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" import fee $349.97 "
I do not know where you reside but in Ontario, it would cost $325 HST (plus Canada Post administration fee); in NS it would cost $375 HST (plus Canada Post administration fee)
The main difference with GSP in this case is that the tax (GST/HST/PST) are prepaid to PB (who remits them to CRA) instead of being collected at time of delivery.
Very Well Put Rose.................
I think someone called it "Scammy," and that's a better word than scam.
I'd feel guilty as heck running that racket and taking people's money in return for making their shopping experience less pleasant.
There are more satisfying ways to make money.
Comparing it to the drug trade is a bit extreme though......... 
Someone compared the level of "scamminess" to the Drive Clean Program and I think that's a good comparison.
What blows me away is the way some sellers defend the program on the grounds that it works for some of the items some of the time, and even they admit that's a rare occurrence.
The GSP is just a small step removed from never working for anyone.................. but that would have been the kiss of death from the get go.
In other words: ............. The GSP has to work some of the time or it wouldn't have progressed as far has it has so what kind of defense is that?
If eBay had even one on staff person who actually knew something about International shipping (like me perhaps) and had them go over the GSP proposal from Pitney-Bowes then most of these issues would have never happened in the first place.
If they had hired me they would still have a GSP type arrangement but...
A - It would NOT be operated by Pitney-Bowes
B - There would have been an education program commensurate with the intelligence level (in a business sense) of the average eBay Seller (or Buyer).
These types of "all charges in" shipping arrangements work fantastically for many of the merchants who use them but none that I know of are run on "marketplaces", they work SO much better when you have a single merchant.
recped............ is it you who uses the way US clothing companies pre-charge by way of comparison?
I'm not saying that you wouldn't do better than P-B............ ................ BUT..............
I went to one of those sites you mention and went through the checkout process and stopped short of the actual purchase so I could compare.
The way they do it is they have the same item cost for Americans and Canadians with shipping included, and the ONLY added cost to Canadians is tax plus duty.
Shipping is included/free for everyone and there are no brokerage fees.
For example........ a shirt which costs $50 to an American costs about $58 to a Canadian (depending on the province).
These are landed costs.
How can an eBay item possibly compete with that if taxes are collected prior to shipping?
@chimera148 wrote:
@1bluecharger wrote:-Seller 2 = Fantastic Four #1 = $2499.99 US
shipping = $89.53 US + import fee $349.97 US = $439.50 !!!!!
In BC, the import charges shown are 146.00, and 89.53 for shipping.
That seller charges $50 for domestic US shipping which is included in the $89.53
The $349.97 "import charges"
Ontario HST would be $325, leaving $24.97 for "brokerage", more than the $12.95 Canada Post would charge but less than what UPS or FedEx would charge on a package of that value.
If the Seller shipped it direct the minimum charge for Exprees Mail (Flat-Rate envelope with insurance) would be $44.80 + 12.95 to Canada Post, that does not include ANY handling charge for the seller and is more than the net amount of the $39.53 Pitney Bowes is charging.
Now add another issue into the mix, USPS does not offer ANY service to Canada with Siganture confimation so to be protected (and I would want to be on a $2500 item) they would have to use UPS or FedEx which would be even more expensive.
The only way shipping direct would be a better deal than GSP if is the seller was willing to undervalue the customs declaration, no way will Canada Customs let a $2500 package through without taxes, in fact at US$2500 it would need a formal customs entry, the normal casual entry done for lower value shipments would not even be an option.
This is an item where it is actually cheaper via GSP than any direct method that would realistically be used.
@i*m-still-here wrote:recped............ is it you who uses the way US clothing companies pre-charge by way of comparison?
I'm not saying that you wouldn't do better than P-B............
I went to one of those sites you mention and went through the checkout process and stopped short of the actual purchase so I could compare.
The way they do it is they have the same item cost for Americans and Canadians with shipping included, and the ONLY added cost to Canadians is tax plus duty.
Shipping is included/free for everyone and there are no brokerage fees.
For example........ a shirt which costs $50 to an American costs about $58 to a Canadian (depending on the province).
These are landed costs.
How can an eBay item possibly compete with that if taxes are collected prior to shipping?
If you are refering to LL Bean, they subsidize Canadian orders as a marketing technique....Ssssh! don't let their US buyers find out!
$50 vs $58
HST in Ontario on $50 is $7.50 so they are tacking on a whopping 50 cents. With the volume of LL Bean it's hardly any more expensive for them to ship to Canada than to ship within the US, customs clearence fees are minimal for them, an entire truckload of orders can be cleared through Canada Customs at virtually the same cost as clearing an single individual package.
@i*m-still-here wrote:recped............ is it you who uses the way US clothing companies pre-charge by way of comparison?
I'm not saying that you wouldn't do better than P-B............
I went to one of those sites you mention and went through the checkout process and stopped short of the actual purchase so I could compare.
The way they do it is they have the same item cost for Americans and Canadians with shipping included, and the ONLY added cost to Canadians is tax plus duty.
Shipping is included/free for everyone and there are no brokerage fees.
For example........ a shirt which costs $50 to an American costs about $58 to a Canadian (depending on the province).
These are landed costs.
How can an eBay item possibly compete with that if taxes are collected prior to shipping?
That shirt may have been made in the U.S. so they wouldn't have charged duty. On a $69 pair of shoes they charged $4.11 tax and $13.11 duty to Alberta. Unless an item has been made in a NAFTA country,they charge 19% duty on all goods although many of their items have a duty rate below that (some are 5% and 12%). Then you pay tax on the item and the duty. There is a blurb about refunding tax and duty but I'm not clear if they mean they refund overpayments or if they just refund it when you return an item. If they don't refund overpayments of duty then 19% does seem high but the free shipping sort of makes up for that.
When I've dealt with some other online stores like Neiman Marcus or Coach. com, I've found that the shipping, tax and duty often add about 20-25% to the cost of the merchandise. Depending on the shipping cost, I have seen some GSP items comparable to that but there are definitely many that are higher.
@i*m-still-here wrote:Very Well Put Rose.................
I think someone called it "Scammy," and that's a better word than scam.
I'd feel guilty as heck running that racket and taking people's money in return for making their shopping experience less pleasant.
There are more satisfying ways to make money.
Comparing it to the drug trade is a bit extreme though.........
Someone compared the level of "scamminess" to the Drive Clean Program and I think that's a good comparison.
What blows me away is the way some sellers defend the program on the grounds that it works for some of the items some of the time, and even they admit that's a rare occurrence.
The GSP is just a small step removed from never working for anyone.................. but that would have been the kiss of death from the get go.
In other words: ............. The GSP has to work some of the time or it wouldn't have progressed as far has it has so what kind of defense is that?
What really blows me away is when people only focus on the negative. I haven't seen anyone here say that the program is great or even all that good but we're stuck with it for now. So which is more useful....complaining about it and saying it is ALL bad or trying to make the best of a situation by looking for a way to benefit or at least meet the status quo?
We have the opportunity to make comments and suggestions on the thread that Kalvin started. Perhaps nothing will come of it but maybe they will implement something that we suggest so that it is a better program. Those who dislike the program can probably make some really good suggestions to some of the questions that he asked...
- Any ideas to help improve the experience for Canadian buyers?
- What has deterred you from buying items offered using the Global Shipping Program?
