eBay

kalvin@ebay.com · ‎09-26-2013

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,

~Kalvin
eBay.ca Community Manager

kalvin@ebay.com

femmefan1946 · ‎12-17-2016

Since you are not a new, occasional, or questionable seller, there is no reason that a buyer's prompt payment would be held up at all, never mind by the GSP.

If there is no notice in your Paypal account, the buyer has not paid.

It is possible that the buyer paid, but that he used a bank account to back his PP account, and the 'echeque' has not yet cleared the US and Canadian banking systems. This can take several business days.

As with all echeques, don't ship until Paypal tells you the payment has cleared, because, of course, sometimes they don't.

afantiques · ‎12-17-2016

How long do I have to wait for payment using the global shipping program? It's been a week already and I haven't heard anything.

Treat this as you would any non-paying bidder case. As far as the seller receiving payment is concerned GSP or non GSP makes no difference.

I'd expect non-paying bidders to be more common for GSP items, since there seem to be many users surprised by having to pay the extra GSP charges, but if they do pay you should see the money as quickly as any sale payment

afantiques · ‎12-17-2016

As with all echeques, don't ship until Paypal tells you the payment has cleared, because, of course, sometimes they don't.

As a seller, I always treated personal checks as all good, and shipped out on receipt. Losses were utterly trivial, maybe 1 in 1000 checks, and I am sure the goodwill and faster delivery was worth far more than any money lost.

My attitude to the occasional e-cheque was the same, and although I did far fewer post-Paypal than pre-Paypal deals, I never had an e-check fail.

I really liked the way US sellers treated all personal checks as suspect, I am quite sure that not doing so netted me thousands in extra profits, and I stated in my notes about payment that I did not wait for cheques to clear, a detail that got me one deliberate bad check in tens of thousands of sales (the buyer was imprisoned) but I am sure that as a statement of trust of the buyer, the policy got me many bids that otherwise might not have happened.

I don't know about you all, but to me, displaying trust to others causes them to trust you, and displaying an attitude that treats all buyers as potential thieves seems to me to be the attitude of a potential thief.

Lord knows what the present day ebay sellers would think of my habit of sending off stuff to regular buyers before any payment was received at all, trusting payment would arrive in due course. No one ever let me down.

walkingupstairs403 · ‎12-18-2016

How do I actually use the tracking?

The tracking shows nothing except for two useless UPAAA numbers, they expand but show nothing. I have nothing else to go on other than faith and its annoying.

How do I know my items even shipped from the seller to the global center? I feel I am being scammed.

femmefan1946 · ‎12-18-2016

The seller should be able to supply you with the USPS (or courier) tracking number she used to get your purchase to the GSP plant in Erlanger KY.

Which is where her responsibility ends.

Another poster worked this out for buyers who have not yet received their GSP shipment.
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

If you are not home when the carrier arrives, he will leave a Notice telling you where and when you can pick up your parcel.

And in my 30 plus years in mail order, delivery within North America takes about 20 days

BUT.

The whole point of the Global Shipping Program is Seller Protection.

Buyer Protection is covered by eBay and by Paypal. If you use a credit card to back your PP account, you have Buyer Protection from them too.

If your parcel is later than the last estimated date , go to the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page and open an Item Not Received Dispute.

In the dispute, state that this purchase was shipped with the Global Shipping Program. (This gets the seller off the hook. Her only crime was using this stupid program to begin with.)

If the GSP cannot prove delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded promptly.

walkingupstairs403 · ‎12-18-2016

Right. I've read all that and found all that information to not be helpful because again, the tracking shows NOTHING. I have access to two UPAAA numbers and they say NOTHING. I'm not new to any of this as I've bought and shopped and used the mail many times but this is silly.

This is frustrating.

femmefan1946 · ‎12-19-2016

Perhaps the shipment has left Kentucky but is not yet in Canada?

Canada Post has extra staff and longer hours during the holiday period, but weekends are still slower.

What was the date the purchase reached Kentucky (USPS tracking)?

I normally allow about 20 days for delivery within North America, no matter what the service used (postal or courier). This is based on over 30 years in mail order.

And again.

It's only frustrating because you are letting it be.

If the shipment is past the last estimated delivery date eBay gave you, open an Item Not Received dispute.

If GSP cannot prove delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

If the carrier arrives when you are not home, he will leave a Notice telling you when and where it can be picked up.

afantiques · ‎12-19-2016

If a GSP UPAA...... number has been created, the item has at least passed through the Kentucky shipping hum, so your seller has done their part.

Do something else till it arrives at your door. Babysitting tracking numbers is a futile waste of time, all they ever show is where something was, not where it is now.

walkingupstairs403 · ‎12-20-2016

Your responses are not helpful, they are condescending and enraging.

Q: How do I track with a UPAA?

A: Don't do that, it's silly. You are so silly.

Q: I need to know when the package will come!

A: Don't worry silly billy! It will come sometime in the next 3-4 weeks!

Please don't reply any further unless you can answer the actual question.

i.am.vivian · ‎12-20-2016

@walkingupstairs403 wrote:
the tracking shows NOTHING. I have access to two UPAAA numbers and they say NOTHING. I'm not new to any of this as I've bought and shopped and used the mail many times

This here might not be of any help to you either but I will give it a shot. If when you go to your Purchase History and click on the tracking number you were originally provided, you should get a pop-up window with new information. If you do not get that, it is not surprising. GSP tracking seems to be sporadic at best.

What you could try is emailing Pitney-Bowes since some people have had good luck with that. pbisgspcs@pb.com

It's a terrible system, very annoying for so many users. I understand your frustration but you are not alone. It is one of the most common complaints around here. You might need all the numbers when you contact them, any transaction numbers you were given, etc. You can call them as well if you prefer phone. This here is an earlier post on the Comments board:

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/Comments-about-the-Global-Shipping-Program/m-p/214854/true...

If you DO find a way to get what you want, please come back and share it. It would be helpful for others.

i.am.vivian · ‎12-20-2016

Here's an example. This user phoned and was able to get the needed information quickly, so try what you can. Just have the information numbers handy because the person on the phone will probably need them.

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/Can-t-really-track-global-shipping-program-Frustrated/m-p/...

Let us know how it turns out.

marnotom! · ‎12-20-2016

Walkingupstairs403, the process of transmitting tracking data from Pitney Bowes (the administrators of the Global Shipping Program) to eBay is so unreliable that Pitney Bowes removed a section in the GSP terms and conditions that referred to the tracking information being accessible online.

If you do need to find out the last place your item was scanned during the shipment process, you may want to have that UPAA number handy and call a Pitney Bowes support number. One that seems to get posted quite a bit in these discussions is 1-(888) 727-0781.

Having said that, as a reformed tracking geek, I have to agree with the posters that note that tracking isn't the be-all and end-all that it's made out to be. When the novelty of tracking my shipments wore off, I realized that all tracking information accomplished was to confirm the fact that I hadn't received my item. Tracking information can be delayed, items can be misrouted. It's not a terribly good predictor of when an item will arrive.

00nevermind00 · ‎12-20-2016

@marnotom! wrote:

Having said that, as a reformed tracking geek, I have to agree with the posters that note that tracking isn't the be-all and end-all that it's made out to be. When the novelty of tracking my shipments wore off, I realized that all tracking information accomplished was to confirm the fact that I hadn't received my item. Tracking information can be delayed, items can be misrouted. It's not a terribly good predictor of when an item will arrive.

It doesn't matter whether tracking is useful or not. The GSP promises tracking and then doesn't deliver. That's what matters.

The "includes international tracking" part is still there for everyone to see. What is promised should be delivered upon, or an apology should be offered. Again, it does not matter whether what is promised is "useful". Besides, we should not judge what is "useful" (or not) to someone else.

If you click on "See details", this is what you get:

I'll grant you that there is no mention of online tracking. But in this day and age of doing so many things online, buyers can be forgiven for thinking that they can use their tracking number online. How else are they supposed to use it? By phoning it in? If online tracking isn't offered, then that should be specifically mentioned, and buyers should be told how to use their tracking number. Otherwise, all references to tracking should be removed from the GSP literature. Anything else can only get buyers frustrated. And it's never a good idea to make your buyers unhappy when there are so many places to shop from.

marnotom! · ‎12-20-2016

@00nevermind00 wrote:

I'll grant you that there is no mention of online tracking. But in this day and age of doing so many things online, buyers can be forgiven for thinking that they can use their tracking number online. How else are they supposed to use it? By phoning it in? If online tracking isn't offered, then that should be specifically mentioned, and buyers should be told how to use their tracking number. Otherwise, all references to tracking should be removed from the GSP literature. Anything else can only get buyers frustrated. And it's never a good idea to make your buyers unhappy when there are so many places to shop from.

Pitney Bowes would likely counter with the fact that there's no reference to tracking in their terms and conditions for buyers, and the references to tracking on listing pages are correct as they and their subcontractors are the ones who require and who are using the tracking information.

marnotom! · ‎12-20-2016

Sorry, my bad. There is a reference to tracking--one reference!--in the T&C:

By purchasing a GSP Item, you will be entering into a binding contract with the Seller for the purchase of the GSP Item, as well as an agreement with Pitney Bowes for the provision of the Services, including parcel processing, international shipping and tracking, and customs clearance.

In this context, it sounds as though PBI is trying to pass off the "tracking" feature of the GSP as in-house, just like the processing, shipping and customs clearance.

00nevermind00 · ‎12-21-2016

Who cares how many references there are to tracking on whatever page of this or PB's site! The only one that matters as far as the buyers are concerned is the one on the listing, and as my screen shot above shows, the words "Includes international tracking" are there for all to see.

You are shopping at a B&M store and see something on sale for $9.99. You put one in your cart and proceed to the cash. The item comes up at $13.99 and the cashier tells you that the sale ended the previous day.

It doesn't matter how many times the item shows up at $13.99 in the store's documents, does it? It doesn't matter that the small print in the newspaper ad showed clearly the date on which the sale ended. You want the item for the $9.99 shown on the fixture.

Well, the same goes for buyers who are told they will be getting tracking. And the number of complaints from buyers about untrackable tracking numbers shows that they do expect to get what they were told they would be getting.

marnotom! · ‎12-21-2016

@00nevermind00 wrote:

Who cares how many references there are to tracking on whatever page of this or PB's site! The only one that matters as far as the buyers are concerned is the one on the listing, and as my screen shot above shows, the words "Includes international tracking" are there for all to see.

You are shopping at a B&M store and see something on sale for $9.99. You put one in your cart and proceed to the cash. The item comes up at $13.99 and the cashier tells you that the sale ended the previous day.

It doesn't matter how many times the item shows up at $13.99 in the store's documents, does it? It doesn't matter that the small print in the newspaper ad showed clearly the date on which the sale ended. You want the item for the $9.99 shown on the fixture.

Well, the same goes for buyers who are told they will be getting tracking. And the number of complaints from buyers about untrackable tracking numbers shows that they do expect to get what they were told they would be getting.

Unfortunately, your analogy isn't really all that apt and you're contradicting a previous post you made.

Your analogy concerns something being completely different than what was featured or advertised. In this case, the displayed price of an item is at odds with a newspaper advertisement and what the store's point-of-sale system programming.

A GSP listing page states that the service offers "international tracking". You stated in an earlier post that it doesn't go so far as to say that the tracking is viewable online. The terms and conditions page doesn't go that far, either. It used to, but it doesn't now, which strikes me as a tacit acknowledgement by Pitney Bowes and eBay that the "online" component of a GSP item's tracking is pretty hit and miss and it's better just not to advertise that fact.

Pitney Bowes would also likely point out that buyers can obtain the tracking status of their items by contacting a PBI CSR by telephone (if they're doggedly persistent and patient enough to dig up a contact number, of course) if they really require this information, so calling these "untrackable tracking numbers" isn't quite accurate.

No question this is Pitney Bowes' sneaky/sleazy wordsmithing at work here yet again, but one has to be objective here and appreciate that those using the GSP are getting what's been labelled on the tin. "Expectations" derived from previous experiences purchasing items online from other vendors don't enter into this. All that matters is what Pitney Bowes has put on the listing page and supported with the terms and conditions.

Now granted, it's been well over a year since I last purchased an item forwarded through the GSP, so I don't know if there are currently email messages sent at EOS that state that the tracking number can be used online, so my attempts to understand Pitney Bowes' perspective (even if I'm not thrilled with that perspective) may be rubbish.

i.am.vivian · ‎12-21-2016

The picture you provide from 2013 has been replaced with

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

and in it under Description of the Services and Program Fees, it says

The Services are provided by a third party global technology and shipping provider, Pitney Bowes Inc., for GSP Items purchased from the United States, and Pitney Bowes Limited, for GSP Items purchased from the United Kingdom (each with its affiliates, "Pitney Bowes"). By purchasing a GSP Item, you will be entering into a binding contract with the Seller for the purchase of the GSP Item, as well as an agreement with Pitney Bowes for the provision of the Services, including parcel processing, international shipping and tracking, and customs clearance. You acknowledge and agree that Pitney Bowes may use third party logistics providers, shipping carriers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and/or other subcontractors under contract with Pitney Bowes to assist it in performing the Services. More information about the Services may be found here.

By clicking the "here", users are taken to

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

where they can find

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/shipping-globally.html#tracking

that tells users,

marnotom! · ‎12-21-2016

Thanks for that, Vivian.

It appears that the same sort of sleight-of-keyboard has been used in the eBay help pages as in the GSP terms and conditions page. The references to "tracking" don't state anything about this tracking being viewable online within "My eBay" the way the 2013 GSP terms and conditions did.

00nevermind00 · ‎12-21-2016

A GSP listing page states that the service offers "international tracking". You stated in an earlier post that it doesn't go so far as to say that the tracking is viewable online. The terms and conditions page doesn't go that far, either. It used to, but it doesn't now, which strikes me as a tacit acknowledgement by Pitney Bowes and eBay that the "online" component of a GSP item's tracking is pretty hit and miss and it's better just not to advertise that fact.

Maybe I should start keeping a log of all my posts. If I said that at all, it must have been in a very specific context. I remember that YOU argued this point endlessly a few months ago. From the start, I've always believed that a reasonable buyer, when seeing that "includes international tracking" blurb, will expect to be able to track his/her package online. This, after all, is 2016 (soon 2017), not 1956.

Pitney Bowes would also likely point out that buyers can obtain the tracking status of their items by contacting a PBI CSR by telephone (if they're doggedly persistent and patient enough to dig up a contact number, of course) if they really require this information

Here we go again. Firstly, it's no business of anyone's except the buyer whether they "require" or want the information. The information has been promised to them. And really, seriously, if PB really expects buyers to phone in order to get the tracking that they have been promised, then they richly deserve every single consumer complaint thrown their way, and more. Because we are less than 2 weeks away from 2017 (not 1957...) and this is an e-commerce site so, yeah, buyers expect things to be done online. Why wouldn't they?

Buyers aren't going to split hairs that have already been split several times. They aren't going to spend precious time wondering whether the blurb "includes international tracking" means that the tracking will be viewable online or if they have to phone some office somewhere or read it in tea leaves or whatever. They will enter the tracking number they've been given in the appropriate field on the site provided and expect to see where their package is at. The way it's done with a Canada Post tracking number. If PB can't provide the service that they advertise, then the failure is on them. And it reflects poorly on eBay as well.

No amount of discussing or resplitting hairs will change that.