eBay

kalvin@ebay.com · ‎09-26-2013

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.

~Kalvin
eBay.ca Community Manager

kalvin@ebay.com

walker0017 · ‎12-08-2014

@pierrelebel wrote:
It is important to read and understand a recent announcement on eBay.com:

http://announcements.ebay.com/2014/12/sellers-extra-protection-now-available-when-you-ship-to-34-cou...

The key sentence refers to a 27% increase in international trade. In other words, American sellers have benefited from GSP by getting additional overseas sales.

Sales to Canada may have declined but Canada has never been that important in the big picture. Europe has ten times the population and buying power not to mention Asia.

As stated so many times by so many posters in this long thread, GSP is not suitable for most Canadian buyers in most instances. However, it works well for many American sellers, increasing their sales and profit.

I read it and really don't give a flying fig about it. As for the rest, that is all good and fine but it does not change my comments in the least or as I stated what could be the eventual endgame to this sorry affair which is this is short term profit but in the long run eBay will lose their customer base because they can no longer be trusted. That 27% increase is I suspect most likely done by first or second time buyers or ones who haven't clued into this program and do not know any better unlike experienced repeat buyers who won't use it knowing they will be getting screwed around by the GSP and their lets repackage things shipping center. I also have my doubts about the accuracy of that 27% number since it no doubt includes all of those items that are not suitable for the GSP but are still there which is probably why eBay has never even attempted to fix that flaw in the program, big surprise. As for the US sellers, the willing GSP enrollees are only happy with sales be it with or without the GSP and truth be told most would sell to the devil if they could make a buck doing it as long as they didn't have to fill out customs paperwork. eBay's biggest competitors will be Amazon and some of those eBay clone sites which are gaining popularity thanks to this GSP gem and have been popping up these past 2 years.

I am also well aware that the GSP is not suitable for most Canadian Buyers as you have repeatedly stated on countless occasions because if it were suitable there would not be this 4000 plus posts or even this topic page for eBay to ignore nevertheless it does not invalidate my comments or my opinion WRT this.

007steveb16 · ‎12-09-2014

Heaven forbid any of you buy Canadian eh!?

007steveb16 · ‎12-09-2014

Access to the cheaper US market for so many years has created some sort of "entitlement syndrome" with a lot of Canadian buyers.

Now that things are changing, people are throwing a fit and saying "I'm done with eBay".

It's a slap in the face to all of us Canadian sellers who work so hard to compete in this market.

If you love saving a buck so much, why not abandon being Canadian altogether and move down there

The narrow mindedness of most of these posts astounds me...

Avoid the GSP!!

Is it so hard to comprehend the sense in that??!!

walker0017 · ‎12-09-2014

@007steveb16 wrote:
Access to the cheaper US market for so many years has created some sort of "entitlement syndrome" with a lot of Canadian buyers.

Now that things are changing, people are throwing a fit and saying "I'm done with eBay".

It's a slap in the face to all of us Canadian sellers who work so hard to compete in this market.

If you love saving a buck so much, why not abandon being Canadian altogether and move down there

The narrow mindedness of most of these posts astounds me...

Avoid the GSP!!

Is it so hard to comprehend the sense in that??!!

I buy Canadian when the price is competitive but it gets frustrating when some Canadian sellers have the lowest price for an item but they make up for it with higher than normal shipping which seems to be a tactic the US sellers use as well and that shipping cost is higher than even from overseas.

As a buyer I will get the best value for my dollar based not how my purchase improves your inflated profit margin so if your price including shipping is not competitive then I will buy from a seller who is regardless where in the world they are. It makes no sense that I should I pay an uncompetitive price just because some Canadian seller figures I should or move out of the country, kind of either an arrogant presumption or sense of entitlement on that sellers part.

As for the GSP it adds a significant and highly unnecessary cost to items coming out of the US and UK that any buyer with an ounce of common sense neither wants or tolerates and most avoid like the plague..

highland.2112 · ‎12-09-2014

EBay Canada Community?

Ha.

I'm outta this farcical eBay US-staffed forum.

mater721 · ‎12-10-2014

"I buy Canadian when the price is competitive but it gets frustrating when some Canadian sellers have the lowest price for an item but they make up for it with higher than normal shipping which seems to be a tactic the US sellers use as well and that shipping cost is higher than even from overseas."

I agree. If Total Cost (including shipping) is reasonable I will buy from anywhere in NA.

Rarely from overseas.

fcos4796 · ‎12-10-2014

Simply to mention publicly that I will think twice before ordering on ebay from the USA again.

I am in canada.

I did not read every post but the bottom line is that it take way to long to receive my package. I think that the delays are getting very close to ordering from China.

Below is an example (no personal details).

This morning, I was very disappointed to see that my package was now in Ohio (I live in Quebec).

In Transit-Arrived at Post Office

Dec-10-14, 03:31 AM, CINCINNATI, OH 45235

In Transit-Departed USPS Facility

Dec-06-14, 04:44 AM, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113

In Transit-Arrived at USPS Origin Facility

Dec-05-14, 22:13 PM, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113

In Transit-Picked Up

Dec-05-14, 15:56 PM, SLIDELL, LA 70458

Hope i did not write anything offensive that will make this post deleted.

Frank

reallynicestamps · ‎12-10-2014

Wow, looks like eBay / PB anticipated dissatisfaction and/or outright hostility towards their program from the outset and have elected to control any negative feedback by simply erasing it.

Well, no.

The whole purpose of this badly flawed program was to encourage US sellers (a xenophobic lot) to sell outside the USA. Two problems those sellers were concerned about was negative feedback for slow delivery and for foreign import fees that they had no responsibility for.

So the GSP was set up to block feedback complaining about slow delivery and foreign duty and sales tax.

But of course the result is suspicion and anger on the part of buyers especially in countries like Canada where CBSA and Canada have decided that there is no point in collecting duty and taxes on items when the money collected is less than the cost of collecting.

The real problem is that Canada has left the duty free level at the 1985 level of $20, instead of raising it to the $200 that cross-border shoppers enjoy.

But that's not CBSA. That's the Conservative government.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-10-2014

some Canadian sellers have the lowest price for an item but they make up for it with higher than normal shipping

Unfortunately most buyers have not sent a parcel by Canada Post in... ever.

If I ship a paperback to Ontario that weighs 300 grams and is 3cm thick, about average, it will cost $13,67.

http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s2

It would be $10.66 to send the same parcel to the USA.

In any case, your strategy should always be to buy based on the lowest price, if everything else is the same.

If the item is unusual or unique of course, price is not necessarily an important factor.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-10-2014

Frank:

Normal time for delivery from the USA, in real life, not the cloudcuckooland of postal service claims, is about 20 days.

Your item has been on its way for five.

It will probably arrive before Christmas.

Anonymous · ‎12-10-2014

I did asked some sellers to send me invoice through PayPal and they claimed that they are unable to do so and what more with their GSP, they are unable to find my email address to send invoice through PayPal.

It makes me wonder that if any sellers with GSP has the feature (for sure set up by eBay without sellers' knowledge!!) that prevent them from seeing our email address for them to use to send invoices through PayPal?? It is possible because each seller said the same thing!!

I ended up paying the insane hefty shipping costs and each package arrived damaged and I had to file claim for damages and got the full refunds. It is insane that eBay still keep offering GSP when in fact, I knew eBay/Pitney Bowes are losing lots of $$$$ due to insane incompetent staff that opened to "inspect" (as if!!) and repack poorly.

I would think they would improve fast and much better but no they just kept worse and worse each time! Are they just that greedy and dumb, regardless of what???

Anonymous · ‎12-10-2014

Interesting to see your comments about "no GSP". etc in feedback. I should do the same so that other sellers would be aware and opt out of GSP if they want my business.

I understand if you left a negative feedback to your seller about GSP, it will be removed from their feedback. There is a policy that protects US sellers with GSP that we cannot leave negative feedback for using GSP (Global Shipping Program). I had left negative feedback to 2 US sellers about GSP and both of them were removed!!

And of course because of that, I changed my way of saying comments with negative feedback without saying GSP, like "horrible experience", "Poor communication" (when they refused to opt out of GSP, or send me invoice via PayPal or refuse to make me happy), etc. It worked each time.

So be careful in leaving comments about GSP with negative feedback to any US sellers with GSP, they have protection by eBay in that area!! Duh to eBay for inventing the most stupid policy and for inventing this insane GSP in the first place.

I have seen over 500+ pages of rants, vents about GSP and still eBay do nothing about it like "retiring" GSP. US sellers have a better deal like E-Delcon via eBay Shipping with fantastic reasonable postage rates with tracking numbers to Canada and International countries, so why eBay need to include GSP as well unless eBay knew GSP is a "goldmine" for them to make hefty $$$ from suckers like Canadian buyers!!

To eBay" Time to "retire" GSP like you did retired E-Bucks!!!

Anonymous · ‎12-10-2014

I had one package shipped from Spokane WA and it went to Los Angeles CA (I am in Manitoba), why on earth USPS needs to ship it from WA to CA when they should have ship it from WA to Vancouver BC then to Manitoba??

Other package went from NYC to Miami Fla then to Montreal then to Mississauga Ontario then to Manitoba. No wonder USPS has screwed up and is the one that causing the "snail" mail service and for the hefty postage rates we are paying for much slower mail service??

walker0017 · ‎12-10-2014

@reallynicestamps wrote:
some Canadian sellers have the lowest price for an item but they make up for it with higher than normal shipping

Unfortunately most buyers have not sent a parcel by Canada Post in... ever.

If I ship a paperback to Ontario that weighs 300 grams and is 3cm thick, about average, it will cost $13,67.
http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s2

It would be $10.66 to send the same parcel to the USA.

In any case, your strategy should always be to buy based on the lowest price, if everything else is the same.

If the item is unusual or unique of course, price is not necessarily an important factor.

Well I hate to disagree but this buyer has sent numerous parcels several times per year to family from BC to Ontario/New Brunswick so I do have a very good idea including ones as heavy as 7KG and I sent that one by 2 day express. For example to ship a 2.78 Kg package from BC to Toronto it cost me $18.77 with tracking which is reasonable and it gets there within a week to week and 1/2 so why should I pay some seller 25.00 to 35.00 or more shipping for a package that weighs between 1 to 2 Kg, btw the boxes used for shipping are not that expensive either as most are from reused sources.

My strategy is to sort with lowest combined price/shipping and fine tune it from there and avoid most of the outrageous shipping sellers, and even if unique or unusual the price is always an important factor to me.

chimera148 · ‎12-10-2014

Apparently, some changes are being tested.

walker0017 · ‎12-10-2014

@chimera148 wrote:
Apparently, some changes are being tested.

If they follow through this is a good thing, but why didn't they post something like this on this discussion board. Regardless IMO this is good news I think.

chimera148 · ‎12-11-2014

@walker0017 wrote:

If they follow through this is a good thing, but why didn't they post something like this on this discussion board. Regardless IMO this is good news I think.

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Wonder why they didn't make it $50.00, if they recommended sellers don't use the GSP for items valued under $50.00.

walker0017 · ‎12-11-2014

@chimera148 wrote:
@walker0017 wrote:
If they follow through this is a good thing, but why didn't they post something like this on this discussion board. Regardless IMO this is good news I think.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wonder why they didn't make it $50.00, if they recommended sellers don't use the GSP for items valued under $50.00.

I suspect it is a customs thing since anything 20 and under does not get dinged but legally could over that amount.

mater721 · ‎12-11-2014

"If they follow through this is a good thing, but why didn't they post something like this on this discussion board. Regardless IMO this is good news I think."

Seems they did follow through. A seller had an item I wanted, but it was GSP. I sent them the information about changing the International Shipping options. Low and behold, two days later GSP for listing replaced by a perfectly reasonable USPS shipping.

Unfortunately someone else seemed to appreciate that and outbid me late in the game. 😞