global shipping

[champkin]

item i was interested in was shipping by global,  "that i wont touch" asked seller if another means to ship was avalible,he agreed to ship FEDEX,I won item, requested invoice, every effort by seller to provide invoice was blocked by ebays gsp.end result sale canceled

[pierrelebel]

That question - and many others - were raised over three months ago with the eBay.ca staff:

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Weekly-Board-Hour-Session/June-5th-Weekly-Board-Hour/m-p/93366#U93366

[marnotom!]

How would you have been further ahead by using FedEx anyway?  FedEx is also required to collect taxes due on an item.

[pjcdn2005]

FedEx might have had an even higher brokerage charge. USPS would have been best.

For future reference, the seller could have sent you an invoice through Paypal. That is still ebay 'legal'

[pocomocomputing]

One interesting quirk about FedEx from what I read in these forums.

FedEx will deliver the item to the door without collecting any amount due for taxes, duty (if applicable) and processing/brokerage fees. They will send an invoice weeks letter by mail and require payment then. A nice surprise, LOL.

UPS will not give you the package until you pay any amount due for taxes, duty (if applicable) and processing/brokerage fees.

[lmjones4972]

I have requested a shipping change more than once from US sellers who are using the Global Shipping Program.  All they have to do is send out a new invoice with the USPS charges, not Fedex, UPS or DHL.  One even changed her buy it now listing for me to show USPS postage rates.

Global Shipping is a major ripoff for Canadian buyers.  I buy regularly from the US and can't remember the last time I paid import fess on an item (over 2 years, at least).  I'm sorry, but paying them upfront is not an option.  If a seller won't offer another shipping method, I just won't buy from them.

[pjcdn2005]

I have requested a shipping change more than once from US sellers who are using the Global Shipping Program.  All they have to do is send out a new invoice with the USPS charges, not Fedex, UPS or DHL

Apparently it is not that simple. Based on what I've read here, once an item is purchased through GSP, the seller has no way of accessing the invoice to change the shipping price. Unless something has changed?

The seller can make up and send a new an invoice through Paypal.

[dars-stuff]

Try using USPS delivered by Canada Post in Canada, I believe the Postal Brokerage fee is pretty much a flat rate of $5.00. Couriers (FedEx and UPS) charge outrageous rates.

[dars-stuff · Accepted solution]

I will not buy anything from an American seller who will only use the Global Express program to ship to Canada. The cost increases from Pitney Bowes make it not worthwhile using EBay to find "deals".

[marnotom!]

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@dars-stuff wrote:
Try using USPS delivered by Canada Post in Canada, I believe the Postal Brokerage fee is pretty much a flat rate of $5.00. Couriers (FedEx and UPS) charge outrageous rates.

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The fee that Canada Border Services charges for postal imports is actually almost double that: C$9.95 to collect the taxes (and sometimes duty) applicable.

Still better than commercial carriers and much of the time they don't assess and collect taxes due anyway.

[femmefan1946]

If Canada Post does process your purchase, they will charge you the $9.95 service fee plus duty and taxes. So you will pay more that way than if your seller used the GSP.

However,

Canada Post is notoriously lax about charging these (perfectly legal) fees while any commercial carrier will always charge (and remit to government) them. If you don't get charged, buy a lottery ticket. You may be on a winning streak.

[quaydvt]

Canada Post used to be hit and miss about taxes - but not in the last year in my experience at least!  Everything I have purchased and has been shipped by USPS has come with taxes owing.  I have a big ticket item coming and the taxes alone would actually be higher by about 50%!  Unless something out of the blue hits me with my first Global Shipping purchase, I won't complain. 

[prosell318]

I totaly agree with you. This Global Express, makes shipping to Canada more expensive. Plus , price being showed when searching for the item is not what you are going to pay when final shipping is calculated. This is something Ebay has to fix.

[tango69]

Global Shipping is nothing more tor less than a cash grab…benefiting eBay.  The GSP rates almost always exceed the proper Canadian import taxes by a factor of three.  The maximum tax that the Canadian Government will charge ranges from 5% to 15% contingent on destination province.  It this program is so wonderful, why not provide an 'opt out' for buyers.  As it is, I will not buy from an US vendor who steadfastly employs GSP.   A message to US vendors - dump GSP or lose ithe sale!

[tango69]

Global Shipping is nothing more tor less than a cash grab…benefiting eBay.  The GSP rates almost always exceed the proper Canadian import taxes by a factor of three.  The maximum tax that the Canadian Government will charge ranges from 5% to 15% contingent on destination province.  It this program is so wonderful, why not provide an 'opt out' button for buyers.  As it is, I will not buy from an US vendor who steadfastly employs GSP.   A message to US vendors - dump GSP or lose ithe sale!   My experience is that imports of $200 or less are very unlikely to be taxed by Customs.  

[marnotom!]

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@tango69 wrote:

The GSP rates almost always exceed the proper Canadian import taxes by a factor of three.   

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That's not been my finding with the items that I've researched.

Subtract the amount that would go towards taxes for a GSP item and sometimes you'll get an amount that's less than Canada Post's C$9.95 charge for collecting taxes on behalf of Canada Border Services.

[pink_shoeaholic1976]

Ask the sellers to send an invoice through PayPal...that's how I've gotten around the global shipping!

[pink_shoeaholic1976]

I refuse to buy anything through global shipping...it charges fees we as Canadians never pay at customs! I've been on ebay for 10 years and I think 2x I've been charged customs fees and it was because the item was a value of more than $200...global shipping is a rip off and our American sellers need to stop using it! Plus I found if there's no import fees the shipping cost goes up! It's a bad idea ebay put in place and I will never buy through global ship!! Ever!!

[marnotom!]

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@pink_shoeaholic1976 wrote:
I refuse to buy anything through global shipping...it charges fees we as Canadians never pay at customs! I've been on ebay for 10 years and I think 2x I've been charged customs fees and it was because the item was a value of more than $200...global shipping is a rip off and our American sellers need to stop using it! Plus I found if there's no import fees the shipping cost goes up! It's a bad idea ebay put in place and I will never buy through global ship!! Ever!!

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Just because we don't pay those fees at customs doesn't mean that the item wasn't subject to taxes in the first place.  The tax (and duty) free limit for postal imports is actually C$20, but Canada Border Services doesn't feel it worth its while to assess and charge the taxes due most of the time.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html

It's a bit like how the cops don't monitor, chase down and ticket every single person who speeds through the hospital zone near my place.  They've got other fish to fry.

Also keep in mind that the GSP "import charges" are for import/export related fees that may have nothing directly to do with taxes and duties.

I've found that the GSP is actually quite cost-effective for larger or more-expensive items where shipping as an oversize letter may not be possible or practical.  The problem is that many Canadian eBayers don't buy those types of items on eBay in the first place, and that many sellers are listing the "wrong" sorts of items with the GSP, to boot.

[tjtrucker13]

I agree, I haven't paid taxes or duty in a God knows when except for items bought from US sellers who use the GSP. But what really annoys me is the shipping time it takes three to four weeks to get an item now when it usually arrive in 10 business days. I've had to open four disputes for non-received items that were all using GSP. Not anymore I don't buy if they use it anymore, too expensive and too slow.