The Global Shipping Program Scam

[tol-de-rol]

Here are a few ways in which the Global Shipping Program is a scam.  I speak as a buyer in Canada buying frequently from sellers in the USA.

- shipping costs are generally higher and much slower.

- it is impossible for the buyer or seller to estimate combined shipping charges in advance. It may be that a combined shipping charge is not possible, I don't know, because I have never submitted to buying several items at one time from one seller without knowing the total combined shipping cost in advance.

- ebay automatically calculates Canadian taxes and duties, and their own healthy service charge for collecting these, on any purchase over $20, when Canada Customs does not collect on USPS/Canada Post deliveries below $60.

- sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to the GSP shipping charges on identical items (I buy a lot of used vinyl records). I strongly suspect that ebay is using the same kind of software or whatever as Amazon to jiggle the prices depending on who is buying, what they're buying, etc. (Amazon has a system that constantly changes the price of items depending on your past purchase history and/or the recent popularity of the item on their site, as purchased or even just as viewed.) 

- ebay uses some sort of substandard courier service, not national postal systems, to deliver the item. This service is slow and unreliable. I had an item delivered to two wrong addresses nowhere near my home. How is that possible? Luckily, the recipients returned them, but I do not want my purchases to go to people I do not know in my community.

- the standard buyer protections do not apply. When I experienced the delivery problems mentioned above I was told that if, for whatever reason (and ebay acknowledged the mis-deliveries and hired a new courier for the job), my package could not be delivered on the third attempt, it would be destroyed and not returned to the seller and no refund would be issued. This is precisely what happened in my case, even though the address was correct. Since then ebay has refused all comment and ebay and paypal have refused a refund claim for the item, even though, astoundingly, they approved it for the delivery charge, as they acknowledge that the item was never delivered.

- buyers: tell sellers you won't use the Global Shipping program. Sellers: don't use it. The old system worked fine.

- After ten years and tens of thousands of dollars spent on the site, I'm closing my account later today. As a matter of principle, I won't deal with a company that won't honour its policies. I'll spend my money elsewhere.

[tol-de-rol]

I meant to add that the motivation for starting the Gloabl Shipping Program is clear: ebay saw how much money gets spent on shipping by its customers, and decided it would like this money rather than letting the post office have it. Think, they have incredibly expanded their revenues at a stroke, offering a sub-par service for more money, most of which goes into their own pocket. 

[alphaservertech]

Good Morning,

I recently bought in the USA an item that I sent to Canada, but the tracking is as delivered and in the building nobody received anything and there was no record of delivery.
I ran the upload program, and they told me that they could not find the address and a new attempt would be made.
Well I waited a long time and they told me that the delivery attempt was made and again the address would be wrong. But at that same address I get the correspondences and purchases made by Amazon, and other sites.
Now they are saying that my item will be discarded or read.
I need that item because I paid good money for it, even if I have to take it out somewhere in Ontario - Canada.
I need help that this is very important to me and costly too. And I can not afford to buy another because it's an expensive item.
can anybody help me???
I await

[beautybylynn]

The GSP is fine for overseas, expensive items, not to Canda,  for  and items less then $100 (ebay has said $50)

[tol-de-rol]

Precisely. I buy something from 200 miles away over the border and go through all this nonsense. The problem is that ebay is enticing sellers to sign up to it, and once they do they have no option to ship USPS, the system won't let them.

[bonjourami]

Sellers can choose the program or not,item by item.

[myescape]

Have you contacted the courier company to find out what the issues is?

Gsp does not support combined shipping

Just be aware while you can start the close account process it will not complete for aprox. 6 months of 0 activity

Closing your account

[tol-de-rol]

No, that is completely wrong. Once an item is listed on ebay with a GSP shipping price it has to ship GSP.

[tol-de-rol]

They will not provide me with the name of the shipping company and for the third attempt provided no tracking information. 

[tol-de-rol]

Update: ebay has called my bluff, I've cancelled my account, and I'm glad.

Recall that they refused to reimburse me for an item lost and not delivered under the Global Shipping Program. I did everything right and on time. Apparently their fly-by-night couriers couldn't find my address, which I was able to show ebay on Google maps with a simple address search. At first ebay was extremely apologetic, promising to get it right on a third attempt - and allowing themselves 30 days to do so. When the thirty days were up I wrote and politely asked for a refund. No reply. More requests, no reply. They simply ignored me.

Finally I told them that I was prepared to cancel my account on principle and because I would not expose myself to the risk of dealing with a company that will not honour its own buyer protection policies. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on the site in the past decade buying collectible vinyl records. But these can be bought elsewhere on online from the same and other dealers from their own sites and from sites such as discogs - I placed an order for $250 there yesterday.

Still no reply. They have dug in their heels to protect their completely dysfunctional money-grabbing Global Shipping Program. So I'm gone. I urge other buyers to speak up and boycott the GSP, and sellers to considee whether this sstem will really work for them in the long run. There was nothing to fix before, it is just a cash grab by ebay, full of problems and inadequacies - no combined shipping for on.

[tol-de-rol]

oops, that last line should read "for one", not "for on".

[missjen831]

---

@myescape wrote:

Have you contacted the courier company to find out what the issues is?

Gsp does not support combined shipping

Just be aware while you can start the close account process it will not complete for aprox. 6 months of 0 activity

Closing your account

---

The 6 month waiting period only applies to sellers, op is just a buyer is NARU.

[missjen831]

---

@tol-de-rol wrote:

No, that is completely wrong. Once an item is listed on ebay with a GSP shipping price it has to ship GSP.

---

@tol-de-rol No it's not wrong, you just don't understand what was said. The seller can opt in or out of the GSP at any time. They aren't forced use the GSP. even if the item is listed through the GSP, there are ways around it, the seller can ship directly to the buyer without using the GSP if they know the loophole. 

[tofu107]

Ebay and Pitney Bowles use a third party packing company in ERLINGER,KENTUCKY to handle GSp.

GSP is expensive so small low price items should not be shipped GSP,Canadians buyers do not like GSP,as US sellers can do a better job packing themselves and shipping USPS.

GSP to Canada from what I understand is via bulk shipping using a freight company,so it could be clumsier and slower than USPS,hence it is more suitable for bulky items.not vinyl sheets or Barbie dolls.

And the customs issue you mentioned,and the handling fee charged by this packing company.

and it does not combine shipping,thats a known fact.

If a shipment cannot be shipped for whatever reason,it will be sold to a local dealer who also sells on Ebay and buyer is refunded and seller gets to keep his money.

In OP case,third attempt delivery failed,so no refund.

You can either avoid GSP sellers or tell them to make a special listing for you using another seller ID,most sellers have multiple seller ids,and ship NON GSP,USPS works well for many shipments going to Canada,it has tracking .  

[tol-de-rol]

Thank you. I feel vindicated. The system is dysfunctional and completely unsuited to shipping the things I buy over the border to Canada. I'm sending all my business to discogs and only sorry I didn't do this sooner.

---

@tofu107 wrote:

Ebay and Pitney Bowles use a third party packing company in ERLINGER,KENTUCKY to handle GSp.

GSP is expensive so small low price items should not be shipped GSP,Canadians buyers do not like GSP,as US sellers can do a better job packing themselves and shipping USPS.

GSP to Canada from what I understand is via bulk shipping using a freight company,so it could be clumsier and slower than USPS,hence it is more suitable for bulky items.not vinyl sheets or Barbie dolls.

And the customs issue you mentioned,and the handling fee charged by this packing company.

and it does not combine shipping,thats a known fact.

If a shipment cannot be shipped for whatever reason,it will be sold to a local dealer who also sells on Ebay and buyer is refunded and seller gets to keep his money.

In OP case,third attempt delivery failed,so no refund.

You can either avoid GSP sellers or tell them to make a special listing for you using another seller ID,most sellers have multiple seller ids,and ship NON GSP,USPS works well for many shipments going to Canada,it has tracking .  

---