eBay

myoldstuff276 · ‎03-11-2015

I do not like the global shipping program. It's ability to track items is seriously flawed. I live in a rural area and do not get ANY deliveries other than post . Here is my experience:

I bought an item in the US shipped through the ebay shipping program. I get an ebay tracking number, and a USPS tracking number. The ebay tracking number doesn't tell me much about when to expect it. The USPS number says the item is being sent expedited, and will arrive in two days. When I update this number, in two days, the status shows it is being delivered. It was only delivered to the centre in Erlander, Ky. It sits there for several days. I have no idea who has it, or what is happening. If I check the other link (USPS) the only information that it was delivered, which doesn't tell me much or where or how it is being delivered.

The global shipping number can't be tracked outside of ebay, and the domestic shipping number is only for USPS, and shows it as delivered.

I have to logon with different devices, as different devices show different details. None shows what carrier the item is being transported with, or when the actual realistic delivery date is. A week wide guess really doesn't cut it. I don't know if it is being shipped by mail, courier, or by an old guy who is now looking for my house on foot.

Finally, if I go in with one device, I get a link to the fact that this is supposedly being shipped by CanPar. However, when I click on the hyperlink, I get taken to Canpar and told that that item can not be found. This has been the case for several days. I also got an email notice that Pitney Bowes (Ebay shipping) has prepared a delivery label for my through Canada Post. But no parcel has arrived at Canada Post with that delivery label on it.

I want the ability to know WHO is shipping my parcel, and what the tracking number is ON THEIR SYSTEM. Why does Ebay obfuscate this information? And why does the information depend on what device you are using to retrieve it. Right now if I go to the Ebay site on my Win8 computer running Chrome, I do NOT get anyway to access the Canpar tracking number (even if it is apparently not correct). The domestic shipping information that I get on this computeris a week old, and still shows that the package was delivered by USPS! However, if I use the Ebay APP on a IPad, I get the Canpar information. If I use the ebay App on a smartphone, I cannot access ANY domestic shipping information.

I need to know who has it because if it is not being sent by CanPost, the courier will not be able to deliver it due to my rural location, and will also have no way to contact me as I do not have a listed phone number. This is simply dumb.

EBAY! WHO HAS MY PARCEL AND WHY WON"T YOU LET ME KNOW THIS AND TRACK IT PROPERLY!

reallynicestamps · ‎03-11-2015

If the parcel doesn't arrive, and I would allow 20 days for delivery from the USA from payment, you can file an Item Not Received dispute and get your money back.

Tracking is, in my opinion, more stressful for the buyer than it is worth. You paid extra to protect your American seller from INR disputes.

If you are in a rural area, and have never seen a CanPar truck around, it is quite possible that they actually sub-contract delivery to Canada Post.

Ask your local postmaster to keep an eye open for your parcel.

If there is a local CanPar office, do the same with them.

The personal touch, eh?

At this point, you do know that the item has been shipped by the seller, that the import fees to Canada and PB are paid, and the parcel is on its way to you.

Unless someone is in your house at all times, eventually a delivery slip will appear in your mailbox, telling you where to pick up the parcel.

myoldstuff276 · ‎03-12-2015

i need to know not only that the parcel is on its way but also exactly where it is and who it is with. I cannot estimate arrival time accurately without this information, and I was expecting a part that I had to make arrangements to install. figuring it out after it arrived was going to cause huge delays. Having information about domestic shipping that had nothing to do with the parcel is simply poor practice. I will never get a notice in the mail from a courier company for the same reason that I dont get parcels in my rural location. I have had parcels arrive to couriers without me knowing, and they could not find me, so they sent them back.

This system is inaccurate, incorrect, and flawed from so many perspectives. I will strive to not use it again. Give me a USPS number that i can accurately track over this mess.

retroman_studios · ‎03-22-2015

I buy many items from the US using GSP. While the tracking isn't perfect, here is some tips:

I'm in the Vancouver region and even here, CanPar outsources to CanadaPost. CanPar ships in bulk to the destination Postal Hub then ships the item directly from there to save money. Go on Canada Post's website and click track. Now, look for the option/link that says you don't have a tracking number but a reference number. Enter a good range of dates as CanPar will usually create a label 2 weeks before the shipment arrives. Enter the "D00000000000XX" tracking number that eBay shows you when it shows that the parcel was handed off to the destination courier. Your CPC tracking info should now show up if a label has been created.

Even for me, most items enter Canada via Ontario and then DHL handles the transport to the postal hub.

I have had issues...

I had one item that Pitney Bowes didn't create customs forms for so it was seized. Was told by eBay to create a claim on PayPal. Found out once the dispute goes to a claim PayPal waits 21 days then you as the buyer call in and they manually close the case and issue a refund.

Also, if you have questions about a shipment, call Pitney Bowes directly at 1-866-235-9627 Option 1 then option 2. They will ask for your GSP tracking number that begins with UPAA (I Think).

krista.gilbert.2013 · ‎11-04-2015

Thanks so much for the number! I've been so nervous because I couldn't track a very expensive item I purchased from eBay. I called them, gave them the UPAA tracking number I had. He was very kind and polite, and was able to give me a "trackable" tracking number!! I now know where my item is, and I can finally relax!! Lol

femmefan1946 · ‎11-05-2015

Good that you had such a helpful clerk!

Bear in mind though, that tracking does not speed up your parcel and does not offer any protection to you as a buyer against loss or damage in transit.

That protection is through eBay and Paypal.

If your seller used the Global Shipping Program, the usual reason for untrackable tracking, then if there is a problem on delivery, let your seller know as a courtesy, but open a Dispute with eBay and cite the GSP as the shipper.

This gets a rapid response.

If you are not at home when your parcel arrives, the shipper will leave a note at your door telling your where and when you can pick up your parcel.

myoldstuff276 · ‎11-05-2015

It does speed up delivery IF the parcel will be sitting in a depot that you have to pick it up from, and they don't/can't notify you, and it can be going to several urban locations that you have no idea which specific one is being used, which is what happens to me due to the fact that I live in a location that cannot be shipped to due to its remoteness.

Seems to me to be a simple matter for a company like eBay to add reliable tracking information.

yore-researcher · ‎11-12-2015

Like the others I'm really unhappy with this "tracking" program... there's absolutely NO tracking possible!

freeman11ca · ‎11-12-2015

If it's Canpar, and you are at a rural address like me, they will call you like they called me at 7:00 AM and wake you up and say they have the parcel, come over to the nearest city and meet with us at the time and the location (usually a store) of their convenience, and we'll be happy to hand over that parcel no matter how big or how heavy it is, so you can carry it over to your parked car no matter how far away it is! I asked them if they will deliver it to my rural address, they said they *might* deliver it the following week, they used the word "might". I asked them if they can deliver it to Canada Post, they said no, they will not deliver it there, and if I want it the same day, I have to meet them at their convenient location and time, or I will have to just wait for quite a while, but I know I will have to go there to pick it up sooner or later anyway!

Global Shipping Program is a terrible shipping program, and they pick a cheap carrier like Canpar but charge plenty for this cheap service. It also adds extra costs AFTER the purchase that we are not aware of until it's too late, and then there is that terrible tracking service! Always check the Seller's shipping method before buying, and stay away from GSP!

reallynicestamps · ‎11-13-2015

It's not a tracking program.

It's a Seller Protection program.

Sellers using the GSP only have to prove delivery to the plant in Erlanger KY usually by cheap domestic USPS tracked postage. After that the delivery is up to Pitney Bowes/GSP .

PB often uses Canada Post, but sometimes for bulky items uses CanPar.

The 'tracking' by PB is basically internal bookkeeping, and may eventually show publically.

Or not.

PB also covers damage in transit due to poor packing. Another Seller Protection.

And the buyer cannot leave feedback about import fees. Another Seller Protection.

And since the import fee includes duty and sales taxes + a service charge to the shipper, that is already paid when the item arrives and the buyer cannot refuse the package and not pay the fees. (A returned package usually costs the seller the cost of the return postage.) Another Seller Protection.

In any case.

Tracking is irrelevant to the buyer. For the buyer it is only there for the warm fuzzies.

If the item arrives and you are not home, the shipper (CanPar or Canada Post) will leave a notice about where and when it can be picked up. Or with some couriers, how to reshedule.

The person picking up need not be you, but will have to sign and present photoID with address.

If the parcel does not arrive, your Buyer Protection gives have 30 days from payment to open a Dispute with eBay or 180 days with Paypal. You also have Buyer Protection through your credit card, which I hope is how you back your PP account.

None of which is to say that the GSP is a Good Thing, particularly for Canadians. It is, at best, annoying. At worst, there are two threads over 5000 posts long complaining about the badly designed, badly explained and badly executed program.

ca_steve · ‎11-17-2015

Hi,

Canadian here. Just wanted to say I called Pitney Bowes directly - 1-866-235-9627 Option 1 then option 2 - and gave them my UPAA number. They gave me a Canada Post tracking number with no problems at all. Whatever tool the call taker used to get this tracking number needs to be connected to eBay's system, which doesn't seem to be that complicated a task for a multi-billion dollar company.

I'd say call them if you are a Canadian looking to track a package. If they get enough calls they'll eventually realize they need to spend the cash to properly connect their system to the Canada Post API and report the correct tracking number.

At the very least, you're creating employment. 🙂

myoldstuff276 · ‎11-17-2015

Tracking is not irrelevant to the buyer. Please see my original post. I NEED to know when I have to go to the city to pick up a parcel, and WHERE it is going to be.

marnotom! · ‎11-17-2015

@myoldstuff276 wrote:

Tracking is not irrelevant to the buyer. Please see my original post. I NEED to know when I have to go to the city to pick up a parcel, and WHERE it is going to be.

Your experiences seem quite different from the ones I had with couriers when I lived in a remote location that was accessible only by floatplane, boat and a horrendous private logging road that the couriers would avoid.

If I had something sent to me by a carrier such as DHL or FedEx, it would be delivered to the nearest hub (about 175 km away) for the carrier and then from there Canada Post was contracted to handle it on its final leg to where I lived by a combination of road and boat. The only reason I can see why Canpar wouldn't do this for your packages is because they don't have arrangements with Canada Post for subcontracting delivery in this manner.

How do you normally get notified of your items' arrival at a commercial carrier's shipping hub? Is it usually by phone?

myoldstuff276 · ‎11-17-2015

@marnotom! wrote:
@myoldstuff276 wrote:

Tracking is not irrelevant to the buyer. Please see my original post. I NEED to know when I have to go to the city to pick up a parcel, and WHERE it is going to be.

Your experiences seem quite different from the ones I had with couriers when I lived in a remote location that was accessible only by floatplane, boat and a horrendous private logging road that the couriers would avoid.

If I had something sent to me by a carrier such as DHL or FedEx, it would be delivered to the nearest hub (about 175 km away) for the carrier and then from there Canada Post was contracted to handle it on its final leg to where I lived by a combination of road and boat. The only reason I can see why Canpar wouldn't do this for your packages is because they don't have arrangements with Canada Post for subcontracting delivery in this manner.

How do you normally get notified of your items' arrival at a commercial carrier's shipping hub? Is it usually by phone?

Yes. But the problem occurs when the shipper doesn't put the phone number anywhere on the label. I don't think the global shipping program is set up to mandate including a phone number, but I haven't used it with a package I needed to trace for quite some time. The point I was making, and still make, is it is a defective system when you need to track something. I don't want to find out it arrived only the day it arrives. If I knew that it was likely to arrive on a Thursday, because I could see where it was on Tuesday, through effective trackingI would not travel to the hub for other purposes on a Wednesday, only to get a call requiring me to go the next day as well.

marnotom! · ‎11-18-2015

@myoldstuff276 wrote:

Yes. But the problem occurs when the shipper doesn't put the phone number anywhere on the label. I don't think the global shipping program is set up to mandate including a phone number, but I haven't used it with a package I needed to trace for quite some time.

Well, the Global Shipping Programs terms and conditions for buyers state that PitneyBowes requires certain items of personal information from the buyer including a telephone number, but it probably hasn't figured out how to obtain that information from eBay and pass it along to whoever's doing the shipping of the item.

See section entitled "Data Privacy":

http://pages.ebay.ca/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

best-beauty_products · ‎11-20-2015

Ive shipped couple of items using the global shipping.

I dont really like the way its handled I might disable global shipping option.

bessiec · ‎12-03-2015

I won't buy anything else from eBay that is shipped by the Global Shipping. It's expensive, slow, and can't be tracked.

djpoohbear2012 · ‎12-08-2015

if you call 1-888-727-0781 and give them the global tracking # they can tell you what is going on with your package and give you a tracking number for who has it

colinflyfisher · ‎12-12-2015

eBay Global Shipping, experience so far: Ordered and paid Paypal for item in Florida on 01 Dec 2015 as shown on my Paypal statement. Order states paid only 04 Dec. In fact, that was the date of a partial refund date because of incorrect charge. Delivery estimate is (still) 10-18 December. e-mail received today 12 December states: --------------------------------------------------------------------- "YOUR ITEM IS ALMOST THERE .... Dear Colin, We are writing to inform you that your recent GSP item has cleared customs and is now out for delivery with the carrier. You should receive additional automated updates regarding delivery status. Track your package Shimano Curado CU-301E 6.2:1 - Baitcasting - LEFT Hand CU 301 E Fishing Reel Sold for: US $240.80 Item number: 281871947787 Item sold on: 04 Dec, 2015 15:31 GMT " -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After finding a way through so called tracking, I find this, also dated today: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "LANDMARK TRACKING Shipment Information Order Number: LPKEN000000159424069 Carrier: NZ Post Packages: 1 Shipped To: North Shore City, AUCKLAND 0630 New Zealand Shipped From: Columbus, OH 43217 United States Historical Statuses For Your Order DP718690614NZ Current Status: Left crossdock facility. Last Updated: 2015-12-12 04:59 am Location: Columbus, Oh Event Description Date Location Crossing border and in transit to carrier hub 2015-12-12 04:59 am Columbus, OH United States Transmitted customs information 2015-12-12 04:56 am Columbus, OH United States Scanned at Landmark crossdock facility 2015-12-11 11:16 pm Columbus, OH United States Processed 2015-12-11 11:13 pm Columbus, OH United States Shipment Data Uploaded 2015-12-11 12:48 am Columbus, OH United States" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that present location is Columbus Ohio. Note also from the e-mail that it is out for delivery with the carrier, that's to a NEW ZEALAND address!! So far it has taken from 01Dec to 12Dec to get from Florida to Ohio (where it is now) and is simultaneously "out for delivery with the carrier" to a NEW ZEALAND address. Confidence in the 10 to 18 Dec Delivery estimate is fading away. Hope I'm wrong but........

00nevermind00 · ‎12-12-2015

Colin, if your package hasn't arrived by the last estimated delivery date, open an "item not received claim" indicating that the item was being shipped through the GSP. Do not involve the seller, all he/she can do for you is mess up the situation. (Although you may want to let them know what you are doing and why, as a courtesy. Tell them that their money will be frozen for a few days but that it will eventually be released. They will keep all of it and won't receive a defect on the transaction.)

That is the only way for you to receive all of your money back, including the GSP portion of your payment.

If your item arrives later, it will a free item because the GSP does not support returns. If that happens, enjoy your item without a guilty conscience because that is the price Pitney Bowes has to pay for running such a lousy, half-baked program.