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.

[pierrelebel]

I checked the Pajar website.

They list 12 coats for sale.

Also, they indicate:

"f you are viewing Pajar Canada product on-line anywhere other than (their website URL) and the domain name includes "Pajar", or any variation of this word, or includes one of our style names in the domain address, e.g. "Evita", this product is most certainly counterfeit. If you do not buy Pajar Canada products from (their website URL) or one of our authorized retailers listed in the Store Locator, you should assume you are purchasing a counterfeit product.

To ensure that you are getting an authentic product you should purchase from one of the following locations:

Despite being a Canadian manufacturer, I could not find any indication on their site that the coats are in fact manufactured in Canada.

That raises another question: why would a Canadian buy such Canadian item from outside Canada?  What is the point?

[nubian_treasures]

I hope you are aware that you are not communicating with ebay but a member to member forum. The shipping charges are not accessed by the sellers. The high shipping/important charges are part of the Global Shipping Program that many US sellers have subscribed to. To above the high shipping, do not buy from sellers who use the GSP. You will still have to pay import fees except you will not pay up front like you do when you buy from a seller who uses the GSP. The GSP has been a thorn in the sides of Canadian sellers since it was implemented. Feel free to let sellers know directly that you would buy from if they didn't use the GSP.

[wendyshuya]

I recently purchased 3 items through the GSP on ebay (much to my chagrin, the charges were much higher than I would have liked to have paid). Each item was similar in cost ($160 USD). GSP charged approximately $25 for shipping and $25 for import fees. I much prefer to have my items shipped via USPS from US to Canada because quite often there are no import/hidden fees to pay. I understand the GSP is trying to make these fees paid up front but if USPS was just used instead, we wouldn't have to pay the fees as all.

Of the 3 items I bought, 2 came as expected via the Pitney Bowes third party shipper. Both packages were opened. One package was missing parts which is difficult to determine if they went missing at the the third party shipper location or not, but I do have my suspicions. 

The third item I bought was mistakenly sent direct from the seller even though I paid the extra shipping/import fees via the GSP. This package did take a bit longer to arrive (mainly because the seller didn't provide the tracking number right away so I didn't know whether it had shipped or not), but the shipping fees were only about $20, and there were no import charges. That is a savings of approximately $30 in my pocket.

Please let Canadians choose their method of shipping. I don't think the US sellers are aware of the high fees we have to pay via the GSP. USPS is the way to go for us. Thanks!

[wendyshuya]

With all that being said, I never would have bought with the GSP if there had been any other listings for these items that didn't use the GSP. The GSP rates and fees are just way too high. Thanks!

[marnotom!]

---

@wendyshuya wrote:
With all that being said, I never would have bought with the GSP if there had been any other listings for these items that didn't use the GSP. The GSP rates and fees are just way too high.

---

How much postage was on the third (i.e. USPS) shipment?

[janet4814]

My constructive criticism is this:

Rather than (or in addition to) the global tracking number starting UPAABxxxxx, the buyer and seller of an item shipped with GSP need to be given both the US (usual USPS) tracking number as well as the local (Canadian or otherwise) carrier and the tracking number for that carrier.

For some reason this information is not provided. However after a few calls and facebook messages, Pitney Bowes was able to translate my UPAAB 'global tracking' number into a local carrier name and tracking number, allowing me to arrange delivery of my item. 

[marnotom!]

---

@janet4814 wrote:

My constructive criticism is this:

Rather than (or in addition to) the global tracking number starting UPAABxxxxx, the buyer and seller of an item shipped with GSP need to be given both the US (usual USPS) tracking number as well as the local (Canadian or otherwise) carrier and the tracking number for that carrier.

For some reason this information is not provided. However after a few calls and facebook messages, Pitney Bowes was able to translate my UPAAB 'global tracking' number into a local carrier name and tracking number, allowing me to arrange delivery of my item. 

---

While the seller may ship the item to the Global Shipping Center via USPS, a non-postal carrier will likely be used to transport the item as part of a freight container shipment to a hub in Canada, so you'd need at least one or more additional tracking numbers in that mix.

I suspect what's happening is that PitneyBowes is dealing with a number of carriers for Global Shipping Program shipments that use largely incompatible tracking systems.  The UPAAB tracking system is supposed to consolidate them all somehow, possibly by some poor shlub manually inputting the tracking information on a nightly basis.  For some reason, even this isn't working properly.  Perhaps the shlub isn't getting the information from the freight shippers.

[janet4814]

Well in my case, CanPar picked up the package in Kentucky and was responsible for delivering it to my house, but I was not informed of this, so it took me an extra week to get my package, as CanPar was for some reason attempting to deliver it to the apartment complex across the street from my house. This could have been avoided if I was provided with the CanPar tracking number and/or given contact info for the local carrier to contact directly.

In the current system there is no one to contact if there are problems with the shipment.

[pierrelebel]

"as CanPar was for some reason attempting to deliver it to the apartment complex across the street"

"for some reason"

Who is at fault? The CanPar delivery person going to the wrong address or the label on the parcel?

[iloveukraine2003]

if you look at a NOBIS coats for instance .... cost is1300$ in Canada plus HST.
on ebay 999$ or best offer.
Pajar coat: also cheaper on ebay with best offer option.
that is why I would buy a Canadian product outside Canada

[iloveukraine2003]

"I am sorry to hear that. But I can ship directly to you and you can pay the import duties and save money. If you like.
Let me know please."

This is the message I just received from a US seller, not aware obviously that I was taxed 195$ for a winter jacket because that seller used  the GSP. I inofrmed him and that's proof that US sellers have no idea.

Can the seller opt out of this program and send me the item with USPS?  I doubt it. I am afraid the 195$ taxes/fees wil be there at check out.

another transaction to be cancelled.... not the first.

[pierrelebel]

"Can the seller opt out of this program and send me the item with USPS? "

Yes.  Sellers can opt out of the program or exclude one country (Canada for example).

Now, if you have already purchased the item, the transaction would have to be cancelled and the seller relist the item for shipment by USPS.

GSP cannot be cancelled once a buyer has purchased the listing.

Please read my earlier posts about that coat.  The Canadian manufacturer claims it may not be genuine.

[iloveukraine2003]

Why doesn't it show up when you view the listing?

And does your heart sink when you purchase an item from a store and see the sales taxes on the receipt?

    if this was only a matter of paying a fair 13%  HST !! that would be no problem.

in my case the so called import fee/tax/ etc...was 35%. As I said in another post: 195$ on a 550 $ coat.

this never happened to me in a store  so that is a ridiculous comparison!

[frandjb]

This program costs the buyers significantly more than selling/shipping USPS 1st class international or Priority if insurance and tracking is desired. Global is operated by Pitney Bowes and charges a fee added to an arbitrary shipping charge making the sale unviable in many cases. Particularly in respect to small items. Where I live, Canada Post does not charge duty or import charges on items up to $20. FRANDJB

[janet4814]

"Who is at fault? The CanPar delivery person going to the wrong address or the label on the parcel?"

In this case it was the CanPar delivery person, and the address on the parcel was correct (it clearly says 167 but read it as 67).

The point is that there had been 3 failed delivery attempts but without the information re: who is the local carrier, there was nothing I could do to resolve the problem.

[mr.elmwood]

Neither does GSP.

Trust me, this topic has been beaten to death.

[marnotom!]

---

@iloveukraine2003 wrote:

Why doesn't it show up when you view the listing?

And does your heart sink when you purchase an item from a store and see the sales taxes on the receipt?

    if this was only a matter of paying a fair 13%  HST !! that would be no problem.

in my case the so called import fee/tax/ etc...was 35%. As I said in another post: 195$ on a 550 $ coat.

this never happened to me in a store  so that is a ridiculous comparison!

---

Why is it a ridiculous comparison?  In a store, you can't see what the taxes you're going to pay are going to be before you go through the cashier.  You have to work it out yourself.  You can see the taxes and other fees due on a GSP listing, which you've obviously done.  What's likely making up a good chunk of the GSP fees on that coat you're describing is duty because the seller didn't indicate that the country of manufacturer of the coat is Canada.  Or as Pierre stated elsewhere, it may not even be Canada.

[anguscoinshop]

he is expressing his opinion you must respect it, not doing or being condescending so will push away new comers

he is one more statistic opinion with a bad buying experience.

[ciny2k]

IME, you really do have to know your stuff before deciding to purchase anything. Or basically, decide if the item is something you can't live without and are willing to pay whatever they're charging to get it. For instance, I've purchased 2 coats recently, from the US. The 1st was my initiation into GSP. Cost of coat $150, shipping $25, GSP $55. Second coat cost $900, shipping $80 through USPS and the taxes due on pick-up as well as CP's handling fee was another $130. Quite a difference, considering the cost of the individual items. 

I tend to learn things the hard way, and I made sure that the seller of the 2nd coat was aware that since the coat was manufactured in Canada, shipping across the border would be indicating this so I wouldn't have to pay duties on it. Just for laughs, check out what the GSP is adding to "Coach" purses! Holy smokes, as if they're not expensive already - but I guess being made in China adds quite a bit more to it. I saved a bundle by buying one from a Canadian seller. In fact, when I'm in a penny-pinching mood I just change my setting so that only Canadian sellers come up, lol. 

[marnotom!]

---

@ciny2k wrote:

IME, you really do have to know your stuff before deciding to purchase anything. Or basically, decide if the item is something you can't live without and are willing to pay whatever they're charging to get it. For instance, I've purchased 2 coats recently, from the US. The 1st was my initiation into GSP. Cost of coat $150, shipping $25, GSP $55. Second coat cost $900, shipping $80 through USPS and the taxes due on pick-up as well as CP's handling fee was another $130. Quite a difference, considering the cost of the individual items. 

---

Also consider that it's a bit of a shell-game in some respects.  The shipping and import charges on your GSP item come to the same amount as the shipping price of your second coat.