What Is going on with eBay's GSP????

[arhirii2007]

Hey everyone, I know eBay's GSP woes have been discussed ad nauseam on these boards, however the current situation is becoming more and more ridiculous by the day. I have eight packages coming from the USA via the GSP, with the latest being ordered on June 3rd. None of them have arrived yet and the tracking hasn't moved in over 2 weeks. The estimated delivery date has already passed on most of them and I have filled INR claims on these. EBay has now placed 10-day holds on the claims in order "to give them more time to arrive". I know the mail is very slow on both sides of the border due to the pandemic, but packages that are sent from sellers using USPS 1st Class Mail are getting here in about 2 ½ weeks, so the postal service can't be the only problem. This is insane, people buy things on eBay because they want/need the items, not because they like extending eBay sellers a free 2-month loan. At this point, I will simply get friends in the USA to buy the items I want for me, then send them to me, thereby bypassing the GSP altogether.

[darak10]

your question has been answered in past threads. USPS and CP are scanning way less frequently due to limited contact policy to protect their own health. It has been revealed in past threads that this is coming straight from USPS and CP staff's mouths. I have been told it directly by CP myself. As such, many items once they clear the destination countries customs, are not being scanned again until they are delivered, ie on your doorstep. I generally avoid buying GSP items from the US on here due to usurious shipping rates but I have used it once since lockdown and I went thru exactly what you describe, although I didn't file any claims. The item went poof after it crossed the border until 2.5 weeks later it was scanned and appeared in my mailbox. Many many many other customers and sellers are and have experienced exactly this. My recommendation to you is not to get too bent out of shape about this as it will surface eventually. If you are sitting at the two month mark from order and no item (I'm also experiencing this as a buyer on another purchase platform), I think it is fair to set a drop dead date. Many many items are arriving on time with little delays, so it is fair to have some standards of appropriate timelines even during this time.

Please try to understand, posties are doing their best, these guys have been going in to work handling Christmas season levels of parcels every single day since April 1.

Please also try to remain patient with sellers as well as they are over a barrel - they do not intend this to be occurring and are just as frustrated about it as you are as it potentially means they have to refund someone as a result of this, which isn't fair to them either.

[arhirii2007]

"Please try to understand, posties are doing their best, these guys have been going in to work handling Christmas season levels of parcels every single day since April 1.

Please also try to remain patient with sellers as well as they are over a barrel - they do not intend this to be occurring and are just as frustrated about it as you are as it potentially means they have to refund someone as a result of this, which isn't fair to them either."

You are 100% correct, however I don't think this is necessarily a USPS/CP problem as packages that do not go through the GSP are generally arriving in a more or less reasonable timeframe. So the problem is eBay and the GSP itself. As far as the sellers are concerned, if they use GSP they are not on the hook for the refund, eBay/PB is. I always let the seller know I am filing an INR claim as a courtesy, most never even respond as they know it won't cost them anything.

In the end, the best policy is to file the INR on the very first day after the estimated delivery date. If the item never arrives, at least you get your money back. If it does arrive after the refund is issued, well .... 

[reallynicestamps]

If it does arrive after the refund is issued, well ....

The buyer can use Paypal's Send Money service to return the refund.

The only purchase I've made from the USA took from May 5th payment to June 22 for delivery.
Hmm.

I just looked at the tracking to verify dates, and it shows the item still in transit.

Shipping was by UPS, California to BC.

[arhirii2007]

"The buyer can use Paypal's Send Money service to return the refund."

Oh please, send the refund to who exactly? When it's a GSP item, the refund comes from eBay/PB, NOT the seller. Are you suggesting we should refund eBay for offering a shipping program that can only be described as abysmal, deplorable and usurious (on a good day)?

[esclyons]

yes, and when ebay /gsp refund enough money, they will raise seller's fees and in turn seller's will have to raise prices..

I personally would never use the gsp , but that is just me.

[reallynicestamps]

You are right.

I forgot this was a GSP foofaraw.

The GSP does not seem to worry about being refunded or having unwanted items returned.

The costs of dealing with those would be more expensive than anything they could gain from it.

[home-health-systems]

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@arhirii2007 wrote:

Hey everyone, I know eBay's GSP woes have been discussed ad nauseam on these boards, however the current situation is becoming more and more ridiculous by the day. I have eight packages coming from the USA via the GSP, with the latest being ordered on June 3rd. None of them have arrived yet and the tracking hasn't moved in over 2 weeks. The estimated delivery date has already passed on most of them and I have filled INR claims on these. EBay has now placed 10-day holds on the claims in order "to give them more time to arrive". I know the mail is very slow on both sides of the border due to the pandemic, but packages that are sent from sellers using USPS 1st Class Mail are getting here in about 2 ½ weeks, so the postal service can't be the only problem. This is insane, people buy things on eBay because they want/need the items, not because they like extending eBay sellers a free 2-month loan. At this point, I will simply get friends in the USA to buy the items I want for me, then send them to me, thereby bypassing the GSP altogether.

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The GSP discussions are helpful because it alleviated some anxiety I had about a package I needed (that contained materials for my business, which I needed fairly quickly).

I have good news... my item which has been stuck in Erlanger, KY since June 12 started moving this weekend and is expected to be delivered in Canada (Ontario) tomorrow.

So by that, I'd say there's around a 2 week delay (which might be getting worse as we move forward in time.)

[mimzy21]

I am waiting on an item from US via GSP shipped May 27 from Redondo CA, left Compton CA Jun 6. It stopped showing any tracking updates past June 20, and still hasn't arrived here in Ontario.

[marnotom!]

Just a reminder that Pitney Bowes has its own tracking sites that can be used with “UPA. . .” tracking codes.

https://tracking.pitneybowes.com
https://parceltracking.pitneybowes.com

Sometimes the information on those sites is a bit more detailed or complete than what eBay provides.

If the item has been entered into the Canadian carrier’s system, you might be able to click on a link below the item’s “progress meter” that will take you to the Canadian carrier’s website where the carrier’s own tracking number and info will be utilized.

[theoldestfart]

Wednesday, Jun 24, 2020 12:30 PM Erlanger , Kentucky Shipped from the Global Shipping Center to International Destination

Thursday, Jun 25, 2020 5:48 PM N/A Customs Cleared

This was what my current GSP item showed. It would be nice if it showed what port of entry the customs clearing was done at or at least where the item was shipped to in the international destination. I have had shipments clear through Montreal and Mississauga depots.

The CP tracking did not show anything until June 29th. I found out that it was the local post office which now states 1 to 11 Business Days for delivery. My past experience with expedited parcels and this same PO was that it indeed took 11 business days aka 2 weeks to deliver that parcel and that shipment originated in the local PO. 

I have seen numerous occurrences where parcels would be redirected by CPO to another province for processing or packages that sat in PO for month or more.  I bought this item 10 days ago and it was quickly shipped out.  It may take more time to have it delivered by CP than all the time it spent in the USA.

I try hard to avoid GSP items as was the case here the shipping charges were more money than I paid for the item. This was also the case with my previous GSP. Seems I am a slow learner. 

[theoldestfart]

It could very well be in Ontario sitting in a semi-trailer waiting to be processed by Canada Post. eBay is not the only online marketplace that continues to use Canada Post as its cheapest method of shipping. What bugs me is that CP still charges people their normal rates for service level they know that they can not meet. I would hate to see what a normal parcel delivery times are these days if expedited parcels are taking 2 weeks to get out of the local PO here. 

[ypdc_dennis]

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@theoldestfart wrote:

... What bugs me is that CP still charges people their normal rates for service level they know that they can not meet.

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Until the end of July people who have the free Canada Post Solutions for Small Business (formerly Venture1) membership do get an extra discount when buying shipping labels online.

Fuel charge on parcels this month is a 3% surcharge, down from 11% surcharge in February.

...

Data point: non-GSP tracked shipment from USA, last scan was 8 days ago at USPS exit hub, still not in Canada.

-..-

[reallynicestamps]

I bought this item 10 days ago and it was quickly shipped out. It may take more time to have it delivered by CP than all the time it spent in the USA.

I shipped a parcel from BC to ON on June5. It arrived today after I had put a Canada Post trace on it.

Twenty four days in transit, with the only news on the Canada Post site was that it was Accepted in Victoria on June 5 and Received in Richmond, BC on June 6.  Confusingly it was going to Richmond ON.

I've been in mail order, everything from cast iron wood stoves to postage stamps, for over 35 years, and it's been my observation that 21 days for delivery in North America is a slow normal, although it is usually earlier.

Canada Post and every other carrier has been saying that they are dealing with three to six time Chrismas shipping rates, while being short-staffed due to sick leave and urgent parental/vacation leaves.

And I keep posting this because "Christmas at the Postal Terminal" doesn't always explain what is happening.