Comments about the Global Shipping Program

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

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Comments about the Global Shipping Program

One of the biggest problems with GSP is that the system is not made to handle combined purchases, resulting in higher shipping costs than would be otherwise paid.  It also results in two handling charges by Pitney Bowes.

 

The money paid to Pitney Bowes represents:

2 shipping charges from Pitney Bowes to you in Canada

2 service (brokerage) charges

2 bills for taxes (GST/HST/PST depending on your province).

 

Unfortunately many American sellers offer GSP when they should not.  eBay advises sellers NOT to use the program is their average products sells for less than $50.

 

All you can do is what most Canadian buyers do: avoid purchasing any items on eBay offered by sellers requesting GSP (shown on both the search pages and in the listings) unless it is an expensive items and the numbers (shipping + fee) make sense. 

 

Taxes when assessed by Canada Customs on postal parcels are the same as charged through Pitney Bowes.

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Exactly.

Royal Mail Airmail is a bit expensive, but nothing like Global Shipping .

I don't feel cheated.

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Will be shopping exclusively from Canadian sellers like you, now.

I've been looking around & finding some great stores I'd totally missed before.

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In total agreement with you.

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Comments about the Global Shipping Program

 

But I really don't think it's the sellers' fault.

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Comments about the Global Shipping Program

robmcc1
Community Member

Hi Kalvin,

Personally, this whole Global Shipping Program has been a negative addition to eBay, especially for us Canadian buyers. Like others have mentioned, you really didn't know what the costs would be until you made a commitment to purchase. My first experience was with a $200.00 jersey that would have normally cost around $20.00 to ship with USPS. I almost fell over when the GSP added an additional $75.00 to final price!! Almost $100.00 to ship a 2lb jersey in the mail? Are you kidding me? I never would have made that purchase if I had known the total shipping costs. I don't see any added benefit with the GSP. It doesn't ship any faster and I can still track my packages without it. As far as this brokerage and customs nonsense, it just seems like a money grab. I live on the Michigan border and go the U.S. on a regular basis. I've rarely, if ever, been hit with duty on anything coming back from the U.S. under $200.00. So why are having to cough up extra money for small dollar purchases? My second and last experience was for a $25.00 item, but cost $40.00 to ship (only $15.00 was actual shipping cost). The only reason I made that purchase was because the value of the item was still under even with the GSP. Bottom line is I think eBay took a step backwards with the GSP and I'll be passing on a lot of potential purchases because of it.

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@robmcc1 wrote:
I've rarely, if ever, been hit with duty on anything coming back from the U.S. under $200.00. So why are having to cough up extra money for small dollar purchases?

When it comes to importing by mail or commercial carrier, anything with a declared value of $20 is subject to taxes (and duties, if applicable).  For some items, there isn't even a $20 "tax free limit".

 

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

 

It's just that Canada Border Services doesn't assess and collect those taxes due on every single eligible item. 

 

Commercial carriers, on the other hand, are legally required to ensure that applicable taxes and duties get paid on qualifying items.

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"WE "collect..... Who is "WE"?

"Accepted by "US" - by whom?

In whose employ is this "community member"?

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"WE "collect..... Who is "WE"?

 

PitneyBowes

 

 

"Accepted by "US" - by whom?

 

Pitney Bowes

 

The money is paid to the CBSA on entry of the consignment for import clearance. Most of it anyway.

 

In whose employ is this "community member"?

 

Not ebay's anyway.

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I cant understand why people keep  claiming to be hit with surprise fees, unless they failed to read the listing and especially the page between buying and paying which does allow the buyer to opt out of BIN purchases before paying.

 

The main page of all GSP listings has a shipping details option you can check.

 

I can understand not buying and in fact advocate it, find a competent seller instead, but buying and then complaining is like saying shooting yourself in the foot hurts. Well, yes. It does.

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"In whose employ is this "community member"?"

 

It may help you to take a look at my "about me" page.  It will tell you I am now semi-retired. For the last sixteen years I had been a self-employed stamp dealer, selling stamps through eBay, other online venues, my website and directly to my customers (dealers and collectors).

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I myself do not understand this new Global Shipping thing. I do not need eBay or Sellers to save me import costs! First of all it is RANDOM when our customs in Canada charges us import fees!

 

It has to do with when your purchases are over a certain amount of money so eBay having Sellers charge us import fees at almost every purchase does not save us anything at all and it just ensures a third company makes money off both the Buyer and the Seller.

 

Sellers, I implore you to NOT use this ridiculous Global Shipping it is ripping us BOTH off! I am happy to pay customs at my post office when required. I know it is to happen from time to time here.

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This bull**bleep** of Global Shipping is ruining what used to be a fun experience of shopping on eBay has always been for this Canadian. My heart sinks when I check out an item and see that import money tacked on!

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i second that motion.

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Sellers, I implore you to NOT use this ridiculous Global Shipping it is ripping us BOTH off!

 

You are posting to the Canada Board. Canadian sellers are not eligible to use the Global Shipping Program.

Go over to eBaydot COM and post there.

 

BTW, eBay does tell US sellers not to use the program for items priced under $50. pierrelebel crunched the numbers and counsels that a better cutoff would be  $100.

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@ricki865 wrote:

This bull**bleep** of Global Shipping is ruining what used to be a fun experience of shopping on eBay has always been for this Canadian. My heart sinks when I check out an item and see that import money tacked on!


Why doesn't it show up when you view the listing?

 

And does your heart sink when you purchase an item from a store and see the sales taxes on the receipt?

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@femmefan1946 wrote:
 

BTW, eBay does tell US sellers not to use the program for items priced under $50. pierrelebel crunched the numbers and counsels that a better cutoff would be  $100.


I've found the occasional item selling for less than US$50 that's actually seems a fair deal with the GSP shipping charges and import charges, provided the buyer is prepared to pay the taxes owing on the item in the first place.

 

It does make me wonder if some people realize that these "import charges" are generally the taxes they'd be paying on the same item if they purchased it from a Canadian brick and mortar retailer, plus a service fee (that's often better than what Canada Post charges, at least on the items I've found).

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It may help you to take a look at my "about me" page.  It will tell you I am now semi-retired. For the last sixteen years I had been a self-employed stamp dealer, selling stamps through eBay, other online venues, my website and directly to my customers (dealers and collectors).

 
 
He comes from a very remote region of Canada where they all look like that. It is well known that ebay will not  employ people with huge ears and grey faces.
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this is actually nothing to do with ebay I suspect. Please see about the surtax imposed on a ton of goods being imported from the US, this is a retaliatory measure imposed by the canadian government in response to a trade dispute with the US. McCarthy Tetrault issued a press release about this retaliatory 100% surtax increase on the import of goods into Canada. So if you import from any company in the US, you will see some changes. Ebay may just be following through with the recent changes brought about by this trade dispute.  Call your federal MP to complain.

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You have great imagination!

 

http://www.mccarthy.ca/article_detail.aspx?id=6470

 

This has absolutely nothing to do with the program announced a year ago by eBay (GSP) which allows American sellers to ship worldwide (Canada is a very small part of the worldwide market) through Pitney Bowes.

 

What is there to complain with the MP?

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