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.

[marnotom!]

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@walker0017 wrote:

If enough people write into W5 or one of the others they will pick it up. The thing is there are lots of non-eBay companies that ship to Canada going through USPS and Canada Post or with other shippers with items that are valued at less than $100 that are ignored by CBSA. Any proper investigation would uncover this and how PBI and eBay is taking advantage of this to make a profit and charging inflated "Import Fees". They would also look at the GSP T&C and give it the once over seeing it for the flawed document it is. The sooner this happens the sooner this mess might get sorted.

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Submitted for your consideration, an item selling for US$69.99 with shipping to Canada through the Global Shipping Program:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm//151226377086

Import charges to Ontario:  US$13.24.

Ontario HST owing on the item:  US$9.10

That leaves US$4.14 for the GSP players and eBay, and that seems pretty reasonable to me, particularly when you consider that Canada Post's processing charge is about twice that.

Are you trying to tell us that businesses shouldn't try to cover their expenses and a bit more besides?

[walker0017]

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marnotom! wrote:

Are you trying to tell us that businesses shouldn't try to cover their expenses and a bit more besides?

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As strange as it sounds in this case yes I do. Maybe I have tunnel vision about this whole GSP fiasco and the lack of real progress in fixing it because I keep thinking that before the GSP or by not shipping with the GSP you would have been $13.24 US richer, and I would think that you would rather have that in your pocket than in eBay's and there is nothing wrong with that is there?

I mean if you don't want it send it to me I will use it no problem. 🙂

[marnotom!]

My thoughts are that if there were no GSP, you'd probably end up spending that US$69.99 + sundry charges somewhere else as I doubt the seller would offer direct to Canada shipping.

[walker0017]

In the case of that seller it would be their loss, it's not that hard to ship to Canada and if it was an item I wanted to add to my collections I would look for a seller who does ship Canada direct either on eBay or on the multitude of other internet sales venders for approximately the same price plus shipping.

[afantiques]

The stated objective is safe shipping for overseas sales.

Normal postal shipping is as safe as anything but people don't believe this.

The answer is not some complicated reshipping program but automatic transit insurance on all overseas sales.

The seller would have the same protection for the whole journey, items and countries could be excluded according to the insurer's restrictions, like the GSP restricts items and countries.

Import taxes could be left to the buyer's country to deal with.

[i*m-still-here]

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@afantiques wrote:

The answer is ............................................. automatic transit insurance on all overseas sales.

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I'm not sure I follow that.

This is already available but so expensive that it's just not something buyers are going to pay for.

Shipping via the PO overseas with insurance is insanely expensive and has always been available for most (not all) countries.

If you think about it, we must be on the cusp of complete world-wide tracking at no added cost.

In our computerized age this must be on the horizon:  Problem Solved!

(I've always thought it bizarre that we pay the PO to deliver a package, but then we have to insure to make sure they actually do what we paid them to do.)

[luminites]

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

I'm not sure I follow that.

This is already available but so expensive that it's just not something buyers are going to pay for.

Shipping via the PO overseas with insurance is insanely expensive and has always been available for most (not all) countries.

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I wouldn't say insane. Just about a buck and several cents per hundred.

[i*m-still-here]

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@luminites wrote:

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

I'm not sure I follow that.

This is already available but so expensive that it's just not something buyers are going to pay for.

Shipping via the PO overseas with insurance is insanely expensive and has always been available for most (not all) countries.

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I wouldn't say insane. Just about a buck and several cents per hundred.

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To ship with an insurable method via the PO one has to ship by upgraded methods.

For some countries insurance is only available with priority shipping.

(BTW:  Has anyone else noticed that insurance $/$100 has gone up via the CPO?)

Third Party Insurance is less but they don't insure to all countries and some sellers refuse to use it.

That's what I'm talking" about.

[i*m-still-here]

There have always been companies which do the same thing the GSP does.

However, shipping has to be buyer initiated.

These companies will ship via First Class mail and when I last checked they were very inexpensive to use.

It's still possible to get around the GSP if one opts to use one of these services.

A buyer simply has to input the address of the freight forwarder with paypal and when the payment is made that is the address the seller has.

The buyer then has the company ship to Canada (or wherever).

I've never used one of these services, but they do what the GSP does and are available.

I have no idea how they deal with "import taxes" and claims for non arrival.

Has anyone here ever used one of these companies? 

I haven't.

[afantiques]

This is already available but so expensive that it's just not something buyers are going to pay for.

Can be done for less than $1 per $100 cover

Shipping via the PO overseas with insurance is insanely expensive and has always been available for most (not all) countries.

Less than $100 to cover $10,000 worth of sales?

If you think about it, we must be on the cusp of complete world-wide tracking at no added cost.

In our computerized age this must be on the horizon:  Problem Solved!

How does tracking solve lost or damaged packages?  How does tracking help a buyer when the package is delivered to the wrong place or person? The more complicated you make a system the more failures there are.

(I've always thought it bizarre that we pay the PO to deliver a package, but then we have to insure to make sure they actually do what we paid them to do.)

You insure because stuff happens. You don't pay much for it because stuff happens reasonably rarely.

USPS insurance is not the way to go for US sellers. Self insurance or a transit insurer is.

[i*m-still-here]

I just did a quick search.

reship.com charges $5/package and the cost drops and packages are added.

One can consolidate packages and the cost is $7.

Here's an interesting twist:  They buyer provides the item value for customs.

Check it out. 

I've never used them but for those who opt to use the GSP for buying it's a very interesting alternative.

[afantiques]

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To ship with an insurable method via the PO one has to ship by upgraded methods.

So don't use PO insurance.

For some countries insurance is only available with priority shipping.

Not with independent insurers.

Third Party Insurance is less but they don't insure to all countries and some sellers refuse to use it.

Block the uninsurable countries, it leaves a vast market.

Sellers refusing to use insurance for some reason are irrational, and would you want to  buy from an irrational seller?

[i*m-still-here]

afantiques:   As I posted above:  It's not the actual cost for insurance via the PO.  It's the fact that one has to buy upgraded shipping methods.

(Not the issue but it's not $1/$100.  The cost has gone up via the PO and I've believe it's now $2/$100.

Even with TPI it's now $1.50.)

[afantiques]

shipito

http://www.shipito.com/

Has some fans.

[i*m-still-here]

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@afantiques wrote:

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To ship with an insurable method via the PO one has to ship by upgraded methods.

So don't use PO insurance.

For some countries insurance is only available with priority shipping.

Not with independent insurers.

Third Party Insurance is less but they don't insure to all countries and some sellers refuse to use it.

Block the uninsurable countries, it leaves a vast market.

Sellers refusing to use insurance for some reason are irrational, and would you want to  buy from an irrational seller?

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Already addressed in my original post.

Except for the part about irrational sellers and that's not worth a response.

[afantiques]

afantiques:   As I posted above:  It's not the actual cost for insurance via the PO.  It's the fact that one has to buy upgraded shipping methods.

US sellers can ship by any class of mail with independent transit insurance. As an insurer I'd prefer the least flashy shipping, makes the item safer from theft..

Money saved by not going for more expensive mailing easily covers insurance and is overall cheaper for the buyer.

Remember we are looking at remedies for US sellers here, for safe non GSP shipping.

[i*m-still-here]

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@afantiques wrote:

afantiques:   As I posted above:  It's not the actual cost for insurance via the PO.  It's the fact that one has to buy upgraded shipping methods.

US sellers can ship by any class of mail with independent transit insurance. As an insurer I'd prefer the least flashy shipping, makes the item safer from theft..

Money saved by not going for more expensive mailing easily covers insurance and is overall cheaper for the buyer.

Remember we are looking at remedies for US sellers here, for safe non GSP shipping.

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As can Canadian sellers.

There is no difference.

I agree that that it makes sense to use a lower priced service buffered by TPI, but what difference does that make? 

(i.e.:  what you and I think or believe)

As you yourself posted:  This is about American sellers and the GSP.

Surely you are aware that many opt not to do what is best for the customer but choose instead to look after Number #1 first

regardless of cost to the buyer.

That's why the GSP was able to get as far as it has.

[rick31797]

The last package i sent to France was 16.36, cheapest method through Canada Post, no insurance no tracking...the next price with insurance and tracking was 34.82.. buyer would not pay that..so sent it the cheaper cost and it all worked out..

[i*m-still-here]

Yes, and as Canadian sellers we find ways to make it work out.

Many American sellers don't want to be bothered with "outsiders" and yet they offer their items for sale on an International site.

IMO that's a problem.

I used to travel extensively all over the world.

When travelling to some countries one simply did not flaunt items that others did not have access to.

That's what eBay does.  They present items for sale and then decide who is allowed to buy and who is not, and they also jack up the cost for "outsiders" via shipping costs when are unnecessarily high.

To me, a site which invites international buyers and then blocks them from buying is doing what we had the good sense not to do in our travels.

The GSP just exasperates the problem.

[capt.auction]

That's it, after 14 years and almost 500 purchases, I'm out. I no longer purchase anything on Ebay due to the added costs of the Global Shipping Program. It's cheaper buying something at a retail store locally. The program defeats the purpose of buying on Ebay. I would love to see the statistics on the decline of Ebay sales from buyers in Canada and sellers from the US. I bet there is a sharp decline in sales. Hello iOffer.