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.

[marshwiggleme]

Global shipping is definitely slower. I bought an item on the 9th Jan, it was marked as sent by seller two days later. It was only just marked as leaving global shipping today.
TODAY. That is far too slow.
I agree the tax is all over the place as is the shipping rates.
It's actually made me reconsider using eBay at all. Amazon or local stores in future, this is a mess.

[marnotom!]

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@marshwiggleme wrote:

Global shipping is definitely slower. I bought an item on the 9th Jan, it was marked as sent by seller two days later. It was only just marked as leaving global shipping today.
TODAY. That is far too slow.

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When was the item received by the Global Shipping Center?  I don't have a sense from your post of how long it took to reach it.

[fourpoint4x4]

OMG What an outfit, have purchased a couple of things as of late and Global Shipping has declared these items as restricted and wont ship to Canada. The sellers on eBay have no idea about this have told them and still uninformed, I have had same items shipped via USPS,DHL<UPS and had absolutely no problems. They need to get with the program, I would like to also know when they sell the item off that they have received to refund me my money cause it is restricted (Bull**bleep**) where and how they sell the item if it is restricted . 

[marnotom!]

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@fourpoint4x4 wrote:

[I] have purchased a couple of things as of late and Global Shipping has declared these items as restricted and wont ship to Canada. The sellers on eBay have no idea about this have told them and still uninformed. . . .

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Does the eBay Help Page on buying GSP items make mention of your items in the sections on restricted and prohibited items?

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@fourpoint4x4 wrote:

I have had same items shipped via USPS,DHL<UPS and had absolutely no problems. They need to get with the program.

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Can't make much of a call on this without some knowledge of the nature of the items you've purchased, but as far as I know, there's no law that says that a freight carrier has to be able to ship exactly the same items as the postal system or a courier.  I appreciate that the inconsistency is a pain below the tailbone, but one can't assume that a freight forwarding program such as the GSP operates the same way as a direct shipment carrier.

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@fourpoint4x4 wrote:

I would like to also know when they sell the item off that they have received to refund me my money cause it is restricted (Bull**bleep**) where and how they sell the item if it is restricted . 

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According to the terms and conditions page (which the GSP administrators assume you've read prior to purchasing an item forwarded through the program), the item isn't yours until you've received it.  I guess they feel that where and how they dispose of "their" item isn't really any concern of yours.

I do agree, though, that if the item isn't yours until you've received it, a refund should be more easily forthcoming.  As far as I can see, there's no reason for Pitney Bowes to hang onto your money after your item has been deemed unforwardable and you shouldn't have to initiate the refund process yourself, particularly if the item isn't listed on the Help Page's list of the GSP's restricted or prohibited items.  That's ridiculous.

[xenotime]

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@inhotpursuit wrote:

Same here  I will not buy anything else from sellers who use GPS, not only are the costs greater but the actual shipping time is a lot more , 15 days from Spokane OR to Victoria BC, the average is more like 17 days

I just bought 10 fishing rods shipped from china by EMS the cost was US $52 , no added taxes, duty or brokerage fees and I got it in 5 days.

2016-01-09 13:04:45Buyer confirms delivery

2016-01-07 12:32:23 Payment complete 2016-01-04 00:01:17 Supplier completes shipment 2016-01-03 18:38:28 Payment verified 2016-01-03 12:30:53 Buyer makes payment

How do you expect us to be constructive when we are getting extra charges added and poor delivery times, or is it that you do not value Canadian buyers

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I'm in Vancouver. Prior to GSP I had most US items shipped to me First Class and Priority, and 15 days or more was the norm. I also had guy in Seattle handle some of my packages for me (ones that sellers wouldn't ship here) and it wasn't uncommon to receive items up to a month later. (Yes no kidding!). Now back in the early days, like 2005 and beyond, my packages from Seattle were much quicker. Sometimes they'd make it (via First Class) in a few days. So I don't know what happened after that. I guess there was no reason to use Express with such speedy shipping.

So for me the GSP is no slower. 

Now China... It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to get stuff. Sometimes I'll get it in two. But I'm talking about Standard Shipping.

[cerebus]

100% agree.  My own purchases at eBay are down about 50% over the past two years or so due to the imposition of the Global Shipping Program alone (not even factoring in the ridiculous US/Canada exchange rate!).  Sometimes I inform the seller that they have opted into eBay's GSP (and so their USA-to-Canada postage fee for a $5 item is $16)... and most of the time, they either (a) didn't know, or (b) don't care.  Kinda sad either way, really.

[marnotom!]

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@cerebus wrote:

Sometimes I inform the seller that they have opted into eBay's GSP (and so their USA-to-Canada postage fee for a $5 item is $16)... and most of the time, they either (a) didn't know, or (b) don't care.  Kinda sad either way, really.

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It sounds like you're running into a lot of sellers who wouldn't have offered shipping to Canada if the GSP didn't exist.  Their items wouldn't come up in a keyword or category search on eBay.ca in these circumstances.

Since you can't purchase items you can't find, the only way I can see your guestimate of a 50% drop in purchases being accurate is if you've been doing your searching on .com.

[logitikes]

Its been a week since I've contacted both paypal and ebay for the refund on my shipping and nothing has been done. The seller was quick to refund the price of the item but even after calling ebay, emailing pitney bowes, and contacting paypal, my shipping costs has yet to be refunded. The first time I emailed pitney bowes, they just denied they are responsible for refunding the shipping costs even though I am covered by the money back guarantee in both the cost of the item and shipping charges if the product is defective or not as described. If anyone could help that would be great.

Heres some info that might help.

Product Number: 172063606503

Purchase Date:  Friday, Jan, 15, 2016

[i.am.vivian]

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@logitikes wrote:

Its been a week since I've contacted both paypal and ebay for the refund on my shipping and nothing has been done. The seller was quick to refund the price of the item but even after calling ebay, emailing pitney bowes, and contacting paypal, my shipping costs has yet to be refunded. The first time I emailed pitney bowes, they just denied they are responsible for refunding the shipping costs even though I am covered by the money back guarantee in both the cost of the item and shipping charges if the product is defective or not as described. If anyone could help that would be great.

Heres some info that might help.

Product Number: 172063606503

Purchase Date:  Friday, Jan, 15, 2016

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Did you phone ebay and tell them it was a GSP item and talk to someone who knows about that?  Did you phone Pitney Bows and tell them you have been refunded for the iteem but now want your shipping and import money back because that is what was paid to them and not the seller? 

Too many problems with that program!

[logitikes]

I have tried calling ebay and they said they will email pitney bowes and they will respond back within 24-48 hours but that didnt happend. I also tried emailing pitney bowes about it and they said they wont be refunding the money back because it wasnt their fault. So I emailed them back saying that I do get the money back for the shipping because I'm covered under the ebay's money back guarantee but they have yet to respond.

[femmefan1946]

You might try eBay again.

Ask for a GSP specialist. I believe these only work out of Utah, so North American business hours will help.

And ask for the specialist's name and for a case number.

Your seller should not have been involved, by the way. Her responsibility ended when she delivered the item to PB/GST in Kentucky.

BTW-- was this a non-delivery dispute or a damaged in transit dispute or an Item Not As Described dispute?

The first two should be on PB/GSP but the latter should have been entirely on the seller who sent a bad product.

You could also go to Paypal or to the credit card I hope you back your PP account with.

[logitikes]

It was a item not as described dispute, but the seller shipped the item through the GSP so this has nothing to do with the seller. I'll try again with ebay's GSP specialist and see how it goes.

[pjcdn2005]

PB is only responsible to refund the shipping and import charges if the item was damaged in shipping.  So I am guessing that in these situations it would be ebay that would refund you those amounts.

Did you file a not as described claim? Technically, when you do they are supposed to 'know' that is was a gst transaction. It doesn't always work that way but it is still best to file a claim with a gsp claim. If you haven't done that already, I doubt that you can do it now because you've received a refund from the seller but just so others know to do that in the future.

[ferrantho]

I totally agree! This is true and this GSP issue is something I find ridiculous! I personally have never paid "duty or import" charges on any of my low-cost purchases and I shouldn't have to on most purchases I make. To a Canadian based buyer, 'GSP' means your automatically charged import fees on top of the item purchase price, on top of the shipping price, on top of the ridiculous Paypal 'conversion rates & fees' (from CAD to US is ludicrous these days). At the end of the day, you end up paying something ridiculous for an item shipped from the US.! Yeah right! Since more U.S. sellers choose the GSP route, I have completely changed how I use eBay; specifically focusing on where I purchase my items from. I have to admit, I purchase a great deal from China and honestly, I have no complaints.. Maybe the rare package nondelivery or honest mistake, but never anything to worry about. This is a very enticing option to fellow Canadian buyers unless you need the item right now and cannot wait for a potential 30 day shipping window. Aside from the shipping time, I prefer bringing my business to chinese sellers as the items usually come with free shipping (yes admittedly sometimes slow, but still free), as well as NO import charges.. None.. 0.. I have never paid import or duty on my small packages from China, however the SAME item listed by a 'GSP' seller would automatically impose the duty onto my purchase,, Again, I never pay duty from anywhere else so why is GSP even an option? I make purchases everyday without GSP and I am very satisfied.. Why would I choose GSP as a Canadian buyer when there are so many other sellers these days offering the same items without GSP? No way!

If your like myself and purchase a lot of small/inexpensive items regularly, check out international sellers before paying into this GSP garbage for nothing! Again I have never had to worry about paying duty or anything beyond what I paid in the listing when purchasing from sellers outside the U.S. (specifically China). 

Remember, always search for your item extensively before purchasing from a seller using "GSP."   95% of the time you will find the same item listed without GSP from another country. Yes you may have to wait longer for your package, but some (including myself) do not mind waiting a bit longer for the item versus paying into GSP for no reason. 

Cheers my friends!

[ryuunosukefujinami]

I have been an eBay member almost since there was an eBay.

I have also been dealing with 'Global Shipping' since it has been implemented.

After all this time, I do have a few comments concerning it.

It feels nothing more then like a scam being ran on all international (non-US) buyers between eBay and Pitney Bowes. I pay a LOT more in freight now, and also get to wait a lot longer because it basically gets mailed twice. I pay a blanket and grossly inflated 'Import Fee' on absolutely everything; from a sheet of paper to a used sock, regardless if any fees actually apply to the item(s) or not.

Oh, as a Canadian we also pay considerably more then the actual shipping costs. Why am I paying exactly the same fee as if my purchases were being sent to Australia? Who gets to keep the difference? Oh, that's right, the ones who implemented the shipping program in the first place.

The main difference that this program has made is that unless I have absolutely no other option, I refuse to buy from US sellers anymore. When It costs more then 20$ CAD to have a postcard sent from the US to Canada though the Global Shipping Program, your system is seriously broken.

I can often pay 2-3 times more for an item from an international seller, and with the difference in now paying the actual shipping costs and lacking the tacked on fake import fees, I am usually still ahead of buying from a US seller.

It smacks of double dipping to myself. Not satisfied with just getting paid fees from sellers, you are now dinging the buyers too, through padding of the shipping fees and adding import fees on items that should not have any such fees attached.

I loathe this system, but I have no doubt it is quite profitable to eBay, so I am certain it is here to stay. A pity, as I used to use eBay a lot more then I do now; and when I do use it I sure as heck do not buy from US sellers.

[ryuunosukefujinami]

As I seemingly cannot edit my own post, I will had to make an addendum this way.

I have read a lot of comments "Well, it is the sellers not setting their auctions up right, that is why you are being charged import fees on illegible products.

Which might be true, but A) eBay should be taking initiative and instructing sellers on how to properly use their system as many obviously are using it incorrectly, and the onus certainly should be on eBay to instruct sellers on how to properly use their own selling system and B) Where does the money actually go?

Say I see a used paperback book for 5$ that I just simply cannot live without by a US seller, but 'Lo! It is under the global shipping program ,and on top of freight, I have to pay an import fee of XX dollars on it.

Now, this would in actuality be an example of collection of an invalid fee, yet it certainly never gets refunded to the customer paying it.

So, the burning question I have is this. Does eBay/Pitney Powes still hand off this collected money to whomever anyways, or do they instead go 'Cool! More free money for us!' and just keep it?

Not that either choice impresses me much, and I am out the same amount regardless; but one option does make eBay's unwillingness to address or take steps to correct the multitude of errors created by their Global Shipping Programs incorrect usage a lot more understandable from their point of view.

[pierrelebel]

"cannot edit my own post, "

The edit function is only available for a few minutes after posting.

[pierrelebel]

"Does eBay/Pitney Powes still hand off this collected money to whomever anyways, or do they instead go 'Cool! More free money for us!' and just keep it?"

This question has been asked and answered many times on this thread.

There are three amounts of money paid to Pitney Bowes in addition to the amount paid to the seller.

1 - shipping from the distribution centre to the buyer (the shipping from the seller to the distribution centre is paid to the seller)

2) duty (if applicable) amd taxes (GST/HST)  paid to Pitney Bowes (as part of "import charge") through PayPal and remitted by Pitney Bowes or its agent to the Canadian government when the goods are cleared to Canada Customs

3) a handling fee ($4/$5) paid to Pitney Bowes (as part of the "import charge") to handle the shipment.

[ryuunosukefujinami]

I do understand about taxes and fees and who they are paid too. And if the item is legitimately taxed (say I buy a 300$ new blu ray theater system from the US and have it sent to me in Canada) I can see how and where taxes and fees apply.

However, the question I had (my aforementioned imaginary 5$ used paperback) is what happens to any incorrectly collected import/duty fees?

They are never refunded to the one who paid the fees, so that option goes off the table immediately.

Pitney Bowes is processing all these items and paperwork on behalf of eBay, and two and some years after the Global Shipping Program was implemented surely by now they have realized that at the very least some (judging by the size of this post , I would say probably more then just some) of the low dollar items they are processing are being wrongly assessed fees.

So, my question still remains. While processing these items and noticing the error, do they send the funds off anyways? If so how does that even work? 'Here is your 10$ in duty fees and taxes on a 5$ used paperback we collected on your behalf Canada"? One would logically think multiple occurrences of this nature would flag somewhere in someones system after a few years.

Or knowing it is an error, and knowing that they don't have to forward these collected fees, do they simply keep them?

Like I had said in my other post, I am still being robbed of the exact same amount in either case, but one option certainly is a lot more personally unacceptable but also helps explain why no-one is in a hurry to fix the system either.

If I used an ATM and it gave me an extra 20$ bill once a week or so, I guarantee this would be my new favorite ATM I would use it religiously. I also certainly would not be in a hurry to see it fixed either.

Someone along the line is unduly profiting from these 'errors' and it is not the sellers, certainly not the buyers. As it is my money flowing out each time these Global Shipping errors pop up, I would like to know exactly where/to whom  it is actually going.

[marnotom!]

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@ryuunosukefujinami wrote:

Say I see a used paperback book for 5$ that I just simply cannot live without by a US seller, but 'Lo! It is under the global shipping program ,and on top of freight, I have to pay an import fee of XX dollars on it.

Now, this would in actuality be an example of collection of an invalid fee, yet it certainly never gets refunded to the customer paying it.

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The $20 tax/duty-free exemption on postal imports does not apply to books, so in this case a Pitney Bowes would follow suit and levy its "import charge" consisting of tax(es) and processing/clearance fees.

If this $5 item were something other than a book, the import charges--which would just consist of various processing/clearance fees--would be lumped in with the shipping charge rather than as separate line item.