something to do with how the seller posted the shipping rate.

Since the shipping rate for a GSP item is calculated based on the shipper's rate for shipping the item to Kentucky plus the rate that Pitney Bowes charges for shipping the item from Kentucky to you, I suspect part of the problem is that the seller tried plugging in the shipping rate to Canada into the listing in the section for a shipping rate from him to Kentucky. This has likely boosted the overall shipping rate for the item.

The initial increase in import fees from $13 to $15 are a reflection of the higher selling price for the item, as part of the import charges are the tax(es) that Pitney Bowes would pay to the Canada Revenue Agency on your behalf. I've no explanation for what you say is a second increase to $35. I'd need to see the listing to get a better sense of what might be going on with it.

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you ask the seller about removing the GSP before purchasing the item? Or did you? Agreeing to purchase the item means that you agree with the seller's terms, including his or her use of the GSP.

reallynicestamps · ‎06-13-2015

You won an item for $50 with $22 shipping and $13 import fees (GSP). Total $85.

You did not pay the contracted amount.

You accepted the seller's Mutual Cancellation request.

The original transaction was now ended, dead, pining for the fjords, pushing up daisies... The transaction is no more.

The seller relisted the item as a Buy It Now with GSP.

The new prices were $69 + $35 +$15. Total $119.

You did not buy.

The seller let you know that he would accept an offer of $50 but has changed the shipping to $50 + $15(?) import fees. Total $115.

The import fees are based on the selling price and will fluctuate based on that. Don't get your knickers in a twist over those.

The seller may have reconsidered the shipping service he wants to use or the actual dimensions of his packaged item, either of which would change the shipping cost.

Either the seller doesn't want to sell to you or he is very confused and disorganized.

Thank him politely for putting up with you and move on.

afantiques · ‎06-13-2015

Either the seller doesn't want to sell to you or he is very confused and disorganized.

It does seem clear that the seller totally missed the point of listing WITHOUT the GSP.

reid4311 · ‎06-13-2015

You're off the hook because you didn't buy into the scam. Whoever did win / buy whatever it was you wanted was most likely an American who will pay substantially less for postage and no duty or GSP. Just be patient. Eventually another of whatever it was you wanted will appear at a more reasonable price but in the meantime just stay away from sellers using GSP. Nothin' but a headache!

joshua_1988 · ‎06-13-2015

I understand the import fee only went up to 15 because he listed it for more. How ever at $50 can someone explain to me why i am paying $12.77 import fees on a $50 item. Thats %25 of the price. And i have ordered larger and more expensive items with out paying a duty.

Its bs because i would have paid the original price of shipping and **bleeping** GSP. All worked out to like 85 usd. But i was mis lead and told it would be reposted with out the GSP.

Im about done with eBay entirerly.

joshua_1988 · ‎06-13-2015

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you ask the seller about removing the GSP before purchasing the item? Or did you? Agreeing to purchase the item means that you agree with the seller's terms, including his or her use of the GSP.

This is the other part the makes me mad at ebay. I didnt notice the GSP fee on the mobile app because it only shows you the price and shipping at the top.

reid4311 · ‎06-13-2015

You didn't notice it or it isn't there to be noticed? Either way if I buy something here I use an old school computer. That way everything is out in the open. Nothing is 'hidden'. Before I even make a decision to bid or buy I ask for the GSP to be dropped. If he agrees I look at the listing again a little later and if I still see the logo or Pitney - Bowes name listed anywhere I delete it and move on. I can well understand your mood as it's happened to me before I got wise and I know it's frustrating. In retrospect I think a lot of these guys really aren't computer savvy. This week alone I wanted to bid on a CD from a GSP user but who in their right mind would pay $21.00 to post a disc you might win for what turned out to be $4.00? I asked it be dropped, he agreed but it took me three days before he figured out what to do. So I won and now can't pay because although he dropped the GSP he didn't list a rate for USPS. So Friday I send an invoice request and haven't heard back yet. Small fry compared to what you went through but none the less annoying for me.

reid4311 · ‎06-13-2015

By the way, it's my understanding according to what I read here in the Wednesday Q & A, that GSP isn't supposed to be used for anything under $50.00. When questioned on this they agreed and stated they knew but hadn't acted on it. Why? Because it's a cash cow and there will always be buyers here who are willing to have their pocket picked!

reallynicestamps · ‎06-13-2015

How ever at $50 can someone explain to me why i am paying $12.77 import fees on a $50 item. Thats %25 of the price.

Well $5 is the PB/GSP service fee. Pretty much a flat amount whether your item is dutiable or not.

Then the $7.77 is probably the GST/PST/HST for your province. If you were in Alberta that would be $2.50 but if you were in New Brunswick $8.50. This goes to Canadian governments.

If there is a difference of a few pennies, allow a bit for currency fluctuations. I'm assuming that both the $50 and the $12.77 are in US dollars.

And i have ordered larger and more expensive items with out paying a duty.

If your items were shipped by USPS/Canada Post, that is possible. CBSA and Canada Post are easygoing about what they choose to process for duty and tax.

Also many items are not dutiable, but are still taxable.

Certainly things manufactured in the NAFTA signatories are free of duty (but taxable). Some items are not dutiable at all, such as used and antique items, but are still taxable.

I've also seen claims that electronic products like Chinese-made iPads are not dutiable, but have never bothered to check the CBSA website.

And some items are neither dutiable and taxable according to some posters speaking of coins and bullion mostly. I find that hard to understand.

Preventing sellers from using the GSP on items under $50 would be helpful. Even just adding a notice like the one sellers see when offering Native American items, Nazi paraphenalia or stamps of any sort would be a relatively simple fix. (Although those warnings don't stop improper listings.)

joshua_1988 · ‎06-13-2015

So the seller tryed to relist it with No GSP and relisted it as a buy now for $69 with the GSP by mistake. He did that last night; and as we were working it out and i was explaining to him that he had to remove the GSP. Well someone clicked the buy it now and the seller now "Has to ship it to the buyer" so yeah pparently now im completly out of luck.

IMO ebay owes me that item at that price.

joshua_1988 · ‎06-13-2015

Both me and the seller were told by ebay the only way to resolve this issue was to cancell the transaction and redo it.

How did anything get resolved for me? Like i said previously if i knew there was going to be this much hassel with it i would have gladly paid the origional price of $85.

reallynicestamps · ‎06-13-2015

if i knew there was going to be this much hassel with it i would have gladly paid the origional price of $85.

Yep.

reallynicestamps · ‎06-13-2015

IMO ebay owes me that item at that price.

Nope.

EBay has nothing to do with it.

The seller set up the original listing.

You wanted it changed.

Both of you had problems making a new listing.

Another buyer found the listing, liked the (higher?) price and actually paid real cashy money for it.

joshua_1988 · ‎06-13-2015

How is that fair its a online auction site and i won the auction. Should not matter if he came along after and wanted to pay more. I have seen alot of auctions that have ended that i would have bought n paid more for.

I asked if the fee could be removed. Ebay told me us how to remove it and from there instructions this happened. On top of all thos ebay says GSP fees do not apply under $50 item and thus should not have been there.

joshua_1988 · ‎06-13-2015

EBay has nothing to do with it.

Ebay has everything to do with it. This is the site we are using and these fees were added on by them

marnotom! · ‎06-14-2015

@joshua_1988 wrote:

How is that fair its a online auction site and i won the auction.

How is it fair that you won the auction, tried to change the terms of sale after winning the item, and then persuaded the seller to cancel your commitment to purchase it?

Once your purchase is considered null and void, it doesn't give you "first dibs" on a relist unless the seller relists the listng as private. In effect, you were starting from scratch the way the seller had things set up, except, of course, that he couldn't figure out how to list without the GSP.

@joshua_1988 wrote:

On top of all thos ebay says GSP fees do not apply under $50 item and thus should not have been there.

If GSP fees did not apply on sub-US$50 items, we wouldn't have two huge threads on this board that are largely filled with complaints about it. You either misunderstood something you read about the GSP or else somebody from eBay sent you a message that suggests that they don't fully understand how it works.

reid4311 · ‎06-14-2015

In the June 10th board hour the first question asked was about why American sellers who had been advised by eBay when the program started that GSP was essentially for items with a value of over $50.00 were continuing to list articles under that amount with GSP attached. The moderator was asked pointblank why all this time later nothing in reality had been done about it. We're paying duty, taxes, fees (call it whatever) that under any other circumstance you wouldn't pay.

The response to me was nothing but baloney! "I'm not at liberty to comment" and "yes we are aware and are doing lots". Lots of what? Collecting fees! You can read it yourself. Nothing but sidestep and damage control. In the meantime we continue to have our pockets picked! I simply stay away from it. Far too much drama.