eBay

Anonymous · ‎06-26-2018

Recently made a purchase from the USA from a US seller to Canada...sent on 16 june seller uses the famous global shipping program which to me is just another money grab. Was supplied a tracking number that from the 20 june till today showed no update...now today I get a message from the shipping stating it is being reviewed by customs..its still in Kentucky.....phrase is potential restriction...I paid the extra charges to cover duties etc...so why has it been stopped...been a member since 2003 and never had anything remotely resembling this...Anything to do with politics.....I will avoid any seller using this service...totally a money grab...

femmefan1946 · ‎06-26-2018

The Global Shipping Program is pretty useless and also expensive for Canadians, because as you note, we pay duty and sales tax* before shipping which is often ignored when our purchases are shipped by USPS/Canada Post.

Was supplied a tracking number that from the 20 june till today showed no update...now today I get a message from the shipping stating it is being reviewed by customs..its still in Kentucky.....phrase is potential restriction.

The seller is not required to know if Canada restricts importation of their goods. That's up to the buyer.

I remember being shocked once that a type of chimney cleaner we stocked in our B&M store was refused, because it was (very technically) a firework and was improperly packaged for that designation.

Many items have import and sometimes export restrictions. Guitars for example often have decorative rare wood inlays that come under CITES rules.

Also paintball equipment for some reason.

Would you like to share what your purchase is?

You can,by the way, open an Item Not Received dispute when the last estimated date for delivery passes.

You will be refunded by the GSP. This does not touch your seller in any way.

I will avoid any seller using this service.

You're not alone in that. The GSP is not designed to help the Buyer, it's a Seller Protection Program.

And it is particularly annoying for Canadian buyers.

*Any item valued over $20Cdn(~$15USD) is liable for duty and sales tax. Even if the item is free of duty, sales tax will be charged. And a ~$5 service charge (which to be fair is lower than the Canada Post service charge and much much lower than the service charges of other couriers.)

marnotom! · ‎06-26-2018

@Anonymous wrote:

I paid the extra charges to cover duties etc...so why has it been stopped...been a member since 2003 and never had anything remotely resembling this...Anything to do with politics.....I will avoid any seller using this service...totally a money grab...

I'm not sure what your payment of the import charges has anything to do with the fact that you feel your item shouldn't have been stopped at the Global Shipping Center in Kentucky. Pitney Bowes (the administrators of the Global Shipping Program) pay on your behalf the GST or HST plus duties owing on your item. The import charges are your way of paying Pitney Bowes back, plus whatever processing charges come up in the process.

At this point, nothing has been paid to Canada Border Services.

Information on items that are prohibited from being forwarded through the GSP and categories that may see restrictions are on this .com page and a similar page is linked on the terms and conditions page that buyers agree to when they purchase an item forwarded through the program.

retroman_studios · ‎06-26-2018

Nine times out of ten that phrase although scary, just means they need more time to properly label an item as the seller may not have provided enough information to complete customs forms.

Note that once you use any service like UPS, FedEx, GSP etc., they don't operate under a "usually it's ok" like how things may slide under the radar with Canada Post. They go by the book. So that requires filling out forms accurate.

I had one GSP purchase that they messed up the forms and CBS seized the shipment. I got my refund after about a month.

I'm reminded of that Futurama poster "You gotta do what you gotta do" meaning if what you are after isn't available locally, you have no choice if the seller won't opt out of GSP.

reallynicestamps · ‎06-26-2018

if what you are after isn't available locally, you have no choice

Pretty much my opinion on most purchases.

If there is only one supplier, the price is the price.

It's why I get grumpy about overseas buyers who want discounted shipping.

If he can't afford secure, tracked, prompt shipping, he will have to do without it.

dark_star11 · ‎08-24-2018

@reallynicestamps wrote:
if what you are after isn't available locally, you have no choice

Pretty much my opinion on most purchases.
If there is only one supplier, the price is the price.
It's why I get grumpy about overseas buyers who want discounted shipping.
If he can't afford secure, tracked, prompt shipping, he will have to do without it.

I obviously don't have a problem with the "secure" and "tracked" parts of your reply and I can certainly afford to pay for it.

It's the "prompt" that ticks me off. I've had purchases through the GSP travel back and forth across the US for 2-3 weeks before even arriving to Erlanger and going through the international shipping process.

Shipments made directly through USPS are usually much faster and more often than not (unless it's a large amount), we don't even get charged customs and duties.

I would much prefer paying USPS priority mail with tracking than going through the GSP.

retroman_studios · ‎08-24-2018

Lately it's been hit and miss. So, it's a lottery.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-24-2018

@dark_star11

I've had purchases through the GSP travel back and forth across the US for 2-3 weeks before even arriving to Erlanger ...Shipments made directly through USPS are usually much faster

Since most sellers will ship to Erlanger by USPS (the others would use UPS or FedEx normally) I'm not clear on what point you are making here.

GSP ships fairly promptly to Canada, by truck or air, and when the shipment (of multiple items) gets to the border everything has already passed through customs in Erlanger.

After passing into Canada the usual carrier is Canada Post.

For most of its journey, your GSP purchase is being handled by the postal system.