eBay

canuckchat · ‎11-23-2006

If you reside in Canada - and purchase an item from the USA - you need to educate yourself as to the fact that you WILL be paying applicable taxes and possibly duties on the item when it crosses the border into Canada.

Yes, if the item is shipped by postal service, your "brokerage handling fee" will be a nominal $5 or $8 - plus the applicable taxes for your province (and possibly duties, but seldom are they charged.)

And yes, MANY times the items shipped by postal service are NOT charged taxes or duties incoming - so sometimes you will escape paying the taxes that are due to the Canadian and provincial governments.

However, you should ALWAYS - and I stress ALWAYS! - calculate the cost of the taxes and possibly duties into the decision to make a purchase internationally.

Additionally, if your item is sent by the USA seller (or other international seller) through a courier service (for example, UPS, FEDEX, DHL, etc.) then your applicable brokerage fee will be upwards of $25, on a sliding scale dependent upon the value of the incoming item.

Yes, these fees (brokerage, tax, duty) are ALL part of the cost of buying an item internationally and having it shipped to you in Canada.

It is NOT up to the seller to pay these for you - YOU are the importer of record - YOU are the one who will be billed for these charges - YOU are the one who will NOT get your parcel until you pay these charges.

So - before hitting the "BID NOW" button, do a bit of calculating and make an informed decision to see if it is really worth getting that imported widget!

Happy Bidding, Folks!
:-D

canuckchat · ‎09-21-2014

Wow - look at this thread - still around and receiving posts 8 years into it - nice to see it has been helpful to everyone 🙂

loraandjeff · ‎09-24-2014

Not sure if this has been posted already (sorry, couldn't read all 31 pages...but I did get to page 7! LOL)

Couriers get a bad-rap on their brokerage charges, but most of those charges can be abated if you are proactive! You have 2 options to mitigate their brokerage/clearing charges (note: this does not apply to PST/GST/HST as these are charged by respective Cdn government).

1. If you know your item is being shipped courier, ask up front if the seller will give you the tracking number while the item is still in-shipment. Take the tracking number and call the courier company and tell them you want to "pre-pay" all fees and you do so on your credit card. Many of the fees they charge relate to paying these fees "upfront" on your behalf, so cut them off at the knees and pay them in advance.

2. Most packages are sent air, so if you live within driving distance of your local airport (for cities), SELF-CLEAR your packages & notify the courier (on the same call as above) that you wish to do so. Most couriers (because packages are generally sent via air) will have their clearing facility located VERY close to the airport, and Canada Customs (for clearing purposes) will also have an office VERY close to the airport. The courier will contact you when the shipment has arrived, you then go to the courier & pick up the paperwork, take it to customs, pay your fees to them, they stamp your paperwork, you take this paperwork back to the courier and pick up your item.

Caveat for #2: If you are in a smaller town/city, call the courier and ask where the courier's clearing facility is, and where the customs clearing office is. This will help you determine if this is feasible. If it is not, you can contact private customs clearance brokers and compare what their fees are. Most I have found are WAY cheaper than the courier's (brokerage & clearance fees). Once you have found one & established your account, contact your broker once a tracking number has been established & they will take of the rest and generally just bill you according to your agreed contract.

If you buy frequently outside of Canada, I would advocate that you set up an outside brokerage account "just in case" you need it. That can be a godsend if you are in a pinch and can't do it yourself because an emergency comes up.

Hope this helps (if not already posted. If it has, then hopefully this a refresher.)

regalservice · ‎09-26-2014

outdated topic and no we dont pay theses fee's globalshipping is a scam period

stan7408 · ‎08-26-2015

Outdated yes ..but for users new to ebay and for that matter any shipment they get from the US they should be aware

bcwet · ‎09-15-2015

To many Canadian buyers don't even look in Canada for items. Buy Canadian I say, sure Canada Post is expensive but it doesn't compare to what you will be nailed if you buy and get caught up in the Gsp from the US. Not to mention the exchange rate. Let's support our own economy people.

mater721 · ‎09-17-2015

"Buy Canadian I say..."

If only it were that easy.

Many items people shop for on ebay are not available in Canada - collectibles for example.

vexxed14 · ‎09-23-2015

Yea the phone I was looking for was only available on one 'Canadian' site (expansys.ca) and was more expensive at base cost than buying from the US (Base + tax + delivery + all gsp fees + exchange)

femmefan1946 · ‎09-24-2015

It has often been noted on these Boards that on some high value items, buying with the GSP can be less expensive than buying with direct shipping-- even when the buyer is lucky enough not to be hit by duty and sales tax and the Canada Post service fee.

In this case, it looks like your Best Buy is the phone from the seller who uses GSP, doesn't it?

So, principle or pocketbook?

mater721 · ‎09-24-2015

"In this case, it looks like your Best Buy is the phone from the seller who uses GSP, doesn't it?"

I see what you did there...

vexxed14 · ‎09-24-2015

yea the specific phone isn't available in Canada at any store. Was a mildly interesting play on words though. The phone cost US$104 and there was no 'guaranteed new' non-GSP equivalent at the time of purchase that I saw. The other website I listed had it at CDN$235 + $25 Del.

I spent 2 weeks looking and couldn't find better deals anywhere.

My GSP fees were $28 which included the Ontario HST on the $104 so yea I can't really complain about that since the $25 from the other site didn't include taxes on the Cdn$235.

The Phone is coming from Iowa so its stop in KY isn't really out of the way much. I guess all I'm saying is that in this case GSP doesn't seem so bad. Been a week since ordering and I'm not too hot on the tracking but we'll see when it gets here

mater721 · ‎09-25-2015

I used GSP once - was not a bad experience... because overall cost including shipping & "import fee" was reasonable.

Unfortunately, for most of the items I'm looking for, every other GSP listing was not worth it.

The total cost including "import fees" are just too high.

We are already at a disadvantage with the dollar. Automatically tacking on "import fees" for $40 items is just not worth it.

marnotom! · ‎09-27-2015

@mater721 wrote:

We are already at a disadvantage with the dollar. Automatically tacking on "import fees" for $40 items is just not worth it.

It will be interesting to see if, after the federal election, Canada Border Services will be instructed to be more vigiliant about assessing taxes and duty due on postal imports given that the fall in the Canadian dollar's value will be pushing more purchases well above the $20 tax/duty free limit.

lenny2253 · ‎01-03-2016

So Sad, I have bought things from Ebay in the past, only to end up paying double for the product,

I have wanted a Burberry trench for ages, I have seen so many pretty ones listed on Ebay, but after calculating all charges plus

the Canadian exchange rate,,,well I ended up buying one for about 160,00 with all cost, I am keeping my fingers crossed that

my purchase will be decent and that it will fit, other wise it may be cheaper to fly out from Toronto airport and pick up the

purchase LOL

Lenni

Ontario Canada

brassanchor · ‎01-05-2016

Then whats this new Global shipping program! I bought a used part for my snowmobile over xmas from a seller close to my province the ecpected time to arrive is 20 days it was shipped to the east coast i live on the west coast at a cost of 55.00 Canadian the item was under 500g size of a peice of toast !

Ya iam **bleep** right off the seller has nothing to say wont tell me who the shipper is niether does it say in the terms i feel like i just got shafted because the ecpected time and cost wasn't clear before purhase very shady buisness who ever this company is and my item is probably going to show up broken i only live 1000 kms from the seller but its going to end up going 4000 kms now. Somebody have the same complaints?

reallynicestamps · ‎01-05-2016

Pity that your local snowmobile dealer didn't have the part, but that is one of the good things about online shopping, almost anything no matter how weird, can be found online somewhere.

The GSP /Pitney Bowes uses a hub and spoke system for forwarding goods.

As does FedEx.

You may have seen this if you have travelled by air. Many flights to the Caribbean go through Toronto, Chicago or Montreal, even though a more direct route might seem faster.

For that matter, so does Canada Post. Most small town mail goes to a larger terminal, often hundreds of km away, only to return to its destination a few blocks from its starting point.

The idea is that a large amount of goods are sent to a central point, where they are sorted and resent to their destinations with large amounts of similarly destined goods coming from hundreds of origins.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoke%E2%80%93hub_distribution_paradigm

I buy and sell a lot by mail order and have for over 30 years. In my experience, 20 days is a reasonable time to wait for delivery. I am often pleased that my order arrives faster.

Better to be told 20 days and have it arrive in 10 than to be told 10 and have it arrive in 20.

If your part does not arrive or is damaged in transit, go to the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page and open a Claim for a refund. The process is automated and quite simple.

dmil8030 · ‎01-05-2016

Hello 'brassanchor',

<< Then whats this new Global shipping program!>>

New? It's 3 years old. That's okay, -- it's new to you. I get it. The Global Shipping Program is not very popular with

buyers and the way it works comes as an unpleasant surprise to many users. You are not alone.

<<the ecpected time to arrive is 20 days >>

When you are provided an expected time of arrival, that usually means business days, not calendar days.

So if you purchased that part on December 28th, there is loads of time left for delivery.

The way the GSP works is that the seller sends the item to a processing plant in Kentucky. The seller is at that point

finished with the transaction. For your item, however, the adventure continues.

The item is repackaged and then sent on to you. The seller did not say who the shipper would be, at least not for the

second leg of the journey, -- because he does not know. It could come by Canada Post, or maybe Canpar, or even

some other courier.

You didn't "get shafted", you have simply had a new and unexpected experience. And it's not over yet.

<< my item is probably going to show up broken>>

Ah, so you're a 'glass half empty' kinda guy. Maybe the thing will arrive just as described and within the expected time frame

you were given. Perhaps you will be delighted with the outcome and zipping around on your snowmobile long before spring.

Plenty of people have a GSP transaction turn out fine, just as they'd hoped.

<< Somebody have the same complaints?>>

Well, if it's a rousing bout of GSP bashing you seek, try those lengthy anti-GSP threads on the Buyer Board.

If that doesn't get you pounding on the desk, nothing will.

I wish you joy of your new item.

marnotom! · ‎01-05-2016

@reallynicestamps wrote:

For that matter, so does Canada Post. Most small town mail goes to a larger terminal, often hundreds of km away, only to return to its destination a few blocks from its starting point.

Yup.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/vancouver-island-letter-mail-to-be-sorted-on-mainland-1.5425...

reallynicestamps · ‎01-05-2016

Ha! Sometime I will tell you about my BIL the micro-distiller and his fight with the BC Liquor Board over a similar problem.

He no longer sells in BC because of it.

But if you are ever in Alberta, ask at the liquor store for Phrog Gin, a fine sipping gin made on Hornby Island.

"Puts hair on the soles of your feet, and makes childbirth a pleasure." The BIL.

marnotom! · ‎01-05-2016

@reallynicestamps wrote:

Ha! Sometime I will tell you about my BIL the micro-distiller and his fight with the BC Liquor Board over a similar problem.

I'm guessing it has something to do with having to ship the gin to Vancouver and Kamloops in order to have it sold in a government liquor store on Vancouver Island or the outlying islands. 😄

@reallynicestamps wrote:

But if you are ever in Alberta, ask at the liquor store for Phrog Gin, a fine sipping gin made on Hornby Island.

I've seen a lot of designer boozes at private liquor stores that I don't see at the government-run ones. Isn't the gin available in a few private outlets in British Columbia?

brassanchor · ‎01-06-2016

its a complete waste of my time and money and you should get a job with ebay or maybe GSP you sound perfect for the job. i been buying and selling on ebay since 2001 so dont school me and label me to your stupid forum antics yay ! i got a kudos today! try snowmobiling its alot more fun, and like i was saying dont use GSP lesson learned if the item you need is only avail with someone using this service avoid and wait for another to be listed only buy if seller ships usps post dont listen to this **bleep**!