Questions about the Global Shipping Program

[kalvin@ebay.com]

Do you have questions about the Global Shipping Program? Please post here & I'll do my best to track those answers down for you!

If you have any comments about the program, use this forum instead.

Thanks,

[luv4orphans]

Thank you for the link. I really appreciate you letting me know of this. Obviously I am not aware of everything that goes on and sometimes just don't have the time. I will read more on this as time permits.

[luv4orphans]

I don't think you would have put that out there if you weren't sure. Only a couple of times did my duty fees come up over $20.00 or so. I can't remember what I purchased the items for but it was a bit more than usual. Its only happened a couple of times in the last couple of years where I have had to pay duty and it was usually a small amount. I didn't see the post office charge in there.

Either way its getting ridiculous. Customs charges a fee for processing package if they do decide to stop it at the Border. So does the post office and and they charge even more than Customs is what you are telling me?

Everybody wants a piece of the action. I am finding anyways with the ridiculous prices that a lot of sellers are asking and GSP program and now this, I don't buy much on ebay anymore. Unless I know the seller or I know I am not getting gauge on shipping costs. If they have included in the price of the item and I feel that's a fair price for that item, then it doesn't matter how they break it down. 

Why does somebody want $30.00, $35.00 and yet another seller can ship pretty well the same item for $10.00 first class with delivery confirmation. Is it me?

[pierrelebel]

"When did Canada Post start charging $9.95. I don't remember ever having had to pay this fee. "

Several years ago.

First the $5 charge went to $8 now $9.95.  It does not matter if the tax is only $3 or $300; the Canada Post administration fee is a flat $9.95 at this time. 

Considering the increases have announced for 2014 in postage and insurance charges, I would not be surprised to see Canada Post increase that fee.

[reallynicestamps]

No. The problem is that eBay did not explain the GSP to American sellers very well.

EBay understood that the GSP is not a benefit for sellers of items under $50. (Some Canadian posters have crunched numbers and would put that at $100, but let's stick with eBay for the moment.)

But they promoted it to all US sellers as a way of taking the worry out of shipping outside the USA.

Since the seller ships to Kentucky, they do not have to fill in customs forms and are protected against negative feedback referencing foreign taxes and duty.

The seller only sees the shipping fee he is charging from his location to PitneyBowes in Kentucky.

He doesn't see his customer's added fees for trans-shipment to Canada (or Australia or Norway or...). He doesn't see the duty his customer pays. He doesn't see the sales tax his customer pays.

So he is unaware that the cheap safe shipping he enjoys is costing his customers much more than necessary.

Especially since PB /GSP charges a service fee for trans-shipping even if there is no duty or sales tax applicable. (But, to be fair, they do ship the parcel and that does cost them something.)

What eBay did not do was explain to US sellers that, fairly recently, USPS introduced Delivery Confirmation on First Class International service, which handles up to four pounds of product, and with that, took half the worry of US sellers away.

What eBay did not do was set up a Warning Box on the Sell Your Item Form, which would show if the Fixed Price for an item was under $50, asking if the seller was aware that eBay does not encourage using GSP for cheaper sales. They do this for Nazi and First Nations products as well as every listing in the Stamps category and probably others, but those are the ones I've seen.

Oh, one other thing. I bought a $30 item that was listed with GSP shipping recently. Even with GSP it was cheaper than any other identical item.  However, the parcel was opened because the seller did not indicate the place of manufacture. There have been reports of opened parcels being poorly repacked, of breakages, and of loss of tiny parts. This is a weakness in the system and again comes from a lack of information given by eBay to the seller.

(My seller got 5 Stars across the board and a private email explaining about the GSP, the $50 limit, and the reason for being opened by customs. And I got a nice note back from them.)

[luv4orphans]

Okay, that's where my confusion came in. The fee you are talking about is usually written on the paper that comes in from Customs. I always thought it was Customs that collected this fee for processing the paperwork. You are telling me its Canada Post.

I haven't paid any money to Customs in so long no matter what the price of the item and so I haven't seen one of those forms. So I get really peeved with the GSP because of that.

[luv4orphans]

Well said and well informed. Thank you.

I usually let sellers know about the first class with delivery confirmation when purchasing low priced items. Its been around for a few months now. Most sellers are not even aware of it as they have not been made aware of it. Why would they (the post office) want to let them know. They make a lot more money with priority and the only difference that I can see is in the insurance. Same delivery method, can take just as long or as short a time. But if were paying for priority its a lot more money in their coffers.

Most decide to check into first class if you let them know. Of course most of the ones using the GSP don't want to be bothered but some do. Or the ones that are really hiking costs and try to hide behind Priority shipping to nail us with a $10.00 or more handling fee. It wouldn't look so good on first class shipping to nail us with $25.00 on a ring. So they go priority claiming that's what it actually costs. We're all newbies here and don't know any better. Even the newbies catch on real quick or can hit DSRs status real fast.

[nell0011]

why am i paying  Pitney Bowes, Inc. for my purchase? any clarification?

[marnotom!]

Before you committed to purchasing your item, there was a message that stated that committing to the purchase meant you acknowledged that the item was to be shipped through eBay's Global Shipping Program and that you agreed to the terms and conditions of that program.  There was a link to a terms and conditions page:

http://pages.ebay.ca/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

Amongst other things, that page states that PitneyBowes (PBI) administers the Global Shipping Program and your total payment should be split between your seller and PBI.

[leita_lel]

Surprised me too!  Expensive shipper when S&H was on average the same as the purchase value.  I will now watch for them and choose not purchase items using them as the shipper.

[deeptalking]

i am Canadian and ordered an oversized load (upright vacumn cleaner)...when i checked the shipping status yesterday, it showed undeliverable because of size/weight...somewhere in Erlanger (New York or kentucky...what do i do?? i contacted the seller, his response was basicly that once he ships it is out of his hands and no longer responsible...help! what do i do? should I hire purolator/fedex/ups???

please call me to discuss...this guy hasn't even offered to refund my money...he sells this type of item all the time, so how did/does he deal with this oversize/overweight situation?

[kalvin@ebay.com]

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@dn4kme wrote:

Over the years in dealing with Ebay I have incured no problems. Lately with this Global shipping I have had nothing but problems. This last  one was a small part ordered 19 days ago and no one can find it. Seller has sent it and I have been in contact with him. It is not his fault. Whee is my item. Can't get in touch with anyone so am trying this. 

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Hi dn4kme,

Please reach out to Customer Support - they should direct you to the Global Shipping team so they can address this for you.

Thanks,

[reallynicestamps]

I bought an item from a seller using GSP recently. Even with the GSP the $30 item was cheaper (price + shipping) than any other identical item being offered.

However.

The item was opened and inspected in Kentucky.

The reason on the slip (which had eBay's logo, a tell if you are wondering where the problem may have started) was that the seller did not indicate the origin of the item.

Now.

There was nothing wrong with my item, it was the best price I found, and I left 5 stars for my seller.

But obviously, eBay is not explaining the GSP to sellers.

The item was too cheap at $30 for the seller to have used GSP. Why not have a Warning about the price/GSP interface when a "too cheap' item is listed. I realize this would not work for auctions, but most items on eBay nowadays are Fixed Price or Buy It Now.

The seller did not realize that the country of origin should be put on the parcel.  And that the origin is where the item was made,not the location of the seller.

When a parcel is opened, there is an increased chance for damage. EBay should be conferring with Pitney Bowes and CBSA to reduce the number of parcels being opened.

And eBay should be working with sellers to reduce the number of low-value items being offered and shipped by GSP.

[reallynicestamps]

They are not exactly "the shipper" , although they do trans-ship items sent to them by US sellers to foreign destinations.

What they also do is work with the Canadian Border Services Agency to confirm and charge Canadian duty and sales taxes and to remit that money to Canada.

Then they add a fee for both the inspection and the shipping cost. And those are the extra costs you see as being charged by PitneyBowes.

[pierrelebel]

"And eBay should be working with sellers to reduce the number of low-value items being offered and shipped by GSP."

I think most Canadian posters agree on that point. 

Unfortunately, eBay is not listening.  Or, if they are listening, there are doing nothing about it.

There are many things suggested by Canadian posters over the last year that eBay could do to really improve the program.  However all we get are words, not action.  Typical of the eBay "culture", acknowledgement of policy mistakes is not something they ever do at eBay.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

[bennett4612]

Hi pierrelebel. 

I just sent you a Private Message including an email address at Pitney Bowes. This way you can direct the more specific import/etc. questions to them. Not sure i was doing a very good job playing middleman anyway ....

Thanks

Ben

[femmefan1946]

Erlanger is in Kentucky. The item was shipped using the Global Shipping Program.

And the seller is blowing smoke.

He sub-contracted the shipping to the program which is run by PitneyBowes for eBay. They trans-ship to Canada using whatever service is most reasonable to them.

Since he is not being helpful, just go to the Resolution Centre and open an Item Not Recieved claim.

EBay and Paypal will take it from there.

When a seller is being sketchey like this, go for a refund rather than a replacement.

[femmefan1946]

BTW, you're not talking to eBay employees here. That's the Resolution Centre I mentioned, and it is mostly computerized (and pretty efficient ).

Posters here are members like yourself-- but we also have lots of hands-on experience, as well as being busybodies with too much time on our hands.

[konamicode]

Let's rename the title to, "Pitney Bowes, Inc... Avoid it!"

[anguscoinshop]

this topic is just like beating a dead animal, there's nothing else to beat. better off closing it.

as seen on this board, members have been posting there opinion in other sections.

[femmefan1946]

Expensive shipper when S&H was on average the same as the purchase value.

Shipping cost is determined by weight, dimensions, level of service and distance. It is not in any way related to the value of the item shipped.

I regularly ship vintage paperbacks to Fort McMurray (there's a business opportunity there for a used bookstore, if you can afford to rent a store.) If they are under 500gr and 2cm thick they ship by Canada Post for $3.75. Over that, the buyer is paying $12 for shipping on a $10 book.

That being said, it makes no sense according to eBay for a seller to use GSP for products that sell for less than $50. Canadian posters seem to agree that $100 should be the cutoff.

Beyond that, I recently purchased a book for $30.00 from a US seller who uses GSP. Even with GSP the book cost less shipped and all taxes and duty paid, than any other offered over the previous month.

Avoiding GSP shippers may be a good idea, but do your homework. It may not always save you money to avoid them and it always saves you the hassle of paying border costs on your doorstep or at the PO..