eBay

marcflyer · ‎09-01-2016

I totally agree with all the other ebay members. It is only good for ebay pockets. I also along with friends and relatives refuse to purchase anthing that has global or courier shipping. Now the solution for ebay is not to let you know these extra costs until you actually purchase the item. Not impressed. Complete rip off

momcqueen · ‎09-01-2016

Ebay has been tinkering with the way they display Global Shipping Program costs to potential buyers.

If it does not sit well with you, I would encourage you to bring that directly to the attention of ebay Canada staff at the next Weekly Board Hour. Join the Weekly Board Hour where eBay Canada staff will be available every Wednesday to answer questions from 1PM - 2PM Eastern.

Here, we are fellow ebay members who may be sympathetic but cannot affect real change the way telling a Ebay Canada staff person might.

00nevermind00 · ‎09-02-2016

@mjwl2006 wrote:
Ebay has been tinkering with the way they display Global Shipping Program costs to potential buyers.

If it does not sit well with you, I would encourage you to bring that directly to the attention of ebay Canada staff at the next Weekly Board Hour. Join the Weekly Board Hour where eBay Canada staff will be available every Wednesday to answer questions from 1PM - 2PM Eastern.

Here, we are fellow ebay members who may be sympathetic but cannot affect real change the way telling a Ebay Canada staff person might.

Ebay is so enamored of their pet program that they don't even realize the negative impact that this constant tinkering has on buyers. Buyers are confused, they never know what to expect, they don't trust that the charges won't shoot up the moment they commit to the purchase, etc. When dealing with such an intensely disliked program, this seems to me to be the worst possible approach.

Rodney, who hosts the weekly discussion linked to by Mjwl2006, can't do much more than be sympathetic. Well, he can make our concerns known to the GSP people in San Jose but it should be obvious by now that they don't give two figs what Canadian buyers think. From what I understand, the program is exceeding their expectations and it will continue to do so as long as people keep buying in spite of the GSP.

You can't prevent GSP listings from polluting your searches but you can bypass them. To do this, use "List View" (not Gallery View) to search for items. With "List View" all the GSP listings will have a pale grey font blurb that reads "Customs services and international tracking provided". When you see this blurb, keep searching without stopping to click the link.

I personally refuse to purchase anything that ships with the program. Your mileage, of course, may vary. I'm about to start putting in a jar all the money I would have spent on items had they not been GSP items. I expect that at the end of every year, I should have a sizeable amount of $$$ with which to treat myself to something nice. That money may or may not end up being spent on eBay, but it sure won't go to a GSP seller!

marnotom! · ‎09-02-2016

Like any other shipping method, the Global Shipping Program works reasonably well for some items, not so much for others.

For example, sending two dollar postcards as Express parcels is a bad idea, but people don't blame the shipping method for that. They blame the shipper.

I purchased two mobile phones from sellers using the Global Shipping Program. Both sellers seemed to know what they were doing and the phones arrived pretty quickly. (Sooner, in fact, than the cases I bought for the phones from sellers who didn't use the GSP.) The shipping prices for the phone was also a heck of a lot better than those from sellers who shipped directly, and I had no idea with half the listings I was looking at whether I'd be looking at having to pay taxes and brokerage upon receipt.

The customer service aspect of the Global Shipping Program is definitely pretty weak, so my recommendation to buy from sellers using the program only when it makes sense is very qualified. The biggest problem, as I see it, is that the GSP is being offered largely by sellers who have no idea that they're enrolled in the program, or at the very least, don't care that they are.

jlincognito · ‎09-03-2016

Yeah eBay Global Shipping sucks. eBay Global Shipping charges up to 10 times the actual cost of shipping!

Basically, the buyer pays for double shipping, and then they pay for eBay to make money. So instead of just paying 1 shipping fee, you are essentially paying 3 fees.

I just paid a ridiculous amount for eBay GSP shipping for something I really wanted. And when I contacted the seller, the seller stated they paid $8US to mail the item to eBay GSP headquarters of wherever tf. And then from there you have to pay for it to be shipped AGAIN from GSP to you. And then eBay factors in a fee of their own because they obviously aren't doing it for free. So that is where you essentially pay for 3 fees.

I guess it is somehow easier for sellers to use eBay GSP for international shipping. Or else eBay scam advertisements scam sellers into using the GSP service.

Usually if a seller wants to make a sale, you can talk them out of GSP, or talk them right out of eBay all together lol.

jlincognito · ‎09-03-2016

Forgot to mention, you can leave negative feedback in regards to eBay GSP and then that may persuade sellers away from using that service.

marnotom! · ‎09-03-2016

@jlincognito wrote:

Forgot to mention, you can leave negative feedback in regards to eBay GSP and then that may persuade sellers away from using that service.

eBay will remove negative feedback that's focussed on the GSP. It's part of the "seller protection" aspect of the program.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-03-2016

And when I contacted the seller, the seller stated they paid $8US to mail the item to eBay GSP headquarters of wherever tf. And then from there you have to pay for it to be shipped AGAIN from GSP to you. And then eBay factors in a fee of their own because they obviously aren't doing it for free. So that is where you essentially pay for 3 fees.

No.

The GSP 'import fee' is made up of Canadian duty, Canadian and provincial Sales Taxes and a service fee which seems to be about $5USD, a little over half what Canada Post charges to collect any duty and Sales Tax that CBSA may have assessed.

The GSP also uses a hub and spoke delivery system, as does USPS, Canada Post and for that matter FedEx and UPS. The time 'lost' shipping to Kentucy and then forwarding to Canada (and over a hundred other countries) is likely made up by faster traverse through Canadian customs.

The program is handled for eBay by Pitney Bowes. There may be a finder's fee paid to eBay, but it would be on the grand total of PB's profits from the program.

The $8 mentioned is only to carry the purchase to Kentucky, not to Canada with the Confirmation of Delivery the US seller wants and GSP delivers.

https://ircalc.usps.com/

jlincognito · ‎09-06-2016

Yes that is exactly what I said!

The seller had to pay $8 to send their package to the eBay GSP headquarters. But really it is the buyer who pays this. So this is 1 out of the 3 fees the buyer has to pay.

The second fee comes from the fact that eBay GSP (Pitney Bowes) charges you to mail it from eBay GSP headquarters to your international location.

And the third fee is the fee that eBay (or Pitney Bowes) makes for using their GSP service.

ALL 3 of these fees are paid by the BUYER.

Versus if the seller just mailed it themselves then there would just be 1 single fee for shipping.

jlincognito · ‎09-06-2016

"eBay will remove negative feedback that's focussed on the GSP. It's part of the "seller protection" aspect of the program."

Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't.

It usually only gets deleted if the seller complains to eBay. And then it is just the comment that gets deleted. The negative feedback remains.

momcqueen · ‎09-06-2016

If eBay has to step in to remove negative feedback left by a buyer for a seller because it was about the GSP, ebay will remove the entire feedback, rating and comment. It's in the feedback usage policy.

Also, the buyer will be reprimanded for leaving it because they violated said policy.

I would not encourage other members to do something that violates eBay policy and ultimately gets them into trouble.

momcqueen · ‎09-06-2016

Also, it's ethically questionable to do that.

The seller has a choice in whether or not to use the GSP program. The buyer also has a choice in whether or not to use the program.

It's unfair to the seller for a buyer to choose to use the GSP and then blame the seller for offering it.

Simply put, if as a buyer you don't like the GSP, don't use it. Don't instead use it and then complain that you did. Vote with your wallet.

momcqueen · ‎09-06-2016

Alternatively, buy from sellers located within Canada. There is no duty collected by CRA on that.

The de minimums for importing by post is $20 cad. That's law. Just because we as Canadians can sometimes import without being charged taxes doesn't mean this is an expectation we should have. The law says otherwise.

Instead, expect to pay import taxes on any item valued at $20 Cad or more and consider yourselves lucky if your package is overlooked for assessment. Not the other way around.

momcqueen · ‎09-06-2016

Also: "Usually if a seller wants to make a sale, you can talk them out of GSP, or talk them right out of eBay all together lol."

That is strictly prohibited by eBay as contravening their off-site policy. Asking to do this will get you booted from the site (buyer or seller) faster than anything else. I would never under any circumstances condone this. Or allude another member consider it, in jest or not. It's akin to making bomb jokes at the airport. eBay does not look kindly on it.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-08-2016

Versus if the seller just mailed it themselves then there would just be 1 single fee for shipping.

Uh huh......

https://ircalc.usps.com/

Many of the USPS rates are about the same -- and do NOT include duty, Sales Taxes and the Canada Post $9,95 service fee.

While CBSA has a (very informal and probably illegal) policy of not bothering to assess low value and small parcels for duty and tax, the importer should be ready to pay up on his doorstep because if it is assessed. it will not be handed over until the import fees are paid.

The point is that whether there is one fee or three fees or nine fees, the amount charged for shipping is the total at the bottom.

With GSP, you know what that total is and once you have paid it all you have to do is wait for arrival.

With postal* delivery, you do NOT know what that total is and more money may be demanded by the carrier.

This not a defence of the GSP, which is not buyer friendly and is used by the more unsophisticated, paranoid and xenophobic sellers, not an easy group to deal with at the best of times.

*and courier. UPS is notorious for this. FedEx is notorious and sneaky.