What carrier does the GSP use internationally?

[johay-6838]

Hi all,
I ordered something from the US through GSP and the package left elranger three days ago. I'm assuming they're going to use Canada post and drop it off in Mississauga. It's only an eight hour drive between Erlanger and Mississauga. Does it normally take this long and what carrier is used when transporting internationally?

[marnotom! · Accepted solution]

GSP-forwarded items bound for Canada generally travel as freight between Erlanger and wherever they get dumped off in Canada. I’ve seen pictures or videos of freight trucks bearing the Purolator or Canpar logos either at the Global Shipping Center or presumably en route to Canada. I wouldn’t be surprised if other carriers are also deployed.

The contents of these freight trailers are cleared en masse when they reach Canada, but the exact process of clearing them likely depends on what carrier or carriers are going to be handling them once in Canada. It isn’t always Canada Post.

While the pre-clearance process in Erlanger does expedite the customs clearance process in Canada, delays can and do occur. Also keep in mind your item may be in Canada but has either not been scanned here yet or the scanning information has been slow to transmit.

I used to find watching tracking information to be kinda interesting, not so much now. You’ll probably lose interest in tracking the tracking of your items at some point, too.

[femmefan1946]

If the window for delivery eBay gave you has not closed, mark the Last Estimated Date for Delivery on your calendar and try hard not to watch tracking.

If you can see that your purchase has been accepted at the GSP plant in Erlanger KY, the seller's job is done.

Now it is up to PitneyBowes, who run the GSP for eBay, to deliver your parcel promptly and securely.

If you are obsessed with tracking your package you can go to :

 the Pitney Bowes Parcel Tracker page at https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/

and enter the Tracking number UPAAB000000######### that PB /GSP sent you in an email.

[ypdc_dennis]

Depends on size of item and where in Canada it is going.

My brother is Cambridge Ontario and the majority of his USA GSP shipments (over the last 6 months) arrive in Canada at Apex Distribution in Mississauga (currently in a Covid-19 lockdown zone) who in turn hands it off to another carrier (like Apple or Intelcom) for the final mile.  Currently he expects the next update after clearing customs in Kentucky to take a week or so (versus 3 weeks around Xmas).

He has been much happier with GSP shipments from the UK with packages often arriving the week after he bought the item. DHL handles his packages once they clear the UK GSP centre.

-..-

[cleaninghouseinc]

Once it goes into Erlander KY facility it will dissappear in to a black hole where it cannot be traced because of GSP & Pitney Bowes stupid system.  I have an expensive package and the last tracking detail is from 9 days ago.  No one knows where it is.  The seller, ebay or pitney bowes cannot tell me where it is.  They all shrug their shoulders.

[marnotom!]

All this shoulder-shrugging is probably because they know you can get a full refund for the part if it doesn't arrive by the last estimated date of delivery.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@cleaninghouseinc 

All the shoulder-shrugging is of no help to the buyer waiting on their whatever. They just want to know where their whatever is and when they will get it. (Accurate real-time tracking tells them that.) They really don't want to go through the pain and suffering of ordering and waiting for it again. The problem is the lack of trackability which was included(paid for) as a value added service. It's like paying for a carwash with hot wax and not using the hot wax. It's completely useless if it doesn't work like it is supposed to.

-Lotz

According to CP delivery guarantees are still NOT applicable almost 1 year later.

March 3, 2021

We suspended on-time delivery guarantees on March 18, 2020 due to the unique circumstances we are operating in this year. The suspensions remain in effect.

Delivery standards have been adjusted to help manage delivery expectations.

[marnotom!]

Not sure why you went off-topic by bringing Canada Post’s delivery guarantees (or the lack of) into this discussion, but did you notice the part about Canada Post adjusting its delivery standards?  That should be welcome news for many sellers.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Ebay expects sellers to include services that include tracking. Unfortunately as of late there is no reliability of those tracking details between  CP & USPS & GSP and eBay.

It's all interconnected. Sellers offer express premium services because buyers may need express delivery.  It's made those services use at your own discretion until refunds are back.

Regarding those delivery standards, that would be applicable if eBay were to also adjust their delivery estimates for Intra-Canada and Intra USA. The definitely belated wishy-washy announcements by eBay only related to Canada-USA and USA-Canada.

-Lotz

PS. Sorry, I don't see the solution being, Well if it doesn't arrive(late or lost) you can always get a refund. How is that any comfort to the buyer waiting on a purchase? The 2 times that I did have problems in the past, 1 cancelled by seller/1 lost, both times I never got back what I paid originally because of exchange rate fluctuation excuses. I refuse to defend a program that gives so many buyers problems.

[cleaninghouseinc]

If there is now an unlimited delivery time frame because of the pandemic excuse then how can a person ever make a claim for lost or undelivered goods? Maybe the buyer doesn’t have two months to wait for all the excuses to be used and ebay passing the buck along to someone else meanwhile the customer is in the lurch waiting. It is poor service and should not be used anymore. Even if there is a refund offered I still want the product I ordered that is why I ordered it.

[marnotom!]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Ebay expects sellers to include services that include tracking. Unfortunately as of late there is no reliability of those tracking details between  CP & USPS & GSP and eBay.

---

I don't think eBay "expects" sellers to use tracking.  They're encouraging them to do so because that's generally the only way sellers can get some sort of protection against a claim of non-delivery, and even then, it's that final delivery scan that counts, not the stuff in between (in most cases).  We still see posts on occasion from sellers who are blindsided when they've provided tracking information only to lose in a claim of non-delivery because the tracking hasn't shown delivery.  The tracking didn't save them.

The tracking and delivery confirmation are more for the benefit of the seller than the buyer.  The difficulty in getting tracking information for GSP-forwarded items is hurting Pitney Bowes and eBay more than sellers or buyers, though.  I doubt that anybody behind the scenes is rubbing their hands in a Montgomery Burns-esque fashion and cackling, "Exxxxcellent!  Another buyer irked with the Global Shipping Program!"  I'm sure they're finding this just as frustrating as the end users.

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Sorry, I don't see the solution being, Well if it doesn't arrive(late or lost) you can always get a refund. How is that any comfort to the buyer waiting on a purchase? The 2 times that I did have problems in the past, 1 cancelled by seller/1 lost, both times I never got back what I paid originally because of exchange rate fluctuation excuses. I refuse to defend a program that gives so many buyers problems.

---

If you purchased an item in US dollars from a different online venue, paid directly with a Canadian dollar credit card and had to get a refund for whatever reason, you'd get dinged on the exchange rate as well.  What you're describing is not an issue exclusive to the GSP. 

One doesn't have to like the GSP in order to offer some insights on its workings.  I find it a pain in the tuckus at best but I've done my homework and figured out how to use it to its best advantage, which is rarely.

[marnotom!]

---

@cleaninghouseinc wrote:

If there is now an unlimited delivery time frame because of the pandemic excuse then how can a person ever make a claim for lost or undelivered goods?

---

Unlimited delivery time frame?  Who said anything about that?