Global Shipping Program is TRASH!!!

[b-money83]

This global shipping program is the reason i stopped using ebay in the first place, the funny thing is it's not the cost that upsets me as i know all costs before buying but the time to ship something.  I won an auction on November 4th/18, paid immediately.  Seller shipped to this the Gsp hub and tracking shows item was received and signed for on November 9th, so i my head im thinking ok, im sure this hub is busy so it could be a few days before things get moving again.  To this day the tracking just shows that the tracking info was submitted, sent an email off the other day to PB asking if there may be some sort of issue and if there was anything they needed from me.  Their response was that the item has not yet been received and i have to contact seller.  So i emailed them a picture of the tracking information showing it was signed for on the 9th and there response was, thanks for the extra information, open an item not received claim.  So this GSP basically holds nobody accountable for anything, contact seller and item shows delivered so not their problem, contact PB and they say open a claim, contact Ebay and they say wait longer, i don't mind waiting but i paid for tracking and nothing is happening.  I don't want to open a claim against the seller because honestly they sent the item like they were supposed to, i want the item not a refund, although im going to wait a few more days then get my refund but the point i i want the item.  Like i said i stopped using ebay because of this program, came back a few years later figuring the kinks were worked out only to see it's worse.  I get that shipping takes time but when things ship direct with usps they are at my door within 4 to 7 days.  No wonder people switch to Amazon, way quicker shipping even if you don't use prime.  

[marnotom!]

This post is a mess of contradictions and confusing information.  I appreciate that you're upset, but your post could benefited from a few deep breaths before composing it.

What I'm not following is your comment that the item was signed for at the Global Shipping Center in Kentucky on November according to tracking details, and then you say later on that the tracking details state that tracking information was submitted with no further information after that.

When you purchase an item that's to be forwarded (because the Global Shipping Program is essentially a forwarding service) through the GSP, you should receive a tracking code with a prefix like "UPAA".  This is the tracking code that connects the seller's tracking information to your item and to the tracking information for the item once it's in Canada.

There was a post similar to yours from another user a few weeks ago with a similar problem, and my understanding from what the buyer wrote is that they did not have a UPAA-prefixed code for tracking, only a tracking number from the seller which showed delivery in Kentucky.

The fact is, if you only have tracking information from the seller and not the GSP, that tracking information from the seller may not be for your item.  You need to use the UPAA code.  If you have a UPAA code, try entering it on https://parceltracking.pb.com/ to see if there's information associated with your item that you can't find elsewhere.  If there isn't any information that says that the item was received in Kentucky, I'd follow the advice you were given to file a "not received" claim, because while there's a chance the GSP may be at fault here, it's also possible that you're being strung along by your seller.

[reallynicestamps]

You bought on Sunday Nov 4.

The item was tracked to the GSP plant in Kentucky on Friday Nov 9.

USPS tracking ended there.

Instead GPS uses its own tracking although the shipment will be travelling as part of a larger shipment to Canada, where it NORMALLY would be transferred to Canada Post for delivery to your doorstep.

I have this information bookmarked about tracking GSP shipments coming from Kentucky to Canada.

TRACKING SYSTEM FOR GSP
It's not user friendly... But I found how to track your package via the global shipping program, once it gets to Canada you need to:
- Log on to eBay.ca
- Under the My eBay menu select Purchase History
- Under your orders find the specific order.  It should have something like the following:
        Estimated delivery Mon, Jan 11 - Thu, Jan 21
        Tracking number: Tracking number UPAAB000000#########
- Click on the UPA number.  This should open up a Shipment Details window, which should contain something like this:
     This shipment has been transferred to CPC for delivery to the final destination # 70351#########
-Click on the Canada Post number to see where the Canada Post Tracking history and expected delivery

Now about that NORMALLY.

You may not have heard, but Canada Post is dealing with rotating Strikes.

They have over 300 truckloads of product piling up at Mississauga (the usual entry point for GSP shipments to Canada).

So.

Use the italicized information and find out where your parcel was last registered as received. (Tracking doesn't tell you where something is, it tells you where it has been.)

It probably got to Canada and is still in the same truck.

As another member posted a couple of years ago.

If only eBay would put a link to https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/ in their shipping emails, this could all be avoided...

[retroman_studios]

Ok, so a few things to start with. Tracking is a huge bone of contention when it comes to GSP, so you are not alone. I've had GSP shipments where I was never assigned a UAAP number, so just because that part of tracking failed, doesn't mean anything yet.

Now, PBI isn't perfect when it comes to GSP, and sometimes they may say one thing but something else is happening.

My advice is to wait untill the estimated delivery date. I've had GSP items that had no tracking and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But they all arrived by the estimated date.

Now, to the current Canada Post issue of rotating strikes. All members of the International Postal Union have been instructed to NOT forward mail to Canada. So depending on what directions PBI recieved from Canada Post, it's possible your item is being held in the US as there is a huge backlog of parcels.

As per the GSP terms, if they can't deliver they only owe you money back.

It's not really an Amazon vs eBay thing. It's just that shipping across the border has no fewer than 20 different options when it comes to carrier, bulk shipments, consignment shipping and more. There are so many companies that offer cheap shipping in the US it's insane. But alot of the shipping takes insane times to delivery with zero tracking or really delayed tracking. So before we blame a " situation" we have to look at specifics. If you want consistent shipping, you pay a premium. And not all shipments go the way we think makes sense. Some go to Montreal or Toronto (Pearson) to be sorted then head to Vancouver, other times they go straight to YVR then to the plant at Richmond. So although you may have had some good experience with shipping in the past, this is now the exception not the rule.

[marnotom!]

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@retroman_studios wrote:

Ok, so a few things to start with. Tracking is a huge bone of contention when it comes to GSP, so you are not alone. I've had GSP shipments where I was never assigned a UAAP number, so just because that part of tracking failed, doesn't mean anything yet.

Now, PBI isn't perfect when it comes to GSP, and sometimes they may say one thing but something else is happening.

---

Pitney Bowes certainly isn't perfect, but the way the GSP is set up, my hypothesis is that shipments such as yours that go without UPAA numbers are the result of either a failure of some sort on the seller's part, or else the tracking number submitted to eBay did not get transmitted to Pitney Bowes.  After all, I think most of us will agree that the eBay websites are essentially being held together by bubble gum, paper clips and elastic bands.

[b-money83]

Guess I could have been a little more clear, I was sent a tracking number from the seller to track the item to Kentucky via usps, I also received a UPAA number from eBay or Pitney Bowes I guess, tracking with usps states item was signed for in Kentucky, UPAA tracking only says tracking info submitted, nothing more, not that it’s being processed or anything, the postal strike means nothing, then being on strike simply means Pitney Bowes should use one of the other multiple carriers to deliver the packages until Canada post figures their problems out, it’s that simple, so I’ll stick with my original statement which is that GSP is trash

[marnotom!]

If I'm understanding you correctly, the USPS tracking number only appears on correspondence from the seller and not from Pitney Bowes or eBay. Are there any other clues from the seller's information that this tracking number is for your item?

Does the seller's feedback suggest that non-delivery is not an unusual issue for them? Does he sell a lot of similar items?

[reallynicestamps]

That the USPS number shows delivery to KY means the seller is no longer responsible for delivery.

The UPAA number is the GSP tracking.

The rotating strikes started on the 22nd (here in Victoria among a couple of others) well after the purchase should have been in Canada and delivered.

I suggest that @b-money83  go to the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page and open an Item Not Recieved Dispute.

He has 30 days from the last estimated date for delivery that eBay gave him for this.

Mention in the Dispute that this is a GSP shipment. That exonerates the seller. (But it would be polite to let the seller know that this is happening, and that he is not being blamed. Except for using GSP rather than the tracked USPS First Class International Parcel service.)

The GSP has been very good about prompt refunds on undelivered items. The main question would be the eBay delivery date.

If the item arrives after refund, GSP does not want it back, and the seller has been paid.

[marnotom!]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

That the USPS number shows delivery to KY means the seller is no longer responsible for delivery.

The UPAA number is the GSP tracking.

---

My understanding is that the seller is relieved of their delivery responsibilities once the item is accepted at the Global Shipping Center.   Mere delivery may not be enough.  Remember, Pitney Bowes chooses its words very carefully when it comes to the GSP.

The UPAA number combines the seller's tracking information with the tracking information on the Canadian side of the border.  If the UPAA number is not showing the seller's tracking, my thinking is that it's not likely going to show the Canadian tracking information, either.

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

I suggest that @b-money83  go to the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page and open an Item Not Recieved Dispute.

He has 30 days from the last estimated date for delivery that eBay gave him for this.

Mention in the Dispute that this is a GSP shipment. That exonerates the seller. (But it would be polite to let the seller know that this is happening, and that he is not being blamed. Except for using GSP rather than the tracked USPS First Class International Parcel service.)

The GSP has been very good about prompt refunds on undelivered items. The main question would be the eBay delivery date.

If the item arrives after refund, GSP does not want it back, and the seller has been paid.

---

I completely concur.  The buyer should pursue a refund once they're within the timeframe to do so.  I'm not sure if the seller will be "protected" against a claim of non-delivery as we're talking about a GSP item that doesn't have UPAA tracking information that shows the item as accepted at the Kentucky Global Shipping Center, but that's not our concern.

A few other observations:  Since the item was sent with signature confirmation, this may be an item that may be too valuable for most people to send by First Class International.  And even if this seller has had a similar experience before, he really should be less cavalier with this buyer.  

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

One other thing to take into consideration when using GSP, especially now is that eventually when your package does make it Canada it still will require delivery by Canadapost. No way around that. Curious to know how Pitney Bowes is handling any packages it receives destined for Canada at this time? Are they being processed and forwarded to Canada and then sitting somewhere unscanned or being held in Kentucky until everything is resolved? All I know for sure is that once they do arrive in Canada and have been processed, GSP has no control over when they will be delivered. 

-CM

PS. It's similar to trying to blame a seller because your package hasn't arrived when it's still in the hands of a postal service. Anyone guilty of that, please put up your hand!!!

[turnofthecenturycollectibles]

Forget all of that.

I buy item.
Item needs to find it’s way into my mailbox.

If it doesn’t, the service is trash.

[femmefan1946]

You are given a window for delivery by eBay.

If your purchase has not arrived by the last date for that estimated delivery you can open a Item Not Received Dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

How overdue is your purchase at this time?

The GSP is a Seller Protection service.

If the item has been delivered to the GSP Centre the seller is no longer responsible for delivery or for damage in transit. The GSP accepts that responsibility.

Which is Good News.

Because if the GSP cannot prove in an INR dispute that the item has been delivered, they refund calmly and promptly.

And if the item turns up later (which it probably will, since most of these INR are a question of delay not of loss) you are not required to do anything with it. The seller has been paid. The GSP doesn't want it.  Use it, sell it, donate it, give to your Auntie Mary, trash it. It's yours, free and clear.

Never watch tracking. Most shippers and freight forwarders , including GPS , Canada Post, UPS, USPS, DHL, use  "spoke and hub" delivery systems. These are actually the most efficient use of resources, although they look very strange to the uninitiated.

[kh-leslie]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.