01-29-2017 09:45 AM
There should be more upfront honesty about this program. I live in Canada and once made the error of buying something that was listed under this program. At least at that time, the full cost of this program was provided, alneit somewhat buried. In Canada it's rare that a small package will be stopped and customs applied so this is almost entirely irrelvant. In the minute number of cases where it is calculated by Canadian officials, the fee was $5.00 - not the amount charged under this program which is almost equal to the amount charged... sometimes it is much greater than the customs collected.
Buyer beware? Avoid items listed under this program.
01-29-2017 09:49 AM
I liked it better the old way, but this is eBay-you get what you get.
01-29-2017 09:51 AM
I think many buyers, from many countries, are seeing these inflated charges collected by the GSP. I think it may be in part a way for Pitney Bowes to cover the overhead associated with lost/damaged in transit items. They take over responsibility for that once the item arrives in KY.
04-04-2017 02:40 PM - edited 04-04-2017 02:41 PM
The GSP may make sense for US sellers shipping overseas, but using it for Canada makes items unaffordable.
Shipping to Canada using the GSP is usually DOUBLE the cost of USPS. Ebay and Pitney Bowes are making a business out of overcharging Canadian buyers for shipping and are also charging brokerage fees (which buyers would otherwise not pay.) Sellers are losing sales . A quick Google search will show you that buyers from Canada avoid sellers that use the GSP.
Canada represents 10% of the US population, so it's not insignificant.
To make matters worse, the consolidation process often delays shipping since states near the Canadian border have to ship their items south to Kentucky where they wait a day or two before shipping north again.
Shipping to Canada using USPS is virtually the same as shipping within the US.
Unfortunately most US sellers have no idea that Canada is part of the program by default. By implementing the GSP in this manner, eBay has done a disservice to both sellers in the US and buyers in Canada.
They need to correst this by advising all US sellers that they should consider removing Canada from the GSP for their items. As it stands, the GSP is a significant impediment to the traditional Ebay process - at least where Canadian buyers are concerned.
04-04-2017 03:29 PM
Shipping to Canada using USPS is virtually the same as shipping within the US.
Except it costs more. Every Canadian buyer I've ever had has asked me to lie about the value and/or send the item without tracking for cheaper. It seems GSP is a good way to avoid that.
04-04-2017 04:03 PM
@deep-garnet-red wrote:Shipping to Canada using USPS is virtually the same as shipping within the US.
Except it costs more. Every Canadian buyer I've ever had has asked me to lie about the value and/or send the item without tracking for cheaper. It seems GSP is a good way to avoid that.
I get the same too - and it appears that Canadian and UK buyers are far more aggressive too 😞
11-26-2017 07:44 PM
The "import chargers" by GSP look to be a scam. I live in Qatar and bought something using GSP (never again). Import chargers should have been 5% which is the amount that customs actually collect, but the amount GSP collects is closer to 10%.
In addition to being overcharged, GSP is very slow and communication is terrible.
11-28-2017 02:30 AM
Frankly, the program never sounded too good to me, but it did get some sellers that did not ship internationally to do so. If you don't like the program, make sure the listing isn't part of it before buying.
11-28-2017 02:42 AM