Does anyone else HATE this stupid Global shipping program?

[berwen2010]

I've found Global to be inflexible, expensive and frustrating. I've just had an item sent through it and of course it's under multiple carriers and the number I was given by WNDirect cannot be tracked. I've therefore paid for a Priority Mail service and received what was First Class without the tracking. I live in Australia and First Class International through the good old U.S. Post can now be tracked here. It is SO much better than what I just experienced and costs me so much less, but when a seller locks themselves into a Global listing, it appears that they can no longer override the invoice so I've just paid double for this rubbish! So not happy!!

[suzyfergus]

I HATE,HATE,HATE Global Shipping too. Outrageously expensive AND inefficient.

Agree that buyers should inform sellers why they are not buying from them.

I think it must be a default method for sellers in the UK . Many seem unaware how expensive the postage is through this system.

[*tippy*toes*]

Sellers in the US and UK were automatically opted into it when it started. A lot of sellers didn't even know they had it until they had overseas buyers buying from them. Sellers who only wanted to sell in their own country. A lot didn't know you couldn't opt out. I have talked a few through the opting out steps. The ones that were selling internationally were grateful because they had noticed a decline in international sales.

You can always send a seller a message (before bidding or buying) asking them if they would consider posting via USPS or Royal Mail. It's surprising how many say yes. Once you explain that buying 5 items means you are paying 5 lots of postage, which the GSP gets, they are happy to. It means them having to relist the item, but if you offer to pay them for the listing fee (which most won't accept because they have free listings), they are usually quite happy to. Larger sellers may not be so obliging, but smaller sellers are usually happy to.

[latina4621]

I buy at the odd times from the U.S , Recently i asked 2 sellers who had GSP  if they would send  by first class and i said how expensive GSP is . one was happy to change the listing the other agreed about it being dear and said how they had had problems with it  , but didn't change so i didn't buy.

 most times i ask the seller to change some are good and will do it but a lot of others won't so i just think you can't want to sell to badly then.

[hus2385]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

I can top that.....AU$72.00 for a small stainless steel drizzle spoon worth a few $$$.

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Just as well that PB didn't consider that spoon a 'weapon' of some kind lyndal - it would have been confiscated at their hub in Erlanger and resold under one of Ptiney Bowes ebay reseller accounts Lol

[hus2385]

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@willpetewaitara wrote:
I LOVE IT

LOVE the slow delivery

LOVE the high price of shipping

LOVE the BS attitude you get when attempting to find out where your parcel is.

LOVE the combined lies of eBay and Pitney Bowes as to why you item doesn't comply with export regulations (when the item does comply)

Moreover I just LOVE the eBay forum cheer squad who say it's not poor eBay's fault.

eBay is just sharing the LOVE with GSP !!!!

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"LOVE the combined lies of eBay and Pitney Bowes as to why you item doesn't comply with export regulations (when the item does comply)"

Thing is, PB make up their own regulations, regardless of what might be the individual country's regs.

Case in point: any bladed article (even a butter knife) is regarded as a Prohibited item by them and will be confiscated when it gets to the GSP hub. Buyer loses out on the item and does their dough and its only your fault for not have read their pages of T&C (they will say)

I have asked sellers would they be prepared to ship USPS (which has not restrictions on these goods) and often they have been willing to do so. I have given a headsup on the other sellers who are offering Intl postage and they had no idea the items were prohibited under the GSP

To add insult to injury, they then re-sell the item via a PB reseller ebay account lol

GSP undeliverables end up back on ebay

[jbmbkb]

i hate the gsp with a passion and will never use it again i got sent a small parcel with 9 small items in it ,  pitney bowes opened it then split the 9 items into 5 parcels and sent them all seperate over the period of a few weeks , i went through hell trying to track all of them you could imagine my suprise when the first parcel arrived that was supposed to have 9 items in it only had one ,i thought i got ripped off a couple of hundred dollars the gsp costs way too much and dealing with pitney bowes is a joke.

[brulinsfarm]

I'm still amazed at the number of US sellers who have no idea how the GSP works & that they cannot offer you discounted or combined postage.  I've had one seller cancel a sale on me as they could only see the $17 component of the $60+ I had paid & they panicked & thought they would have to stump up postage to Aus.

I can't be bothered explaining it any more & simply avoid it. One seller asked me who Pitney Bowes were? 

😞

[padi*0409]

The reason why they don't know any details about it is because eBay in their wisdom defaulted the sellers into the GSP scheme without any notification. 

[little_millsy2]

I was shocked to be quoted $40+ shipping for a magazine (used) from the USA, that the publisher chages only $3 to post from the UK. A blatant "rip" as far as I'm concerned......also with my hobbies, small kits that weigh next to nothing have horrendous postage charges due to this Global Ripoff Service............I'm getting to the stage that I no longer buy on eBay.

[*tippy*toes*]

Just do what everyone else does and don't buy from sellers who use it. The other option is to contact the seller prior to bidding or buying and ask them if they would consider posting via USPS. Quite a few have no idea how horrendous the cost is. The only time it's worth buying something that's sent via GSP is if it's a large, heavy item. Then it's much cheaper to be sent GSP than USPS.