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,

[afantiques]

I can't help thinking this has been revised since the last time I read the full T/C.

Lost, Damaged, or Undeliverable Items. If a GSP Item that you purchase is not delivered to the delivery address specified by you, it is damaged, or it does not match your Seller’s description,(emphasis added) your purchase may be covered by an eBay Buyer Protection or PayPal Purchase Protection program, as described below.

1. eBay Buyer Protection. Your purchases of GSP Items on eBay.com are covered by eBay.com’s eBay Buyer Protection policy if your purchases otherwise meet the policy’s eligibility requirements and conditions and do not fall within an exclusion or coverage limitation. eBay.com’s eBay Buyer Protection policy may be different from the eBay Buyer Protection policy (if any) on your own eBay site of registration. If you are eligible for eBay Buyer Protection and eBay finds in your favor in a case stemming from your purchase of a GSP Item under the Program, the applicable coverage amount will include the Program Fees that you paid for the GSP Item.

It appears now that ebay/PB are taking responsiibilty for seller faults now. This seems a bit rash, but it does seem the only way, or at least a way to clear up what was an undefined area.

The obvious possibility that it opens up is that since some sellers descriptions leave a lot to be desired, and deciding if things do or do not match them is never an easy call, there is a mile wide loophole here for people to get free stuff.

GSP sellers are frequently new and inexperienced sellers, due to the way the program is plugged or the way they are recruited by stealth. These are also likely to be sellers with the rotten pictures and inadequate descriptions that one would normally shun.

No worries, if it is a GSP item, buy it, loan out your payment for a while, complain the item is SNAD and get both your money back and keep the item, a real win if the item is actually quite good, just badly described and illustrated.

Do say it ain't so, but I can't see that from the terms quoted above.

[afantiques]

I looked at it again and saw I was looking at a Canada ship to address, my mistake. Must have been a default as I was signed in to Canada as well as UK and .com.

It was 0 import charge to the UK.

[pierrelebel]

It would be nice if Ben would take the time to look into the problem and let us know that it is.

[marnotom!]

I wonder if it's related to the glitch that saw items listed in the "Clothing" category display far higher import charges for Canadian addresses when viewed on the .ca site compared to other eBay sites?

[pierrelebel]

The high import charges are the same on eBay.ca and eBay.com if shipping to a Canadian address

They are slightly lower (about $6 less) if shipping to AB compared to ON which makes little sense since maple syrup is considered basic grocery and is tax free.

[femmefan1946]

I can't find where it is and the seller can only find it has been sent to and delivered to Erlanger Kentucky.

That's right. The seller ships (with cheap domestic Confirmation of Delivery) to the Pitney Bowes facility in Kentucky. There your parcel and hundreds more are processed by PB, Canadian duty and tax collected from the money you paid for the GSP, and put into a bonded truck bound for Canada with thousands of other parcels.

PB remits the duty and tax to Canada.

The item arrives on your doorstep. Although this may be handled by Canada Post, several other couriers have been mentioned, so PB apparently has no preference.

Delivery Confirmation and Tracking are not a benefit for the buyer. There is a current post on the Boards from a buyer whose parcel was mis-addressed by the seller to an entirely different person. Who kept it. The Buyer is not sure whether she can win her refund because the parcel had been Tracked and confirmed delivery.

BTW- I'm a woman and a busybody with over 5000 positive feedbacks over my seven IDs. I speak from research and experience.

"If a man speaks in a forest, and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?" -- Charles Darwin.

[femmefan1946]

BTW- I'm a woman and a busybody with over 5000 positive feedbacks over my seven IDs. I speak from research and experience.

That would make more sense if I had posted it with my reallynicestamps ID.

[afantiques]

That would make more sense if I had posted it with my reallynicestamps ID.

Well, it's not easy to tell from your avatar portrait and loads of men are femme fans. 🙂

[konamicode]

I'm sick of the GSP. I avoid any seller with it, and sadly, I'm seeing more people are opting in to it, thus making it impossible for us Canadians to even buy any thing off this site.

Thanks FEEBAY!

So anyways, I'm looking to filter out the GSP in my search results. I know that auctions that state: "Customs services and international tracking provided", is the GSP. However, I want to stop them from showing up forever in my searches.

It's at the point where I won't be buying any thing from the U.S now. I hate the GSP so bad.

Another nail in the coffin for this fraudulent business.

[marnotom!]

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@konamicode wrote:

I'm sick of the GSP. I avoid any seller with it, and sadly, I'm seeing more people are opting in to it, thus making it impossible for us Canadians to even buy any thing off this site.

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I would argue that at this stage, most people that are opting into the GSP or who are finding themselves opted into it are likely to be ones who haven't shipped internationally in the past, so what you're likely seeing are more items coming up in your search results than in the past.

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@konamicode wrote:

So anyways, I'm looking to filter out the GSP in my search results. I know that auctions that state: "Customs services and international tracking provided", is the GSP. However, I want to stop them from showing up forever in my searches.

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I'd like to have items shipped by UPS or FedEx Ground banished from my search results, as well as modestly-priced, lightweight items where the seller is inexplicably using parcel post or express mail as a shipping method, but it ain't gonna happen.

Also keep in mind that the GSP isn't always rubbish on the surface.  A couple of days ago, I pointed out to a disgruntled buyer of a small GPS that Priority mail seemed to be a more expensive shipping option than what the GSP was charging for shipping and "import charges" combined.

As for repackaging, since this seems to be done when whoever handles the item at the Global Shipping Center is searching for a country of origin on the item, I'm wondering if it may help if the original packaging is used as often as possible for the item or the seller provides this information on the listing page.

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@konamicode wrote:

It's at the point where I won't be buying any thing from the U.S now. I hate the GSP so bad.

Another nail in the coffin for this fraudulent business.

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All the more choice for people willing to do a bit of research and number-crunching rather than engage in a bit of instant online gratification, I guess.  Not sure how all this makes for "fraudulent" activity, either.

[nudibranch4569]

just click on canadian sellers only,that will get rid of all  u.s. sellers.

[konamicode]

I do that, but then I'm dealing with such a limited number of listings.

[femmefan1946]

There is no instant filter but if you use Search you can ignore any listings with:

Customs services and international tracking provided

which is the note that GSP is being used by the seller.

It should be noted that if your purchase is over $100, using GSP seems to be cheaper than having the seller ship by USPS/Canada Post, if only because at that price point, items are more likely to be pulled for assessment by CBSA and Canada Post's service fee of $10 is higher than the GSP service fee of $4-5. (The rest of the money is remitted to Canada for duty and taxes.)

[konamicode]

I already do that, but thanks. It just means I'm scrolling past page after page of them.

It  takes the fun out of eBay, and is making me reluctant to even use this site. Buying from U.S sellers was a great way to bring more items to Canada. They have way more stuff down there, so it's nice to do business with them.

I'll check in to that $100.00 marker. For me, I'd rather have it mailed the old way because then I know it's not being repackaged with less protection.

[afantiques]

then I know it's not being repackaged with less protection.

Less protection would be very bad business as at that point, the reshipper is responsible for safe undamaged arrival and would be paying for any damage themselves.

All other reasons for avoiding GSP sellers are usually valid.

[konamicode]

My situation is valid. Don't discredit my issue.

There are many instances of people receiving items with poor packing. PBI repacks items to make them cheaper to send.

Yeah, my first and only experience with PBI was horrible. My package was open when it arrived, and the items were damaged.

I've been on eBay for a long time, and in all my years, I had one damaged item from regular shipping methods. The first PBI experience tells me othewise.

It's not an isolated incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZwZgcoc_zw

[konamicode]

One more to prove the repacking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLLrqz1Esj4

[afantiques]

There are many instances of people receiving items with poor packing. PBI repacks items to make them cheaper to send.

Can you provide any evidence that this is a general problem, not just a few isolated cases?

The whole idea of repacking stuff to make it more vulnerable, when you are responsible for its safety is unsound.

Many ebay sellers are very poor at packing stuff but a company that does it for a living should at the very least be no worse than the average ebay seller.

I am dubious about claims that something is so because there are a few instances that seem to support it on the internet.

I think the GSP is a bad idea terribly badly implemented, but probably unwarrented attacks on aspects that are not a big problem divert attention from the more worthwhile effort of persuading users of the scheme that it is a bad idea.

[konamicode]

I just supplied two youtube videos, and the parcel I got was repackaged. I know this because I asked the seller what he shipped it in. He said a small box with lots of bubble wrap. When I got the item, it was in an large and thin envelope. The padding on it looked worn out.

The envelope looked like it was a used one and it was covered in holes through the bubble wrap.

So, how many negative comments about this program need to be in place before you are convinced that PBI is scamming?

[marnotom!]

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@konamicode wrote:

So, how many negative comments about this program need to be in place before you are convinced that PBI is scamming?

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You've now used the terms "fraudulent" and "scamming" in this thread without explaining how the GSP is a fraud or a scam.  Frauds or scams involve something illegal.  There's a lot of incompetence associated with the GSP, but you haven't made a case for illegal activity.