@sylviebee wrote:
Why the relentless effort to defend and thus support a program that is rarely in our best interest as Canadians?
It's not so much a defence of the program as it is an attempt to put to bed a lot of the garbage being spewn about it. No, it's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it's not the Devil Incarnate either, and there's nothing illegal or scammy about it. If used properly, i.e. for heavier and/or pricier items, it can serve Canadian buyers quite well.
Compare these two listings for similar items sold for about the same price. Admittedly, this isn't an item that's a good candidate for international shipping as I can get this stuff for about the same price in Canadian dollars from my local health products store. Still, to wit:
Item shipped through GSP: http://www.ebay.ca/itm//381276398486
Similar item shipped by First Class International: http://www.ebay.ca/itm//281772961062
Even if the GSP item is sent to Nova Scotia where the HST is 15%, the total of the shipping and import charges still comes to less than the First Class International charge of the second item. And the First Class International item still has the possibility--however remote--of being dinged for taxes and Canada Post's C$9.95 processing charge for remitting the taxes to CBSA.
I could be wrong, but I think you're of the mind that if the GSP didn't exist, most of the items you're finding would ship directly to Canada through conventional post. If that's the case, I respectfully disagree. I think most of the GSP listings for items unsuited for the GSP are being sold by sellers have no idea they're enrolled in the program, who have little to no experience selling and shipping internationally, and there's a good chance they'd balk at the idea of shipping here if asked by a Canadian buyer.
So I guess I support the GSP along the lines that it does give us Canadians a bit more choice when buying from the US or UK and can make purchases less expensive if used appropriately. I bought a mobile phone from a GSP seller who mostly knew what he was doing and paid a lot less in shipping and processing charges than if I'd purchased it from sellers using overkill tracked up the wazoo shipping.
One of the big problems with the GSP is that it's often being used inappropriately and by sellers who have been bamboozled into offering it. These sellers don't know what they're doing and it's often these sales that go south for various reasons. The brighter sellers have done their homework and have figured out when and when not to use the GSP and the precautions the legwork they need to do to make the shipment go as smoothly as possible.
There are, of course, other issues with the program, such as the difficulty using the resolution process in the event of damage or non-delivery, the difficulty in combining shipments and the fact that "best match" seems to favour GSP listings. However, I'd say that a good deal of the issues with the GSP could be prevented or avoided if buyers and sellers took some time to educate themselves on the program and what it can and can't do.
@sylviebee wrote:
I used a courier service about 20 years ago and once was more than enough to learn that lesson.
Your defence of the GSP is that couriers are just as bad?
No. My observation is that the ground services of commercial carriers tend to be worse than the GSP when it comes to customs processing charges.
