New Ebay international shipping (replacing global shipping program) have killed all deals on ebay

[thechabinator]

Since new ''Ebay international shipping'' replaced ''global shipping program'', shipping prices have drastically raised and duties/taxes are now unknown since they are charged at delivery (the charges will be way higher then the included duties/taxes from global shipping program).  I also dont know which carrier they will use, so great possibility of enormous clearance fees if they use UPS, fedex, etc

I was buying a lot from both Canada and Usa sellers.  When Ebay introduced taxes on all canadian sales, I stopped buying from Canada sellers because it killed all deals.  Now, the new shipping program have killed all deals from USA.  I was buying A LOT , and now I haven't bought anything since.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@marnotom! wrote:
It looks like eBay can’t win on this. I remember when the GSP was unleashed in 2013, it had it share of complaints from buyers who didn’t like having their taxes and duties (if applicable) considered paid when they went through checkout.

The possible good news for you, @scopesandammo, is that many listings for items that are forwarded through eIS now offer buyers the choice between paying taxes (and duty) at checkout or taking their chances and paying them on receipt of the item.

---

@thechabinator 

@marnotom! 

Should buyers be forced to feel like they are taking a chance by choosing the 2nd option? Not knowing the courier and the surprise of a mystery amount? Hopefully when it is a courier the system blocks the transaction if there is a postal code involved. But no guarantees that is working like it should. 

-Lotz

[marnotom!]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:Should buyers be forced to feel like they are taking a chance by choosing the 2nd option? Not knowing the courier and the surprise of a mystery amount? 

I don’t think they need to be “forced” to feel that they’re taking a chance by selecting that option, @lotzofuniquegoodies, but it’s far preferable to know what the possibilities are with that option than it is to be ignorant of them.

By the way, from what I’ve seen so far, the difference in shipping price between the two options is pretty close to negligible.

[scopesandammo]

So how do I know which/what listings will give me the option of paying the duties/taxes/brokerage fees up-front?

I'm not going to commit to buy, then find out I may get f'kd on brokerage fees afterwards because there is no option provided for pre-pay.

[marnotom!]

---

@scopesandammo wrote:

So how do I know which/what listings will give me the option of paying the duties/taxes/brokerage fees up-front?

That information is in the “shipping” section of the listing, @scopesandammo.   It’s pretty easy to find if you’re using the desktop version of eBay, but a bit trickier if you’re using the mobile version. I don’t use the app so I can’t evaluate how it displays the two options.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@marnotom! wrote:

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:Should buyers be forced to feel like they are taking a chance by choosing the 2nd option? Not knowing the courier and the surprise of a mystery amount? 

I don’t think they need to be “forced” to feel that they’re taking a chance by selecting that option, @lotzofuniquegoodies, but it’s far preferable to know what the possibilities are with that option than it is to be ignorant of them.

By the way, from what I’ve seen so far, the difference in shipping price between the two options is pretty close to negligible.

---

The shipping price may be negligible, but the differences in the custom charges can be substanial between what mostly sounds like dhl and a few others compared to CP(a known entity). Remember pre eIS you were choosing on the method (USPS) AND a service. Now that is next to impossible. And when there is a problem with the transaction it appears to there is no way to get a credit for (incorrectly) charged customs amounts. Not the surprise a buyer may want after the fact. 

If it's CP to the doorstep and buyer pays at time of delivery they get a receipt they can use to claim for a refund for a return.

Lastly this discussion was opened back in April of 2023. Reviewing back through the posts it seems like very little has been resolved in that time.

-Lotz

[reallynicestamps]

Ebay thought people would somehow find this new internation shipping program appealing,

It's a Seller Protection program, and is not meant to appeal to buyers.

With GSP there were complaints from Sellers that Buyers were upset that the import fees were included in the cost of the item at time of payment.

This made the purchase seem much higher, than if those same fees were paid at the doorstep on delivery.

So eIS makes upfront payment of import fees optional.

Which makes the Seller's price seem lower than what the Buyer will actually eventually pay.

[marnotom!]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Lastly this discussion was opened back in April of 2023. Reviewing back through the posts it seems like very little has been resolved in that time.

---

What needs to be resolved is Canada's handling of taxes and duty due on casual imports, be they by mail or by a commercial carrier/courier.  Why are digital marketplaces compelled by law to collect taxes for the feds and provinces for domestic sales but not cross-border sales?  It doesn't make for a level playing field-- especially if an item is sent by mail and CBSA barely takes a look at it--and I know how important level playing fields are to you.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@marnotom! wrote:

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Lastly this discussion was opened back in April of 2023. Reviewing back through the posts it seems like very little has been resolved in that time.

---

What needs to be resolved is Canada's handling of taxes and duty due on casual imports, be they by mail or by a commercial carrier/courier.  Why are digital marketplaces compelled by law to collect taxes for the feds and provinces for domestic sales but not cross-border sales?  It doesn't make for a level playing field-- especially if an item is sent by mail and CBSA barely takes a look at it--and I know how important level playing fields are to you.

---

@marnotom! 

I totally agree with what you are saying above. Only reason I have brought up "level playing fields" in the past was because eBay has mentioned in a number of their responses and announcements. They need to do a better job of saying what they mean and sticking to what they say. All tied to releasing features on dot com in a working state...and then releasing on ca without/before fully testing. Leaving it up to us to find the flaws (Where's Waldo), pointing them out and then refusing to address and/or fully correct.

-Lotz

[ebcomputers]

Me too, my business has probably spent $1,000,000 on eBay in the last ~20 years, and now I rarely use it. 

The loss of PST exemption status for US and Canadian purchases (as a legitimate reseller), and the new mysterious "Duties" surcharge have killed it.

[nyb_shop]

I'm Canadian, and I bought a sport card from USA seller for $50 bucks, paid $20 for shipping. DHL forced me to pay an additional $25. HST is Ontario is 13%. So why is DHL charging $25? That's a 50% TAX! What the heck was my $20 dollars shipping for????  This will be the LAST time I buy ANYTHING from a USA seller.

[xenotime]

I kind of miss the undisclosed nature of the packages that came from GSP. My wife, for example, used to buy intimate apparel from the US, via the GSP,  because there was no customs form and no embarrassment to her. But now it's stamped right on the package what she ordered, so she's not buying stuff like that from the US anymore.

[marnotom!]

Does this happen both with items where taxes have been pre-paid as well as where taxes are paid on delivery, @xenotime?

My two purchases of eIS-forwarded items were made in the earlyish days of the program being in effect. Neither had taxes payable and neither had customs documentation or anything else that revealed the item’s contents.

[reallynicestamps]

So why is DHL charging $25? That's a 50% TAX!

It's a tax if the money goes to a government.

It's a FEE when the money goes to a private company.

Couriers and other private carriers have long been criticized for their very high "customs brokerage fees".

There is an archived thread over 5000 posts long about UPS and this practice, pre-GSP/eIS.

[peymundo]

Agree, it's complete rubbish. 

For Canadians the old global shipping program was bad enough, but at least you knew the final all-in price.  I used to buy a lot from the US to Canada then the first (global) shipping program came in and made it much more prohibitive but at least sometimes still managable, but now this new program is completely uneconomical.
I just bought something and didn't realize the program changed and I got a surprise invoice for duties/taxes.

So pretty much no more buying from eBay from outside my own borders now I guess.

[reallynicestamps]

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM APRIL 2023

The problem with zombie threads is that the advice is often out of date and no longer applicable or the problem has been answered but the new posters have not read the entire thread.

[kh-phdan]

Hello Everyone,

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

Thanks for your understanding!