eBay

harmaciain · ‎11-02-2020

I want to complain about the Global Shipping Program. I live in Canada I just purchased some items and when I get my Mastercard bill, there are these extra global shipping gouging costs. I bought 3 items - 2 tshirts and a sew on patch. These are small items, yet I ended up with an extra $113 in Ebay charges. This is complete BS. These costs are more than the tshirt I bought! This is outrageous. Is there any way to complain about these charges or stop them from being charged because I can't afford them. I will have no option but to stop buying on Ebay.

Would anyone have any advice?

Iain Strathern in Canada.

PS - If I hit the seller about this they just tell me they have no control over the what the program does.

marnotom! · ‎11-02-2020

First of all, do you know what the Global Shipping Program is and have a rough idea of how it works?

harmaciain · ‎11-03-2020

I see a big cost bottom line - that's all I care about. What do you have to say about it?

marnotom! · ‎11-03-2020

Okay, well, first things first, you weren't charged anything beyond what you were charged at checkout. Your charges from Pitney Bowes plus your charges through eBay will add up to what you paid at checkout (not factoring in the exchange rate, which neither eBay nor Pitney Bowes have anything to do with).

But let's get into what you did pay Pitney Bowes for. The Global Shipping Program is a glorified forwarding service. The seller ships the item to a processing warehouse in Kentucky at which point Pitney Bowes takes responsibility for the item (even though most of the work is contracted out and they don't see or touch your items). The item pre-clears customs in Kentucky, gets transported to Canada as part of a freight shipment, and handed off to a domestic carrier (usually Canada Post) once it reaches Canada.

Pitney Bowes goes on record as having paid GST or HST plus applicable duties on an item forwarded through the Global Shipping Program. You may not be used to paying taxes and duties on an item you've imported yourself by mail because for the past fifteen years or so, Canada Border Services has become very lax about assessing and charging taxes and duty owed on items imported by mail, but they're legal charges.

If you've been searching for and buying items on eBay.com, you probably won't see Pitney Bowes' "import charges" (consisting of an estimate of taxes, duty and processing fees) on a listing page for an item forwarded through the GSP. They're easier to tease out on eBay.ca, particularly on a laptop or desktop computer as opposed to a mobile device or tablet. You'll run into them at checkout, however.

While you make one payment for your item at checkout, it actually gets split after that, with one part of the payment going to Pitney Bowes for the import charges and the charge for shipping the item from Kentucky to its final destination, and the other part of the payment going to the seller for the item and the seller's charge for shipping the item to Kentucky.

One of the many weaknesses of the Global Shipping Program is that it's very heavily reliant on accurate information from the seller on the nature of the item. If the seller provides no information on the item's shipping weight, for example (which is entirely possible for an item like a t-shirt if the seller is using "free" or flat-rate shipping within the US), the bot calculating Pitney Bowes' part of the shipping charge has to make a guess based on a category average, and for small, lightweight items like shirts, that's going to boost the shipping charge considerably.

The Global Shipping Program is also available to UK sellers. If you've purchased your shirts from the UK, it's pretty much the same sort of deal except that the seller ships the shirt to a processing depot in the UK.

Clear as mud?

reallynicestamps · ‎11-03-2020

All the GSP charges are on the listing before you buy.

There can be some differences based on the currency exchange rate and on your provincial sales tax.

I think your Master card has been compromised by someone who has used it to purchase services from PB/GSP.

Call the customer service number on the back of your card and ask about a chargeback.

At the same time, have them cancel this card and send you a new one.

brettjet38 · ‎11-03-2020

When purchasing from an international seller, keep in mind that shipping can sometimes take longer and cost more than buying from a seller in your own country. If you have any questions about shipping, contact the seller before you go to checkout.

Where to find the cost of international shipping

You’ll find the estimated cost of shipping in the Shipping and payments section of every eBay listing. You’ll also see the shipping service the seller offers and where the item will be sent from, as well as a list of countries the seller ships to.

Listings also include an estimate of customs and import charges, if applicable. The charges you see on the listing aren't final until you pay for the item at checkout. For example, if you change your delivery address during checkout, or if the applicable import rules change before you complete your payment, the charges could change.

The final cost you’ll need to pay to have your item delivered will be confirmed at checkout.

Buying from sellers using the Global Shipping Program

If your seller is sending the item through the Global Shipping Program, you’ll see the GSP logo on the listing.

Benefits of the Global Shipping Program for buyers:

You’ll pay all shipping, taxes, and import charges up front, and you won't have to pay any extra charges when your item is delivered
Tracking is always included so you can track your item right to your door
International deliveries made through GSP include customs clearance so you don’t need to handle any extra paperwork

Once you’ve paid for your item, the seller sends it to the global shipping center. From there, it's sent to you.

If you pay by PayPal, your payment will be split into two transactions:

The first payment goes to the seller to cover the item price and any domestic shipping costs to send the item to the global shipping center
The second payment covers the international shipping cost and any import charges, if applicable

After you've completed payment, you'll be able to see both the total cost and the amounts paid to the seller and the global shipping provider on the Order details page.

Customs and import charges

As a buyer, it’s your responsibility to check which customs and import charges may apply, and to pay them. Your seller might be able to give you some information about import charges, but before you bid on, or buy an item, it's a good idea to check with your country's customs office for more specific details.

Import charges include

Sales, goods, and services
Value added taxes
Duties
Tariffs
Excise taxes
Other amounts assessed or levied by any government authority in connection with the importation of goods into the applicable country of importation
Third party brokerage fees (including advancement and disbursement charges as well as customs brokers’ handling and filing fees)
Penalties
Classification charges associated with the assignment of a Harmonized System (HS) classification code
Charges for export compliance screening and verification and the assignment of an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN)
Charges relating to the management of variances between the quoted import charges and actual costs

Import charges are in addition to the customs duties and taxes imposed by country tax and customs officials.

marnotom! · ‎11-03-2020

@reallynicestamps wrote:

I think your Master card has been compromised by someone who has used it to purchase services from PB/GSP.

Call the customer service number on the back of your card and ask about a chargeback.
At the same time, have them cancel this card and send you a new one.

Before pursuing a chargeback, the OP should check their PayPal account to ensure that these charges are accounted for. While Pitney Bowes does offer other services, GSP charges can only be made through PayPal.

brettjet38 · ‎11-03-2020

You purchased 3 items, were they all from the SAME Seller, if not and if two or more different Sellers are involved and both are in the GSP that may explain the high amount you claim is high.

GSP costs from a single Seller are bad enough, imagine if this Buyer made multiple purchases from different Sellers using the GSP. and paid for everything using the shipping cart in a single payment.

Did you purchase your 3 items from the same Seller?