c!~~_7.JPG "kalvin@ebay.com"){kind=avatar}
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,
"According to canadian laws, import charges starts when item is 20$ or more."
Canadian law??
Canada Post charges $9.95 handling fee for postal imports when tax is collected by Canada Customs.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html
The fee charged by Canada Post has nothing to do with the law! Actually, technically if you import a book for $10 and Canada Customs assesses GST on the book ($0.50) you still have to pay Canada Post $9.95 handling fee. (PS - There is no $20 exemption on books)
Where is your Canadian Law" in this case? There is no such thing.
We all know GSP is bad for most purchases by Canadian buyers. But, please, keep your comments factual.
"means that the import charges will grow as the bid goes higher"
Yes and no.
In an auction (a minority at eBay since most items are sold at fixed price) there will generally be no "import charge" if the bidding (and the Buy-it-Now) is below the equivalent of Cdn$20.00.
However, a $4/$5 fee to Pitney Bowes is included in the shipping charge.
Once the bidding exceeds the equivalent of Cdn$20.00 the "import charge" appears. It includes duty if applicable, GST/HST/PST based on the province of the buyer and a $4/$5 handling fee to Pitney Bowes. At this point, the shipping charge is reduced by the same $4/$5.
Why is it done this way? Because Canadian buyers were complaining about a handling fee being charged by Pitney Bowes for items with a value under Cdn$20 (comparing to the charge from Canada Post).
Is it a perfect solution? NO.
It would be best for eBay, PayPal and Pitney Bowes to show all charges individually so buyers know what they are paying for.
The only time I haven't found it clear that a seller is using the Global Shipping Program is when I've been viewing listings with eBay Mobile. Otherwise, it seems pretty apparent to me, although it seems that its appearance on the page may vary depending on your browser, its settings and stuff that's within eBay's control but not yours.
This is how a GSP listing page appears to me:
You'll see that there's a note about the Global Shipping Program and a link to further information between the bid area and the Shipping information.
There's a few other clues such as the line on import charges and a reference to Pitney Bowes that I couldn't include with my cropped screenshot. That's a little bit below the "Delivery" field on the listing page.
If you view search results with "list view" rather than "gallery" you'll see another clue. Compare these two listings:
The listing with the subtitle "Customs services and international tracking provided" is a Global Shipping Program listing, while the one without that subtitle is one where the seller ships directly to the buyer.
And, yes, all these screenshots were taken from the .ca site.
@marnotom! wrote:
@chimera148 wrote:Sellers are opted into the GSP by default when they agree to the UA, User Agreement.
While there is a sneakily placed and designed "I agree" button at the bottom of the UA update on .com, a read-through the UA explains that the button means that you agree to enrolling in the Global Shipping Program, blah-de-blah-blah. If one agrees to the UA, they don't actually have to do anything but continue to use the site.
