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,

[chimera148]

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@katious69 wrote:

hello, i have a package to track from global ebay with track no. starting from UPAAA, how do i track it?

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In Canada all I could do was click on the UPAAA no. in my purchase history. It wasn't very good tracking though compared to USPS purchases.

When the items were received by Canada Post  the tracking no. changed and tracking was very good.

Hard to tell how delivery is handled to Finland though, or how to find out.

The GSP has reportedly contracted deliveries to courier companys in some countries.

[marnotom!]

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@ace_4420 wrote:

I tried to purchase some Fire King jadeite dinner plates from a US seller. The seller only sends via this Global shipping. I've read up on it and don't understand.  95% of my purchases were from USA sellers and never had a problem.  I live on a 10 acre farm and the closest town ( 1 mile south from me) does not have a shipping drop off. Their postal office does not have a courier drop off either. The town that does accept is 50 miles west of me. Not a good buying experience. Any advise would help.

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I'm not sure what you mean by "drop off" in this context.  To me, a courier "drop off" would be where one would send off an item to be shipped by courier, not a place where one picks up an item sent by courier.  Most couriers worth their salt will deliver the item to your door.  If they don't, it's likely that they'll contract Canada Post to deliver the item in its last leg of its journey to you.

Several posters have mentioned that Canpar delivered (or almost delivered) their items.  Do you know if Canpar serves your neck of the woods?

[femmefan1946]

ace- Repost your question under Sellers as a new question.

You are mixed in with a lot of discussion about the Global Shipping Program which does not apply to Canadian sellers.

[ace_4420]

Thank u marnotom, I'm still a bit confused:(  ...So if I purchase these plates and seller ships via GPS ..will they deliver right to my farm? Do I have to give them my municipal address? I only have my Box number with the post office in town. On all my past purchases I was charged duty at my post office and I'd just pay postal clerk...Ace

[ace_4420]

Sorry femmefan I didn't get your post until after the fact. AFLACK! These community boards are confusing!!

[dasia143]

I'm sorry I didn't get all my questions into my former post. It just occurred to me--it is possible to get combined shipping with the GSP?

[pjcdn2005]

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@dasia143 wrote:

I'm sorry I didn't get all my questions into my former post. It just occurred to me--it is possible to get combined shipping with the GSP?

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In some cases it is possible to get combined shipping. But you have to be shopping on ebay.com so that you can use the shopping cart there and the seller also has to have combined shipping already set up for their listings.

[marnotom!]

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@ace_4420 wrote:

 ...So if I purchase these plates and seller ships via GPS ..will they deliver right to my farm? Do I have to give them my municipal address? I only have my Box number with the post office in town. On all my past purchases I was charged duty at my post office and I'd just pay postal clerk...Ace

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If your address is a post office box, it's likely that your shipment will be handled by Canada Post within Canada and your item will be delivered to your post office.  I believe Canada is the only country supported by the GSP where deliveries to PO boxes are permitted.  

Unless something goes very wrong, you won't be on the hook for taxes (and duty, if applicable) upon receipt of the package.

[barry111316]

Thks very much for the info. I have initiated a claim, and requested a refund. Does the seller have to agree to providing a refund or should the seller decline and Pitney Bowes would be responsible for the total cost? This is all very confusing but I'm determined to figure this new system out.

DMH

[dasia143]

I've never shopped on eBay .com but may have a look to see how it compares to eBay.ca. This program has quite the learning curve and I appreciate your help in explaining it.

[gkl-account]

I know that a seller can change an active listing from Global Shipping Program to USPS shipping.  Can they change the shipping after the auction has ended?

I have contacted a seller who would be willing to ship to me via USPS, but the listing is tagged with Global Shipping Program.  If I win the auction, can they change the shipping method to USPS, and, if so, how?

Thanks.

[pl2173]

This is a terrible program and is taking away the choice of both sellers and purchasers.

I have been a faithful user of eBay for over ten years and have made hundreds of purchases from U.S. vendors (I'm in Canada).

The duties being charged by this program are absolutely outrageous and rival that of UPS (one of the worst offenders in the "import fee" business).  When shipping by USPS, fees are reasonable and taken care of directly at the Post Office.

There is absolutely no need for this program.  Most items are now no longer priced low enough for a purchase from an U.S. ebay vendor to make any sense.  It will be a rare item that I purchase from the U.S. who is using this program.

Please offer the vendor a CHOICE in shipping.  You're welcome to offer GSP but please also allow them to offer me good old USPS as an option.

Peter.

[afantiques]

For Canada at least the vendor now has a choice of GSP or non GSP shipping, the trouble is only the most sophisticated GSP users will know this and the main problem with the GSP is the ignorance of its users and the inappropriate items it is applied to.

There are 'workarounds' to avoid paying GSP costs on items sellers will send direct.

The best thing still seems to be to avoid sellers who  are using it, though.

[mater721]

"The best thing still seems to be to avoid sellers who  are using it, though."

This is true but... depending on the type of item you are looking for, it can reduce the amount of sellers by A LOT.

And you can ask then if they send USPS, but many either do not respond, do not respond in time, or will not send USPS.

[marnotom!]

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@mater721 wrote:

This is true but... depending on the type of item you are looking for, it can reduce the amount of sellers by A LOT.

And you can ask then if they send USPS, but many either do not respond, do not respond in time, or will not send USPS.

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Which is why I contend that most sellers using the GSP are simply "Ships to: United States" sellers in disguise.

It may depend on the category in which one is buying, but I suspect that most sellers using the GSP for inexpensive items that can be shipped easily as oversized letters are in the program either by accident or because they haven't really done their homework. 

[pierrelebel]

"I suspect that most sellers using the GSP for inexpensive items that can be shipped easily as oversized letters are in the program either by accident or because they haven't really done their homework. "

That may be correct but, sixteen months after the program was introduced,  I still put the blame squarely on eBay for

1) not having in place programs and functionality that would prevent American sellers from listings low priced items not suitable for GSP

and

2) for lack of adequate education of American sellers on the merits of the program and how/when to use it.

It is too easy to blame buyers for not reading the listings or sellers for not understanding the terms of the program (pages and pages of "legalise").  eBay and PayPal are the ones benefiting the most from the program and it is their collective responsibility to properly educate members - both buyers and sellers - as to when and how to use it.

[mater721]

"Which is why I contend that most sellers using the GSP are simply "Ships to: United States" sellers in disguise."

I have yet to see any verification of this.  Some may be in this group, but there were many sellers that shipped internationally before.  They either opted in because they thought it would be easier, or they did not even know they were opted in.

[mater721]

"terms of the program (pages and pages of "legalise")"

i agree here. I (tried) to read it.  A big headache.  ebay could have done a much better job explaining / implementing.  seems they left it all to their lawyers who can't seem to communicate in English.

[marnotom!]

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@mater721 wrote:

I have yet to see any verification of this.  Some may be in this group, but there were many sellers that shipped internationally before.  They either opted in because they thought it would be easier, or they did not even know they were opted in.

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Maybe it's the types of items for which I tend to search, but I find very few sellers using the GSP who also ship to countries that aren't on the list of GSP-supported countries.  Sellers who are serious about shipping internationally wouldn't eliminate that unsupported chunk of the globe if they were switching from other international shipment methods.

[marnotom!]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

"I suspect that most sellers using the GSP for inexpensive items that can be shipped easily as oversized letters are in the program either by accident or because they haven't really done their homework. "

That may be correct but, sixteen months after the program was introduced,  I still put the blame squarely on eBay for

1) not having in place programs and functionality that would prevent American sellers from listings low priced items not suitable for GSP

and

2) for lack of adequate education of American sellers on the merits of the program and how/when to use it.

It is too easy to blame buyers for not reading the listings or sellers for not understanding the terms of the program (pages and pages of "legalise").  eBay and PayPal are the ones benefiting the most from the program and it is their collective responsibility to properly educate members - both buyers and sellers - as to when and how to use it.

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When has eBay provided guidance on when it's appropriate to use any of its programs and services?  For example, don't sellers have to figure out for themselves whether the Stores program or Selling Manager is appropriate for them?

And on the .com site, eBay has, I believe, only mentioned once the benefits of shipping internationally by First Class International and that's buried somewhere in the announcement archives now.

You have to admit that in terms of GSP support to sellers, they're getting what they pay for.

As an aside, my take on most of the GSP info pages is that they appear to have been designed by whoever designs Pitney Bowes' various websites and pages.  It may well be that PBI is contractually responsible for GSP support and assistance.