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Death to eBay Global Shipping Program!

5K views 68 replies 27 participants last post by  unreformed66 
#1 · (Edited)
Another rant…

I wanted to buy a vintage crown off someone on eBay. He's in the US, I'm in the UK. He is using GSP for his shipping. In my opinion, GSP is a swindle. It collects the taxes which might be due on an item and creams off some vig for Pitney Bowes, who run the system. Thing is, if I order a crown, a few bucks already, it usually scoots through with no taxes being added. And - because I buy small parts all the time from US sellers on eBay and independents all the time - they can simply pop it in standard Air Mail service and it gets to me really, really fast. With GSP, the seller 'has' to send it tracked (slower) - remember we are talking about a crown, right? - so the postage cost goes right up in inverse proportion to the speed of delivery. This silly little Bulova crown is costing me $30! OUCH.

It gets better. I thought I'd buy two, combine shipping, make it a little less painful per item. Guess what? You can't combine shipping with GSP! (Or so eBay customer service says…) So even though the items will almost certainly be put in the same envelope, I get mugged twice. So the seller has lost one tiny sale, as I can dodge the second buy. But not the first.

Better still. The seller, a dealer of some scale, hasn't answered my many emails asking for more information (he has the same item [crown #139] listed 3 times, with different postage rates, and one of them says "signed" the others don't - are they the real thing if unsigned? I think not, I can find a Bestfit crown easily enough…) and his one (lame) answer was… "I've been really busy, I'll try to find out." Of course, he hasn't.

So: death to GSP. If you're a dealer and have fallen for this, please know that I would never buy anything using this system - in this case, I really have no choice (long story) and so I grudgingly go along with it this time. Death to GSP, it's rubbish.

End of incredibly frustrated rant, thanks for listening.
 
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#3 ·
It's a swindle indeed. If a seller insists on using GSP, I cancel the deal, period.

Tomcat


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#60 ·
Here in the US I get stuff from all over the word and almost never pay any duty/tax, only when its shipped via Fedex and even then its not much. Got a Steinhart watch worth $500 recently and paid $15, not a big deal. In Europe the fax man is a different beast (used to live there). The will hound and pester you for even small shipments from overseas. Really pretty pathetic.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The feedback is the only way to react, besides staying away from these sellers. For a start, I would choose 'neutral' (even positive, if you want to be nice, in the end you knew beforehand how he is shipping) and comment: 'Item ok, unfortunately seller uses GSP for shipment, not recommend'

This way, you are saying nothing wrong, you don't blame the seller for the item bought, but nevertheless, you give a clear message in the right direction - also versus eBay.

If I come accross this thing when interested in an item from the USA, I always let the seller know that I want to place a bid, but only accept another way of shipment.
 
#8 ·
I use a shipping service that gives me local addresses in UK, USA and China. The one I use only works for NZ (it is run by NZPOST our government postal service), but you might have access to a similar service. The cost is about 1/2 to 2/3 what most ebay vendors charge, parcels from multiple vendors can be consolidated for a discounted rate (I have 3 or 4 in the current batch). It is about 1/4 the cost of GSP.

So I'd suggest you look for something similar.
 
#9 ·
I use a shipping service that gives me local addresses in UK, USA and China. The one I use only works for NZ (it is run by NZPOST our government postal service), but you might have access to a similar service. The cost is about 1/2 to 2/3 what most ebay vendors charge, parcels from multiple vendors can be consolidated for a discounted rate (I have 3 or 4 in the current batch). It is about 1/4 the cost of GSP.

So I'd suggest you look for something similar.
What service do You use for USA?
 
#15 ·
My only experience with GSP was last month on a purchase from the UK. Coincidentally I also bought another small item from the UK that was shipped Royal Mail. Royal Mail package was shipped one week after the GSP package and arrived one week before the GSP package. It took over a week for any tracking information to show on Ebay for the GSP package and after that it was sporatic at best. Unfortunately it seems that GSP packages go space available without any sense of urgency. Will not purchase from shippers using GSP again.
 
#17 ·
That's the same thing here, laikrodukas. But on small items, like the crown I ordered, Customs usually look the other way, so no tax, no letter.

The other issue is that many US sellers are under the impression that they must send everything tracked, even small stuff. In the UK and the US, the base compensation coverage for a standard package usually more than covers small items. For example, here in the UK, if you send something First Class, your package is by default covered up to £50 - of course, you must be able to prove that you sent it, and your recipient must claim against the PO, but you really don't need any fancy Signed For service for most small things.

But eBay has terrified US sellers by telling them that if they don't use Signed For, their feedback numbers may be lower, their selling costs thus higher. Try talking to eBay about that idea (I have) and you'll want to punch a wall. All the same, if I send a crown (or whatever) to someone in the States, I'm not going to send it tracked, it's too darned expensive. (The only post I've ever had lost was by Deutsche Post/DPW. Rock on USPS! Rock on Royal Mail!)
 
#20 ·
Imports of goods into the UK valued at less than £15 don't attract import taxes and are thus passed through.

Of course the GSP should take this into account - but of course they don't.
Yep. In Ireland items like books are VAT and duty free yet GSP loads them and loads them heavily. Major ripoff. TBH these days I generally stick to within the EU or non EU sellers who don't use Ebay's rip off service. If I am very interested in an item a friendly email to a seller using it will often have them send it by normal channels. Though I have found countries where sellers are far less likely to agree to this, the US being a major one (and Germany for some odd reason?).

I'd agree with Habitant that ebay have many US sellers cowed into "getting with the programme" and coupled with an already existing tendency for US sellers to be oddly suspicious of dealing with anyone outside the country, they stick with the ripoff. They really shouldn't. Over many years I've bought various bits and bobs from American folks and never once has a package been tampered with or gone missing, nor had any issue with payment. The USPS is a fantastic service and I always insist on it over DHL etc.

Another issue I have with the GSP is they will sometimes unpack an item and repack it to make the package smaller for transport. With delicate items this is beyond daft, but they try and squeeze the seller and buyer wherever they can.
 
#28 ·
France? Really M? I'm a member on French ebay and though it is a little odd of a setup compared to others, I've never had any issue with French sellers, even in the oddball French ebay classifieds type section. Actually my last three buys were from French folks. A quick message and they're usually very cool with dealing with and shipping to me. Maybe it's that Anglo French thing you're bumping into M ;-) :-d or more likely my attempts at the French language shock and hurt them to the core so much that they agree just to make it stop. :) The only issue I've had is that the French post can be a little sluggish at times, but with no real rhyme or reason to it.

No, it really isn't. I'm in the US and I've been selling on Ebay for 18 years now. Years ago there was rarely a problem shipping overseas.
Funny enough, now that you mention it U, I have only really noticed this "CONUS only" as a wider trend in the last few years. In the early to mid noughties I'd reckon at least half of my purchases of watches(and other stuff) was from American folks and no hassle on either side of the transaction.

Ebay lining Ebay's pockets. Imagine that.
Big shock U. Not. ;-) It's definitely a site that has gone majorly downhill, especially for sellers. I buy there alright, but I have to be honest no way in hell would I sell there and I admire the fortitude of anyone like you who does.
 
#30 ·
GSP actually saved me money on a lot of purchases.. Even if you count in the 10$ fee that Pitney Bowes charges for the service.

Numerous sellers ask 50$+ for shipping to germany. With GSP I pay between 12 to 25$. Do the math. Plus the time saving I get for not having to run to customs during daytime as they tend to have weird office hours.
 
#33 ·
dmmartindale, a $95 charger for only $15? On Ebay?
Do you really think you got an original Canon part? Any named electrical component on Ebay is likely a fake, the internet is rife with this sort of thing.
 
#42 ·
I suppose there is that risk. But wouldn't a seller of fakes try to sell them as new, not used?

Ending up with a surplus charger is plausible (e.g. camera gets stolen, replacement camera uses a different battery and charger, old charger is orphaned).

In my case, I think the charger is genuine. It looks slightly used. It works exactly like the manual says it should. My email exchanges with the seller suggest an individual selling one, not someone who sells many of these. (He was confused by the need to send the item to the GSP address in Kansas even though I'm in Canada).

- Dave
 
#34 ·
I have had great experience with it, and as a seller its the only way I sell. I have had so much fraud on overseas shipment, its the only way I will ship. Have sold 50+ items with it and never had an issue or complaint. Good to hear the issues buyers have. But I wouldn't ship to many countries without it.
 
#35 ·
I personally try and avoid the GSP on my sales or purchases. As a buyer I have to deduct what the cost of shipping will be from what I am willing to spend and in the end the price I am willing to pay is far below what others will pay without the GSP. So lets say I want a Hamilton 992 for $200 and the GSP wants $50 (just an example) I would be looking to buy at $150 but the sellers are always looking for more than that.

As a seller, you get lower sales from overseas buyers because of it. Once they see the shipping costs, they will pass you over and pay more to the seller not using the GSP. They would rather pay more to the seller than give extra in taxes and shipping then they actually need to pay. It hurts sales so I avoid it if I can.

I have had a few times where I put an item up for sale and I notice GSP has been added without me noticing. I don't select it but I swear they default it to the GSP at times. Sneaky. If I find I accidentally listed that way I cancel, change it, and then relist.
 
#36 ·
I avoid GSP

1. You can't combine shipping from the same seller
2. You try to bid and the sentence: We are sorry but the item you selected may not be purchased due to Seller shipping restrictions, country specific import/export or other relevant restrictions.... complete nonesence for old watches here a mavin golfer - a friend tried but all friends who tried in different countries of europe and switzerland couldn't bid. This happen sometimes in some aereas of USA. The reson is unknown ..pocket wathes more often but movemnts or vintage as well. If you contact the seller he didn't know that half of the world couldn't bis and its not based on his restrictions.
3. The fee is often higher

Regards Silke
 
#38 ·
The Global Shipping Program makes it more palatable to sell to an international buyer. Without it, I would not sell to a buyer outside of the continental US again. I won an Orient Mako USA from Worn & Wound which I decided to sell. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to sell it to a WUS buyer from Sweden. Shipping was $62.95 which the buyer was willing to pay since the watch is not available outside the US. I then had to fill out a couple of different USPS forms and purchase a see-through sleeve to put the forms in and attach to the package. Then the package was lost between Texas and Sweden. Once I realized the package was lost, I then had to open a case with USPS. Then I had to wait 22 working days before requesting forms to be reimbursed for the insurance. I have filed the forms and am waiting for reimbursement...in the mean time I refunded the buyers payment. With the Global Shipping Program, I would ship to Kentucky then wash my hands of the transaction. I think that those expressing contempt for the GSP don't realize that, otherwise nobody may be willing to ship the them overseas from the US.
 
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#40 ·
$62 US to Europe!?
I sent a 12th.C. gold coin to Berkeley Ca. from UK. It was delivered within 24 hours, insured for$3,000 (circa), tracked and signed for. Cost? £23 ($30 or so).
All done in five minutes through Rymans Stationery shop.
 
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#41 ·
As a UK buyer, I quite like the GSP. I tend to buy all my ebay items based on the complete price (i.e. I consider the shipping costs as part of the overall cost of the item, no matter where they come from). As such, if the GSP pushes the overall cost to a point I'm not happy with, I simply move on to something else....
I like to know exactly what I'm paying before I commit - possibly becasue of the number of times I got burnt pre-GSP (the worst case being the purchase of 3 camera filters for the grand total of £16 (i.e. £1 over the customs limit) - by the time I'd paid the necessary and Royal Mail had had their pound of flesh, the cost had more than doubled. I also picked up a nice old Omega from South Africa (with no GSP available) which came via a delivery service that quite frankly took the mickey with their 'processing charges' - made what seemed like a fair price into leaving me feeling as if I'd overpaid...).
I'd also say that GSP experience has improved considerably (at least the US side has - my most recent purchase (a Longines Ultronic) took approx 2 days from seller to plane (though the less said about the time it took from UK airport to get to me, the better))
 
#43 ·
GSP does not define the method to to get the package to the shipping center or whatever they call it. In the few times I have used it I stick to my usual shipping method of USPS Priority flat rate box. I can track it and it gets there quickly. USPS offers tracking for 1st class as well these days but I like to get things out asap. Luckily I have not had any packages go missing either with or without GSP. The WUS buyers don't get the option of the GSP and I have had no issue with getting watches to or from them. I would rather pay for a better shipping service out of my pocket if the buyer will pay more for the watch to put money in the said pocket.

Customs charges going to some places are hit and miss and also service dependent. When I moved to the UK I sent myself some of my belongings before I left. The ones sent via USPS and delivered by RM, not a prob. Anything sent by FedEx, they wanted money. I had to prove that the items were mine and had been for a long time before they gave up. When I moved back to the US I did the same thing again. Neither party charged me any duty/customs. It is a roll of the dice and it seems like other countries are more interested in charging their citizens those fees than the US is. Either way, duty and fees are the responsibility of the buyer. I can see how having the service charge you a known amount than running the risk. But then how many times have you payed GSP but if you had gone with out it would have had way less in shipping costs. The GSP double edged sword lol
 
#44 ·
GSP does not define the method to to get the package to the shipping center or whatever they call it. In the few times I have used it I stick to my usual shipping method of USPS Priority flat rate box. I can track it and it gets there quickly. USPS offers tracking for 1st class as well these days but I like to get things out asap.
In the case of my battery charger, it was likely the first time the seller had actually used the GSP. The instructions he got from eBay indicated that the buyer (me) was in Canada, but he should send the item that had been sold to some place in Kansas. This is despite PayPal telling people for years that they need to send items to the customer's verified address and nowhere else to avoid fraud. So he was confused (and it took several days for eBay to get back to his query about the legitimacy of the transaction).

Customs charges going to some places are hit and miss and also service dependent. When I moved to the UK I sent myself some of my belongings before I left. The ones sent via USPS and delivered by RM, not a prob. Anything sent by FedEx, they wanted money. I had to prove that the items were mine and had been for a long time before they gave up. When I moved back to the US I did the same thing again. Neither party charged me any duty/customs. It is a roll of the dice and it seems like other countries are more interested in charging their citizens those fees than the US is. Either way, duty and fees are the responsibility of the buyer. I can see how having the service charge you a known amount than running the risk. But then how many times have you payed GSP but if you had gone with out it would have had way less in shipping costs. The GSP double edged sword lol
The other thing GSP is good for is that it makes the total charges predictable. When I buy something across the border I'm prepared to pay customs charges and taxes (though as you note, sometimes stuff gets through with no fees). But I've been surprised by "brokerage" charges before.

I remember one period in time when, if something was shipped from the USA to Canada via the US Postal Service and Canada Post, it simply arrived, sometimes with an invoice for duties and taxes due, but no other charges. The same item sent by FedEx would arrive with the same duties and taxes, plus an additional $5 handling charge - no big deal. But if the same item was sent by UPS, you would get a phone call saying that your shipment was sitting in their warehouse at the airport, and you should give them your credit card to pay for duties and taxes PLUS another $30 in "brokerage" charges (on top of what you already paid for shipping). If you didn't want to accept their offer of brokerage, you could drive to the airport yourself (which might be an hour or two away), pick up some forms, take them to Canada Customs in another building, pay the duty and taxes, take the forms back to UPS, and finally get your package. With the extra $30 tacked on, the cost of shipping via UPS Ground was actually more expensive than FedEx air while being much slower. This surprise charge caused many Canadians to swear off ever using UPS - but some sellers refused to use anything else.

With the GSP, I know the total I'm going to pay before it's shipped - in fact, before I bid on the auction. And at least in my example, the GSP cost *less* than what some other sellers were charging for shipping the same item directly via USPS. (Charging more than actual cost for shipping seems to be common on eBay). So yes, it is a double-edged sword, but one I'm happy with overall so far.

- Dave
 
#45 · (Edited)
With courier companies such as FedEx, UPS and the like, you always get hit by "brokerage fees." Needless to say, it's an important source of revenue for them, so if you're buying something that "has" to be sent by a courier, rather than a postal service, GSP will save you that. But of course, most courier services charge far more than most postal systems and the saving is quickly wiped out.

In general, whether in the UK or otherwise, most postal systems will charge you a similar sort of fee to send you a letter about taxes due, so once again, GSP can be a good idea to avoid that. It's worth correcting a misunderstanding at this point: the money is rarely for "duty" but more often for sales taxes due. They calculate the taxes on the total cost of the purchase, including any shipping costs - in the UK, this averages out to being around +20% on anything you buy.

My original point was about my order of a crown from one of eBay's less responsive sellers. Still not arrived, but I got an email telling me that it had been received at the onward posting centre (hurrah!), so I guess I have another week to wait. Meantime the pallet fork I ordered from a sensible eBay seller - after the crown - arrived yesterday by USPS First Class, no surcharges and cheaper postage, faster. For smaller stuff, GSP is a bag o' s***. Simple.
 
#46 · (Edited)
This is the reason why I hate it. Every european is invitet to try to bid...until 20 Us adding nearly the same as transport. I'll pay the cost to everyone eurpean who can bid.
Zenith Grand Prix Paris 1900 Sleeve Wrench - Vintage Pocket Watch Repair Tool S1 | eBay

Be sure my accound is "clean" with several purchases and there is no reason to bump me personal out. I'd wrote to the seller but surely he falls from the clouds and is surpirced.

It makes no fun to read:
We are sorry but the item you selected may not be purchased due to Seller shipping restrictions, country specific import/export or other relevant restrictions.
{e46087-779733x..

on articels which were listed in Ebay germany. import/export restrictions I get a screaming fit or should I laugh ?? Very amazing if its a watch you search since a long time.

Regards Silke
 
#47 · (Edited)
The seller was fast. Here is his answer:

I checked my eBay settings and my listings do not restrict Germans or any Europeans from bidding on my items (unless the eBay system has an internal error that we don't know about). Perhaps you can check with eBay to see what other restrictions may be preventing you from bidding on this item. Good luck!

Addition: No european out here who trust me just try to bid 5 Dollars ??
 
#48 · (Edited)
The notice that comes up is simply a standard dumb eBay note. They're just trying to warn you that some items may not be OK to import into your country. For example, it is against US law to import a Rolex from outside the US. Really. The goods are confiscated and this is due to Rolex US making a case to protect their US sales agency. Wow. Gatorcpa said here that he believes that this situation is now under review, by the way. Although going in the opposite direction, it relates to a similar idea, I think.

Both SilkeN and I agree, these kind of listings are maddening. There are lots of items that I feel are uneconomical to buy from US sellers because of the GSP system adding so much. To contrast SilkeN's listing, I buy things from a great eBay seller who simply gets on with things and sends good to me with no muss or fuss by USPS First Class Mail Intl and with 100% delivery accuracy.

I bought a pallet fork from them (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Watches-Etc-Online?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 - happy to recommend them to you!)[p&p USD $8.00]. It got to me in 1 week. No additional taxes.

I bought the stupid not-Bulova-but-Benrus crown from my least favourite seller (recapturetime on eBay - I think you ought to avoid them as their listings are multiply inaccurate, perhaps deliberately) who insisted on using GSP [p&p USD $16.35]; both items were sold for similar prices. It took 3 weeks and now has to go back. I'm composing my negative feedback to reward their dishonesty and lack of communication (as previous).

Death to GSP, sorry if it has the occasional success, it's mostly a sneaky way for eBay to further monetise their business.
 
#49 ·
…another thought… do you know that eBay.com and eBay.co.uk (etc) are separate entities whose websites work differently? If you are buying from a US-based seller, for instance, and want to buy 3 or 4 things at the same time, then you can "Add to Cart," and push a "Send an invoice" to get them to send you a total, p&p corrected to reflect a multiple buy, aka "combine shipping."

As a sidelight - you cannot combine shipping in GSP, each item is charged uniquely and separately!

But if you're based, as I am, in another country like the UK, and use ebay.co.uk (whatever) then there is no "Add to Cart" possible. So then I just go over to the .com site and finish up my shopping (it's easier for me to shop in my local currency =, so most of my ebaying is done on .co.uk). So SIlkeN, try to do your thing in .com and see what happens then.

…and then there's the .de and .fr variants. But they're a different story, for a different thread.
 
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