GSP = is nothing but a NIGHTMARE for CANADIAN buyers!!!

[flyboyac]

Dear members:

The GSP has been nothing but a NIGHTMARE for Canadian buyers like me !!!

The sellers do NOT pack the parcels for extended handling & travelling.

The parcels arrive & so many were crushed beyond belief !

The persons doing the delivery ignore requests to NOT to safe drop !

The drivers are RUDE & IGNORANT & OFFENSIVE ! Drop & run !

As a big time collector, I have decided NOT to buy from sellers using GSP.

No matter how bad I want this piece for my collection ! I buy lots here !

If other Canadians boycott this terrible shipping & total ripoff, perhaps Ebay might get the message !

Flyboyac in Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.

[mrdutch1001]

Problematic situations with the GSP have been reported by Canadian buyers for the past few years, so it has become Buyer Beware when it comes to purchasing anything from a seller who uses the GSP. It has also become well known that many Canadian buyers do not like the GSP nor do they any longer purchase from sellers who use the GSP. The solution is simple, avoid sellers who use the GSP and/or at the very least ask the seller if they will ship using a direct shipping method. GSP is for the benefit of the seller, not the buyer! So in short, it is a buyer's choice to purchase or not to purchase from a seller who uses the GSP.

[marnotom!]

Two big things to remember about the GSP:

1.  It was devised more with sellers in mind than buyers.  Yes, buyers pay for the service, but it's sellers that derive most of the "protection" benefits from it.

2.  It's a glorified forwarding service.

There are other parcel forwarding services out  there.  You can still buy from sellers using the GSP and have the item sent to one of these services who will send it to your address for a price.  If you have a friend in the US, you can have it sent to them for forwarding or to hang onto if you think you'll ever visit them in the future.  Just make sure that the address of your friend or of the forwarding service is on file with eBay and is the one you'll use for that purchase.

Just keep in mind that, unlike with the GSP, your item will be considered delivered once it reaches your friend or the forwarding agent and you will have no recourse through eBay or PayPal if it doesn't make it to you after that.  You'll also have no recourse through eBay or PayPal if the item arrives damaged.

Personally, I've had no problems with the GSP, but I researched it pretty thoroughly  before making my first purchase.  I find it helps to ensure that the seller is aware that they're using the GSP (Some don't have a clue) and that they're using it to its best advantage.

[flyboyac]

Dear brettjet38:

I remember that post well & still stand by my words.  Things have gotten much worse.

A year ago I suffered 2 strokes, was in hospital for 4 months, recovered & was released to home.

Now I am a handicapped person & I quit selling here as I could no longer do the packing & wrapping.

A have a close circle of friends sellers & buyers & they tell me you DO not represent the norm.

I am glad that post amused you, as for me, I find your comments rude & disrespectful.

Sadly I cannot understand why you bothered to post.  You sound like a troll.

I guess you have nothing better to do ???

Flyboyac.

[flyboyac]

New message from:  Top Rated Seller(2,128Red Star) Re: Discussion post GSP Program Very well expressed. I've complained about this program until I was blue in the face. It constantly gets defended as an easier way for US sellers to ship or as a way for Canadian/Intl. buyers to buy from US sellers that don't want to ship to us through normal channels. We've asked many times for someone to show up at the discussion board to address these concerns. It falls on deaf ears. Most buyers use GSP once...Figure out the problems and then use only as a last resort. I will message a seller to ask if they will send something standard USPS. Some will. Majority won't or say they don't know how. It is possible to opt out for a transaction on a case by case basis but well hidden by eBay. I find it an interesting double standard. Canadian buyers having major problems using GSP and these new other Standard Intl Shipping programs and eBay does nothing. But if a Canadian seller ships something to the USA and it takes 1 minute longer than eBay states it should instant refund for US buyer. Firstly sellers do not control mail delivery once they drop it off and lastly customs can take as quick or long as they like to process. You may want to tag tyler directly to your post. It will look better than me doing it. Hope you get some proper response but please don't hold your breath. -Lotz PS. They also use the explanation that delivery is spoke and wheel so it will always take longer. If they are processing that many packages using that service and making tons of money from it, open a hub on the west side of the USA. That should not be rocket science.

[flyboyac]

Re: Discussion post GSP Program Very well expressed. I've complained about this program until I was blue in the face. It constantly gets defended as an easier way for US sellers to ship or as a way for Canadian/Intl. buyers to buy from US sellers that don't want to ship to us through normal channels. We've asked many times for someone to show up at the discussion board to address these concerns. It falls on deaf ears. Most buyers use GSP once...Figure out the problems and then use only as a last resort. I will message a seller to ask if they will send something standard USPS. Some will. Majority won't or say they don't know how. It is possible to opt out for a transaction on a case by case basis but well hidden by eBay. I find it an interesting double standard. Canadian buyers having major problems using GSP and these new other Standard Intl Shipping programs and eBay does nothing. But if a Canadian seller ships something to the USA and it takes 1 minute longer than eBay states it should instant refund for US buyer. Firstly sellers do not control mail delivery once they drop it off and lastly customs can take as quick or long as they like to process. You may want to tag tyler directly to your post. It will look better than me doing it. Hope you get some proper response but please don't hold your breath. -Lotz PS. They also use the explanation that delivery is spoke and wheel so it will always take longer. If they are processing that many packages using that service and making tons of money from it, open a hub on the west side of the USA. That should not be rocket science.

[flyboyac]

I received this email in my private message. I have blocked the user name in order to preserve his anonymity. It tells me I am on the right track !

[femmefan1946]

The sellers do NOT pack the parcels for extended handling & travelling.

This is the responsibility, as you say, of the seller, not the GSP. It should be mentioned in Feedback

The persons doing the delivery ignore requests to NOT to safe drop !

Which sub-contractor delivered? While this IS the responsibility of the GSP (who hired them) a complaint to the company office might help.

Was the package marked Do Not Safe Drop? Again the seller's responsibility.

Have you looked into Canada Post's new FlexDelivery service? This is FREE and your parcels would be delivered to your local PO.

As a big time collector, I have decided NOT to buy from sellers using GSP.

A sensible move, although as you say it may reduce the number of items you are able to purchase.

Since you have been receiving damaged items  I hope you have been opening Not As Described disputes and stating that the shipping was through the GST. (Damaged packaging is an annoyance but not really  a Dispute.)

When you do that your refund comes from the GST (revenge!) but they do not want the item back. (Bonus!)
It would be useful to send a polite Message to the seller explaining what happened and perhaps pointing out that using USPS First Class International Parcel gives her the tracking she wants and ships through the postal system.

I'm sure you are already aware that the other job done by GSP is paying Canadian duty (over $140 value) and sales tax (over $40 value) . The GSP service fee is ~$5 while Canada Post for the same service charges $9.95.

[andremontevilla]

Thank you, very rational and bang on.

[marnotom!]

@onebadwolf wrote:

People keep parroting about how the GSP is intended to benefit sellers. Like that actually means something. Anybody who thinks about it longer than it takes to choose to take your tongue off of a glowing stove burner, would understand that  Sellers don't benefit at all, unless buyers buy.

---

Well, non-US (or non-UK) buyers purchasing items that might otherwise go unsold is certainly one benefit of the GSP to US (or UK) sellers.  There's also the fact that the seller is only responsible for the shipment while it is on US (or UK) soil.  Once the item is accepted by the Global Shipping Center, the seller isn't liable in the event of an Item Not Received (INR) claim, and in most cases, they're not liable in the event of an Item Significantly Not as Described (SNAD) claim as the result of damage in transit.  I'd say those are pretty attractive benefits for sellers squeamish about shipping out of the country.

@onebadwolf  wrote:

I think it bears asking though, why then, if the GSP is God's gift to sellers,  are Canadian sellers who sell to the US, not able to avail themselves of this miracle tool? 

---

Why not ask the same about Australian sellers?  Or French sellers?  Or German sellers?  Or Norwegian sellers?

The US has about ten times Canada's population; the UK about twice our country's population.  It's probably not cost-effective to set up a GSP service here, and, let's face it, I don't think Canada is the first country many non-Canadians with limited online-buying experience think of when considering a purchase on eBay.  (Remember, the GSP ships from the US and UK to about 100 countries, not just Canada.)  

Also, if you hung out on the eBay.com or eBay.co.uk discussion boards in the 2000s, you'd probably be left with a less than positive impression about shipping internationally, or US or UK sellers.  There were a lot of posts from paranoid uncertain sellers under all sorts of misapprehensions about the ins and outs of shipping internationally.  Education campaigns by eBay didn't do much to allay those fears, so the GSP was born.

[onebadwolf]

I insure anything I ship. I've never had a INR or SNAD. The GSP simply creates a loss of potential customers for the sellers that use it. I have actually sent documents to sellers, indemnifying them against any claim and abandoned my rights as a buyer, if they will not ship via the GSP. The GSP is so onerous, I will place myself at a sellers mercy before I would use it. I haven't been ripped off once.

[onebadwolf]

People keep parroting about how the GSP is intended to benefit sellers. Like that actually means something. Anybody who thinks about it longer than it takes to choose to take your tongue off of a glowing stove burner, would understand that  Sellers don't benefit at all, unless buyers buy.

I think it bears asking though, why then, if the GSP is God's gift to sellers,  are Canadian sellers who sell to the US, not able to avail themselves of this miracle tool? 

[andremontevilla]

Personally, I only buy from GSP sellers in the United States...unless the item is under CAD$20. Never had a problem with the service. All the problems you mention have nothing to do with the GSP itself.