Actually doing something about the global shipping program

[cokeking1907]

So I recently purchased a coin through eBay (for which ebay will pocket fees of over $75) and as expected had to use the global shipping program from the states. This coin in a flip weights approximately 10 grams and is about 3cm square and about 2mm thick. For this I paid $46aud!

I've been bitten by the GSP before, with my packages that are much more expensive than even tracked SOD priority international service from the USPS with longer delays as well as problems like fedex getting the package in to my city and deliberately delaying delivery for a week "because it's not a premium service". This time, apart from the astronomical cost, they have lied about my package being with australia post and will no longer let me pick up my parcel from the airport. For a 10 gram item at nearly $50 postage you would expect it to get here in 3 days, not 3 weeks! 

Once upon a time there was no alternative to the GSP but now that australia post has a forwarding service we would be asking ebay to incorporate that as an option for forwarding just like the GSP. It's getting ridiculous. If they would automate the process of the auspost forwarding service so that the US seller just had to send a parcel with a shipping label to the service's US address it would work just as well on their end and we wouldn't have to put up with this nonsense.

If I had a choice I would encourage sellers to use tracked international USPS options, which although expensive, blow the GSP out of the water. But there's a perfectly good alternative for those sellers who want to ship to a reliable US address for forwarding.

About half the eBay users I know have had negative (or very negative) GSP experiences. Many of them feel ripped off, whether it's the (often deliberate) long delivery times, duties or fees collected where none should have applied where PB kept the money or just the cost, you can't run a business forever leaving people feeling this way after they use your service/product. Especially when it's getting easier every day to use the alternatives. 

Little problems like the much lower shipping price quoted in search results (which makes no sense to me since the higher ones are automatically generated when you go into the auction page, why couldn't they take those correct figures and put them in the search results), are annoying and should be fixed too, but feeling like I'm getting taken for $20 odd dollars every time I buy something from the states on top of eBay fees is really starting to sour me. The fact that ebay makes money from their GSP from pitney bowes is doubly gauling, they started charging fees on shipping because they felt you shouldn't be making money on postage, shipping should cost what it costs, apparently ebay doesn't feel those rules apply to them. 

I wouldn't even ask ebay to end the GSP, just add options like incorporating the auspost forwarding service and encouraging users to add direct international shipping so that we buyers have options.

I know not all GSP experiences are negative, I've had some that were basically reasonable, but feeling like someone has ripped you off approximately 50% of the time is nowhere near good enough. 

My family use ebay a lot, for over 1000 purchases between the lot of us and I've been using eBay for nearly 15 years, I'm starting to setioudly look at giving it up and I know others who have had this experience feel similarly put out. It's a shame because if it weren't for that it would be an excellent service. I love ebay, always have, I was a cheerleader for buying and selling here after getting a bargain, I was brand loyal, now I go out of my way to look for alternatives when the GSP is involved and if ebay is pushing people to look elsewhere eventually someone is going to make one to fill exactly the gap ebay have created. Is the relatively small amount if money the GSP makes for ebay really worth the ill will it generates? Just in case they haven't already, I would encourage decision makers at eBay to Google "ebay global shipping program" and have a read through the results, this is what people think. From page 1 through as far as you can be bothered looking, you will find bad experiences. I've happily handed ebay thousands of dollars over the years through fees as a buyer and a seller, at the very least it would be nice to know they were paying even a little attention proportional to the response  people are giving. 

I would further point out that despite all the negative feedback the response from eBay on the GSP has been deafening.

So I'm wondering what you all think, what could be done to get ebay to take notice? I know my phone calls and enquiries were unrewarding. There are simple solutions but I don't think ebay realises how much this is putting people off. 

I don't know whether a thread here or a petition or something would work but I feel as though you could get something done about it if you could collect even a small fraction of all the negative posts on forums and phone calls to fedex and the like in one place for ebay to see. 

[lyndal1838]

There has always been an alternative to the GSP......it is a reasonably new service in the grand scheme of things.

I very much doubt that ebay will get rid of it now....it is a nice little money earner for them.

And ebay is well aware of member's feelings on the matter....so much so that they remove all negative feedback from seller's feedback if it refers to the GSP.

Whatever protest you choose to start, you need to be aware that protest threads and petitions are against board policy and could well lead to your suspension.

[harley_babes_hoard]

Protest with your buying habits. If there is an item you want in the US ask the seller if they will ship with USPS. If they don't then tell them sorry they have missed out on a sale. Move onto the next seller who will ship without using global shipping.

[cokeking1907]

I hadn't realised that, I don't mean to break any rules, I just feel as though they can't know the extent of the problem or they wouldn't stick with it. I know I'm hardly the first to complain as well but it's getting a little silly. 

Werth regards to voting with my purchases I do that where possible but some of the things I buy are essentially unique (collectibles and the like). I must say though that there have been plenty of times when I've bid not bid on an item because of the GSP. In one case an auction Werth no bids starting at appx. $700 with $54 shipping that ended up going unsold. Ebay would have made $70+ on fees there but lost it because they wanted to make whatever fraction of the $50 shipping they should get, probably less than $15. It's just a shame is all, I'd love to buy more from the states and I'm perfectly happy that ebay gets their cut, but I just can't swallow the prices here. For the last item I had shipped (still in transit), I could have had it sent super express with one of the big name couriers for the money but because of the way it's set up many sellers won't do alternative methods particularly other forwarding methods. 

[2*much*cute*stuff]

I've cut down my buying significantly because of the GSP. I can't even be bothered now asking if they'll send by USPS, I just don't buy.
Which is quite depressing, actually, as I used to love having all those parcels arriving. 🙂

[afantiques]

OP, I suggest you copy and paste your post to the UK Seller Central board and the US seller  board.

On the UK board add this tag @awastuk2014

Which should mean a UK ebay GSP person looks at it. I cannot offhand remember the equivalent tag for the US board as the staff member has been conspicuous by their absence.

You are wrong on a few details of the workings but it is a good post to illustrate the feelings of buyers.

[zanadoo_56]

---

@cokeking1907 wrote:

I hadn't realised that, I don't mean to break any rules, I just feel as though they can't know the extent of the problem or they wouldn't stick with it. I know I'm hardly the first to complain as well but it's getting a little silly. 

Werth regards to voting with my purchases I do that where possible but some of the things I buy are essentially unique (collectibles and the like). I must say though that there have been plenty of times when I've bid not bid on an item because of the GSP. In one case an auction Werth no bids starting at appx. $700 with $54 shipping that ended up going unsold. Ebay would have made $70+ on fees there but lost it because they wanted to make whatever fraction of the $50 shipping they should get, probably less than $15. It's just a shame is all, I'd love to buy more from the states and I'm perfectly happy that ebay gets their cut, but I just can't swallow the prices here. For the last item I had shipped (still in transit), I could have had it sent super express with one of the big name couriers for the money but because of the way it's set up many sellers won't do alternative methods particularly other forwarding methods. 

---

eBay don't care because every so often they opt sellers in whether they want to or not.  Some don't realise they are opted in to the GSP.  Even for those who realise it and opt out...eBay probably gets a few sales with the GSP in before that avenue closes.  After a while from what I've read, the cycle will eventually start over again.  Some sellers don't care because sending the item to just one place then it is no longer their problem to get it to the buyer is an attractive proposition.

I too am a collector and I'm looking more and more for sources other than eBay.

[zanadoo_56]

---

@2*much*cute*stuff wrote:
I've cut down my buying significantly because of the GSP. I can't even be bothered now asking if they'll send by USPS, I just don't buy.
Which is quite depressing, actually, as I used to love having all those parcels arriving. 🙂

---

I had to look at your details to confirm I didn't write this.   It's my situation too.  So frustrating!

Also, I am fed up with local sellers who specity 'AP Standard Postage (Standard Delivery)' when they actually send items by Registered Post which for me is extremely inconvenient.  They don't mention it under postage and they don't mention it ahywhere else in the listing. Since when was Registered Post 'Standard Delivery'?  Not even AP thinks that.

[davewil1964]

---

@zanadoo_56 wrote:

---

@2*much*cute*stuff wrote:
I've cut down my buying significantly because of the GSP. I can't even be bothered now asking if they'll send by USPS, I just don't buy.
Which is quite depressing, actually, as I used to love having all those parcels arriving. 🙂

---

I had to look at your details to confirm I didn't write this.   It's my situation too.  So frustrating!

Also, I am fed up with local sellers who specity 'AP Standard Postage (Standard Delivery)' when they actually send items by Registered Post which for me is extremely inconvenient.  They don't mention it under postage and they don't mention it ahywhere else in the listing. Since when was Registered Post 'Standard Delivery'?  Not even AP thinks that.

---

Valuable items? I don't offer registered, but if an item is worth enough and going as a letter it goes registered. For MY protection

[zanadoo_56]

---

@davewil1964 wrote:

---

@zanadoo_56 wrote:

---

@2*much*cute*stuff wrote:
I've cut down my buying significantly because of the GSP. I can't even be bothered now asking if they'll send by USPS, I just don't buy.
Which is quite depressing, actually, as I used to love having all those parcels arriving. 🙂

---

I had to look at your details to confirm I didn't write this.   It's my situation too.  So frustrating!

Also, I am fed up with local sellers who specity 'AP Standard Postage (Standard Delivery)' when they actually send items by Registered Post which for me is extremely inconvenient.  They don't mention it under postage and they don't mention it ahywhere else in the listing. Since when was Registered Post 'Standard Delivery'?  Not even AP thinks that.

---

Valuable items? I don't offer registered, but if an item is worth enough and going as a letter it goes registered. For MY protection

---

That's fine and it makes perfect sense but I'd rather the seller said so in the listing.   I don't think that is too much to ask, especially as I've seen listings that do specify it under the postage tab so the option is there.

In a recent experience, when an item isn't valuable and it's free postage and it says standard delivery...but it turns out to be sent registered, that is so frustrating.