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.
Hello 'razr_x',
<< Shipping a CD from the us to Canada used to cost 5.00, which now costs 10 to 15>>
It depends on the seller. Those laughably high-priced GSP listings are those which otherwise would not have appeared
on the Canadian ebay in the past, as they were listings from American sellers who only wanted to sell within the US.
They are now part of the irritating 'clutter' that clogs up our Search views when finding an item we are likely to buy.
<< click on any own with GSP, the price of the shipping goes up about 3 to 5 dollars >>
I've noticed that, too. I don't mind so much, though, it just reassures me that declining those listings is the right thing
to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying there is anything sneaky going on (heh), just that the two systems are
not well hooked up together. They want money and they want it fast and they want it now, but they can't be bothered
to fix the bugs. Ick.
<< this thread is over 2 years old, 250 pages long and nothing's really changed, I'm of the mind to NEVER buy
any items that use the GSP program.>>
Oh, there are much better reasons to avoid GSP listings than that. 
Excessively high-priced shipping costs,
opened and poorly repacked parcels, the resulting damaged items, the difficulty in chasing down compensation,
the often lengthy and circuitous routes, the subsequent delivery delays, items delivered to the wrong address,
automatic import charges on small, low-priced items, the lack of online support, . . .
And those are but a few of the outwardly obvious reasons to abstain from anything to do with a GSP listing.
So the best way to avoid GSP listings and keep more of your money in your wallet where it belongs, is to shop on
www.ebay.ca using a real computer (using a hand-held device may cause users to miss vital information, such as
a very different shipping fee to Canada on a GSP listing). GSP listings are, for the moment, easy to spot when scrolling
down your Search listings.
These are the listings that have written in pale grey:
Customs services and international tracking provided
That single line is your 'flag' to skip over the listing and find another seller. You might even try to find what you want
from a Canadian seller first, but using the left column under Item Location and clicking Canada Only. On small items
many Canadian sellers offer 'shipping included' or low cost shipping, - and the item never incurs import charges.
<< I'd rather throw out my item for sale than list it on eBay.>>
No no no, you must list it. It will give other Canadians something to buy as well as keeping it out of the landfill.
And no cancelling your account. It does not cost anything to keep it open and, well, you know the old saying,
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
That's just my 2.6 cents (that's listed in US dollars).
Hello 'pckeen',
<<I've just left my first piece of neutral feedback ever for a seller>>
You obviously feel quite bad about having done that, -- you must be a very kind and good person.
So now I'm going to make you feel even worse.
When any criticism of the GSP is left in feedback, the seller can have it removed.
One of the worst problems with the GSP is that sellers are unable to issue combined invoices the way they
can if just using plain old First Class mail. But that in itself is not the seller's fault, -- they didn't set it up that way.
The simply chose to remain a part of that vile program.
Furious as you are about the shipping overcharge, you did, after all, pay it. You're nicer than me, I would never
have paid $70 shipping for small items. But then, I'm such a cynic that I steadfastly refuse to even look at a GSP item.
And I always ascertain the shipping costs before I commit to buy.
Here's how I avoid GSP listings so as to always deal only with sellers who want to sell to Canadians and are thus quite
happy to combine shipping:
When conducting a Search, as I scroll down the offerings I pass by all those listings which have written in pale grey:
Customs services and international tracking provided
That way, I save as much money as possible and have no worries about the item's arrival. If it arrives broken (rarely)
I can deal directly with the seller to resolve it.
If I buy multiples, I wait for the combined invoice and pay the instant I receive it. I know the parcel will come as quickly
as the postal system allows, and there is a very good chance it will simply show up on my doorstep without import charges.
If there are charges on the package valued at over $20 Cdn, though this seldom happens, I gladly pay what I owe.
I do all this only after I have used the left column under Item Location and tried Canada Only to see if I can buy what I want
right here without all that border crossing.
Whilst I sympathize with your ire, you did bring it upon yourself when you could have avoided it.
So learn from your mistake and do not even click on a listing using the GSP. The odds of it having a happy outcome
for you are simply not good enough.
I wish you joy of your new items 
