this global shipping is the worst system I have ever encountered

[dante_11_1]

shipping tracking numbers stop at the usa border and go no farther no mater what global says ,,worst shipping I have ever encountered

[reallynicestamps]

Is your parcel overdue?

EBay should have given you a last estimated delivery date when you paid.

You have 30 days after that date to open an Item Not Received dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

If the seller (actually in this case the GSP) cannot prove delivery you will be refunded.

If the item arrives after than, the GSP does not want it back.

And keep in mind, the Global Shipping Program is a Seller Protection and has no actual value to buyers.

If your shipment arrives when you are not home, the carrier (usually Canada Post)will leave a Notice in your mailbox telling you where and when you can pick it up.

That being said, here are two ways to track your parcel.

Another poster worked this out for buyers who have not yet received their GSP shipment.
TRACKING SYSTEM FOR GSP
It's not user friendly... But I found how to track your package via the global shipping program, once it gets to Canada you need to:
- Log on to eBay.ca
- Under the My eBay menu select Purchase History
- Under your orders find the specific order.  It should have something like the following:
        Estimated delivery Mon, Jan 11 - Thu, Jan 21
        Tracking number: Tracking number UPAAB000000#########
- Click on the UPA number.  This should open up a Shipment Details window, which should contain something like this:
     This shipment has been transferred to CPC for delivery to the final destination # 70351#########
-Click on the Canada Post number to see where the Canada Post Tracking history and expected delivery
 And there is this method too (originally posted by unison)
I found this thread today while awaiting a shipment. Once I learned that Pitney Bowes was the relevant company, I was able to find my package's tracking info in about 10 seconds.
 
Step 1: Go to the Pitney Bowes Parcel Tracker page at https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/
 
Step 2: Enter your eBay-supplied Global Tracking number (mine began with UPAA...)
 
Step 3: You will be shown limited tracking info. In my case, only up to the point the package left the USA and entered Canada.
 
Step 4: Click on the "Track on carrier's website" link at the top right.
 
Step 5: You will be provided with tracking on the page of the actual shipping company, in my case Canada Post, with a tracking number in THEIR system.
 
Problem solved! If only eBay would put a link to https://parceltracking.pb.com/app/#/dashboard/ in their shipping emails, this could all be avoided...
 

[vinage]

Before committing to buy an item, the only option is to ask a seller whether they would consider shipping the item via USPS with tracking.  Most of them do.  And if the answer is no, well buy from someone else!  Money talks!

I also found that items purchased from continental Europe often arrive a lot faster than items purchased from the US. And the shipping costs are very competitive.  Really worth looking at those sellers.

[profabdwight]

I have to agree. My order was scanned at 3 different locations before it ever left California!!!! Once it arrives in Walton Kentucky the tracking says it is "delivered:. I freaked!! No... its been handed over to another agency in Erlanger Kentucky and the final tracking says it is being delivered to its International Destination. Hmmm.. Its been in Kentucky for a week.!!!! USPS, Pitney Bowes, ( and now it has a Pitney Bowes tracking number) Postal Ninja,.. how many friggin agencies does it take to track a damned parcel. I will never use eBay shipping again. 

I have a tracker on my dog that can get to within 10 meters. 

[reallynicestamps]

 My order was scanned at 3 different locations before it ever left California!!!!

Yes.

USPS, and all courier companies like UPS, uses a spoke and hub delivery system, which is counter intuitive but apparently very efficient.

https://transportgeography.org/?page_id=653

its been handed over to another agency in Erlanger Kentucky

That's the GSP plant where it will be pre-cleared for customs.

Your seller's responsibility for delivery has now ended and the GSP is now responsible for your shipment.

the final tracking says it is being delivered to its International Destination.

That means it has been pre-cleared and moved out of Erlanger .

Its been in Kentucky for a week.!!

The new tracking number tells you where the shipment was last recorded, not where it is right now.

In theory.

how many friggin agencies does it take to track a damned parcel.

Piney Bowes runs the Global Shipping Program for eBay.

The parcel traveled by USPS to Erlanger. The GSP puts it on a truck for Canada. Usually it is then given to Canada Post, normally in Mississauga.

Occasionally we see complaints about other Canadian delivery companies, but mostly it's Canada Post and delivery is as smooth as anything is these days.

If you look back in this thread, all this has been known since 2017.  All shipping world wide is slow these days and will continue to be for the pandemic.

If you need your item tomorrow buy it locally. Mail order , and eBay is mail order, offers more choice and lower prices, but not speedy delivery.

A word of advice.

Don't ever ever ever follow tracking.

Tracking is a Seller Protection against unwarranted claims of non-delivery.

It does nothing for the buyer. Tracked parcels do not move faster, nor are they handled more gently.

EBay gave you a last estimated date for delivery. Mark that on your calendar and don't stress.

If the last day passes with no shipment, open an Item Not Received dispute in the Resolution Centre , stating this was a GSP shipment, and you will be refunded.

Bonus. If the shipment arrives after the refund, you don't have to return either the purchase or the refund.

[marnotom!]

When you think about it, the number of complaint posts about the GSP has been really low since the world went sideways in mid-March.  They certainly don't compare in number to the ones that accumulated in 2013-14 when the program was first unleashed on unsuspecting global eBay shoppers.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@marnotom! wrote:

When you think about it, the number of complaint posts about the GSP has been really low since the world went sideways in mid-March.  They certainly don't compare in number to the ones that accumulated in 2013-14 when the program was first unleashed on unsuspecting global eBay shoppers.

@reallynicestamps 

---

The vast majority of discussion complaints regarding GSP are buyers using the program for the very first time and landing in the perils, pitfalls and shortcomings. Maybe buyers are doing their due diligence and just avoiding the program. I believe the last time I used it was 2 or 3 years. Now I would only use as a last resort.

In reviewing(tracking down) the terms and conditions for the program on dot ca you are brought to a link created in 2014. It can be found if you really look for it. In my research "Terms and Conditions" does NOT show up in eBay Help.

https://pages.ebay.ca/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html#paymentsplit

If you look at item using the program on dot com it brings you to a link last updated in March 2020.

https://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

Maybe it is time for eBay to correct some of the short-comings found  or not being able to find easily on the Canadian help pages to this and many other features built into eBay. I didn't proof read to determine differences between the 2 versions.

-Lotz

Accidentally found from 2013.

Something similar(current) now would probably be most helpful for buyers using for the first time

[reallynicestamps]

Besides those buyers who are used to the quirks of the GSP, and those avoiding it at all costs, I think the increase in the Canadian duty-free allowance from $20 to $150 (but $40 for sales taxes) has stopped most of the problems.

When a buyer has never paid import fees to  Canada Post/ CBSA on a $100 purchase, suddenly being forced to pay upfront  import fees on a $16US /$20Cdn import is more than annoying.

The latest complaints have paralleled the complaints about slow shipping through USPS/Canada Post, which are basically holiday+ COVID slowdowns.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Probably why many buyers prefer relying on Canadapost/USPS tracking. It gives information regarding a delivery date or out for delivery vs eBay's approximate tentative hopefully by guesstimate window. With the GSP tracking customers get concerned with the "it's disappeared off the radar" updates. I believe I've heard that mentioned a few times.

US example before Xmas rush. Shipped by dogsled with really old dogs.

-Lotz

[pjcdn2005]

I agree. The fact that 'international tracking' is promised but seems to really sporadic with the gsp  these days does seem to be one of the biggest complaints.  I think too that the term 'Priority International' causes a lot of issue as well. Buyers have the impression that they are paying for a 'priority/premium' service when it really isn't one.

I'm sure that there are ways that they could make the program more buyer friendly although I don't think the program itself is bad. I've used it a couple of times pre Covid and never had a problem but then I tend to order an item and rarely look at tracking unless the item is late.

[marnotom!]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

---

Something similar(current) now would probably be most helpful for buyers using for the first time

---

You mean something like this from the Help Pages?

https://www.ebay.ca/help/buying/postage-delivery/changing-delivery-address-method/international-purc...

[marnotom!]

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

The latest complaints have paralleled the complaints about slow shipping through USPS/Canada Post, which are basically holiday+ COVID slowdowns.

---

That's pretty much my sense of things and the point at which I was trying to get.  We keep telling people that these boards are essentially eBay's public "complaints department" where people generally only post when things go wrong.  We don't really have a sense of how representative these complaints of slow shipping and mishandled doorstep delivery are of most buyers' experience with the program, particularly as these discussion boards are falling out of favour as venting venues, but one hopes that no news is good news.

[marnotom!]

---

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I agree. The fact that 'international tracking' is promised but seems to really sporadic with the gsp  these days does seem to be one of the biggest complaints.  I think too that the term 'Priority International' causes a lot of issue as well. Buyers have the impression that they are paying for a 'priority/premium' service when it really isn't one.

I'm sure that there are ways that they could make the program more buyer friendly although I don't think the program itself is bad. I've used it a couple of times pre Covid and never had a problem but then I tend to order an item and rarely look at tracking unless the item is late.

---

I haven't had problems with the tracking information on my small handful of GSP-forwarded purchases, although, like you, I don't tend to pay too much attention to it.  I think the "sporadic tracking" problems are largely a thing of the past now.  What's likely the problem is that people don't read (or receive?) their emails related to their purchases and these emails do contain some useful information on the items' shipping progress.  I think we all agree that no matter what the carrier is, there are occasionally problems with tracking information getting transmitted to "My eBay" in a timely manner.

The problem of the term "Priority" being used isn't unique to the GSP.  Canada Post's Priority services are way different from USPS's Priority services and actually have more in common with FedEx's service bearing a similar name.

[kh-leslie]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.