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.

[thestuffofchris]

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@black_antler wrote:

As a buyer there is absolutely nothing positive about the GSP. In my humble opinion, this is simply an income generator for eBay and Pitney Bowes.

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That's exactly it. The GSP was never intended to help buyers. It was meant to give US and UK sellers who were otherwise uncomfortable selling internationally a way to do so without having to ship outside their home country.

[black_antler]

Thanks for the validation!

[marnotom!]

Well, it does help buyers to the extent that if the seller's alternative to the GSP is not having the item available for international shipping at all, the buyer has an option available.

This, of course, doesn't stop a non-US buyer from having the item shipped to a US address of their own choosing and then figuring out how to get the item in their hot little hands from there.

[marnotom!]

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@black_antler wrote:

I am in Canada and purchase most of my items from the US. I truly HATE this program.

Because it is default when a seller lists an item, many sellers believe that this is the only option they have.

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I didn't realize it was a default setting.  My impression is that many if not most listings that have the GSP as a forwarding shipping method on them have had it automatically applied by eBay because the seller didn't offer international shipping options and rates on the listing.

If it is a default setting on the SYI form and the seller can't figure out how to modify that or why it may be in their best interests to do so, it strikes me that this seller may not be the brightest bulb in the crate and may be best avoiding anyway.

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@black_antler wrote:

The program adds a week or more to the shipping time: the seller has to ship the item to Pitney Bowes. It is actually quicker for me to purchase as an American and ship it to Canada via my Reship address.Occasionally it is cheaper, but even if the same, I would rather avoid GPS if only to receive my item more quickly.

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I've only purchased two items that were forwarded through the GSP, but on both occasions they reached me before items I purchased from non-GSP-using US sellers, and I purchased those items on the same day as the GSP ones.

I live on Vancouver Island, though.  YMMV if you live near a major import hub such as Mississauga.

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@black_antler wrote:

The programs adds unnecessary customs charges, plus shipping charges are always more expensive. Case in point: To ship a small plate $8.00 USPS Standard. GSP charges almost $30. I will ship the item to my Reship address, which will end up costing almost the same in the end (I pay for shipping twice) but it will always arrive days sooner.

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I'm not clear on what you mean by "unnecessary import charges" in this context. The GSP generally adds around five dollars to their calculation of taxes and duty owing on a personal import (generally items with a declared value of over C$20).  That five buck pad goes towards processing, customs clearance, documentation, etc.  Items sent by mail and stopped by CBSA get charged a ten dollar processing fee.  Items sent by UPS are charged a lot more than that.

I'm not saying the GSP isn't a pain in the patoot (although it can be advantageous for purchases of heavy items or fraud-prone items such as electronics) but in the grand scheme of things, there are worse options.  No one shipping method is perfect for everything, and it's important to remember that the GSP is basically a glorified forwarding service.

With that in mind, consider that you can always set up a US address as your primary shipping address and have your items sent there and forwarded or collected under your own steam if you wish to avoid using the GSP.

[phillipsw4]

I have been an eBay member since 1999.  This Global Shipping program has basically shut down my purchases as the postal charges are outrageous.  For example:  I wanted to buy a number of "Buy it Now" items, each for about four dollars.  For each item I needed to complete the transactions, including customs and postage, before the deal was completed.  That meant I was paying separate postage for each item, even though I wanted to buy ten to twelve items.  Oh, and each item was an American, pre 1900 penny.  These easily could have been combined into one small package.  When I asked one seller to combine the two items, they received an error message from eBay telling them that each transaction had to be completed and they could not send a separate invoice.  They sent me a photo of the screen capture as proof. 

When I phoned eBay I was told:

1.  the seller must cancel the transaction

2.  The seller had to opt out of Global shipping for that item.

3.  The seller could then send me an invoice.

4.  Then the seller would opt back into Global shipping.

When I checked the process for opting out on eBay, it stated that it would take 24 hours to do so.

What seller is going to go through all that hassle to sell a few four dollar items?  Can you honestly see a seller that has hundreds of items listed, going through this procedure for each foreign buyer?

Ebay has set up a huge expense for buyers outside the states.  Personally I hope they change their system but, if they don't, I hope eBay goes broke!  

Please respond to this reply.

[femmefan1946]

The really stupid thing about all this is that eBay could set up a Warning that items under , say, $50 in value, should not be shipped under the GSP.

At one point, when they were explaining the program they actually did tell new enrollees that, but, well, who actually reads any online agreement?

There is a warning to sellers of Native American artifacts, stamps, Nazi -ish paraphenalia, tobacco related items, animal parts, etc. It tends to get skimmed and of course most experienced sellers know what is and is not covered by those warnings. New sellers often won't read them and we meet them when their sale goes pear-shaped.

I wonder if eBay couldn't even set up the GSP so that it couldn't work if the value of the item was under $XX.xx? Even if that was just something like the (also annoying) disconnect between USPS and Canada Post that affects Expedited parcels.

Or under $XX.xx the seller had to actively opt in to the GSP.

That would be helpful when a lot of low value items are being shipped together. Each may be worth $4, but 20 of them would be $80, a dent in the profit of a small seller is 'lost'.

It's a Seller Protection program with few benefits for the buyer. Even fewer for Canadian buyers who enjoy  smooth cooperation between the two postal systems.

[marnotom!]

Femmefan, I've never found useful eBay's GSP suggestions that correlate the appropriateness of the GSP with the item's selling price.  It's an oversimplification that obscures the complexities of the program.  A 15 kg item, even one priced at $49, is likely going to be less expensive to have forwarded through the GSP than to send by international parcel post.

In my opinion, a more useful rule of thumb is that anything that can be shipped fairly safely directly to most international destinations as an oversized letter is probably not a good candidate for forwarding through the GSP, but that requires a type of savvy that would be lacking in a typical US eBay seller, who would be unfamiliar with the ins and outs of international shipping.

Phillipsw4, what you've probably run into is a seller who had the Global Shipping Program automatically applied to their listings because they didn't bother setting up their listing with international shipping options and prices, and didn't block buyers with non-US addresses from purchasing their items.  This may be out of ignorance of the international interest in US items on eBay, or it may be because the seller simply doesn't care.

In the good ol' days before the GSP, that seller's listings wouldn't have shown up with a keyword search on eBay.ca.  If you were to find those listings on eBay.com, your options would have been to ask the seller if they would ship to Canada (and hope that their preferred shipping method wasn't UPS Standard) or to have the items sent to a US address for you to pick up on a trip down there, or have forwarded by whoever received them.

There's nothing to stop you from trying the same thing with a GSP listing, bearing in mind that the seller would likely have to redo the listing(s) in question to eliminate the GSP on your end if you were to pursue direct shipping.  There's also the complication that some sellers using the GSP believe they're violating some sort of eBay rule that says the GSP is "required" for international shipping, or else they're just setting themselves up for a world of hurt if they try this.  Sellers would probably be not much the wiser if you had a US address set up as your primary shipping address at the time you purchased your items and had your items sent there, rather than to Kentucky.

Just my thoughts, as you're unlikely to get anyone from eBay responding to your concerns on this thread.

[marnotom!]

I'm following my post with a link to a discussion on the .com boards that may provide a little insight into how little the GSP is generally understood by some US sellers:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Member-To-Member-Support/GSP-Erlanger-Ky/qaq-p/27375231#M1359651

[newcoyote]

Constructive? The GSP is an insulting joke and slap in the face. From now on, I will always ask sellers if they will NOT use GSP. If they do I simply will not buy from them. If they do end up shipping with GSP I will leave the most negative feedback I can to hurt the seller in the name of GSP. Why hurt the seller? If you have to ask that you are as clueless and out of touch as the people who insist GSP is so wonderful. As far as I can see GSP is universally hated by buyers. You know, the customers? Paying more for nothing and having the shipping time always be longer. Amazon Prime is looking pretty good. 

[black_antler]

Quite often, no customs charges are charged on items $40 or less but not so with the GSP. As noted in other responses, there is absolutely no breakdown of the extra charges and the GSP can be inordinatley more expensive than plain old USPS. Want to send something back? Try getting through to GSP because all you will get back is the seller portion. GSP charges are separated on your credit card, Paypal, etc. = major hassle.

I find it surprising that you are receiving items more quickly from GSP orders, given the seller has to send it to Pitney Bowes, Pitney Bowes processes it, adding their pretty stickers, then has to resend it to you. I have been waiting 3+ weeks already for something that should have arrived 2 weeks ago: at a cost more than double what it would have cost using a shipping calculator.

Program is a fail for buyers.

[black_antler]

I have opened up a US postal address to deny Pitney Bowes as many sales as possible. Often the total cost of double shipping is as much or even a little more than the GSP, but it is always faster and often without any duty on cheaper items. This, and purchasing off of ebay as much as possible. Very often the same used items are listed on Etsy.

[laurabear2013]

Bottom line. Ebay, Pay Pal , and Pitney and Bows are all raving crooks!

[femmefan1946]

It's a poor program, poorly introduced and poorly explained.

But.

Canadians are supposed to pay applicable duty and SALES TAXES on any import over $20Cdn. (~$16US).

The shipper is entitled to charge a fee for wrangling the import through customs.

PB/GST charges about $5 for this. Canada Post charges $9.95. Most couriers charge $25 or more.

CBSA has made the sensible (if questionably legal) decision to ignore most low value/low bulk imports on the basis that it would cost more to assess and collect the duty and Sales Taxes than could ever be collected. CBSA officials earn around $34 an hour and up.

EBay may get a small cut of the ~$5, or not. They may have decided that the increased fees they get from international sales are enough.

It can be worthwhile if the purchase is high value (over $50-$100) but should be avoided on items under that price.

[black_antler]

"Canada Post charges $9.95"

"Canadians are supposed to pay applicable duty and SALES TAXES on any import over $20Cdn. (~$16US).

The shipper is entitled to charge a fee for wrangling the import through customs."

I have never seen a charge of $9.95 coming from Canada Post on any of my U.S. packages, even when duty was charged. I believe that you are referring to a brokerage fee here, and yes most couriers charge this, sometimes at an egregious rate -- best to avoid. The volume of parcels coming over the border means that many of the smaller value items are not assessed for duty when using domestic mail services.

As noted earlier, the charges that arise from the Global Shipping program are not broken down into these categories, and a customer is always charged some sort of brokerage or whatever fee; even on an item less than $16USD. Additionally, customs charges may be incurred on top of the Global Shipping Fee when you receive your item! What did I just pay for? On top of that, the extra shipping time is a great annoyance for the buyer. I am entering into the fourth week of waiting for a Global Shipping order from a U.S. state where the shipping should have been no more than 7 business days.

I can't see the Global Shipping program being worth it under any circumstances, if only for the increased shipping time.

[pocomocomputing]

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@black_antler wrote:

"Canada Post charges $9.95"

"Canadians are supposed to pay applicable duty and SALES TAXES on any import over $20Cdn. (~$16US).

The shipper is entitled to charge a fee for wrangling the import through customs."

I have never seen a charge of $9.95 coming from Canada Post on any of my U.S. packages, even when duty was charged. I believe that you are referring to a brokerage fee here, and yes most couriers charge this, sometimes at an egregious rate -- best to avoid. The volume of parcels coming over the border means that many of the smaller value items are not assessed for duty when using domestic mail services.

As noted earlier, the charges that arise from the Global Shipping program are not broken down into these categories, and a customer is always charged some sort of brokerage or whatever fee; even on an item less than $16USD. Additionally, customs charges may be incurred on top of the Global Shipping Fee when you receive your item! What did I just pay for? On top of that, the extra shipping time is a great annoyance for the buyer. I am entering into the fourth week of waiting for a Global Shipping order from a U.S. state where the shipping should have been no more than 7 business days.

I can't see the Global Shipping program being worth it under any circumstances, if only for the increased shipping time.

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The rules exist. Enforcement is another issue. Please note that the $9.95 fee is referred to as a handling fee.

Canada Post website

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGcustoms-e.asp#1382719

Any item mailed into Canada is potentially subject to duty and/or taxes with few exceptions. Visit the CBSA website at cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/menu-eng.html for more information on mail imports. The CBSA collects provincial sales taxes (PST) on most taxable imports valued at over $20CAD entering Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The CBSA also collects Harmonized Sales Taxes (HST) on most taxable imports entering Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Ontario.

A handling fee of $9.95CAD per dutiable or taxable mail item is applied. This fee is in line with the government’s efforts to help recover costs from those who benefit from services, and is similar to arrangements in the United States and other countries.

CBSA website

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/menu-eng.html

Note: Canada Post charges a handling fee to process goods imported as mail that is subject to duty and/or tax. If the item is duty-free and tax exempt, no amount is charged. Visit Canada Post for more information.

[902ljb]

I have been buying on EBay for over 10 year,s,I,m a collecter of old fly fishing gear and I know there,s something not right about this Global Shipping Program.Nothing like stating the obvious .I too refuse to buy from seller,s who use it,it worked great prior to this system being put in place.Like other,s have stated,it,s not worth it,for example,I was interested in buying an antique fly tying vise but the duty,exchange and shipping being predetermined cost about double what the item was worth.If people don,t know that EBay amasses million,s of dollar,s before this was implicated,it just turn,s out to be pure greed.It,s just another way of squessing more money out of buyer,s pocket,s,not my pockets,I,m done buying.So like all good thing,s,they can,t leave good enough alone and the **bleep**s ruin it for just about everyone.

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kalvin@ebay.com wrote:

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.

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G.S.P.

[reallynicestamps]

"kalvin@ebay.com" has not worked for eBay Canada for some years.

It makes more sense to address comments to the member who you are discussing this (badly introduced, badly explained, and badly run) program.

BTW-- When discussing the cost of shipping to Canada under the program, this might be useful.

Note that most sellers will automatically use the Priority service but the somewhat cheaper Shape and Size service is still not cheap.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

The point of using these is that the US seller is convinced that he MUST track everything. International tracking is included in these services, but they are no bargain.

[warp-one-engage]

I am a Canadian who buys a lot of products on eBay, mostly from the USA. I am having trouble finding many listings that do not use the GSP..... It is an absolutely awful program and I refuse to buy any listings that use GSP. I wanted to buy a DVD box set worth about $35 USD.... lots of listings, but all of them use the GSP. When I click Buy it Now.... the invoice page adds another $7 USD to the total for the GSP! That is insane!! There would not usually be any additional fees on this item when delivered by USPS/Canada Post. The GSP is a great way to ruin eBay for Canadians! All the money I used to spend on eBay from US sellers, is now going to Amazon.ca. The stuff I buy costs a dollar or two more from Amazon, but I sleep better knowing my money is not going to the GSP! Way to ruin eBay!

[marnotom!]

Am I reading the last two complaints about the GSP correctly?

The first complaint is that eBay is greedy because the GSP is charging buyers for the taxes and duty that the GSP pays and remits on the buyers' behalf.

The second complaint is that the GSP charges buyers for the taxes and duty that the GSP pays and remits on the buyers' behalf, so the way around this is to shop at another site where buyers pay more for similar items and have to pay HST or GST/PST on top of that.

I'm perplexed.  Better get some breakfast and coffee into me.

[89j-riv-car]

I living in Canada doesn't help one bit, actually I see it more as a deterant. I pay higher rates on items within the US than previously. I see it more as a government gain, then as buyers perspective. I purchase an item along with shipping already at a high price, then am hit with an additional fee, complete nonsense. Us as Canadians factoring exchange rates, and now exorbitant rates for the GSP, If I had a crystal ball, I am guaranteed more Canadians will due less business with cross border eBay services, and do more within our country, GSP .. ... complete waste!! Of dollars and time.