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.

[i*m-still-here]

This is in response to Pierre.

I'll reword that then.

If the financial report shows an increase in revenue that in no way implies a cause and effect relationship between the GSP and what one sees in the report.

It doesn't even imply that's a correlation between the two.

Saying that the GSP is responsible for what one sees in the financial report is the same as saying the weather causes fluctuations in the financial report.

C'mon......... you know that!

[rose-dee]

Losses or gains in revenue related to the GSP would be reflected in the financial report, and would indeed have an effect on the bottom line, as would other areas of eBay's business.  

I think it's a safe bet that eBay tracks its profits and losses closely by type or line item.  They've got the software and the people to do it, as we all know.  I'd actually be shocked if eBay weren't able to justify (or squelch) a programme like the GSP based on tracking its performance in terms of revenue.  Otherwise, what would be the point of introducing such programmes - eBay isn't a charity. 

[i*m-still-here]

Of course eBay tracks the GSP.  No doubt about that.

For all you know the weather had a greater effect on sales during the period in question than the GSP did.

In other words: How do you know that losses and gains seen in the financial report are related to the GSP and not the weather (or Christmas, or whatever?)

You don't!

[rose-dee]

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

Of course eBay tracks the GSP.  No doubt about that.

For all you know the weather had a greater effect on sales during the period in question than the GSP did.

In other words: How do you know that losses and gains seen in the financial report are related to the GSP and not the weather (or Christmas, or whatever?)

You don't!

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I'm sure eBay does though.  

In fact, I'm sure eBay could tell us (if they wished) precisely what effect the recent stretch of wretched weather had on their bottom line, in percentage terms.  

There really isn't any magic in extrapolating such causes and effects except having the available data and the software to crunch the numbers, which eBay has in spades.  The bottom line may not tell us that, but I have no doubt the background data is certainly there, and the total revenue reported will comprise those data, and hence be able to be analyzed.  Whether eBay would ever release that detailed analysis is another story. 

[i*m-still-here]

EBay knows much more than we do and much less than you seem to think they do.

Numbers can only detect so much.

Moreover,  I doubt that eBay cares much about anything other than the big picture...................

Exactly what individual sellers don't give a hoot about.

[kmatic734]

I was bidding on an item and the item never increased in price as I was the only bidder. Import costs were listed but when I checked out with Paypal the amount increased. I had never bought anything with The Global Shipping Program. I thought the increase was bogus from Pitney and asked to cancel the transaction. The seller let me buy it at the winning bid and shipped it to me directly. Canada Customs did not charge me any Duty for the item which was $75.00. I saved close to $50.00 by not using the Program. Now that I know what it's about.....I'll never buy another thing from a U.S. Seller that uses it.......Whomever is signing U.S. sellers to this program must be getting a kickback. It's a rip-Off and so not worth it!!!

[marnotom!]

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@kmatic734 wrote:
I was bidding on an item and the item never increased in price as I was the only bidder. Import costs were listed but when I checked out with Paypal the amount increased. I had never bought anything with The Global Shipping Program. I thought the increase was bogus from Pitney and asked to cancel the transaction. The seller let me buy it at the winning bid and shipped it to me directly. Canada Customs did not charge me any Duty for the item which was $75.00. I saved close to $50.00 by not using the Program. 

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On the original listing page for the Lululemon jacket, I see shipping charges of $24.32 and import charges of $22.33 to Ontario.  How much were you actually charged through the GSP, Kmatic, and what did the seller finally end up charging you?

[myzerjames]

I agree, you can argue and defend this stupid program till your green in the face, but the fact it that it's a rip off set up by a third party company (pitney bows or something) to gouge for money... even if that last statement of mine is not quite accurate its still a bull **bleep** program and its gonna kill sales from US sellers to us Canadians. we pay enough bull **bleep** fees for everything already!  🙂 give you heads a shake and get off that program USA SELLERS! YOUR DESTROYING EBAY WITH THESE THINGS!

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@taramialee wrote:

Stay clear of anyone using Global Shipping. HUGE additional charges are added that Canadians wouldn't normally pay. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. I won't go near a seller using this program again!

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[i*m-still-here]

In any case, this is all a digression.  Of course eBay does all sorts of fine tuned analyses but that's another topic altogether.

Pierre suggested and you agreed that if eBay's next financial statements show an increase in revenue that the GSP caused that to occur and vice versa.

I've seen that kind of flawed reasoning here a number of times and was merely pointing out that just because the two events occurred around the same time, there is no indication that one caused the other.

[pierrelebel]

"Pierre suggested and you agreed that if eBay's next financial statements show an increase in revenue that the GSP caused that to occur and vice versa."

Here we go again.  I am getting tired of you constantly spinning my words, post after post, week after week.  Take a basic course in literacy and read my posts again.

I did not suggest such thing.  You made assumptions again as to what other people think.

If you are really interested in getting an answer to your question, I suggest once again you get the information at the source: the senior managers of eBay when they present their 2013 financial statements.

[i*m-still-here]

Pierre;  Please review the eBay board user policy.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/everyone-boards.html

Your post is hostile and very nasty.  

I have responded to your ideas in very calm, polite, and educated manner as always.

I am not going to argue with you.  You are entitled to your opinion(s) as am I.

[bb_cool_stuff]

I'd actually be shocked if eBay weren't able to justify (or squelch) a programme such as the GSP based on tracking its performance in terms of revenue.

Of course. I believe the GSP is just another avenue for revenue & probably have the numbers to justify the programme.

One programme that was squelched was eBay Bucks for Canada.

Obviously this programme did not generate the revenues expected & was eliminated rather quickly.

Wonder how the buyers made out in their Class Action Lawsuit against eBay once that programme was eliminated.

[femmefan1946]

The GSP does not apply only to Canada. It is applied to all international sales.

[femmefan1946]

tectr posted:

Customs charges are included when something is shipped to you via USPS or Canada Post.

No.

Canada Border Services Agency is charged with assessing duty and sales taxes applicable, but these costs are not included in the postage.

For reasons speculated on above, CBSA doesn't much bother with small and/or low value items, those under $100 but over the $20 benchmark. They concentrate on bulky, high value and probably suspicious parcels instead.

But postage pays for transit. Nothing more.

[mater721]

I am not a large quantity buyer on ebay due to shipping costs to Canada, but there are collectibles that I can only find on places like ebay, so I buy from time to time.

Since the introduction of the Global Shipping Program, I find that shipping costs have gone up even more, so I buy even less.

I will not buy items that use the GSP for the following reasons...

A) cost increase - add to shipping and cost of item is almost double

B) I rarely, if ever, have had to deal with import costs for items bought on ebay. Most items I buy are < $100.  Canada Border Services does not charge any fee for items <$20, and even those above $20, they rarely charge unless value is significant (>$100). So for the most part, I see it as a scam - a way for seller and intermediary to gouge the buyer.

The GSP really seems to punish international buyers.  We already pay more in shipping, and it becomes prohibitive to bid on items that others are interested in.  So, if others are like me, we bid less, and buy less.

[mater721]

I agree - Canada Border Services only charges fees on items valued >$20, and even then, rarely charges fees on anything <$100. Over past 4 years or so, I have never paid duty on anything bought on ebay.  Only time I was ever dinged was on the purchase of a limited edition GI Joe set from the GI Joe Collectors Club that cost $200+.  I find the GSP to be a punishment on international buyers.

[marnotom!]

Mater, if I'm reading your posts correctly, you're saying that it's a "scam" that the GSP ensures that taxes are collected and remitted on items purchased through the program.

How is it a scam?

[kxeron]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

"With all of these posts I keep thinking that someone might clue in and start billing me the way they bill Pierre."

Personally, I wish the federal government would do its job and charge the appropriate amount of tax on ALL taxable postal shipments valued at $20 and more as required by law. 

Why should Canadian retailers be forced to collect and remit GST/HST when American sellers can ship tax free into Canada?  Not charging the appropriate amount of tax at time of Customs clearance does NOTHING for Canada, does it?  It simply gives a tax break to some Canadian buyers buying from foreign lands while taxing Canadians buying locally and supporting Canadian jobs.

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The issue isn't that these fees and taxes are being collected, but rather the wholesale PBI/eBay lack of transparency. eBay has weasel-worded the GSP contracts to absolve PBI of remitting details of invoices to the consumers (I'm not using the word "buyers" anymore because it makes a connotation that they're different than consumers and have less rights). Details that local retailers are REQUIRED by law to remit on receipts.

This lack of transparency is what makes GSP at minimum seem like a complete fraudulent programme, which at this time there's no way to prove otherwise without speculation because there's no transparency beyond just being handed "This is how things are" policy. Even the CBSA themselves have pointed out that the GSP seems fishy due to lack of information being remitted by PBI.

Until transparency is provided, the only information we have is the GSP is a weasel-worded programme and that eBay and PBI are both complicit in ignoring various norms that local retailers would be fined for disobeying. US companies have a tendancy to disobey foreign law while enforcing US law and business practice on foreign soil.

[kxeron]

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@marnotom! wrote:

Mater, if I'm reading your posts correctly, you're saying that it's a "scam" that the GSP ensures that taxes are collected and remitted on items purchased through the program.

How is it a scam?

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I'm going to have to plagiarize myself to respond to this:

The issue isn't that these fees and taxes are being collected, but rather the wholesale PBI/eBay lack of transparency. eBay has weasel-worded the GSP contracts to absolve PBI of remitting details of invoices to the consumers (I'm not using the word "buyers" anymore because it makes a connotation that they're different than consumers and have less rights). Details that local retailers are REQUIRED by law to remit on receipts.

This lack of transparency is what makes GSP at minimum seem like a complete fraudulent programme, which at this time there's no way to prove otherwise without speculation because there's no transparency beyond just being handed "This is how things are" policy. Even the CBSA themselves have pointed out that the GSP seems fishy due to lack of information being remitted by PBI.

Until transparency is provided, the only information we have is the GSP is a weasel-worded programme and that eBay and PBI are both complicit in ignoring various norms that local retailers would be fined for disobeying. US companies have a tendancy to disobey foreign law while enforcing US law and business practice on foreign soil.

To expand on this:

I have no qualms for paying for products or services, provided accuracy is provided by all parties sending an invoice to me. I don't make it a habit to pay for things that I can't definitively see why I'm paying that rate. I expect to see breakdowns of of shipping costs, taxes, duty, item cost. If I can't see this information in full and have no means to question fully the cost, I lean toward designating something a scam due to lack of accountability.

In the financial world, you treat a transaction as suspicious until it has proven to be legitimate, thus why there is cheque security, thus why there are wait times until transactions clear. All to determine if something is fully legitimate and without critical information that is usable by more than just eBay and PBI internally, the GSP has no credibility from a financing standpoint.

I want to know exactly what is going toward taxes, I want to know exactly what is going to duty, I want to know what exactly is going toward shipping costs and logistics. I won't stand for weasel-words of policy and such that treats eBay and PBI as if they're in their own world, I want information that is useful from OUTSIDE of that corporate walled garden world and until the GSP starts giving me that information I have no obligation to trust it.

And even more: I don't want any more speculation, I want definitive open accountability and accuracy, regardless of what it takes to accomplish that.