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.

[nudibranch4569]

just buy from sellers that dont use it.

[afantiques]

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.

Which of course is not what is best for them, but what they perceive to be best. As long as they belive, as someone said recently, that international shipping is 'terribly dangerous' a daft idea like GSP will gain some traction. It is a lead aeroplane in a world with aluminium.

[wackoshopper]

As I buyer I have spent thousands of dollars buying from U.S. sellers. Now I have to stop buying from all sellers that have Global Shipping Program.

I bid and won a brooch last night on eBay, I knew nothing about the shipping program but wrote the buyer prior about the shipping price being ridiculously high and would she send it First Class International with tracking to Canada for me because I knew it would cost me only $6.85 to send it.

She told me that she is in the eBay Global Shipping Program and did not know how to change it. She said she did not understand the program that well when she signed in. 

Since I put a bid on the brooch I knew that unless someone out bid me that I would have to pay the shipping price that was $14.70. More then double of what I would have normally paid.

When I won the Brooch I went to pay for it. I know got charged an extra $12.24 for import fee's. What the------? I have never in the 9 years of buying items on eBay been charge import fee's for one brooch that weights a few grams. 

eBay is doing the old bait and switch. The listing is telling you that you are getting your item mail by International Priority when instead you item is being sent to you by  "Pitney Bowes" who subcontract other  by a third party shipping carrier (or carriers) to the delivery address designated by you. So in other words you are now making your customer pay brokerage fee's to Pitney and Bowes and they are sending you items through another company for less money to them because they cut a deal with the third party providers.

Total scam here folks, why should I pay $26.94 for shipping and item when the cost of it would be $6.85 First Class International with tracking. Why not be transparent eBay and say what this really is on the listing page? I had to go looking for the information.

In there own literature eBay states under "Buying an item through the Global Shipping Program" that,

"Import charges include certain fees, such as export classification, importation risk premium, and variance fees, which are assessed by the global shipping provider as part of the services provided by the Global Shipping Program. These fees are in addition to the customs duties and taxes imposed by country tax and customs officials.

Why would I as a seller want these extra fee's that have nothing to do with customs duties and taxes? To line brokers pockets? I don't think so.

So if your loosing your international sales especially for one or two items, this is why folks. We may be fooled once but we are not coming back for more.

As a buyer who has shopped from US sellers for many years I am deeply up set at how many US seller have joined this program. I now will not be able to purchasing items from the sellers in this program.

I can't even imagine the amount for overseas costumers who must faint when they are hit even with more fee's from custom's and tax's later because this money went to line the brokers and eBay's pockets. 

It will be back to the auction house's for me, instead of the comfort of my own home. Thanks eBay another way to screw both sellers and buyers. And please wake up sellers!

Joe

[mankatip]

The Global Shipping Program is a total bust for me, and I will avoid any sale or auction involving it. I have made purchases from the States (to Canada) many times over the years and have paid brokerage fees from time to time, but nothing even remotely approaching the rapacious rates of Pitney Bowes. Even under those circumstances I usually found it better to buy exclusively from Canadian sellers. This time I was suckered - and there is no other word for it - by the GSP spiel. So good for you - once. You'll never have another transaction from me using this "service". Oughta be ashamed. 

But never mind - I know the deal, and won't fall for it twice.

Mankatip

[i*m-still-here]

---

@afantiques wrote:

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.

Which of course is not what is best for them, but what they perceive to be best. As long as they belive, as someone said recently, that international shipping is 'terribly dangerous' a daft idea like GSP will gain some traction. It is a lead aeroplane in a world with aluminium.

---

To me, at a very personal level, that is so disheartening and it always strikes me as unbelievably selfish.

The GSP is just one aspect of that.

Sellers who are willing to smack buyers with insanely high shipping costs so that they don't have to worry about the minute possibility that a buyer will claim an item didn't arrive always get me to the core.

What a statement that makes about humanity:  Look Out For # 1!

[007steveb16]

OR..........Heaven forbid you buy, dare I say it........Canadian!!!!    Oh my word.........................

[rosscd57]

Here is a suggestion for you - post this on eBay.com US sellers site.

.

[007steveb16]

What's the stat? Canadians make up 3% of sales for American sellers or something like that?

[rosscd57]

We are 30 million, they are 300 million - I bet it is over 10%

[femmefan1946]

rosscd -- Probably lower. Canadians have traditionally been less interested in mail order purchases than Americans. US Women's magazines often mention the flood of mail order catalogues that arrive in American households at Christmas.

I have to go to Sears to pick up my catalogues and I am a pretty constant buyer. And they charge for goods delivery.

When I was selling woodstoves, we were able to pick up the Vermont Castings line which was sold by mail order in the USA, but in B&M stores in Canada. The stoves sold for $1500 to $3000 at the time (1990s). Americans were fine with that. Not Canadians. We wan to kick the tires.... or at least check how the damper moves.

[rosscd57]

Ah - Vermont Castings.

I had one of their barbeque's at home. It is all made of cast aluminum, including the stand and base, except for the burner which is solid cast bronze. Best one I have ever owned.  I went to Edmonton two years ago to try to get another one and find out they went out of business and sold the name. They are now made in China and very expensive - but very poorly made in my opinion.

I took the Vermont Casting barbecue to the Cabin - I figure it will last about as long as I do.

[freeman11ca]

I tried GSP for the first time, and found it irritating to know where my package is, when it will be handed over to the next carrier, when it will cross over the border (it took 3 business days), and what is the final carrier so I know who will show up at my door. My final carrier turned out to be Canpar, the worst carrier for my area. I talked to the deliverer on the phone and he said they only deliver packages twice a week in this area, while the other carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and Canada Post deliver every single business day!

I purchased from two different Sellers in the U.S. on the same day, both packages were sent out, one by GSP, the other by regular USPS post. I already got the regular USPS delivery two days ago, and yet my GSP left Toronto yesterday afternoon, expected to be here Friday, but only if the driver will deliver it on that day!

From now on, anything marked with "Global Shipping Program" in the U.S. Sellers'  shipping methods will be wiped off all my future purchases!

[3piggies306]

  A Total ripoff for Canadian buyers. I will never buy from any seller using it. Once was enough ! Cost me more than double more.. Beware, any Canadians buyers, that have not already given up on  e Bay. I have already begun buying more from other online sites. Maybe finally EBay will find out there is a limit to the greed buyers will put up with.

[wackoshopper]

Unfortunately, that  limits me very much. Out of say 10 items I was interested in only 2 shipped with out it.

[wackoshopper]

Scam indeed. I never got charged import charges on the thousand dollars I have spent here before. Not once. Canada will charge tax and duties on bigger items. And usually just tax.

[wackoshopper]

They don't even have to worry about the item not arriving if they put tracking on the package from USPS. Instead of lining Brokers and partners eBay pockets.

[wackoshopper]

I do buy Canadian, I buy world wide.

[wackoshopper]

Very good Idea, I will do that.

[wackoshopper]

Its not just Canadians it Europeans to boot. You thing other international countries will be using this. No way, its a scam.

[wackoshopper]

Again its not about just about Canada, its about all international buyers.