"Who are you marnotom, being an ebay member since 2004, having only 1 feedback since then???? and in 2012?"
???
We all know by now not to judge a book by its cover.
Personally, I do not know who marnotom is. I also do not know who I*m-still-here is.
Those are posters using posting IDs instead of their real ID under which they buy and/or sell on eBay. Both appear to have some experience buying/selling on eBay. Personally I much prefer to communicate with posters using their real ID but.... it is what it is.
You wrote "you are very kean to defend Pitney Bowes"
"defend" ???
I read over one hundred posts by marnotom and, quite frankly, did not find one, not a single one, "defending" Pitney Bowes. On the contrary. Most posts by marnotom seem to explain areas of importing from the USA into Canada which are often misunderstood by casual buyers. Many of my own posts follow the same concept: helping casual users understand the system, not "defend" it.
Like marnotom, I believe the Global Shipping Program (GSP) instituted by eBay and managed under contract by Pitney Bowes was not designed to assist most Canadians in most transactions and should be avoided in most instances. The program was designed by eBay to help American sellers increase their international sales with the added costs paid by buyers. Unfortunately, many American sellers use the program when they should not - but that is another story.
My own feelings about GSP are expressed in this post of June 6th, reposted here;
"round number of items above $20 Canadian?"
The problem here is one of conversion since most listings are listed in US$ and must be converted to Cdn$ for tax calculation purposes. Currencies fluctuate every minute of the day. eBay.ca usually resets every morning. PayPal every few hours depending on level of fluctuation. Same for banks. Credit card issuers do it daily.
It is possible that the currency exchange used by PB to determine tax exemption eligibility ($20) is used on a different wholesale or retail level. I suspect you may find the same problem at times with a price equivalent to $20.10 or $20.15 (a few cents above the $20 level).
"made and assembled in the US and as such shouldn't be subject to any customs charges under NAFTA."
Goods made in the USA are generally exempt of "duty" under NAFTA. That is correct.
However, imports of taxable products are still subject to Canadian consumption taxes (GST/HST/PST depending on your province). These taxes are not exempt by NAFTA.
The "import charge" from Pitney Bowes covers both the tax payable (rate varies by province) and a brokerage or handling fee. The same would apply if the item had been sent by mail. Canada Post charges a flat $9.95 brokerage fee in addition to taxes assessed by Canada Customs.
"...proof of payment to customs..."
Unfortunately, the system created by eBay and Pitney Bowes is opaque and does not provide adequate disclosure. In a perfect world, Pitney Bowes would show the calculation for taxes (Canadian taxable value x tax percentage) and fee just like Canada Post does. In fact, there is a legal requirement for Pitney Bowes to show the amount of tax collected and its GST/HST registration number. eBay is aware and has been aware for a long time that Pitney Bowes has not met that legal requirement and continues to ignore it. As far as "proof of payment", it is no different from purchasing taxable goods at any retailer in Canada: you pay the tax, you get a receipt but you have no "proof" that your money is remitted to the government. It is the job of the government to see to it that all taxes are properly and fully remitted by those registered to collect it.
At the end of the day, the program is not perfect and is often offered by American sellers in low price listings where it should not be offered. There are few benefits for most Canadian buyers in most transactions. But again, the program has not been created to benefit Canadians or buyers anywhere in the world: it is there to help American sellers sell more outside their borders.
But it is not a "scam". It is legitimate although most Canadian should avoid it most of the time.
"The NAFTA agreement means no goods made in the USA and imported into either Canada or Mexico have any taxes to be charged"
I am sorry but you have been misinformed.
NAFTA deals with duty (tariffs) and quotas. It does not change one penny as far as consumption taxes (HST/GST/PST) are concerned.
Please do not take my word for it. Check it out yourself:
https://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/Default.aspx?tabid=97&ctl=FullView&mid=1588&language=en-US
For more information about NAFTA: http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/nafta-alena/
"Is this Global Shipping Program forced on U.S. based sellers? "
No. eBay has been promoting their program but sellers do not have to use it.
"Do they have the option of not using this service if they would ship directly to Canada (or another country?)"
Yes. Options exist for sellers to opt out of the program or opt specific countries out of the program.
Unfortunately, as stated many times before, eBay has done a very poor job educating American sellers about the program.
"I asked eBay, who is getting this money? No answer. They told me to email another dept. for answers."
I think you have hit the nail on the head. The biggest problem with this program is:
opacity - even eBay staff does not understand the "ins and outs" of GSP
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