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.

[rick31797]

---

@marnotom! wrote:
But buying Canadian on eBay sometimes means paying taxes up front, which is something this buyer doesn't seem to like doing. 😉

---

So if you had the option of paying taxes and not, i take it you would say please charge me import taxes as its my duty as a Canadian Citizen..That is what it seems you are saying.

[marnotom!]

What are "import taxes"?  The taxes are no different on a personal import than the ones charged on a domestically-purchased item.

My point is is if people don't want to pay taxes on their purchases, they should be sticking to garage sales or anywhere else where there are vendors who aren't registered to collect it.

[rick31797]

Yes and you make a point never to answer a question they may incriminate you, you answer a question with a question.. it was a pretty simple question.

[marnotom!]

I don't see much point in answering questions that are either trying to get a reaction from me or else based on a poor reading of everything I've posted here about the GSP.

We don't have "the option" of paying taxes on a purchase or not paying taxes on the same purchase.  We're either charged them or we aren't.

[rick31797]

What do you expect when you make a sarcastic remark like this..

But buying Canadian on eBay sometimes means paying taxes up front, which is something this buyer doesn't seem to like doing.

[marnotom!]

I'm not following you.  It's not sarcastic.  I've been charged taxes on purchases from some Canadian eBay sellers.  Haven't you?

[pocariboy73]

Like others have mentioned, I'm all in favor of boycotting all sellers who use GSP. Even if I have to pay a few extra $$$, I still think it will pay off in the long run.

However, we must must sure to let the GSP seller know in advance through an Ebay message the reason why you've decided NOT to buy from them. If enough buyers do this, I'm quite sure there will be some changes made. Personally, I've already convinced one seller that its bad for his business and he in fact opted out of the program after our short back and forth messages.

[raindoes]

This global shipping program just does not work for Canadian buyers for reasons.........I bought an item in early November from a seller in the Mid West USA......I received it yesterday in the mail...over 50 days to get to Nova Scotia???  Because the item is shipped buy the seller to Kentucky....them the item is reshipped by pitney boyles...to Canada. 

Them there is the import fees collected on top of the shipping fees.....now 80 percent of people shop E Bay to get a deal...to nab a price break....find a deal...score a bargain!!!! but that is history now and not a deal anymore that customers cannot get at the local Mall....or should I say Walmart.

So I now will not shop USA ebay....not shop USA because it is no longer any fun and I feel the hunt for a treasure is over....so Ebay UK or Ebay AUZ here we come.

cheers

[rick31797]

---

@raindoes wrote:

This global shipping program just does not work for Canadian buyers for reasons.........I bought an item in early November from a seller in the Mid West USA......I received it yesterday in the mail...over 50 days to get to Nova Scotia???  Because the item is shipped buy the seller to Kentucky....them the item is reshipped by pitney boyles...to Canada. 

Them there is the import fees collected on top of the shipping fees.....now 80 percent of people shop E Bay to get a deal...to nab a price break....find a deal...score a bargain!!!! but that is history now and not a deal anymore that customers cannot get at the local Mall....or should I say Walmart.

So I now will not shop USA ebay....not shop USA because it is no longer any fun and I feel the hunt for a treasure is over....so Ebay UK or Ebay AUZ here we come.

cheers

---

Longer shipping times is just one of the issues with GSP,you can bypass sellers using GSP, but it makes buying limited..I have started buying a few small items from China, just because the GSP,expenses are not worth it..and even if it was cheaper i still would not buy because of what happens to the package after its shipped from the seller. Ebay was never thinking about the buyers when they introduced this program, it was mainly about money, and making easier for US sellers which i debate..

When i ship to the USA i print and pay for the shipping label using Pay pal, its cheaper then Canada post.. you stick the label to the package and mail it.. doesn't take alot of grey matter to figure that out.. 

[marnotom!]

---

@raindoes wrote:

....now 80 percent of people shop E Bay to get a deal...to nab a price break....find a deal...score a bargain!!!! but that is history now and not a deal anymore that customers cannot get at the local Mall....or should I say Walmart.

So I now will not shop USA ebay....not shop USA because it is no longer any fun and I feel the hunt for a treasure is over....so Ebay UK or Ebay AUZ here we come.

---

Not all US sellers use the GSP, so go easy on the gloom and doom scenarios and don't punish the US sellers who know how to sell to Canada properly.  

Having said that, most of the stuff I like purchasing isn't a bargain no matter how it's shipped.  It's more cost-effective to seek it out locally.  If I can't find it locally, that's when I resort to buying online.

By the way, why isn't eBay Canada on your list?  

[chimera148]

---

@kxeron wrote:

---

@bennett4612 wrote:

Hi timlin2carter.

Just a quick two cents. 

In general the GSP is typically not a good fit for items priced under $50. This info can be found on the FAQ page, along with other helpful information: http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/shipping/globalshippingprogram/update_faqs.html

It is not a "one size fits all" program and works well in many cases and not so well in others. 

Hope that helps. 

---Ben

---

Hi,

Documentation is ultimately insufficient in these cases, what ultimately needs to be done is a technological means put in place by the programmers of the eBay site(s) and subsequent policy erected to disable the GSP on items in which the FAQ advises do not benefit.

Documentation without practical implementation only serves to pad up the issue so it looks like eBay is doing something to resolve the issue. The only place documentation has in this case is advising sellers why the GSP is unavailable for the item and to advise them to ship by conventional means, pointing out that it is fully possible to ship without the GSP to international locations.

I know you don't have direct authority to implement changes and that there is a rather large process for changes, and yes it is a good starting point for what has happened but there is a far distance to go to resolve this and among the requirements to make this satisfactory is to modify the programme's actual effects. Until the GSP option is made unavailable for sellers who sell outside of the prescribed limits sellers will continue to wrongfully continue to use it simply because it is there.

---

[chimera148]

Most US sellers enrolled with the GSP, selling low value lightweight items that help subsidize lower costs for the heavy GSP items sent to Canada, may not be aware of this alternative.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/shipping-globally.html#offering 

[aqyera]

---

kalvin@ebay.com wrote:

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

• 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.

---

Select Lowest Price + Shipping and go from top.

Global Shipping Program: love it!

But never used it. Can add two numbers to get bottom line. Must be a real skill today since there is so many users coming and complaining after the fact. Whaaaaaaa, my card was charged $75, I thought it would be $40 + $35

[rick31797]

For people searching for items and wanting to filter out the GSP, do your search and , look for this line 

Customs services and international tracking provided

That means they are part of the GSP program..

[1049-and-bracket]

Hi, I am a Canadian buyer and I am VERY disappointed with this program for the following reasons:

     Customs and import fees are roughly 50% higher than what Canada Post charges.

     Shipping charges are significantly higher.

     Shipping charges for purchasing multiple quantities of the same item are outrageous to put it straight. Any auction where multiple quantities of the same item were available that I visited gave shipping quotes of almost double for purchasing 2 items; almost triple shipping cost for quantity of 3; about 3.5X shipping cost for purchasing quantity of 4, etc. For example I wanted to purchase 4 units of an item I saw yesterday and the shipping quote I got for 1 unit was around $28.00; when I changed the quantity to 4, I got a quote of $96.00. I know that at least 5 of these units can fit into a USPS priority mail medium flat rate box and ship for exactly the same price as 1 unit.

    According to what I read, excess shipping charges are NOT refunded according to the terms and conditions of the Global Shipping Program. If so, this is WRONG!

    I have no control over which carrier ships my purchase. I prefer the post office for 2 main reasons: 1. I live in a rural area and whenever I use a courier service I have to arrange for a drop off location in my local town as they do not come to my house. 2. I have had more than 1 occasion where for some reason a courier service returned my item to the sender after claiming to be unable to deliver it to me.

    For all of the above reasons I will NOT make a purchase from any seller using the Global shipping Program and will either purchase from a seller who does not participate in the program or take my business elsewhere. There is no fix or cure for this program; it needs to disappear.

[splattii]

If your item took a while to get to you because of GSP, leave Negative feedback

[splattii]

Used records and New records have different duties coming into Canada.  Ebay is using the duties for NEW records for everything in the category.  

Email the seller and explain why you're not bidding.  You'd be surprised how often you'll get the item anyhow, especially if it's a BIN that's been on Ebay for more than 1 day

[pierrelebel]

"Used records and New records have different duties coming into Canada."

They do?

Could you please provide a link to that assertion?

[marnotom!]

---

@chimera148 wrote:

Most US sellers enrolled with the GSP, selling low value lightweight items that help subsidize lower costs for the heavy GSP items sent to Canada, may not be aware of this alternative.

---

Lightweight items subsidize heavier items?  Where did you get this information from?

[marnotom!]

---

@1049-and-bracket wrote:

Hi, I am a Canadian buyer and I am VERY disappointed with this program for the following reasons:

     Customs and import fees are roughly 50% higher than what Canada Post charges.

     Shipping charges are significantly higher.

     Shipping charges for purchasing multiple quantities of the same item are outrageous to put it straight. Any auction where multiple quantities of the same item were available that I visited gave shipping quotes of almost double for purchasing 2 items; almost triple shipping cost for quantity of 3; about 3.5X shipping cost for purchasing quantity of 4, etc. For example I wanted to purchase 4 units of an item I saw yesterday and the shipping quote I got for 1 unit was around $28.00; when I changed the quantity to 4, I got a quote of $96.00. I know that at least 5 of these units can fit into a USPS priority mail medium flat rate box and ship for exactly the same price as 1 unit.

    According to what I read, excess shipping charges are NOT refunded according to the terms and conditions of the Global Shipping Program. If so, this is WRONG!

    I have no control over which carrier ships my purchase. I prefer the post office for 2 main reasons: 1. I live in a rural area and whenever I use a courier service I have to arrange for a drop off location in my local town as they do not come to my house. 2. I have had more than 1 occasion where for some reason a courier service returned my item to the sender after claiming to be unable to deliver it to me.

    For all of the above reasons I will NOT make a purchase from any seller using the Global shipping Program and will either purchase from a seller who does not participate in the program or take my business elsewhere. There is no fix or cure for this program; it needs to disappear.

---

Hi, 1049.  You're mostly among Canadians here so you don't really need to identify yourself as such.  😉

My take on the GSP is that when it's being used inappropriately for lightweight, modestly-priced items, it's by sellers who haven't done much if any international shipping in their lives.  If the program disappears, those listings available to Canada will likely disappear as well.

In addition, some sellers using the GSP aren't even aware that they're using it, so if you ask them a question about it you may get the internet equivalent of a deer in headlights in response.

I do question your math when it comes to the import charges, though.  I've found lots of instances where the GSP import charges are less than what would be collected by Canada Border Services and Canada Post.  For example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251414288313

I set the shipping location to an Ontario postal code and got US$8.93 in import charges, so that would be taxes plus whatever the GSP takes for itself and eBay.   In this case, the GSP's share would be US$6.46.   Seeing as Canada Post would charge C$9.95 to collect the taxes charged by Canada Border Services on the item, it seems to me that what the GSP would be charging in this case would be less than if the item were sent through the mail and taxed by Canada Border Services.  I don't see a 50% higher charge.  What does your math say?