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.

[lmjsk]

then you also get the people who charge outrageous amounts for shipping fees alone 20-30 dollars shipping on an item thats the side of a folded up game board ? some sellers need to get with the program as well

[femmefan1946]

There would be neither duty nor sales tax on an item (or group of items) valued at $13 US.

The duty free maximum is $20 (about $18 USD)

Either the seller chose a very expensive shipping method or PB/GSP made a huge booboo.

I'd go with the seller, since eBay tells sellers (poorly) not to use GSP on items priced under $50 USD.

Hmm. In this case, I'd file a dispute. Not As Described. PB does not seem to want these items returned.

[afantiques]

Board won't show latest post or posts

The only way to see the last post is to post something.

[afantiques]

Hmm. In this case, I'd file a dispute. Not As Described. PB does not seem to want these items returned.

Only in cases of damage in transit. But this item is presumably not damaged..........

[lmjsk]

52.10 ? what was the package made out of gold?

[8297wayne]

I have been buying and selling on e-bay for quite a few years now.   Shipping costs have always been an issue, with some sellers having no idea how to compute costs, or any idea about Customs or Duties.

Since  e-bay introduced its Global Shipping Program, cost have gone out of sight, and shipping times have increased.

How can you expect a reasonable cost  when  a parcel that is going to Canada, first has to be sent to Erlanger Ky., then by a series of couriers to the border where it is processed by a customs broker, then by courier again to your local Canada Post office, and then they deliver it.  EXPENSIVE AND SLOW.   Also most parcels from the US to Canada are not assessed any duty or tax if sent by post.

I have tried using the Global Shipping Program several times, and have even been given credit for excess shipping costs by e-bay, but in each case it was such a hassle, and took so long, I am totally  put off.    I will not EVER bid on items listed that use the ill conceived Global Shipping Program!

It's time for e-bay to either FIX IT OR SCRAP IT......

[bobenis]

---

@afantiques wrote:

Now I have filed, via Paypal, a dispute and both the seller and I are totally confused as to how this is going to be handled once escalated to Paypal.

There is no need for confusion. The seller can simply forget about it (although his funds will be frozen for a short time) and you as the buyer will get a full refund and can discard the item.

An item that arrives damaged will always be considered the responsibility of the re-shipper, as in theory they do not forward damaged items.

The process for damaged GSP item claims is actually notably better than the basic ebay one  as there is no need for the buyer to spend money returning useless broken items. Or spend time arguing the toss with ebay sellers of varying ability.

It is important that buyers with GSP items that have even a trace of damage should start claims for damage in transit/not as described. The GSP has insurance, and there is no way they are going to improve the quality of the forwarding until the insurance company refuses any further cover.

---

Well you were 100% correct!!

I received this on Oct 30th from Paypal:

Dear Bobenis,

We've finished investigating your claims, and we've decided both cases in
your favor.


Because the global shipping provider was at fault, you'll receive a full
refund in the amount of $311.33 USD. Please allow up to 5 days for the
refund to appear in your PayPal account. After the refund is complete,
we'll close the case.


We value your business and hope that your future purchases go more
smoothly. For more information about your case, log in to your PayPal
account and click Resolution Center.

Excellent news, right?

Until I JUST got this email from Paypal, this late at night!?

What is Paypal doing here?

Hello Bobenis,

Our records indicate that we have not yet received tracking information
confirming that you returned the following items to the seller:
- 000000000 - Sony STR-DN1040 7.2 Channel AV Network Receiver with
Built-in Wi-Fi & Bluetooth

Tracking information is important because it confirms that you returned the
item to the seller and are eligible for a refund.

-----------------------------------
What To Do Next
-----------------------------------

Please log in to your PayPal account and visit the Resolution Center to
provide this tracking information.

-----------------------------------
Deadline: 11/8/2014

This is ridiculous!!

So GSP and Pitney Bowes damaged the item, it arrives to me with clear evidence that Pitney resealed it and was damaged as a result due to that poor repacking, and Paypal first confirms with me that it was Pitney Bowes fault and I will get a refund then some other fool changes my claim without reading the details and I a responsible for paying a good $70 to ship this back by Nov 8th or I don't get anything back!?

WHAT the hell is going on here?

Looks like ebay has changed their tune once again and they have gone against their own policy here because they are at fault, they clearly state the seller cannot get negative feedback via GSP because if the item is damaged on the Pitney to buyer leg of transit they are responsible.

So now the seller has to refund me, is left with a once working and now damaged item and I am out $70 in return shipping?

[ciny2k]

"So now the seller has to refund me, is left with a once working and now damaged item and I am out $70 in return shipping?"'

That's just marvelous, isn't it? Hopefully this kind of idiocy will get the American sellers just as disgusted with the GSP as it has us, and with enough backlash from their end, the program will be junked.  It sucks to have to pay return shipping on defective items (I've had to, too. What an asinine waste of time and money) but I wonder if they have seller protection for this, if your seller will be reimbursed for the item? What a **bleep**show this GSP is. 

[i.am.canuck]

It looks like eBay Canada is close to being defunct. To actually look for products within Canada is a waist of time.  I started buying and selling when the Canadian dollar made sales in American currency was worth our while. Canada Post cashed in on this, hence  the outrages shipping charges from the states, import charges and lets face it, our Kijiji (now owned by eBay), I search for items with worldwide free shipping.

I just looked at an item in the states that I was considering ...

$20

$44 shipping

$16 import charge

[momcqueen]

That's the Global Shipping Program offered on ebay.com. If you look closely at your search results, there are ways to filter it that will restrict your results to within Canada. 

[bobenis]

Yeah but my biggest concern is how PP 1st said it was the GSP's fault and I would be refunded in 5 days and then someone last night changed the case info to something totally different!

[bobenis]

Not only that but WHY am I responsible for 70 to 90 dollars in shipping when it was ebay's 3rd party shippers fault for the damages and Paypal even agreed to it and then changed their minds after they sent me an email with proof.
I mean I could go to a lawyer over this as I have proof and then they changed it 3 days later!?

[bobenis]

Just called PP and the dude was awesome.
He totally admitted it was their mess up and looked to be a system automation issue that somehow flipped the claim to me having to return it, the 1st time he had seen this happen so he did some work and managed to correct the mix up.
Glad it worked out, that is for sure.

[femmefan1946]

The import charge is made up of duty (on items manufactured outside of NAFTA countries) plus Canadian sales taxes plus a $4-$5 service charge.

Imports are assessed for duty if the value is over $20 CDN ( about $18 USD). Even if an item is not dutiable, sales taxes are still applicable.

The $20 limit has not changed since 1985. Americans can import $200USD (with agitation to raise it to $800) and Australians can import $1000 AUD.

EBay has started a campaign to have this raised. The eBay Canada head wrote an article for the Financial Post last week about it.

You can add your voice by writing:

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, PC, MP

House of Commons

OTTAWA ON K1A 0A6

Bonus! You don't have to stamp the envelope. Just note OHMS on the front.

[bobenis]

Appears ebay has increased (or Pitney perhaps) the import charges as multiple of the same items at the same BIN prices in my watch list.

They were all $11 shipping and $13 import and now that import has jumped to $27?!

That should win people over for sure .

[bobenis]

OK they just dropped back to $13, bizarre yeah?
I have a feeling that import fees are going up and they are testing things out.

[femmefan1946]

You mean the service fee portion? Because there has been no change that I've heard of in the duty or sales taxes.

If so, the change would be from $4or $5 to over $20. More like UPS ($25+) than Canada Post ($10).

[highland.2112]

My sentiments exactly. Why else would I VOLUNTARILY PAY 30% MORE for an item?

Oh yeah, to PROP UP an already extremely profitable American company!

This whole mentality of cash-grubbing is just so ... extremely rich!

They have to get more creative than GSP - like just charging Canadians 20% more because we're, um, Canadian.

[bobenis]

---

@femmefan1946 wrote:

You mean the service fee portion? Because there has been no change that I've heard of in the duty or sales taxes.

If so, the change would be from $4or $5 to over $20. More like UPS ($25+) than Canada Post ($10).

---

No no, the Import Charges went from $13 to $26 for about an hour and then dropped back down to $13 on  $160US tablets I have been watching.

[shoptilludrop_159]

As a canadian, the gps is a joke. I've spent months avoiding it and finally got hit with it. Nothing like having the price of my items triple. Let's factor in almost all prices are in u.s. So I have to pay the exchange, the sellers shipping charge, then the gps fees. I don't think so. If US sellers want to make less in their auctions, set yourself up the gps. I love to spent big bucks on shopping but not no more on ebay. All I have to say is.... Thank you ebay for saving me hundreds of dollars by not shopping on ebay as much.