c!~~_7.JPG "kalvin@ebay.com"){kind=avatar}
w~~_7.JPG "pjcdn2005"){kind=avatar}
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.
" the COD Brokerage fees were a whopping additional $104.00 CDN, "
The problem is simple: your seller made a mistake., He shipped directly to you instead of shipping to the eBay Distribution Centre in Kentucky as instructed by eBay and PayPal when the payment was sent.
Contact your seller then contact PayPal to get a refund the the "import charge" since the seller did not use the service (his mistake).
@00nevermind00 wrote:
Sorry. Upon rereading my post, I can see that it wasn't very clear. I omitted to quote the poster I was replying to, which is never a good idea.
No problem. I just went by the username attributed to be the originator of the post to which you were responding.
@00nevermind00 wrote:
I was replying to the ordeal that the poster above me was describing. Ebay insists on the highest standard from its sellers. Those who can't comply can get banned from selling. Yet eBay itself inflicts on buyers a poorly designed program that turns into a real labyrinth when the buyer runs into a problem. I was merely pointing out the double standard. What's good for the seller goose ought to be good for the eBay gander.
I understand the gist of your point here, but I'd argue that it's actually sellers who are seeing this program inflicting upon themselves. After all, where and how to ship is the seller's choice and the bulk of items listed with the GSP seem to be ones that wouldn't have international shipping specified at all if the GSP didn't exist. These listings wouldn't be visible on the .ca site with a normal keyword search, so if anything, it's the listings themselves that are being inflicted on Canadian (and other non-US) buyers, not the program itself.
And while the GSP does have its share of problems, I think a lot of them could be mitigated if the program were communicated better to sellers and buyers. Why do so many sellers seem not to know that their listings have the GSP attached to them? Why don't sellers use "item specifics" as a matter of course, whether or not they're aware that they're using the GSP? Why do buyers have to come to these discussion boards to find out how to get their payments returned in the event of loss or damage to a GSP shipment?
The GSP leaves both buyers and sellers in the dark about so much, and to what ends?
On a somewhat different note, have you noticed that the description of the shipping service has been modified on the .com site? I wonder how long this change will take to make it to .ca?
Hello 'booksreadingroom',
<< Pitney Bowes ... makes... my shipping and handling costs ... doubled with no discernible advantage to a buyer...>>
So true, so true. But by your own admission you have observed what a dreadful system it is since it was first
introduced, hence I must inquire why in blazes you bought through the GSP at all?
<<This puts the cost of shipping and handling higher than the item I purchased>>
On items that could otherwise come up from the US via the comparatively inexpensive First Class Mail, it can
indeed be infuriating. The listing page will show 'GSP', however. It's a quick mental addition, - the GSP ship cost,
plus the import charges on anything over $20 Cdn (about $15 USD). So you're right, that is perhaps the most irksome
aspect of the program.
That said, the fault of the import charges lies with our dear government, - who wants a share of every nickel we spend
over $20. Americans can order up to $200 worth before their Uncle Sam puts his hand out. And that's the law, -
Pitney Bowes has to add on the charges. Now whether they're doing it correctly, or doing a good job, . . . hmmmm. . .
Shipping fees anywhere are expensive. Have you seen what it can cost even using First Class mail?
http://ircalc.usps.com/?country=10054
I often buy from the UK when I cannot find what I am looking for over here, and shopping from Canada sure seems
expensive. An apparently light-weight item sold for less than £4 can end up costing over $40 Cdn to mail, -- and that is
without the GSP.
http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder
Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the GSP, haha, not a chance. I'm just saying cost alone should not be the
sole deterrent.
For myself, I refuse to use it because of the many other problems, not least is their insistence on repackaging items
and the horrendous difficulty in seeking redress for items that are subsequently damaged. That, and I have no
confidence that the item will be sure to arrive, not in light of the numerous complaints from people who maintain
that their item was 'delivered' to a wrong address. Too many risks, and I am simply not willing to gamble my money.
<<This of course will impact my use of eBay.>>
Can't fault you there, - it's certainly impacted mine. 
Just don't let the whole mess put you off entirely. Not yet, anyway.
You can greatly improve your enjoyment of ebay by simply avoiding GSP listings. It's easy to do, - when you are doing
a Search, be sure to use "List view" and not "Gallery". As you scroll down the items, skip over all those that feature the
pale grey warning:
Customs services and international tracking provided
It ought to be in flashing neon orange, but the whisper-pale grey is better than no clue at all.
<< am surely wondering why eBay introduced this very bad service>>
Because it is lucrative, because ebay and Pitney Bowes are American companies and this will help shunt more
of the world's wealth into the US.
I am sorry you had to have such a rotten time of it, and I hope it will not taint the enjoyment of your item. In future it is
good to keep in mind that anytime there are thousands of irate people vociferously complaining about something ...
hmmm, well, . . . .
Best wishes for a surprisingly speedy and unexpectedly positive outcome. 
