Global Shipping Program

[beckbec40b4s]

Is anybody else having consistent problems with the Global Shipping Program? I am beginning to think its a scam. More than half the packages that I have shipped mysteriously disappear  after they reach the hub in Kentucky. The international tracking number shows nothing. In the past, I have refunded the money to the buyer. But it has happened again and I am taking a stand.

I talked to a very helpful ebay customer rep who looked into the purchase and verified that  the tracking number I had entered showed that the package had arrived at the hub. She indicated that the problem was on the international leg of the journey. She referred the case to a "specialist". So far so good.

But today I got a message from the "specialist" that ebay has no record of the original tracking number and I need to provide it. What the hell? I mean, I have the receipt with the tracking number. But they shouldn't be throwing this back on me. Are they lying to me or what? Are they hoping I don't have the number so that they don't have to pay the refund? Is the "specialist" just to lazy to check on her own or is this a pattern of business that ebay is using to avoid liability? Something fishy going on!

[mica357_4]

The Global Shipping Program is rubbish. It is more expensive, you can’t combine items to save on shipping costs and parcels go around the US for up to 3 weeks before they even head off to their international destination. I know, I’m a buyer from Australia and I now avoid sellers using GSP. It’s a joke. The GSP also has some weird restrictions, no fur, no perfume ???? These things can be shipped anywhere using ordinary mail but not GSP. Opt out of it and invite interested international bidders to contact you. Then you can vet your international buyers and destinations and ship normal international post.

[myangelandmyprincess]

I know lots of people complain about gsp but I've had success with it.  The last item I shipped was Halloween related and the buyer bought on 17th and was hoping to get by Halloween.  I was thinking no way buddy...it got there on the 25th.  It had some damage but gsp fully refunded the buyer within one day and the buyer was planning to see if they could repair and still use 

[lacemaker3]

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@beckbec40b4s wrote:

Re tracking number: I will. Its just that when first they say they have it and then they don't, coupled with the fact that many of my items are not reaching their destination, I'm just wondering if this is incompetence or something intentional. Somebody is ending up with lots of free items. In the past I just refunded, because I am too busy to mess with it. Wondering why this is happening.

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Hi @beckbec40b4s, you were going to post the International tracking # (usually starts with UP...) so I could try to track it for you.

Getting back to your original topic here, I am concerned that you may be having problems because you are not using the eBay shipping labels for your GSP packages ... the eBay shipping labels automatically put the correct reference number on the package, and if you try to copy it or write it by hand, it's just another place where you could make a mistake. The reference # is needed to identify the package so they will know which buyer and what address it is to be sent to.

I am a happy buyer of many items shipped with GSP from the UK. The cost and shipping time are comparable to items sent by Royal Mail, and GSP items have tracking which works (if you know how to use it). Most Royal Mail packages don't have tracking.

So not all buyers dislike the GSP. It has it's good points, and in my experience it works very well.

[starroute-us]

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@3714508518 wrote:

Like someone else said, you are better off shipping yourself. Wayover piced. Nothing but problems with GSP.  Even the name is wrong, the program isnt global! Lots of limitations and restrictions and then you have ebay involved with their  useless customer service for support.

My favorite one is when I sold a $250 antique Formosa Oolong Tea Crate,  and they destroyed it because you cant send formosa wood to Taiwan.  I got to keep my money and the buyer got their money back. 

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Most items that can not be sent due to restrictions either from the country or not allowed via GPS, are not destroyed.

They are sold off via the ebay liquidator using your photos and description with US only shipping allowed.

Check using search and you will find your items listed.

As you said both you and the buyer loses no money when this occurs.

The OP only needs proof of delivery to the hub to win any INR filed. GSP refunds the buyer.

[phcd1]

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@mica357_4 wrote:

The Global Shipping Program is rubbish. It is more expensive, you can’t combine items to save on shipping costs and parcels go around the US for up to 3 weeks before they even head off to their international destination. I know, I’m a buyer from Australia and I now avoid sellers using GSP. It’s a joke. The GSP also has some weird restrictions, no fur, no perfume ???? These things can be shipped anywhere using ordinary mail but not GSP. Opt out of it and invite interested international bidders to contact you. Then you can vet your international buyers and destinations and ship normal international post.

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Although I'm sure your correct, there is one thing GSP offers and that is indemnity from a buyers INR claim. Since many International packages commonly do not arrive by the eBay stated estimated delivery date, I would highly recommend it. However, as a seller I would NOT recommend selling International at all if you can avoid it.

[3714508518]

The problem was it wasnt a restricted item. Not sure if it was a monkey's or a computer's decision. Even then why not just return it back to me?  I got my money but had to spend 2 hours talking to one clueless rep after another.  The buyer got their money back butdo you think they were happy with their wasted time, or with seeing the same thing back up for sale and not being able to purchase it. 

I see people "saying" items are relisted for sale on eBay but is there any proof of this? Where?

Its a flawed program with incompetent customer service. Way to many restrictions.

Just ship international yourself and tack on handling fees to use as your own form of insurance.

[tkinnebrew]

We had a couple items go missing in Kentucky.  They're rare and serial numbered so when they pop back up again we'll back track where they came from.  You can't steal from us.

[lookng2015]

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@starroute-uswrote:

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@3714508518 wrote:

Like someone else said, you are better off shipping yourself. Wayover piced. Nothing but problems with GSP.  Even the name is wrong, the program isnt global! Lots of limitations and restrictions and then you have ebay involved with their  useless customer service for support.

My favorite one is when I sold a $250 antique Formosa Oolong Tea Crate,  and they destroyed it because you cant send formosa wood to Taiwan.  I got to keep my money and the buyer got their money back. 

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Most items that can not be sent due to restrictions either from the country or not allowed via GPS, are not destroyed.

They are sold off via the ebay liquidator using your photos and description with US only shipping allowed.

Check using search and you will find your items listed.

As you said both you and the buyer loses no money when this occurs.

The OP only needs proof of delivery to the hub to win any INR filed. GSP refunds the buyer.

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I think the point being made was the crate was NOT made from Formosa wood it was a crate for a brand called Formosa Oolong Tea = )

[lookng2015]

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@beckbec40b4swrote:

You are right - not using ebay shipping. Shouldn't have made refunds...just wanted the problem to go away.

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You'll know better next time. Just call and tell them it's a GSP issue.

[livadia]

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@beckbec40b4swrote:

Mailed myself through the post office. Yes, I have the number on the receipt.  Nedd to check on the country. I've tried several websites to use the international tracking, but they didn't work.

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@beckbec40b4s

Not trying to be snarky, but why, may I ask, are you not purchasing your labels through eBay?    Do you not have a printer at home or something?

eBay labels are cheaper than what you can get over-the-counter at the post office and with international shipments the requisite customs paperwork is automatically generated saving you the time/hassle of doing it manually and preventing typos/transcription errors, too.

If you handled your other international packages that got lost the same way (sent them via GSP but did your own labelling/purchased your own postage off-site and not through eBay), I think that's where your problem lies.

There are other coding/reference numbers assigned to a package when it goes GSP that are noted on the labeling paperwork you get with an e-Bay generated label. If that's not included on your packaging, GSP (Pitney-Bowes) has no way of matching your package up in their system so consequently they won't be able to "find" it.

Basically, eBay's GSP works like a freight-forwarding service.  I don't know if you've had any international buyers who clearly live outside of the US but their mailing address is here in the states. 

When you Google that address, often you will find it is the address of a freight-forwarder.   These companies serve as a mass depot point for foreign shipments.   They'll fill up a shipping container of packages going to country "X" which means it costs someone living outside the US less money to have the package shipped to them this way due to economy of scale. The freight-forwarder does all the customs paperwork, the buyer also benefits as he/she has a stateside shipping address.  Seller only has to ship to a US address, etc., etc.

Anyway, if you poke around these companies' websites, you'll notice they are usually emphatic about the need for the seller/shipper to use the exact mailing label info provided by the customer as it also includes critical routing number/account code/etc information.   This coding info is an internal number/ID that helps the company keep track of packages inside their system.  Without it, they can't match incoming packages to the proper customer account.   Without a match, even if the address is on the package, the package won't be sent on or is significantly delayed while the necessary detective work takes place.  

I think that is what is going on with your GSP shipments.   Why not try purchasing/printing your labels though eBay the next few international sales you have and see if things improve?  I don't have a lot of international sales, but probably have had close to 50 over the past couple of years and never once has a GSP package gone AWOL.

But then again,  I have never sent one "manually" -- always have generated my labels through eBay.  Jusy sayin'...  Might be worth a shot...