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.

[afantiques]

Well....well!  I just finished buying a pair of jeans from an American seller for $49.  Shipping was $17 & change.  The unexpected import charge was $19 & change.  The overall price tag at the end of this transaction was just shy of $84.

Why did you pay it at the 'commit to buy' stage when you could have simply walked away?

[afantiques]

Well, I just had my first "run-in" with the GSP.  I think it is a money making scam.  As many have mentioned, many times you do not get any customs or tax charges importing from USA into Canada.

It has also neen mentioned just about as many times that things over $20 are liable to tax, even if it is not charged in practice due to an informal exemption for small postal imports.

 Now, with this program you are guaranteed to pay it,... UP FRONT!.  And, Pitney Bowes and/or Ebay get to keep the money even if nothing goes to Canada Customs.  This is unfair.  I called the Ebay GSP agent tonight and asked about the harmonization code category used for a GSP item I purchased on ebay.

Harmonisation codes are not relevant for the collection of import sales tax. which applies to everything, more or less. You are confusing import sales tax with import duties, a different thing entirely apart from being money.

[parndts]

This was my first and will be my last purchase using GSP!!! Good bye eBay.

[miss-patel]

I have sent an email out today to BBB in California as this is where the head office of Ebay is located. GSP is a huge cash grab ripping off consumers. If you were to import something from USA to Canada the tariff is never that high. Also where is my receipt for income tax purpose? This is very unethical business. Someone should get fired for making such a program with these ridiculous amount of fees. Its no different that airlines advertising $100 fares. Than in the fine print all the other fees which equal to anywhere from $250-300. I absolutely refuse to buy from anyone using GSP program and cannot afford to pay that period! My advice look for the items elsewhere. Let ebay take the hit for their stupidity of charging over excessive fees.

[pierrelebel]

Why would you need to contact anyone to get eBay's address?

It is available from their website:

http://www.ebayinc.com/contact_us

[marnotom!]

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@parndts wrote:
This was my first and will be my last purchase using GSP!!! Good bye eBay.

---

Why would you want to punish sellers--be they from the United States, Canada, or wherever else--who don't use the Global Shipping Program?

[jgshow]

I will no longer buy from sellers using this program.  The costs to the buyer are prohibitive, including import charges that are totally bogus.  Canada does not charge import costs for most items from the US, particularly used items.  The seller gets no benefit from this, that I can ascertain except for not having to fill in customs forms.  Really!  How hard are customs forms?  They are designed to be user friendly.  I have filled in customs forms in Canad, US, Australia, Uk and France.  All are dead easy and all are virtually the same. Also, I have never had packages opened by Customs except those handled by Global Shipping.  Whoever opened the second one, simply threw the item back in the box and stuffed the packing material on top.  No attempt was made to repack the item properly.  Fortunately, the item was tough and survived.  This also means the package takes longer to get to its destination.  This program is not a good idea. 

[marnotom!]

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@jgshow wrote:

I will no longer buy from sellers using this program.  The costs to the buyer are prohibitive, including import charges that are totally bogus.  Canada does not charge import costs for most items from the US, particularly used items.  The seller gets no benefit from this, that I can ascertain except for not having to fill in customs forms.  Really!  How hard are customs forms?  They are designed to be user friendly.  I have filled in customs forms in Canad, US, Australia, Uk and France.  All are dead easy and all are virtually the same. Also, I have never had packages opened by Customs except those handled by Global Shipping.  Whoever opened the second one, simply threw the item back in the box and stuffed the packing material on top.  No attempt was made to repack the item properly.  Fortunately, the item was tough and survived.  This also means the package takes longer to get to its destination.  This program is not a good idea. 

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If you'll "no longer buy from sellers using [the GSP]" and you've got issues with the fees charged, why did you buy from a seller using the program when the fees and links to information on the program are right on the listing page?

Canada Border Services may not "charge" for many items sent by mail from the United States (or elsewhere), but that doesn't mean that the items aren't subject to being charged taxes, duty and processing fees.  That includes used items.  The GSP charges may be somewhat inscrutable, but what gets included in import charges is outlined in the terms and conditions page that you presumably read before committing to purchase from a GSP listing.  They're not "bogus" and they're generally a lot better than the charges levied by carriers such as UPS and FedEx.

[bennett4612]

Hi all. Just a quick note on a few GSP related things, as it seems like comments have increased lately. 

First off, this forum is an open one so please continue to post comments about the GSP. We (meaning eBay) are listening, and customer feedback definitely has an impact as we consider and subsequently make changes to the program. 

Second -- thanks as always to the Community members on the message boards who go out of their way to supply answers to fellow eBay users. Much appreciated there. 

And lastly, I thought it might be worth mentioning a couple basic GSP rules/etc., as they relate to some of the more recent comments on this thread. 

With the GSP, buyers see estimated charges (usually quite accurate) on the listing and then actual charges on the checkout page. This means as a buyer you do have "one last chance" to back out at this stage. 

The Buyer Terms & Conditions page isn't exactly "light holiday reading" but it does contain some really useful info:  http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

This page is more seller-focused, but it was recently revamped and contains a good summary of how the program works:  http://ebay.com/gsp

Anyway, I hope all that helps. And Happy New Year everybody. 

---Ben

[bobenis]

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@treasurechest306 wrote:

Well, I just had my first "run-in" with the GSP.  I think it is a money making scam.  As many have mentioned, many times you do not get any customs or tax charges importing from USA into Canada.  Now, with this program you are guaranteed to pay it,... UP FRONT!.  And, Pitney Bowes and/or Ebay get to keep the money even if nothing goes to Canada Customs.  This is unfair.  I called the Ebay GSP agent tonight and asked about the harmonization code category used for a GSP item I purchased on ebay.  He, said he had no way to know and it would only be known when it got to PB.  However, they seem to already know up front what the import fees are going to be because they charged me up front.  That means they either already know the code, or are charging a flat rate.  Eventually, the agent admitted that the money is all pocketed into one pool and in some cases ebay/PB will make money if actual charges are less, and will pay the full amount, but not pass on to the buyer if they are more. I am sure they calculated the probabilities and estimate of income from this before they ever put it in place.  As usual, the users are paying and lining the ebay pockets.  We have enough fees being paid already.  If they would just leave things alone and not constantly screw things up with useless changes they could probably reduce the ebay fees.

---

Oh totally.

Like I mentioned a few pages back I bought a Samsung Tablet made in Korea.

Sale price was $525 plus the $33 USPS Priority shipping and the $36 GSP customs fee.

A week later I was looking at a guitar, also made in Korea, that was currently at $265 and yet the customs fee on that was already at $56!?

How can my tablet, made in Korea and valued at $525 cost me $36 in custom fees and that guitar at half the price already be near twice the customs charges?

Also we PAY for USPS Priority via these GSP auctions however the seller is supposed to get the item to GSP within 4 days of it selling to be fully protected so of course sellers ship it USPS Priority however GSP sends it to us in Canada via the cheaper, slower, USPS Expedited...where is the justice in that?

Waiting on my cell phone now...6 days since they shipped it and Canada Post has no record of it thus far....

[bobenis]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

Why would you need to contact anyone to get eBay's address?

It is available from their website:

http://www.ebayinc.com/contact_us

---

No she said she contacted BBB to make a complaint and it just so happens to be located in the same State as ebay's head office.

[bobenis]

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@jgshow wrote:

I will no longer buy from sellers using this program.  The costs to the buyer are prohibitive, including import charges that are totally bogus.  Canada does not charge import costs for most items from the US, particularly used items.  The seller gets no benefit from this, that I can ascertain except for not having to fill in customs forms.  Really!  How hard are customs forms?  They are designed to be user friendly.  I have filled in customs forms in Canad, US, Australia, Uk and France.  All are dead easy and all are virtually the same. Also, I have never had packages opened by Customs except those handled by Global Shipping.  Whoever opened the second one, simply threw the item back in the box and stuffed the packing material on top.  No attempt was made to repack the item properly.  Fortunately, the item was tough and survived.  This also means the package takes longer to get to its destination.  This program is not a good idea. 

---

Yep.

Said this earlier...electronics, antiques, and camera gear are totally duty free here in Canada and customs rarely charges me ANYTHING when arriving in BC for items $200 or less and if they are more I pay the tax and the Canada Post $10 "handling fee".

I would far prefer that and have the seller send me the item direct via USPS Priority, which is taken over by Canada Post's Xpresspost, vs paying money to ebay and the GSP for something I would have never had to pay anything for upon arriving in Canada anyway followed by poor tracking, close to 10 days waiting time from when PB ships, and opened parcels with no padding inside!

They didn't repack my tablet and it was flopping around in the box, the all aluminium keyboard dock ended up getting bent....now me vs ebay and their owned cash grab company Paypal vs me on a dispute?

Perfect.

[treasurechest306]

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@afantiques wrote:

Well, I just had my first "run-in" with the GSP.  I think it is a money making scam.  As many have mentioned, many times you do not get any customs or tax charges importing from USA into Canada.

It has also neen mentioned just about as many times that things over $20 are liable to tax, even if it is not charged in practice due to an informal exemption for small postal imports.

TC306: Yes, that is correct.  That items over $20 are liable to tax and many or most times are not charged tax when they come in to Canada.  And what is your point in your response?  It is NOT our fault that Canada Border Services or Revenue Agencies cannot use our tax money efficiently enough to find it econonically feasible to assess and fill out paper work for ALL small items.  Why is it Ebay and PB's responsibility to begin taking up the slack for these agencies?  And why do you feel it is OK to start charging fees for the under $20 items?

 Now, with this program you are guaranteed to pay it,... UP FRONT!.  And, Pitney Bowes and/or Ebay get to keep the money even if nothing goes to Canada Customs.  This is unfair.  I called the Ebay GSP agent tonight and asked about the harmonization code category used for a GSP item I purchased on ebay.

Harmonisation codes are not relevant for the collection of import sales tax. which applies to everything, more or less. You are confusing import sales tax with import duties, a different thing entirely apart from being money.

TC306:  Ok.. you got me... Taxes have nothing to do with the codes.  BUT, the fees are being called IMPORT FEES.. not "Import Taxes" and "DUties", so I believe that the IMPORT FEES includes both the Taxes AND the duties.  I don't get any detailed break down in my paypal account clearly showing what amounts went to what parties. 

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See my responses above....

[treasurechest306]

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@afantiques wrote:

Poor original packaging is cited (in the GSP  FAQ) as one of the reasons for opening a GSP package. Presumably they'd re-pack it better, but who knows.

---

Jennie at the Ebay GSP Customer Support center told me today that they open ALL items to be sure they are packed correctly and that there are no unallowed items in the packaging.  I said it seems like a violation of seller's and buyer's rights to have a non-governmental agency opening all of our packages.  

She said "how do you know that it is not a government agent opening the items">?   I really doubt it is a US or Canada authorized agent doing the opening and repacking.. I can speak from my own experience at Canada Border crossings, and the CBSA agents do NOT repack my items after they open them.  I don't believe they will do it in bulk for Pitney Bowes, either.  Likewise for the US Border Services agents.  I think they have more important work to do than help ebay repack boxes.  

[zigartenzewel]

Here is a screen dump from USPS.COM for the $7.78 shipping charge part that I ordered and rec'vd . It's Dec 30th, Dec 14 GSP parts are STILL not here.
DATE & TIME
STATUS OF ITEM
LOCATION
December 24, 2013 , 10:08 am
Delivered
CANADA
December 21, 2013 , 4:43 am
Customs Clearance
CANADA
December 21, 2013 , 4:43 am
Processed Through Sort Facility
CANADA
December 19, 2013
Electronic Shipping Info Received
December 18, 2013 , 4:10 pm
Processed Through Sort Facility
ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)
December 18, 2013 , 3:02 pm
Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility
LOS ANGELES, CA 90009
December 18, 2013 , 3:02 pm
Arrived at Sort Facility
ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)
December 18, 2013
Depart USPS Sort Facility
LOS ANGELES, CA 90009
December 17, 2013
Depart USPS Sort Facility
GOLETA, CA 93199
December 17, 2013 , 8:23 pm
Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility
GOLETA, CA 93199
December 17, 2013 , 5:09 pm
Dispatched to Sort Facility
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
December 17, 2013 , 3:07 pm
Acceptance
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401

[bobenis]

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@treasurechest306 wrote:

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@afantiques wrote:

Poor original packaging is cited (in the GSP  FAQ) as one of the reasons for opening a GSP package. Presumably they'd re-pack it better, but who knows.

---

Jennie at the Ebay GSP Customer Support center told me today that they open ALL items to be sure they are packed correctly and that there are no unallowed items in the packaging.  I said it seems like a violation of seller's and buyer's rights to have a non-governmental agency opening all of our packages.  

She said "how do you know that it is not a government agent opening the items">?   I really doubt it is a US or Canada authorized agent doing the opening and repacking.. I can speak from my own experience at Canada Border crossings, and the CBSA agents do NOT repack my items after they open them.  I don't believe they will do it in bulk for Pitney Bowes, either.  Likewise for the US Border Services agents.  I think they have more important work to do than help ebay repack boxes.  

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PB are NOT customs agents.

Very ignorant of the ebay rep to say something like that, if she indeed did!

If they check the packaging then WHY was my tablet tossed into a much larger square box loose and shaking around?

That is why it got damaged!

[treasurechest306]

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@bobenis wrote:

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@treasurechest306 wrote:

---

@afantiques wrote:

Poor original packaging is cited (in the GSP  FAQ) as one of the reasons for opening a GSP package. Presumably they'd re-pack it better, but who knows.

---

Jennie at the Ebay GSP Customer Support center told me today that they open ALL items to be sure they are packed correctly and that there are no unallowed items in the packaging.  I said it seems like a violation of seller's and buyer's rights to have a non-governmental agency opening all of our packages.  

She said "how do you know that it is not a government agent opening the items">?   I really doubt it is a US or Canada authorized agent doing the opening and repacking.. I can speak from my own experience at Canada Border crossings, and the CBSA agents do NOT repack my items after they open them.  I don't believe they will do it in bulk for Pitney Bowes, either.  Likewise for the US Border Services agents.  I think they have more important work to do than help ebay repack boxes.  

---

PB are NOT customs agents.

Very ignorant of the ebay rep to say something like that, if she indeed did!

If they check the packaging then WHY was my tablet tossed into a much larger square box loose and shaking around?

That is why it got damaged!

---

She didn't say that the PB people are customs agents... she just asked me how I know that the packages are not being opened by authorized government agents... I guess that could mean a lot of things, but I expect that when an item is in transit from one country to another, it is normally in a "bonded" state and can USUALLY only be opened by authorized people, which SHOULD be customs agents or others authorized to do so.  Otherwise, the seller and the buyer have no way of knowing who is putting or taking what to or from the package.  Postal systems are supposed to be secure and USUALLY only opened at the origin, the destination or in between ONLY BY AUTHORIZED parties. So, I hope that the PB people are duly authorized.  Otherwise, I would think it is illegal tampering.

[marnotom!]

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@treasurechest306 wrote:

Postal systems are supposed to be secure and USUALLY only opened at the origin, the destination or in between ONLY BY AUTHORIZED parties. So, I hope that the PB people are duly authorized.  Otherwise, I would think it is illegal tampering.

---

While Canada Post may be a contractor with Pitney Bowes for delivery of items within Canada, technically speaking the Global Shipping Program isn't a postal delivery service.  (It's believed that GSP items generally travel to the destination country as part of a cargo freight shipment.)

Pitney Bowes claims that packages will be opened in circumstances dictated by "regulatory law":

http://blogs.pb.com/ecommerce/2013/07/17/global-shipping-program-faqs/

[rick31797]

. What type of packaging should the seller use to ship item(s) to the processing Center?

Sellers should choose a sturdy corrugated box Use void fill to prevent movement of commodities, in transit If commodity is fragile, wrap item with protective packaging, as needed - 

These GSP , FAQ, don't mean much of anything, they are not abiding by there own  guide-lines, just ask Bob, nobody in there right mind would put an ipad in a box with more air then packing material.

It seems they, GSP are opening alot of packages, no wonder it takes so long to get your items..

[afantiques]

Also we PAY for USPS Priority via these GSP auctions however the seller is supposed to get the item to GSP within 4 days of it selling to be fully protected so of course sellers ship it USPS Priority however GSP sends it to us in Canada via the cheaper, slower, USPS Expedited...where is the justice in that?

GSP does not use any USPS postal services.