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.

[legolasfan]

I would like to thank Ebay for saving me a heck of a lot of money since this GSP started. I'm in Canada and I will not buy from any seller that uses it, therefore I'm hardly buying anything these days from Ebay. I would rather take my chances with the Canadian Gov't charging me duty and tax (which rarely happened) than pay a cent to the rip off Global shipping program. Thanks EBAY!

[bennett4612]

Hi guitardactyls.

I would be happy to help from this end. But need a little more info first. Please send me a Private Message and include transaction #, item #, + eBay user id and email address you used in the transaction. If an item is held by Pitney Bowes the policy is geared more toward issuing refunds to both buyer and seller, as opposed to returning the restricted item. But it is worth a try. 

You might also try and reach GSP Customer Service at both eBay and Pitney Bowes. The sooner they are made aware of the transaction the better. 

For Pitney Bowes customer service regarding GSP issues, you can email PBISGSPCS@pb.com to reach the GSP Customer Service group. Or you can call 1-866-235-9627, and press 1 to reach the same GSP Customer Service group. 

To reach GSP customer service on the eBay side, call eBay Customer Service ( 1-866-540-3229  [ or ] 1-866-643-1587 ) and request to speak with a GSP Specialist. If the CS person on the line cannot help they can transfer you to someone who can. Hours of operation: Monday - Sunday, 6:00am - 11:00pm Mountain Time. 

Thanks.

---Bennett

[marnotom!]

Are those 866 numbers going to work for a buyer in Australia, Bennett?

[fabulous-marty]

Like many others, I came to the conclusion that the only viable thing to do is to not buy from sellers using the GSP. At first it was easy as just a few of them seem to be interested in the program, but nowadays almost every american seller is using this program (so good job on whatever ad you ran on them or anything to boost this service).

I recently tried to negociate the shipping fee on a sportscard I really wanted from an american seller (GSP put the shipping price at something like $17+ total ... for a $10 card!), he agreed to give me free shipping. Went to buy it, cost was like $13+. Apparently on his end he charges $0 and he was unable to remove himself from the GSP program on the listing (which would take $13 from the start apparently). So at least let them opt out of the program for specific listings. The guy didn't sell his card, it's still available for the taking 2 months later. No money for him, no money for you.

I'm surprising myself searching for stuff "Worldwide" nowadays, since shipping is always cheaper even on oversea items, and even from sellers trying to gouge the shipping fee because, I think, you don't take a cut on shipping from them yet? Still ...

Of course most of the sellers are from the USA, some of the best deals are to be had from american sellers, but GSP definitely killed this market. I'm pretty sure most of those sellers are now selling in country only, or they may pray on an occasional noob buyer who will get burn once by your GSP program and will never come back.

Worst thing that could happen to your "international sales" in a while, I don't know if your original intentions were really to make the products more "available" because it simplifies the shipping of the american sellers, but we were ok with sellers willing to do the job to ship "internationally" before by themselves at reasonable prices, those who didn't want to do it well ... their lost.

Now, almost every american seller is blacklisted from Canadians (and probably international ones too) because they use GSP. The surprise to me is that most of them right now keep using the program ... I suppose this will end soon, IF there is an easy way for them to opt out once they signed up ....

TL;DR Version : Kill this option. Honestly. It can only hurt you in the long run, and every user on eBay who is not on american soil.

[henkie1973]

I just ran into that nasty GSP yesterday.  TWICE!  Didn't really know what it was and then looked it up after.  I'm in Canada, bought an item from a US seller that offered International Priority Shipping for $13.26.  Then those nasty import charges for GSP $13.22.  I paid for both those and the item.  Then after I realize that because of the GSP, the seller is only shipping to Kentucky.  So why am I paying the seller for International Priority Shipping when that's not what I'm getting??  I go back and look at the ad and US standard shipping is $3.50.  As far as I'm concerned, I should only have to pay $3.50 and the import charges.  To pay for international shipping to the seller and then paying the import charges to GSP is ridiculous.  I'll never buy from another seller that's part of the GSP and I've emailed both sellers to let them know that they shouldn't be charging international shipping when they are only shipping domestically and the stupid rip-off GSP is doing the international shipping.  What a rip.

[froogal_electronic_parts_and_overstock]

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@henkie1973 wrote:

I just ran into that nasty GSP yesterday.  TWICE!  Didn't really know what it was and then looked it up after.  I'm in Canada, bought an item from a US seller that offered International Priority Shipping for $13.26.  Then those nasty import charges for GSP $13.22.  I paid for both those and the item.  Then after I realize that because of the GSP, the seller is only shipping to Kentucky.  So why am I paying the seller for International Priority Shipping when that's not what I'm getting??  I go back and look at the ad and US standard shipping is $3.50.  As far as I'm concerned, I should only have to pay $3.50 and the import charges.  To pay for international shipping to the seller and then paying the import charges to GSP is ridiculous.  I'll never buy from another seller that's part of the GSP and I've emailed both sellers to let them know that they shouldn't be charging international shipping when they are only shipping domestically and the stupid rip-off GSP is doing the international shipping.  What a rip.

---

obviously your post will be moved to match with all the other people happy with GSP. 

You don't pay the seller. You are paying to have your item shipped to you. Some goes to the seller, some goes pitney bowes, all of it goes to the shipping cost. 

$13.26 is pretty cheap. $13.22 import charges are very reasonable. 

Shipping from the US to Canada at $13 is pretty much normal if not more if the seller sent it directly. 

US standard shipping is only $3.5 to get it to Kentucky. 

If you only want to pay $3.50 shipping, then have it delivered to Kentucky and pick it up there 🙂 

[sasklite]

HI was looking for a good place to gripe about this new profit line for Ebay and PP seller.

Just bought an item that early on was only $6 in Pitney Bowes charges. by the time I won, it was a further $26 USD for the same service if the seller kept his UPS shipping cost of $30 without the PB import fees.

Canada has a free trade agreement with the United States.

Sellers in the USA do not need to sign up for the Pitney Bowes export service, as well, most items pass customs duty free.

This is the LAST buy I make from US dealers of any type that use the PB system.

Chat boards in Canada are full of complaints about this so called service. Its not  service, it is shipping goods further and longer to get to the border.

totally unacceptable business practice.

Thanks for opening the chat on this.

[marnotom!]

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@sasklite wrote:

HI was looking for a good place to gripe about this new profit line for Ebay and PP seller.

---

As suggested earlier, this thread will likely get merged with the "Comments about the Global Shipping Program" thread.

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@sasklite wrote:

Just bought an item that early on was only $6 in Pitney Bowes charges. by the time I won, it was a further $26 USD for the same service if the seller kept his UPS shipping cost of $30 without the PB import fees.

Canada has a free trade agreement with the United States.

Sellers in the USA do not need to sign up for the Pitney Bowes export service, as well, most items pass customs duty free.

---

Items sent by mail are subject to taxes even if duty isn't due.  The rub is that customs often doesn't charge for taxes as it costs more to assess and collect taxes than the amount collected. 

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@sasklite wrote:

This is the LAST buy I make from US dealers of any type that use the PB system.

Chat boards in Canada are full of complaints about this so called service. Its not  service, it is shipping goods further and longer to get to the border.

totally unacceptable business practice.

---

You can get quite good deals through the GSP if you're willing to search for them and the item's a pretty good fit with the GSP, but admittedly not all buyers have that much patience nor are they necessarily searching for heavier or higher-value items.

I got a good deal on a smartphone through the GSP.  Shipping was comparable to oversize letter pricing (largely because there was no shipping charge between the seller's location and the Global Shipping Center in Kentucky) and the import charges I paid were less than what I'd pay in sales taxes in BC.  I certainly prefer that to $50+ shipping by unknown carriers who may or may not charge taxes and other niceties when or after I've received the item.

In addition, it arrived sooner than the case for the phone that I purchased through a seller who was supposedly offering direct shipping, but I suspect that instead of being shipped from California it came from China by way of Sweden.  Go figure.

[fabulous-marty]

I'd be curious how eBay actually market this service to the poor sellers in the US. Stumbled upon another exemple of a poor guy thinking he was only charging a "flat" $2.99 to his "international" customers with no idea what kind of "extra" eBay tacks on for the GSP program :

"Shipping cost is a flat $2.99 which includes Ebay's NEW International shipping program eligible countries."

Yeah well buddy, on our screen it shows $12.67 + $5.53 (for now) to get the cards, forget your flat fee you'll get to send your package to the GSP service center thinking eBay is doing you a great favor here to help you sell out of country ...

Honestly I think a good percentage of american sellers have no idea what they're using, as it's probably presented to them with pink glasses ...

Can you even hit the DSR of sellers using this service? Close to $20 for something that would cost at the most $6 something through USPS is outrageous and should be worth only a star or 2 no? That would teach them fast ... But I suppose they're protected from this? While we're not for shipping time or our outrageous tracking fees that we're supposed to give for free.

Listing I'm talking about :

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Magic-the-Gathering-MTG-BETA-x7-Island-Version-2-NM-to-G-Condition-RARE-1993-...

[thebidsniper]

Like so many here, I have avoided all GSP-required items from sellers for the past year or so, and have no plans to go back.  If I see a listing with "customs services and international tracking provided" I don't even bother looking at the listing.  Have much longer do Canadians/other international buyers have to complain about this program before it's removed?  It should be perfectly obvious that many, many people are unhappy with this wretched program, and I would have difficulty believing it's actually improving international sales.  Does Ebay even care about satisfying their customers anymore?

[guitardactyls]

---

@bennett4612 wrote:

Hi guitardactyls.

I would be happy to help from this end. But need a little more info first. Please send me a Private Message and include transaction #, item #, + eBay user id and email address you used in the transaction. If an item is held by Pitney Bowes the policy is geared more toward issuing refunds to both buyer and seller, as opposed to returning the restricted item. But it is worth a try. 

You might also try and reach GSP Customer Service at both eBay and Pitney Bowes. The sooner they are made aware of the transaction the better. 

For Pitney Bowes customer service regarding GSP issues, you can email PBISGSPCS@pb.com to reach the GSP Customer Service group. Or you can call 1-866-235-9627, and press 1 to reach the same GSP Customer Service group. 

To reach GSP customer service on the eBay side, call eBay Customer Service ( 1-866-540-3229  [ or ] 1-866-643-1587 ) and request to speak with a GSP Specialist. If the CS person on the line cannot help they can transfer you to someone who can. Hours of operation: Monday - Sunday, 6:00am - 11:00pm Mountain Time. 

Thanks.

---Bennett

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Messaged details as requested!

[guitardactyls]

---

@guitardactyls wrote:

---

@bennett4612 wrote:

Hi guitardactyls.

I would be happy to help from this end. But need a little more info first. Please send me a Private Message and include transaction #, item #, + eBay user id and email address you used in the transaction. If an item is held by Pitney Bowes the policy is geared more toward issuing refunds to both buyer and seller, as opposed to returning the restricted item. But it is worth a try. 

You might also try and reach GSP Customer Service at both eBay and Pitney Bowes. The sooner they are made aware of the transaction the better. 

For Pitney Bowes customer service regarding GSP issues, you can email PBISGSPCS@pb.com to reach the GSP Customer Service group. Or you can call 1-866-235-9627, and press 1 to reach the same GSP Customer Service group. 

To reach GSP customer service on the eBay side, call eBay Customer Service ( 1-866-540-3229  [ or ] 1-866-643-1587 ) and request to speak with a GSP Specialist. If the CS person on the line cannot help they can transfer you to someone who can. Hours of operation: Monday - Sunday, 6:00am - 11:00pm Mountain Time. 

Thanks.

---Bennett

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Messaged details as requested!

---

PS -- my Item wasn't as low cost as some of the complaints here; I lost a guitar costing close to AUD 2,000 with shipping and charges Inc.

I hadn't really heard or dealt of the GSP until this event! 

I thought I was doing the right; thinking that using eBay's GSP method was buying me that extra piece of mind!  When in fact the very REVERSE happened!!! 

I could have gone with another shipping company like FedEx or UPS, or even the Postal Service and had no such problems!!!

How about eBay acting FOR their customers and restoring faith in it's brand name again!!!

[00nevermind00]

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@datcut-marty wrote:

Can you even hit the DSR of sellers using this service? Close to $20 for something that would cost at the most $6 something through USPS is outrageous and should be worth only a star or 2 no? That would teach them fast ... But I suppose they're protected from this? While we're not for shipping time or our outrageous tracking fees that we're supposed to give for free.

---

You can try if you want, but a savvy seller who is knowingly using the program likely knows that they can get it removed. Obviously someone somewhere along the GSP chain figured out that inernational buyers wouldn't be too thrilled with all the extra fees for what amounts to little benefit to them, and decided that GSP-related negatives and star dings would be removable. Which means that your negative FB and/or star dings would stick only if the seller is clueless. And such a seller probably doesn't even realize they have been opted into the GSP.

With the new "defect" system coming into play in a few months (retroactively, to boot!), it won't take much for sellers to run into big problems with eBay. So a seller would have to perform really wretchedly for me to leave neutral or negative FB and/or ding their starts. If I'm not completely satisfied, I don't leave any FB and just don't by from that seller again.

A much better way to express your dissatisfaction is to email the seller to let them know why you won't be bidding on their item. If you have the time and inclination, you can take a screen grab of their auction page with all the GSP fees plainly apparent and include that in your message.

(Edited for typos)

[marnotom!]

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@datcut-marty wrote:

I'd be curious how eBay actually market this service to the poor sellers in the US. Stumbled upon another exemple of a poor guy thinking he was only charging a "flat" $2.99 to his "international" customers with no idea what kind of "extra" eBay tacks on for the GSP program :

---

This is the home page for Global Shipping Program info on the .com site:

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/shipping/globalshippingprogram.html

None of the "info" pages that I've seen make reference to buyers paying Pitney Bowes to ship the item from the Global Shipping Center in Kentucky to them.  Sellers have to read and understand the terms and conditions page (see the section entitled "Payment and Program Fees") to get a sense of what will be charged to buyers.

http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/seller-tnc.html

Sellers with some understanding of how eBay works should be checking the competition or at least other listings.  If they change their shipping location to that of a GSP country, they'll be able to see PBI's charges on the listing page.

[bennett4612]

Hi guitardactyls. 

I'll take a look at your Private Message, w/ details -- thanks for sending. 

Sorry once again that this transaction hasn't worked out. However keep in mind that with the GSP, once an item makes it safely to the US Shipping Center, there is every reason to believe that both buyer and seller will be "made whole" in cases where an item cannot be delivered. This course of events is less preferable than delivery of the actual item, but there are protections in place all the same. 

Ok, thanks again. And I will reply via Private Message as well. 

---Bennett

[ditcherman.2009]

Wow! I wish I'd done my homework on this GSP issue! It's cost me a small fortune and numerous vain attempts to get customer service to opt out of this ridiculous scam. I,like so many others,was not aware of this program,and neither was the seller. what's worse is having to listen to the sales pitch offered by some unsuspecting uneducated e-bay employee after having already wasted several hours of my valuable time,trying to rectify this mess with the other customer service reps who are obviously trained to stick Canadian customers with this surcharge. Wholly unfair! I finally got some relief when I simply asked if this was how they would want a family member to be treated? Should've heard them sputter! It's so obviously a load of **bleep**!

  Love to hear more about how I can recover those fees.

Thanks all!

[libaliss]

I have been buying on ebay for several years from the US and have yet to pay import fees.  Duty and taxes, definitely.  The global shipping program states this does not cover duty and taxes. I enquired at customs and there are very few items requiring import charges and those are of a certain price.  Most of these fees are from the carrier, not customs.  One time I was charged import fees from a bookstore.  I was later re-imbursed as there  was no import fee charged at customs.

As a seller, I will not subscribe to it, it is just an added cost to the buyer.  As a buyer, I do not purchase from those who have the program.  Buyer beware, check it out before paying unneccesary money.  Contact customs by phone or email, they are very helpful.

[ditcherman.2009]

Nothing about this seems right.

It takes too long.

It increases the risk of damage to fragile items.

It adds to the cost

It frustrates the new buyer and seller, and leaves a person feeling violated,in a prison cell sense.

It discourages sales and fair trade between people who should be on the same page.

My question is..... who really benefits from this scam?

[libaliss]

People are not understanding that import fees GSP is charging is not duty and tax fees, that is extra. I checked with customs and import fees are charged on very few items ( see my posting belowz0

[thebidsniper]

Ebay and PBI benefit - NOT the seller and NOT the buyer.  Bennett is a good example of Ebay's policies in dealing with their customers; he ignores all but one or two out of every thirty or so posts and just spouts off some corporate junk while providing a link somewhere.  There are over 150 pages in this thread and he has yet to provide any direct answers to some very valid questions.  It's just so typical.