eBay

kalvin@ebay.com · ‎09-26-2013

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.

~Kalvin
eBay.ca Community Manager

kalvin@ebay.com

pink_shoeaholic1976 · ‎02-04-2014

Has anyone noticed with global shipping that if an item is make an offer and say the item is $29 and you offer $20 the cost of the shipping increases!! **bleep** is with that! How dies the shipping cost go up because you offer less than the asking price! I will never buy from a seller who uses GSP... And the American sellers have no idea the buyers they are loosing! I hate GSP and think there should be something done to have it removed all together!

afantiques · ‎02-04-2014

The third name would be Pitney Bowes which operates the Global Shipping Program and charges a fee, usually in the vicinity of $5, to process all those shipments for applicable duty and tax, and then ships from Kentucky to your doorstep. (The shipping fee your seller charges only covers the journey from his door to the PB plant in Kentucky.)

There is also the international shipping cost to actually transport the item. I have noticed earlier, rns, that you seem to think that the $5 fee covers international shipping, or at least you post in such a way that it could be read as meaning that.

It is certainly true that the Canadian government revenue makes more out of the scheme than anyone else. There are no big bucks in it for anyone else, and it may wither on the vine because it is more trouble and cost than it is worth.

afantiques · ‎02-04-2014

Has anyone noticed with global shipping that if an item is make an offer and say the item is $29 and you offer $20 the cost of the shipping increases!!

Cost of the import charge should also decrease. What is the nett effect?

arlene_v · ‎02-04-2014

On the 23rd of October 2013, Bennett responded to questions by Pierre with the following info

"To simplify the cross-border transaction, PBI estimates what we refer to as “Import Charges” at the time of checkout. Upon completing the checkout, the buyer remits funds to PBI via PayPal. Goods are imported by the licensed CA customs broker, who remits these charges to the CA government and charges PBI, PBI pays the customs broker on behalf of the buyer – which is why there are no consequential Collect On Delivery fees or income tax filings after the transaction.

Canadians are charged duty and applicable taxes by PBI at the time of checkout as part of Import Charges, along with other fees and charges (See buyer Ts & Cs)
The important thing to note is that PBI is providing a service which facilitates the cross-border transportation of goods, and the importation of such goods on behalf of the buyer – PBI does not import or resell goods and is not responsible to file Canadian taxes for this service on behalf of PBI
The buyer through an power of attorney is authorizing a licensed customs broker to calculate the true duty and tax for such goods, and remit them to the government on behalf of the buyer --- not on behalf of Pitney Bowes"

I have read this very carefully but am not a lawyer, I'm just wanting clarification because I know there are a few folks posting to this thread who know this business inside out.

I am specifically interested in the issue of duty being erroneously charged on NAFTA items. Not tax, DUTY.

The way I read the info provided on the 23 Oct 2013 is that the "import charges" calculated by the GSP and prepaid by the buyer are an estimate and the final, true amount remitted on items is actually calculated by a Canadian customs broker.

So in the case of erroneous DUTY applied due to seller omission in the listing .... does this overpayment go to Revenue Canada, PBI, or the Customs broker?

We all know items are opened in Kentucky if place of manufacture is not stated. So, if an error has been made and is discovered is the unnecessary duty still paid ... or not? I am very interested to know what happens in such cases. Legally the customs broker is not obliged to remit such duty... and since the buyer has never been provided with a breakdown of what has been charged in terms of tax and duty they haven't a leg to stand on to challenge this, having waived all such rights anyway by signing the user agreement.

arlene_v · ‎02-04-2014

Last sentence should read ..."having waived all such rights anyway by accepting the GSP Buyer Terms & Conditions".

jalex23 · ‎02-04-2014

What has worked well for you with the Global Shipping Program?

It is in fact very easy to buy internationally and the shipping costs are fair.

Any ideas to help improve the experience for Canadian buyers?

As import charges are paid upfront then the item cost increments the real price of the item. When import charges were not mandatory the sort by "price + shipping: lower first" helped us to focus on the good deals. I think that a sort by "price + shipping + import fees" would be fair so we don't spend our time looking at products that will add up to 30% extra of import fees (sometimes 5 times the shipping cost).

"Shipping + price" was meaningful as you knew you were actually looking at good deals. Now with the GSP and import charges "shipping + price" is meaningless.

E.g. I was buying a purse (220 + 25) shipping from the USA, it was sorted before a (270 + free shipping), well once I clicked in the former it added 60 in import charges. I felt cheated and frustrated.

Please add the option, sort by "price" and "price + additional charges" so we can actually sort by what we would be actually paying.

What has deterred you from buying items offered using the Global Shipping Program?

Import charges. I have never paid any. I have requested sellers to relist the item without it. This is annoying, as one thing i like about ebay is that I don't need to interact with the buyer at all. Sometimes I just don't buy at all the products, the import charges make it 5 bucks cheaper that in a local store, so why wait? Just buy it here.

How have you managed to search for items outside the program?

All the time, I try to avoid it as much as possible. Sometimes I don't have other choice but to purchase from it (pair of shoes no other place had in my number), but sometimes it just makes me reconsider, Do I need it? and most of the time the answer is "no. I don't" so I just pass in hope I find a seller which is willing to use traditional methods.

2011limey1 · ‎02-04-2014

You will see on this Board the ad nauseum posts re GSP - it nearly covers the whole page. I'm sick of looking at them and don't read them anymore.

SOLUTIONS??

1. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING THAT IS SENT GSP - unless you want all the hassle and have mega $ to spend on an inexpensive item.

2, If that item is something you HAVE to have (I don't think that way) you can always msg. Seller. I did that once with a Saved Seller I used to buy from quite regularly and he/she didn't really know what was going on. She made an exception for me - no GSP - just sent regular mail.

jalex23 · ‎02-04-2014

(Can't edit my own post? o_O, ok, posting again)

How have you managed to search for items outside the program?

Now I know better and I always look first for any import charges, if so then I will either just leave the listing or do the math. I am more likely to just leave the listing in hopes of finding someone that is giving the same deal (or a bit higher) with no import charges.

Before all this, ebay was my main shopping stop. Now I apply the filter "Canada Only". I have also started to look on the web for sale, deals, outlets pages that will offer no costums or free shipping.

afantiques · ‎02-04-2014

(Can't edit my own post? o_O, ok, posting again)

The edit function is top right of every post, click Options, top line is edit post. It only works for a few minutes after posting but is good for catching those typos that you only notice after posting.

bennett4612 · ‎02-04-2014

Ok, I did get a little more info about the link.

The feature was called “Request total”, and the buyer could use it to ask seller to provide shipping cost (if seller ships internationally but did provide cost to a country).

Here's the explanation I received:

"For a time we were showing this link even for GSP items. However sellers couldn't process these requests as they would be blocked when they tried to edit ship cost. To avoid this bad experience, we decided to hide this link even for buyers (this change happened quite a while back – almost one year ago)."

So there you have it. Sorry I can't deliver better news ....

bennett4612 · ‎02-04-2014

Hi jalex23.

First off thanks for taking the time to provide such thorough, detailed feedback. This is very much appreciated.

I will definitely be sharing your thoughts with the rest of the team. Especially your suggestion --

"Please add the option, sort by "price" and "price + additional charges" so we can actually sort by what we would be actually paying."

Again, great feedback. Thanks for sharing.

---Bennett

i*m-still-here · ‎02-04-2014

@bennett4612 wrote:
Ok, I did get a little more info about the link.

The feature was called “Request total”, and the buyer could use it to ask seller to provide shipping cost (if seller ships internationally but did provide cost to a country).

Here's the explanation I received:
"For a time we were showing this link even for GSP items. However sellers couldn't process these requests as they would be blocked when they tried to edit ship cost. To avoid this bad experience, we decided to hide this link even for buyers (this change happened quite a while back – almost one year ago)."

So there you have it. Sorry I can't deliver better news ....

The link worked fine for me. I used it a number of times and the sellers appreciated the ease with which it did the job as did I.

That link solved so many problems. If a few sellers had a problem with it then that should be a simple fix for ebay and something well worth taking the time to repair.

If that link were replaced odds are that this thread would shrink in no time as complaints about the GSP fade away.

If they re-instated that link that it would be much appreciated by both buyers and sellers alike.

numb_erone · ‎02-04-2014

I mainly buy vinyl records on eBay. Records hardly ever get taxed by customs when shipped via USPS.

Can someone tell me why I should pay an extra $12 + on average per record I buy?

Whenever I see a record I want sold via GSP, not only do I not buy it, but I message the seller and tell him why.

Many of the sellers I've contacted have opted out of the program because they were A - unaware they were on it, or B - did not realize the consequences of being on it. One seller even refunded me the "import fees".

pierrelebel · ‎02-04-2014

"why I should pay an extra $12 + on average per record I buy?"

Could you please provide a few listing numbers so one could look at them and possibly provide an answer.

shoppingbaggs · ‎02-04-2014

I avoid any item from a US seller if the only way they will ship it is through the GSP. It always costs more and the shipping time is slowed down. I was interested in an item recently (a collectible toy) the seller ships using the GSP, import charge was estimated at $28.88. The toy was made in the US, it is my understanding that Free Trade would kick in and there should be no duty. If that amount is for tax it's WAY above any tax rate in Canada. Plus, I buy a lot of items from the US and I haven't paid duty or tax on anything for so very long when using USPS & Canada Post. The Global Shipping Program is a very bad idea.

marnotom! · ‎02-04-2014

@pierrelebel wrote:

"why I should pay an extra $12 + on average per record I buy?"

Could you please provide a few listing numbers so one could look at them and possibly provide an answer.

I suspect the "extra" referred to here is the amount the GSP typically charges over First Class International shipping.

marnotom! · ‎02-04-2014

@shoppingbaggs wrote:

I was interested in an item recently (a collectible toy) the seller ships using the GSP, import charge was estimated at $28.88. The toy was made in the US, it is my understanding that Free Trade would kick in and there should be no duty. If that amount is for tax it's WAY above any tax rate in Canada. Plus, I buy a lot of items from the US and I haven't paid duty or tax on anything for so very long when using USPS & Canada Post.

If the item's country of manufacture is not noted in the "Item Specifics" portion of the listing, the GSP doesn't "know" what duty rate to apply to an item so it takes a worst case scenario.

Also keep in mind that Free Trade hasn't eliminated duty on all items from the United States. In some cases, it's simply reduced the amount charged.

And remember that just because items by mail may not be assessed and charged taxes and duty doesn't necessarily mean that the items were exempt from those charges.

00nevermind00 · ‎02-04-2014

Here's a suggestion. Would it be possible to include a note for buyers on what to do if they need to claim for a GSP item not received or not as described on the GSP invoice sent to them? And make it clearly visible, so that they don't miss it? There are some posters on the US Answer Center who are telling buyers of GSP items that they need to contact the seller to arrange for a return or refund and that the GSP portion of their payment cannot be recovered.

If I was told that a portion of my payment was lost even though my item never arrived or when I received a toaster after ordering a book, I would most definitely not be a happy camper. A way has to be found to inform the people who buy GSP items.

marnotom! · ‎02-04-2014

@00nevermind00 wrote:

Here's a suggestion. Would it be possible to include a note for buyers on what to do if they need to claim for a GSP item not received or not as described on the GSP invoice sent to them? And make it clearly visible, so that they don't miss it? There are some posters on the US Answer Center who are telling buyers of GSP items that they need to contact the seller to arrange for a return or refund and that the GSP portion of their payment cannot be recovered.

If I was told that a portion of my payment was lost even though my item never arrived or when I received a toaster after ordering a book, I would most definitely not be a happy camper. A way has to be found to inform the people who buy GSP items.

Why do you suppose the GSP terms and conditions page for buyers isn't informing buyers?