eBay

worldwandering · ‎02-06-2013

Anybody else get invited to this?

They deal with all customs forms, etc by shipping to a US address? Feedback is protected from low ratings etc?

What the heck are they talking about?

I said yes, and now they are going to revise all my listings. I don't understand this nebulous program. Can anybody sum it up gracefully?

Thank you!

There is no reasoning with the unreasonable.

cumos55 · ‎03-25-2013

Problems with the GSP.....

(1) When the GSP was introduced the sellers on eBay.com did not know what the end result would be ... What the final costs would be....

(2) Buyers saw the end result and were very unhappy with the extra costs...

When a USPS parcel comes across the border the buyer might not get the customs, brokerage, GST/HST and more assessed.

However, with the GSP it is front row and centre... 100 % visible... and all of the fees associated with entry into Canada must be assessed.

Everything That PB does must be seen as legal...

Unless someone promotes it more and more... this program will experience a slow death....A quick death would be appreciated....

To be effective.... the cost of international shipping using GSP must be lower than the USPS price.... and evidently that is not so....

Sellers need some form of re-education... something that did not occur with GSP.

There are programs available that make international shipping less costly... Evidently someone did not do their research

pierrelebel · ‎03-25-2013

Hi rose-dee - different question with quote taken out of context.

I was answering a question about Canadian sellers pocketing GST/HST, nothing to do with the eBay Global Shipping program.

"Isn't it Pitney-Bowes/eBay who are actually collecting and remitting the GST/HST and therefore require the number to be displayed on their site, i.e. not the individual sellers who are remitting? "

Yes and everything they do appears to be above board. Pricey but quite legal. There is no basis whatsoever to suspect Pitney Bowes would collect and not remit the tax, anymore than any other GST/HSR registered merchant. Pitney Bowes is subject to the same invoicing regulations as any other GST/HST registered merchant:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/gst-tps/bspsbch/itc-cti/nvc-eng.html

pierrelebel · ‎03-25-2013

Rose-dee, I found this interesting tidbit from KPMG (onbe of the largest auditing and consulting firm in the world) which may interest you:

A non-resident that is not carrying on business in Canada may be able to voluntarily register for GST/HST purposes. While the non-resident would generally have to collect the GST or the HST on its sales in Canada, it could be entitled to claim credits for GST/HST paid on its expenses. In many cases, a non-resident with no permanent establishment in Canada applying for GST/HST registration must provide a security deposit ranging from CAN$5,000 to $1 million.

http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Global-indirect-tax-brief/Docum...

rose-dee · ‎03-25-2013

Thanks for the clarification Pierre.

"A non-resident that is not carrying on business in Canada may be able to voluntarily register for GST/HST purposes."

Yes, I vaguely recall coming across this information at some point in the last decade or two, which is why it occurred to me that perhaps you were referring to US eBay sellers registering. I would think that no one who doesn't do a great deal of business in Canada is going to want to risk paying such a potentially huge bond.

In any case I'm sure the average US eBay seller has absolutely no grasp of, or any interest in understanding our GST/HST, and would probably balk at selling to Canadians rather than get mired in our convoluted tax system.

pierrelebel · ‎03-25-2013

"the average US eBay seller has absolutely no grasp of, or any interest in understanding our GST/HST, and would probably balk at selling to Canadians rather than get mired in our convoluted tax system. "

That is quite true and the same applies to other countries, particularly Europe where the tax (VAT) is much higher than in Canada and with so many import prohibitions.

Many American sellers simply do not want to get involved with "stuff" outside their country. As a result, eBay made the deal with Pitney-Bowes (*) to help sellers export. The deal helps American sellers. It is not meant to help foreign buyers (from Canada or anywhere for that matter).

(*) It could have been with any other forwarder. The results would be the same: shipping delays (due to re-shipping), extra shipping costs, extra fees - all to the account of the international buyer.

lady.stark · ‎03-26-2013

To do it so blatantly out in the open would be beyond stupid.

Yeah, I know, and I tend to agree too. But with that said, I looked at the link Pierre provided:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/gst-tps/bspsbch/itc-cti/nvc-eng.html

And it says (quote):

For taxable supplies (other than zero-rated supplies), you have to show:

- the amount paid or payable for the supply and show the amount of the GST/HST payable on the supply seperately

Pitney Bowes is not doing that. That is a fact (you said the amount included all the taxes and fees). Nothing is described as it should on their invoice.

pierrelebel · ‎03-26-2013

"That is a fact"

???

Have you seen with your own eyes an actual invoice from Pitney Bowes for this service?

So far, I have not.

lady.stark · ‎03-26-2013

Have you seen with your own eyes an actual invoice from Pitney Bowes for this service?

No, but i*m-still-here did. Why should I doubt his words?

i*m-still-here · ‎03-26-2013

All I can say is that I have described numerous times what it looks like on line.

Since I have never received a hard copy receipt via an item delivered to my door, I can't comment on that.

My guess is that they've crossed all their t's and dotted their i's .................... but I don't know that for sure.

pierrelebel · ‎03-26-2013

i*m-still-here - Based on the many posts I have read on the subject, is it correct to state that you in fact have never actually used the Pitney Bowes Global System? Instead, after getting cost information, you have contacted sellers and made arrangements for direct shipments avoid Bitney Bowes and saving on shipping costs and avoiding delays.

Or am I missing something?

i*m-still-here · ‎03-26-2013

Yes............. and no you're not missing anything.

I've stated many times that I got caught when the GSP was brand new but the sellers worked with me to complete the transactions without it.

When I contacted the first seller she told me pay and she would refund everything but FCI shipping.

I did that and so I have the paypal receipt.

She was not able to refund the GSP portion, and in hind sight that makes sense because it went to P-B. The seller was not even aware it existed.

We had to cancel the transaction and start from scratch.

The next time, after I got the bill with the GSP, we just cancelled and he re-listed for me without the GSP.

Both sellers were great and easy to work with......... they had no idea what I was seeing at my end.

This time, I contacted the seller before bidding and she didn't even know what the GSP was.

She has already changed the listing so that the GSP isn't involved.

As time went on, I got much better at it......:).

bb_cool_stuff · ‎03-26-2013

....but the sellers worked with me to complete the transactions without it.

Tried that this morning with a seller who was selling a couple of Game Worn Jerseys i was interested in buying.

Seller was polite but explained that due to the amount of missing, expensive, jersey packages to Canada he had no choice but to enroll in the GSP.

He could no longer take the chance with Priority Shipping.

Unfortunately, Reality has set in for some sellers.

Boo, Hiss to those Canadian Buyers.

i*m-still-here · ‎03-26-2013

I've only encountered one seller who would not work with me, and it was for a $12 item.

Go Figure.

Boo, Hiss to those Canadian Buyers.

I absolutely do not agree with that. I think that a lot of Canadian buyers have had problems with INADed and that's at the heart of the problem.

When a seller says that he or she is having problems with items not arriving, there is a reason for that.

When a buyer gets the item he or she paid for, then that buyer is a happy camper and keeps on shopping. No complaints.

When a buyer opens the package and finds garbage and is faced with having to return the garbage with expensive tracking or ????

IMO that's at the heart of problem.

bb_cool_stuff · ‎03-26-2013

Just meant Boo Hiss to the Canadian Sellers who took advantage of this seller.

This guy is Top Shelf & sells Quality, but Pricey Game Worn Merchandise.

Of course we can send a Boo, Hiss to the sellers who also take advantage of buyers with shoddy merchandise, though i still think they are in the monority.

i*m-still-here · ‎03-26-2013

I get it............. :).

It's still a problem though.

When an buyer from the States buys domestically and the item is not as described returns aren't a hassle.

With international shipments they always are.

I used to return without tracking ........... a long time ago............ and trust me: sellers are absolutely horrid for saying items didn't arrive.

Much worse than buyers are.

Now I only return with tracking.

US sellers want to make it a Canadian problem and it isn't.

bb_cool_stuff · ‎03-26-2013

Have only returned one item over the years, course i was a Newbie at the time.

Definitely Not As Described & he insisted on Tracking.

Could not leave him a Negative, in the days we could, as he always retaliated according to his Feedback Left.

Scammers are still a low percentage but while the percentage is still low those numbers have increased as eBay has grown.

Bad Karma to them.

lady.stark · ‎03-27-2013

He could no longer take the chance with Priority Shipping.

Does this seller know that even First Class Mail International for Canada now has a Delivery Confirmation? Many sellers don't know that yet, because they don't read the eBay and/or USPS updates.

(However, with that said, even with DC, lost is lost. I wonder what kind of Priority Mail he was using in the past... Flat Rate envelopes didn't have DC. Small Flat Rate boxes didn't either. But Large Flat Rate boxes had DC. Sorry, just writing "out loud" LOL!)

bb_cool_stuff · ‎03-27-2013

He now only ships with First Class International.

Not sure if the Priority Option he shipped with previously is insured in the US.

He mentioned he never had a problem shipping to Canada previously sans tracking until the calendar turned over to 2013.

Friendly competitor also will no longer ship from Canada without tracking. Too many " Where is my Item " messages followed by a refund since they did not ship with tracking.

They also sell pricey items but don't mind if their shipping DSRs take a hit nor do they mind if they lose their TRS Discount.

Their sales are that good.

art-in-the-making · ‎03-27-2013

The end result of this once it all fully plays out, which I'm sure will be quite a while, probably (many) years, will be to further disadvantage small sellers relative to corporate.

It is going to be essential somewhere along the line to structure international postal rates so that a package sent in one country contains enough postage to actually pay the full and real cost of the delivery in the destination country.