Comments about the Global Shipping Program

[kalvin@ebay.com]

Feel free to share your thoughts about the Global Shipping Program here. 

A few questions to get the ball rolling:

• What has worked well for you with the Global Shipping Program?
• Any ideas to help improve the experience for Canadian buyers?
• What has deterred you from buying items offered using the Global Shipping Program?
• How have you managed to search for items outside the program?

Please try & keep the comments constructive 🙂

If you have any questions about the program, please post them here.

[cartoonsinabox]

I recently ordered from US seller a tote bag valued at $10 us sent in small regular size envelope and sent regular air mail. I ended up paying $14 us for shipping . There is proof I was charged double shipping cost (seller sent to Pitney Bowes and then sent to me). On top of this very slow shipping and package was opened by Pitney Bowes. I was Thinking that paying $14 would be faster.

I wanted to test this new GSP system and I  don't recommend buyers to buy from sellers in US using the GSP.

[pierrelebel]

"So you are complaining that you were charged less than the listing said?"

That is not the problem.  Yee see (like I do) import charges as they relate to Ontario (HST 13%).  The buyer is located in Alberta (GST 5%).

The real problem is that the import charges appear to me much more than the usual GST/HST and $4/$5 handling fee charged by Pitney-Bowes.  The implication is that duty was added despite the fact the item comes from the USA.

It is quite possible that the tool is in fact manufactured overseas (resulting in duty being charged) while "assembled in the USA" according the the "manufacturer".

Once again the question would not arise if eBay, PayPal and Pitney Bowes were giving all users (buyers and sellers) complete information as to how "import charge" was calculated.  Whenever the subject is raised, eBay has the same boring answer: "thank you for the suggestion... we will pass it along".  It has been going on for over a year!

[rick31797]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

So you were charged $30.37 import charges on a $202.50 item.

And the listing said

Import charges:

US $48.20 (estimated and based on current bid) 

So you are complaining that you were charged less than the listing said?

Or are you adding in the domestic shipping charges

Shipping:

US $13.86 (approx. C $14.66) International Priority Shipping to Canada

from the seller to Kentucky for trans-shipment to Canada? I agree that is confusing syntax-- at best.

But even if you add both together you come out with more than you were actually charged.

$30.37 + 13.86 = $44.23.

Mind you, I'm dysnumeric and often miss things arithmetical.

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No that is not what happened...first of all i did not buy this item, i was just commenting on the cost if i did buy it... the end price was 202.50  , 13.86 shipping and they would charge me 48.20 import fees.

The Import fee's and shipping  is based on the product and my Postal Code that Ebay has on file, so they know i live in Ontario..they know the distance i am from the seller...

I will not buy from a seller using GSP...EVEN IF THERE SELLING PRICE IS CHEAPER.. The reason is if i bought this item for 202.00 and shipping was 13.86 and the seller sent this too me USPS, i would take the chance that Customs may let it go..after all it has happened before.. so why not...I just bought an item for 136.00 and there was no fee's nothing at all...

So why are Canadians willing  to pay Import charges Upfront, when they may be waived..IT does not make sense too me

[figgy1978]

Hi Kalvin

I have purchased a lot of items on ebay but truthfully since the introduction of the new Ebay Global Shipping Program, I am very careful in my choices.  The main reason for that is at the end of the day by the time all the shipping and import charges are added on I can buy the same item in Canada for about the same price with no hassle of tracking multiple shippers etc.

I used the Ebay Global program for the first time and one of my bigger issues with it is the charges are not broken down.  For instance the list price of item is there and then a shipping charge is added usually International Priority to Canada and then an estimated import charge which I know is including the services of Pitney and Bowes the brokers.  This is what is confusing to me when I paid for the item there were 2 separate charges out of my paypal account one for the item only the other for the import charges and shipping charges.

I was led to believe the seller is charging these shipping fees however, I now understand it is tacked onto the import charges which concerns me is I am not sure that we as Canadians know what we are actually paying for with import charges.  On my particular purchase when an item comes thru customs from the US we are charged HST only which is 13% that is in the free trade agreement and I have been over enough to the US to know this so if you add that to the shipping charge it comes to about $33 that leaves $42 for the broker.  

This is what deters Canadians me anyway from buying from sellers using this program as it feels like there are hidden charges veiled into one and we don't know what we are really paying for.  If you are going to implement these charges then my suggestion would be itemize them out because as it appears now I have paid shipping twice once to the seller and the other for import charges.

Having had this experience I can truthfully tell you I avoid sellers using this program as again by the time all these extra fees are added the item is just as cheap here in Canada especially since Canadian retailers are waking up to the fact that many of us are cross border shopping and are doing something about it.

From what I understand the sellers have option they don't have to use your global shipping program although I have been told by some that when they list their items it is automatically added on unbeknownst to them.  I found this out because I have been waiting for one particular seller to ship to Canada as he will not and when I saw he was in the Global shipping program I messaged him as thought was strange when he was so admanant that doesn't ship to Canada.  Turns out he doesn't and altered his listings.  Maybe sellers want the convenience of not having to go thru all the shipping etc and pass it onto somebody else but in the long run they are only hurting themselves.   This is just my opinion of course but one strong enough that deters me from buying when the global shipping program is in place on the sellers listing.  The only reason I did purchase the one item with this program is by the time I factored in the cost from mfg it was about the same.  thank you for letting me express my opinion  

[pgw3737]

Yes, the GPS system even specifies customs duties on things that should not ever be subject to duty - used books, used clothing. And, yes, items that cost less than $10. This Canadian will never buy any eBay item using the system, which has pretty much doubled, or even tripled, prices.

[marnotom!]

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@rick31797 wrote:

I will not buy from a seller using GSP...EVEN IF THERE SELLING PRICE IS CHEAPER.. The reason is if i bought this item for 202.00 and shipping was 13.86 and the seller sent this too me USPS, i would take the chance that Customs may let it go..after all it has happened before.. so why not...I just bought an item for 136.00 and there was no fee's nothing at all...

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So, if I'm understanding you correctly ("even if their selling price is cheaper"), you'd rather buy a $300 item, have it shipped through the postal system for $40 (subtotal or total of $340) and take a chance on it being charged taxes and processing by Canada Border Services and Canada Post than buy the same item for $250 through the GSP and pay $40 in shipping and GSP fees (total of $290)?

I'm not understanding your thinking, if that's the case.

I just found a listing for that tool that ships from the United States through the postal system, and the seller is asking $53.95 in mailing charges.  Another is asking $42.35.   Aren't those amounts almost the same or even more than what the shipping and import charges totalled for the GSP item you were looking at?

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@rick31797 wrote:

So why are Canadians willing  to pay Import charges Upfront, when they may be waived..IT does not make sense to me

---

Perhaps some Canadians realize that those charges are legitimate, even if the calculation of those charges may sometimes be a bit questionable due to lack of information available for calculating them.  Once they do the number crunching they may find that the TOTAL that they pay through the GSP is comparable or even less than what they would pay for the same item sent through the mail.

Why do some Canadians have this "avoid taxes at all costs" mentality?  It does not make sense to me.

[afantiques]

Why do some Canadians have this "avoid taxes at all costs" mentality?  It does not make sense to me.

I like to avoid tax but I'd not pay any actual money to do so, if the total was more than the tax avoided.

[rick31797]

An experienced Ebay Buyer from Canada knows, that when buying from a USA seller ... these are the things you look for.

Item price

Item price can be all over the place, but everybody wants a deal, so why would i pay the same price or more then my local store.

Shipping... If you have bought on ebay and have also sold items and shipped , you can tell right off if there shipping price is in line with what should be paid, or inflated in order for the buyer to recope ebay / paypal fee`s,i know they do it..

Shipping service... only USPS  is excepted, nothing else.. private companies you are going to pay customs fees and brokers fees.. If the private shipping is lower then USPS, it wont be after you pay the brokers fees

Seller profile...I check every ones profile before i buy, if there are only two items for sale and one seller has a 100 percent but his price is a bit higher then a seller with 95.3 , i will pay a bit more for the product..

If a seller has sold 12,000 items and has a 100 or so negatives, this doesn't bother me, as not everybody on ebay are dealing with a full deck.

Now we Canadians have all this to deal with when buying from US Ebayers, and then you Add the GSP.., this does nothing to help Canadians buy, it just adds too everything we deal with trying to buy off ebay and get a deal...

This time a year alot of stores offer free shipping ,and offer sales, i just bought a media player on sale reg. 69.00  for 39.00 plus 13 percent tax.free shipping.

the cheapest one on Ebay is 78.00 plus 12.00 shipping, and dont forget, no warranty. 

[marnotom!]

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@pgw3737 wrote:

Yes, the GPS system even specifies customs duties on things that should not ever be subject to duty - used books, used clothing. And, yes, items that cost less than $10. This Canadian will never buy any eBay item using the system, which has pretty much doubled, or even tripled, prices.

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How do you know duties are being charged on those things when the GSP doesn't give a cost breakdown of the import charges?

And I just found a listing for a 99 cent ring sold by a seller in Winnipeg that has a shipping price of $4.99.  That makes the total almost six times the original selling price!  I'm never going to buy from Winnipeg sellers!

[rick31797]

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@marnotom! wrote:

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@rick31797 wrote:

I will not buy from a seller using GSP...EVEN IF THERE SELLING PRICE IS CHEAPER.. The reason is if i bought this item for 202.00 and shipping was 13.86 and the seller sent this too me USPS, i would take the chance that Customs may let it go..after all it has happened before.. so why not...I just bought an item for 136.00 and there was no fee's nothing at all...

---

So, if I'm understanding you correctly ("even if their selling price is cheaper"), you'd rather buy a $300 item, have it shipped through the postal system for $40 (subtotal or total of $340) and take a chance on it being charged taxes and processing by Canada Border Services and Canada Post than buy the same item for $250 through the GSP and pay $40 in shipping and GSP fees (total of $290)?

I'm not understanding your thinking, if that's the case.

I just found a listing for that tool that ships from the United States through the postal system, and the seller is asking $53.95 in mailing charges.  Another is asking $42.35.   Aren't those amounts almost the same or even more than what the shipping and import charges totalled for the GSP item you were looking at?

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@rick31797 wrote:

So why are Canadians willing  to pay Import charges Upfront, when they may be waived..IT does not make sense to me

---

Perhaps some Canadians realize that those charges are legitimate, even if the calculation of those charges may sometimes be a bit questionable due to lack of information available for calculating them.  Once they do the number crunching they may find that the TOTAL that they pay through the GSP is comparable or even less than what they would pay for the same item sent through the mail.

Why do some Canadians have this "avoid taxes at all costs" mentality?  It does not make sense to me.

---

IF you read all the posts about people not paying custom fees , on higher priced items, it is true.. i have rarely paid custom fees on items over 200.00

So why would you think i would go through the GSP, and know that i will pay 100 percent of the time.. YES you read it right, I would pay more for an item, with a seller not Using GSP,  and flip the dice if i pay or not pay....if i pay then i have paid more for the item, but still would not regret it because i base buying on an AVERAGE.. the last 10 items i bought off ebay there was 1 item i was charged taxes... you can divide the tax between all 10 items doesn't amount to very much..

Now this statement made me laugh out loud..lol

 Why do some Canadians have this "avoid taxes at all costs" mentality?  It does not make sense to me.

[bb_cool_stuff]

I'm never going to buy from Winnipeg sellers!

I would not paint all Winnipeg Sellers with the same brush.

A few Winnipeg Sellers are regulars on these boards, myself included & constantly sell with honesty & integrity.

[marnotom!]

Let me see if I've got this straight, Rick.  You're telling us that you'd rather pay MORE money for a mailed shipment, even one that doesn't get taxed, than a GSP shipment for the same item that's LESS money, even with the import charges?

[marnotom!]

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@bb_cool_stuff wrote:

I'm never going to buy from Winnipeg sellers!

I would not paint all Winnipeg Sellers with the same brush.

A few Winnipeg Sellers are regulars on these boards, myself included & constantly sell with honesty & integrity.

---

🙂  I do hope you and others understand my points, made tongue-in-cheek, were:

1.  Shipping cost has nothing to do with the item price.  It's based on the item's size and type of shipping service used.

2.  Basing one's assessment of a shipping method on a small handful of items is a mug's game.  I've found many examples where the GSP charges are halfways decent, provided one is willing to pay the taxes due on the item. 

[bb_cool_stuff]

While I don't agree with the shipping cost at face value, I don't know the whole story.

I imagine some rings are odd shapes & may not fit through the 2cm template, hence the added cost.

Shipping cost could be inflated also, in that case it will reflect in their sales.

Nothing personal, you bring a lot of good things to the boards.

[bmwnut635]

Maybe this has been said before, probably was.. I didn't read through almost 900 posts about GSP. Just wanted to say this, if it will make any difference.

Ebay likes to make and change policies with, what appears to be no thought how it effects it's clients or business model. The impression I get is they are trying to squeeze the maximum profit out of each transaction. They appear to really have no clear defined plan on how that business model should be but it is clear their priority isn't just hooking sellers and buyers up as it was when ebay started. They see themselves as the biggest player in the arena and while this may be true, it's fostered a arrogant attitude towards the very people who support them, the buyers and sellers. I've seen this played out many times over, recently with this GSP BS.

I know I'm only one individual and my opinions probably won't be heard, I get that after my dealings with ebay over the years. So I really don't expect by complaining to be heard and certainly not acted upon.

In regards to the GSP, I have policies too. One of them is to refuse a transaction with a seller using GSP. In a way I find this a good policy because it motivates me to put more effort in searching for Canadian sellers. Canadians doing business with Canadians... see, it's a good thing! Too bad for our neighbors to the south, they've had a rough go these last couple of years, maybe it will get better soon.

[marnotom!]

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@resabed01 wrote:

Ebay likes to make and change policies with, what appears to be no thought how it effects it's clients or business model. The impression I get is they are trying to squeeze the maximum profit out of each transaction. They appear to really have no clear defined plan on how that business model should be but it is clear their priority isn't just hooking sellers and buyers up as it was when ebay started. They see themselves as the biggest player in the arena and while this may be true, it's fostered a arrogant attitude towards the very people who support them, the buyers and sellers. I've seen this played out many times over, recently with this GSP BS.

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While eBay does receive a "referral fee" from PitneyBowes (the GSP admininstrators) for a GSP sale and PayPal collects a smidgen more in fees for an international sale versus a domestic one, I don't think the thought was to "squeeze the maximum profit out of a [single] transaction" so much as it was to increase the volume of international sales in general on eBay.

I don't think most established U.S. sellers offering to ship outside of the country have given up their existing shipping method and gone in with the GSP instead.  The impression I have--and it may be wrong--is that the GSP is being largely adopted (sometimes accidentally) by sellers who have not offered international shipping in the past.  As you say, eBay is about linking buyers and sellers, and the GSP is another tool to accomplish this goal.

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@resabed01 wrote:

In regards to the GSP, I have policies too. One of them is to refuse a transaction with a seller using GSP. In a way I find this a good policy because it motivates me to put more effort in searching for Canadian sellers. Canadians doing business with Canadians... see, it's a good thing! Too bad for our neighbors to the south, they've had a rough go these last couple of years, maybe it will get better soon.

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Don't forget, the GSP isn't compulsory and it isn't an option in some categories anyway.  While the nationalist in me applauds your decision to give more attention to Canadian sellers, also bear in mind that avoiding American sellers in general only hurts those who aren't using the GSP and who are shipping directly to their non-U.S. buyers instead.

Also keep in mind that for larger and more expensive items, the GSP's benefits--at least in terms of cost to buyers--are more obvious.

In case you're not aware, finding GSP listings is search results is pretty easy provided you're using "list view" rather than "gallery view".  The GSP listings have the subtitle "Customs services and international tracking providing" under the listing title in the search results.

[bennett4612]

Hi Lyn. 

Again, sorry to hear about this transaction. From your description it sounds like Pitney Bowes was not as careful as they should have been. 

Did you open a case? This is the best way to handle it, as far as damaged items. Opening a case will then start the process automatically regarding refunds, notifications, etc..

Please let me know if I can help further. Either via this thread or Private Message. 

---Ben

[iloveukraine2003]

I would like to know why for a 550$ coat I see 195$ in additional tax/fee/brokerage thank to the GSP are added to the original price for an item actually made in Canada (Pajar Brand).
on top of that comes shipping fees of course!
How ridiculous is that ?
some mindboggling additional charges are applied no matter when the item originates from.
Last time I crossed the boarder with imported goods, I was taxed 5% on the marchandise.
To continue shopping on ebay.com you must be either stupid delusionnal or ????????????? i have no more words for that state of things.

[iloveukraine2003]

Very true.

I have stopped buying from US sellers..and came back to Canadian sellers with LOTS OF ENTHOUSIASM !

Now even the expensive shipping costs seem LOW ! in contrast tot he GSP !!

[slerby]

i have no idea what's going on with trying to buy a game on ebay these days... not only are the freight rates outrageous, but in some cases - apparently - i'm also going to be paying "import charges"?   that' makes no sense.   the user in the US can just put a value of $5 on the game.   no import charges.  ta dah!    i'm completely lost on this and i've been a member since '01.

also, i've sold dozens and dozens of games to the US - for $7 in freight.

now granted, i am 100% aware that importation INTO Canada can only be $20 or less or there are charges, and TO the US, it's $200.  why?  no idea.  but to save everyone a LOT of headaches, (and of course $$$$$$$$$$$$) we come to agreements to keep the values under $10.

so who gave Ebay the right to charge ME import charges?   that's not up to you.   besides, if the seller in the US puts a value of over $50, $100 or something, then not only would i be paying the import charges on the listing... i'd be paying them AGAIN when the actual item shows up and Canada Post would tell me in a little note "there are import charges, please come to the Post Office"

it's all ridiculous.