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.

[reallynicestamps]

even buying a little piece of string for $200 ebay will try to charge you "import fees" of around $60. 

At a guess that's $200USD?

Of that $30USD would be GST at 15%. The rate would vary by province.

There is also a 'service charge' of $5USD.

Then your little piece of string might be dutiable, depending on where it was manufactured (not sold, made) and the category it falls into.

So $35+ .

Which if you are mixing up USD and loonies, could be $45.50+duty.

With the exception of the service charge, that goes to the Canadian government.

give people the choice to use it or not.

People do have this choice.

The affected 'people' are the Sellers because this is a Seller Protection Program.

Much as I might like my seller to ship my purchases without expensive tracking, it is not something I should be allowed to force, since tracking is a basic protection for sellers.

Buyers, as has been noted here and elsewhere, can opt out of the program two ways.

By asking, BEFORE BIDDING, that the seller rewrite the listing to remove the GSP, and instead ship by USPS First Class International Parcel.

By ignoring any listings with GSP enabled.

I've only made one purchase from a GSP seller since the program was initiated. That seller, even with all the charges added by the GSP, was still the lowest price on the item anywhere in the world. (It was a copy of Atlas of the 'Verse-- The New Canaan Run a book written for us Firefly fans.)

[jepquebec]

Here is another bull**bleep**. Same Item, Same seller. I bought the one on the right (the cheapest) which showed import fees of 11.90. The other one, more expensive, shows 0$ import fees. Now I know someone will say that it is because the one with no import fees has no bids yet. However, the import fees where showing before I bid on mine (I was the only buyer). Makes absolutely no sense... 

The shipping prices are also different. Again, based on the same seller and same buyer, same item. 

Shows how bogues those charges are... 

[marnotom!]

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@jepquebec wrote:

Here is another bull**bleep**. Same Item, Same seller. I bought the one on the right (the cheapest) which showed import fees of 11.90. The other one, more expensive, shows 0$ import fees. Now I know someone will say that it is because the one with no import fees has no bids yet. However, the import fees where showing before I bid on mine (I was the only buyer). Makes absolutely no sense... 

The shipping prices are also different. Again, based on the same seller and same buyer, same item. 

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Sylviebee, a regular poster to this forum, has noticed no dollar amount in the "import charges" for Buy It Now items in her favoured category, too.  You may want to have a look for her posts.

Since this is the same seller involved in the two listings you've shown us, I'm going to assume that the shipping price that they'd charge for shipping the item to Erlanger, KY would be the same.  Auction-style listings' import charges are based on the current bid amount for the item.  It would be interesting to see if the amount charged for shipping in that other listing when the item acquires bids, as I suspect they've been added to the item's shipping price.

Apropos of nothing, your seller's positive feedback percentage would probably be considered too low for comfort for the majority of eBay buyers out there.

[otaking97]

Definitely a nightmare program. $1.00 DVD. $16.00 shipping? What is this?! Seller gets 6 and Pitney gets 10? I work for the post office and its a border scam. Really impressed there havent been any law suits yet.

[marnotom!]

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@otaking97 wrote:

Definitely a nightmare program. $1.00 DVD. $16.00 shipping? What is this?! Seller gets 6 and Pitney gets 10? I work for the post office and its a border scam. Really impressed there havent been any law suits yet.

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One of the many things the GSP doesn't do well is economically ship items that could go fairly inexpensively as oversized letters (First Class International / Small Packet).

Speaking of letter mail, why is the cut-off weight for domestic letter mail half a kilo when it's more than that for letters (small packets) with international destinations?  Sounds like a domestic scam to me.  

[sandee08]

I agree with everything posted here. I sent email to ebay asking for a filter to be added so we can display only sellers not using GSP. I find it troublesome that the duties charged for items being shipped to Canada are payable in US dollars, but the duties are Canadian levies. Hmmmm. Someone is making huge profits at the buyers expense. Therefore, to repeat the mantra voiced by so many international buyers, I refuse to do business with anyone using the GSP. If I see an item I really want, I will contact the seller and ask if they would consider an alternate shipping method. Some will, some won't. Those that won't do NOT get my business. Unfortunate on a lot of levels.

[otaking97]

As far as I can tell some are scared of NOT using the GSP. I've heard it from a few sellers they were afraid they would get in trouble if they didn't use the Pitney boxes they have. Seems like eBay may be strong arming sellers into using it. Its also easy to track how much goes to Pitney as it appears as two separate transactions on your bank statement. I've unfortunately had to buy from people using it a few times as it was the only way for me to get an item.

[marnotom!]

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@sandee08 wrote:

I agree with everything posted here. I sent email to ebay asking for a filter to be added so we can display only sellers not using GSP. 

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Best way to get around this right now is to make sure your search results are displayed in "list view" rather than "gallery view" mode.  The listings with the GSP will have a message about customs services and international tracking being provided.  Don't click on those if you wish to avoid GSP listings.

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@sandee08 wrote:

I find it troublesome that the duties charged for items being shipped to Canada are payable in US dollars, but the duties are Canadian levies. Hmmmm. Someone is making huge profits at the buyers expense. 

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Technically speaking, you're not being billed for and not paying taxes and duty on a GSP shipment.  Pitney Bowes pays those for you.  Part of the "import charges" you're paying is a repayment of what Pitney Bowes paid on your behalf.  For a properly listed item, the excess is about US$5-6, which goes towards various fees associated with customs clearance.

I'm not sure where your concerns about paying in US dollars come into all this when the item itself is listed in US dollars and payment of the item is converted into US dollars.

[billybishop72]

 Part of the "import charges" you're paying is a repayment of what Pitney Bowes paid on your behalf.

How do we know what they paid?

[afantiques]

How do we know what they paid?

Because the stuff would not be in Canada if they did not pay it.  The amount you paid them would be paid over less about $5 fees.

[billybishop72]

How do we know what they paid?

Because the stuff would not be in Canada if they did not pay it.  The amount you paid them would be paid over less about $5 fees.

How do we know what they paid?

[afantiques]

If you require further clarification, try rephrasing the question. There is not much point guessing further.

[maggiebvintage2010]

Well you know they paid taxes if the cost is over $20 Cdn, so you can figure that out - it varies from province to province.  Duties depend on the item and where it is made.  Items entirely produced in a country with which we have a free trade agreement, no duties will be payable, but taxes always are.  You can see what free trade agreements we have here:

http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/fta-ale.aspx?lang=eng

You can use this tool to estimate duties and taxes:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/dte-acl/est-cal-eng.html

One of the problems with the GSP (among many) is that there is no record provided to the buyer of the duty and taxes paid.  But all the items are cleared through customs and all duties and taxes payable are indeed paid, or PB would not still be in business.

[billybishop72]

But all the items are cleared through customs and all duties and taxes payable are indeed paid, or PB would not still be in business.

Where does their profit come from then?

[marnotom!]

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billybishop72 wrote:'

Where does their profit come from then?

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Whatever's leftover from the pad in the shipping and import charges after customs clearance and processing charges, employee wages, overhead, etc. are taken off after taxes and duty are paid.

"Import charges" is not a synonym for "taxes and duty".

[billybishop72]

Where does their profit come from then?

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Whatever's leftover from the pad in the shipping and import charges after customs clearance and processing charges, employee wages, overhead, etc. are taken off after taxes and duty are paid.

"Import charges" is not a synonym for "taxes and duty".

______________________________________________________

Great...they are making a profit for an unnecessary service...'skimming', so to speak....

[maggiebvintage2010]

The key word in your post being "service".  The GSP is not a service being offered to you.  It is being offered to American and UK eBay sellers who may otherwise never want to sell outside of their own borders.

PB is a very large corporation with expertise in global solutions for businesses.  They make a small profit from each GSP transaction.  They count on volume.  You may see what they do as an unnecessary service, and you are free to pass on buying anything that utilizes their services.  But their customer is not you - it is the seller.  There are a lot of problems with the GSP, not the least of which is that sellers are generally not well informed about the service, and may not even know that they are enrolled in it.  But those who are aware that they use it obviously do not see it as an entirely "unnecessary" service, and appreciate the protection it provides them.  They don't care whether you like it or not, because they do not depend on Canadian buyers to make their sales.  It's merely a tool that provides them with some "bonus" sales outside the USA, with no extra effort on their part..

[billybishop72]

"...sellers are generally not well informed about the service, and may not even know that they are enrolled in it...."

Why are they not well informed about the service  and why do they not know they are enrolled in it....and why are they not shown the true cost to the buyer....

[marnotom!]

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@billybishop72 wrote:

Why are they not well informed about the service  and why do they not know they are enrolled in it....

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Probably because they haven't read this closely enough and/or kept up with changes to it:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html

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@billybishop72 wrote:

....and why are they not shown the true cost to the buyer....

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There's over 60 qualifying countries for the Global Shipping Program.  How are you envisioning that information for every single one of these countries gets communicated to the seller?

[otaking97]

I love the people defending it. Do you people work at Pitney? Dont make me laugh. What a joke. I understand when it comes to some items and I understand its a bit easier but all this taxes/duty/etc is nonsense when its on a $.50 item some kid is selling. There is NO $10 tax/duty/etc on such an item. Get off it already.