GSP GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM

[fishman555555]

i want to question wrong duty charged but under buyer terms and conditions, it states ..  

The making of export classifications and assigning Harmonized System classification codes requires expertise. You will defer to the expertise of Pitney Bowes in performing this task and will not question the export classifications made by Pitney Bowes on your behalf or the Harmonized System classification codes so assigned by Pitney Bowes.   .......

SO WHEN DID I GIVE UP MY RIGHTS TO SIMPLY GIVE THEM NOTICE OF THEIR ERROR? really want to know!

[ypdc_dennis]

Lawyerese saying you can't sue Pitney Bowes on that issue. Also probably there to cut down on the number of complaints they actually have to deal with.

You do have the right to complain to the Canadian government that Pitney Bowes is not doing a proper job.  Pitney Bowes answers to them when it comes to customs processing.

-..-

[marnotom!]

Are you sure you were charged the “wrong duty”? I’ve never seen a breakdown of the “import charges” for an item forwarded through the GSP.

“Import charges” are comprised not only of duty, but applicable taxes and various customs-related processing charges.

My sense is that you’re objecting to the processing charges, not an overcharge of mere “duty”.

But to answer your question, when you elected to use the services of the Global Shipping Program, you also agreed to the terms and conditions of the Program.

[pjcdn2005]

The import fees that show on the listing include gst/hst, duty and  handling fees. As PB doesn't break done their fees, how do you know what the duty  is on the item? Would you mind saying what the item is and what the import fees are and where the item was made? Perhaps someone here can help.

If you aren't happy with the import fees that are stated just before you checkout, the only real 'right' you have is to not make the purchase. Pitney Bowes who runs the gsp does not usually deal with ebay buyers directly.  You can complain to ebay customer service although I don't how if that will help.

[fishman555555]

i am aware of your points. it is the wrong duty charged. all these items are easily calculated.

also, i did not elect any GSP.

[fishman555555]

i am aware of your points. it is the wrong duty charged. all these items are easily calculated.

as for import fees noted prior to purchase, it showed $0.00.

[fishman555555]

i have the catalogue of all the duty charges. someone who is lazy or not knowledgeable may place a general duty, whereas it should be a specific duty.

the item(s) i am most concerned with is numismatics and art. in categories that are assessed 0 % duty.

it is a very specialized and knowledgeable person who would assess the proper duty. need to know the age,  among other things for proper assessment.

[fishman555555]

good points!

[marnotom!]

A listing for an item forwarded through the GSP with “$0.00” in import charges is one where the import charges have been added to the shipping charge instead. If you’re able to tease out how much of the amount earmarked for shipping actually goes towards duty, more power to you.

The calculation of import charges on a GSP forwarded item is only as accurate as the information the seller provides on the item and the appropriateness of the category in which the seller placed the item. This calculation is all done by a computer, not a human, and is considered an estimate, just as someone putting a new roof on your house will give you an estimate on the cost of the job, rather than add up every single nail, shingle, minute of labour, litre of gas required for transportation. . .you get the idea.

Pitney Bowes is the entity on record for paying duties and taxes owing on a GSP forwarded item, not the buyer. The “import charges” are the mechanism for reimbursing Pitney Bowes, and then some, so I suspect it would take the line of reasoning that you can’t be overcharged for something for which you technically didn’t pay. 🤷🏻

[fishman555555 · Accepted solution]

some very good points.

it seems from the responses received so far  ... it is a simple situation that has very complex and sometimes confusing responses. the correct answer is usually the most straight-forward and simple.

i simply want a way to submit a correction to the duty charged. such as when  foreign package arrives at the door and it has a slip with the charges delineated .. and if they used the wrong duty %, (which happens to the best of people at one point or another) , you fill out the back of the form with the reason the duty category is wrong and should be revised. in a few weeks, you receive a refund of the overcharge.

there is no reason the GSP should not have this! it is simple .. and where else do you get charged incorrectly without the right to query to correct an overcharge of the institution/business ??!!! this also would make pitney more efficient, and they would learn from their mistakes. duty calculation is complex and mistakes will happen.

[fishman555555]

i do not read the terms and conditions for almost all computer things. i didnt read the GSP terms and conditions until after the fact of an overcharge on duty. i didnt even know at the time there were such things!

my bad. usually consumer protection takes care of the auto opt-in, which is illegal in canada. the GSP seems to me as a auto opt-in product.

[psmi5374]

global shipping should be optional ..at present it deters purchasing from US vendors who use it.USPS better option.Bad for all business except Pitney does ebay get a kick back from this extortion

[marnotom!]

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@psmi5374 wrote:

global shipping should be optional ..at present it deters purchasing from US vendors who use it.USPS better option.Bad for all business except Pitney does ebay get a kick back from this extortion\

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You've tacked onto a pretty old thread that's likely to be shut down, but here I go with some responses anyway.

The Global Shipping Program may deter you from purchasing from US (and UK?) vendors, but remember, it's called the Global Shipping Program and not the Canada shipping program for a reason: It serves about 100 other countries in addition to ours.  There are many buyers in countries with problematic postal systems and/or customs bureaux who actual welcome the program because they stand a better chance of actually receiving their item this way.

The program doesn't work so well for us in Canada because of our geographical proximity to the United States and the fact that a lot of the barriers to trade with that country have been dealt with over the course of the past half three-quarters of a century or so.  While sellers can exclude Canada from GSP shipping and ship to us directly, the fact is that sales to Canada make up such a small fraction of most US eBay sellers' sales that it's not really worth the time and trouble for them to do so.  You can certainly ask these sellers if they want to make an exception for you, but don't be surprised if these sellers don't even realize they've opted into the program or if they don't know what street Canada is on.

You also have the option of having your item sent to a US address of your choice and forwarded from there, or picking it up yourself if and when it's possible to do so.

While the GSP may be a pain in the tuckus for us Canadians in most circumstances, many Canadian buyers don't seem to understand that many US sellers would likely not ship to Canada if the program didn't exist.

[femmefan1946]

it is the wrong duty charged. all these items are easily calculated.

also, i did not elect any GSP.

Then why is the title of this thread "GSP Global Shipping Program"?

While it is true that the seller is the one choosing GSP, just as it is the seller who chooses whether she will use untracked LetterMail or Priority Post /signature confirmation, when the buyer agrees to purchase, he agrees to her terms, including her choice of shipping.

Another point.

You didn't pay any duty or any sales taxes.

You paid GSP an import fee which covers duty, sales taxes and a service charge which are then paid by GSP.

Not you.

If the import fees don't cover the duty and sales tax applicable, GSP pays the extra. If the import fees are greater than the duty and sales tax applicable, GSP puts them in their cookie jar to cover those that were too low.

From the GSP point of view, too high and too low are a wash by the end of the year.

It is a little wibbly-wobbly , timey-wimey. 

But if you were happy with your cost at the time of purchase, there is no reason to get your knickers in a twist now.

[pjcdn2005]

Hopefully the poster has their 'knickers' untwisted since it has been over 6 months since they posted.

[highland.2112]

Good point. Except they (Pitney/EBay} don't allow it to be optional because it is such a cash-grab for them. i have personally reduced buying on EBay with American global shippers by over 80 percent over the past 2 years, I would encourage everyone to do the same. It has saved me A LOT of money, folks!
And to every American I buy from who has elected NOT to use the GSP, I personally thank!

[highland.2112]

Thanks femmefan fatale, your knickers aside.

[reallynicestamps]

Except they (Pitney/EBay} don't allow it to be optional because it is such a cash-grab for them.

It is optional for US and UK sellers, who are a paranoid and xenophobic bunch.

The GSP is a Seller Protection program that soothes these terrified snowflakes enough that they will allow non-US buyers.

We're talking abouit people who don't think Hawaii or Puerto Rico are parts of the USA.

And to every American I buy from who has elected NOT to use the GSP,

Ah.

So you do realize it is optional.

The GSP seller ships domestically which can be cheaply tracked. The seller's responsibility for delivery ends at the GSP plant.

The GSP charges "import fees" to cover duty, Sales Taxes, and a ~$5 service charge.

This protects the seller from the common export scam, in which the (often German) buyer claims non-delivery, and once refunded, trots down to the customs house, and collects his purchase for only the price of the duty.

Sellers are protected from damage in transit claims, since damaged parcels are not accepted by the GSP plant but takes responsibility on those that happened after acceptance .

There are almost no benefits for the buyer, except that the GSP seller would not be selling internationally if it were not for the GSP.

It will be interesting to see if there are different complaints now that under the new NAFTA, our duty-free allowance has risen to $150 but the tax-free allowance is only $40.

[canadarocks]

The so-called Global Shipping is a cash grab and slows your item in transit by 300%.  Obviously this is another stream of cash for ebay from already overpaying Canadian buyers. We have a massive loss of money from the exchange rate, and shipping is pricey as well. Then ebay doesn't allow us to avoid the GSP if the seller opts for it. They make it appealing for the sellers, but it's dreadful for Canadian buyers. I haven't had to pay duty for a purchase in years, except when I paid through the GSP.  I now tell sellers that I would have purchased a certain item if they weren't using the GSP.  If every Canadian buyer did this, maybe US sellers or ebay itself would get the point and stop using it.  I've probably not purchased a couple dozen silver coins because of it in just the last few months.  ebay...scrap the GSP.  

[marnotom!]

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@canadarocks wrote:

The so-called Global Shipping is a cash grab and slows your item in transit by 300%.  Obviously this is another stream of cash for ebay from already overpaying Canadian buyers. We have a massive loss of money from the exchange rate, and shipping is pricey as well. Then ebay doesn't allow us to avoid the GSP if the seller opts for it. They make it appealing for the sellers, but it's dreadful for Canadian buyers. I haven't had to pay duty for a purchase in years, except when I paid through the GSP.  I now tell sellers that I would have purchased a certain item if they weren't using the GSP.  If every Canadian buyer did this, maybe US sellers or ebay itself would get the point and stop using it.  I've probably not purchased a couple dozen silver coins because of it in just the last few months.  ebay...scrap the GSP.  

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Your post is about six years too late, I'm afraid.

Consider that the GSP serves about 100 other countries in addition to ours, many of them more populous than Canada, such as Germany, France, the UK and even Poland--Poland!  Canada really doesn't make much of an impact on most US (or other non-US) eBayers' sales.  Sellers do have the ability to exclude Canada (or other countries) from GSP-shipping and ship directly under their own steam instead of having the GSP forward the item after the seller has shipped it to Kentucky, but I suspect most US sellers would feel this to be unnecessary extra work for too little reward.

Most of your other points re: transit time, costs, etc. have been dealt with in this thread already.  You may find them interesting reading.