Global Shipping Program

[jumunjipeter]

 Buyers beware of sellers in the USA who are on the Global Shipping Program. I recently bought 4 watches from the same seller in the USA, and when I went to pay, there were 4 shipping costs - $17.70, $17.40, $17.80 and $17.89. (Try and work out why they were all different???). When I asked the seller to combine the posting, he replied that he cannot as the Global Shipping Program does not allow him to combine.

 When I messaged eBay about this I received a message back that said in part "The seller doesn't know the import cost since it is the global shipping provider that would determine depending on your location. Thus, the US sellers are not allowed to combine postage." That is a load of crock. THERE IS NO IMPORT COST FOR WATCHES INTO AUSTRALIA. I have imported for the last 2 years.

 Talk about getting ripped-off.

 Pitney Bowes are the Global Shippers, and their site reads "AFTER you've completed checkout, you can review these charges on the Order Details page. The Order Details page shows the total charges and the payment amounts to the seller and the payment amount that went to the global shipping provider".

 The seller posts your item to Pitney Bowes and they forward post it to you.

 I read up on this Global Shipping Program and it says that they are not affiliated with eBay, yet eBay obviously gets a kick-back from them. This is what their site reads under "Description of Fees"::

 1. U.S. Shipping Fee

 2. International Shipping Fee

 3. Fuel Surcharge

 4. Transportation Fee

 5. Parcel Processing Service Fee

 6. Distribution Center Management Fee

 7. Loss Management Fee

 8. Transportation Risk Premium Fee

 9. Referral Fee - a variable fee paid by Pitney Bowes to eBay Inc. for referring you to the program.

 I wonder, if ever, when eBay will stop it's quest for greed at the expense of the buyers and sellers. There are millions of items sold and bought on eBay every day. When is "enough" enough??

[hus2385]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

The GSP does use traditional carriers......in the USA it is handled by Pitney Bowes and they hand it on to FedEx for delivery to Australia.  Once in Australia FedEx either delivers it themselves or give it to AP for delivery or another courier company if it is more convenient for them

I have no idea what companies are involved in delivering to other countries.

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It's WnDirect in the UK GSP program (or at least that was the company who shipped my item, when I naively had the misfortune of choosing the GSP option)

For my other US-sourced GSP purchase, it was indeed FedEx - but I forestalled any complications with it getting passed onto AP or another courier by ringing them and organising a personal pickup from their central incoming depot - not an option available to everyone obviously.

I didn't have any specific issues other than the jacked-up shipping and interminable wait as the package did its transcontinental American circuit - but I'm certainly never choosing the GSP again.

[trevork7456]

Agree ebay has become a joke ripping off everyone,  look forward to the day new website is created and competes against ebay.

I have paid so many times this global postage **bleep**, one small toy soldiers costs $18 poistage from the US to Australia from sellers not using Global,  sellers using global  the postage fees are $59 to $79 and guess what you buy 2 toy soldiers add another 3rd,  

and priority tracking nonsense  you go to check with Fed ex, and they say gone to Australia post via regular post as not paid for tracking, when payment on ebay shows I have this has happened many times,   it is a business part of ebay , and rip you off making money on postage, silly sellers who use global your loosing customers. 

(  try ringing ebay ) you end up speaking to someone in India who states will lodge complaint load of nonsense

[lyndal1838]

If the seller is using the GSP he can not combine postage.  The only way to get a reduction in postage with the GSP is for the seller to relist the 2 items in one listing.

The so called Priority service is definitely not.....Pitney Bowes only pay FedEx for an Economy service, which is why it is so slow.

As for tracking.....that is the one thing that is good about the GSP....it is definitely tracked all the way.   It cannot be sent without tracking.

[topprice]

I am presently waiting on three items from GPS - two from the USA and one from the UK.  I am in Australia.  I can't track any of he items.  If I click on "track item" it takes me to the order page and there is no tracking information there.  One shows a tracking nnumber but that simply takes me to the order details and it has a very vague delivery date range.

The shipping has already taken several days longer than other similar items I have had from the same countries recently and there is no sign of any of the items arriving in the next few days.

It is also much more expensive - two to three times the price of USPS and normal postage from the UK - which are both much faster.

I do all I can to avoid buying from sellers who use GPS.  I only buy from them when I get the item so much cheaper that the shipping cost is covered in the extrra amount I would have otherwise bid for the item. 

Sellers who use GPS (or International Priority Shipping as it is sometimes called) often don't know they have opted to use it and they are losing bidders and, as a result, losing sales or selling for less because less people bid on those auctions.

[lyndal1838]

If there is no tracking number available it usually means the item has not been shipped yet.

In the USA you should get a tracking number for domestic postage until the item gets to Pitney Bowes in Erlanger KY.  There will then be a delay while to items sits there awaiting packaging and paperwork.

You should then be notified that it has been handed to the international carrier....sometimes you will get a new number sometimes it continues with the same number.

I cannot vouch for the UK system....the only time I used it the item arrived so quickly that I did not have time to track it...much faster than expected but very badly packed with a huge round sticker telling me it had been packed by the GSP provider.  It was nothing to be proud of.

[scootaolle]

DON'T BUY FROM SELLERS USING EBAY ,GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM,

i just learnt that a purchase of mine has been cancelled because pitney bowles considered  a tusk pendand to be ivory when i know it was a man made material.what right does this rubbish firm have to decide what will be let into australia through customs.? what are they now the worlds police.? it's criminal that they thin.k they have the power to do this.i have complained to ebay ,but i may as well complained to the man in the moon,same result. it's so frustrating and i'll just have to stop buying through these crooks.

[lyndal1838]

They always have been a law unto themselves as far as what they will ship.

They have arbitrarily decided that ALL knives are prohibited imports to Australia...they won't even ship a butter knife.

And electronic keyboards have been know to "disappear" before leaving the USA.

Most of us have long ago stopped buying from sellers who use the service but it is getting more and more difficult as ebay make it very attractive for seller....they remove bad feedback that has anything to do with shipping and the items are fully insured and trackable.

[zanadoo_56]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

They always have been a law unto themselves as far as what they will ship.

They have arbitrarily decided that ALL knives are prohibited imports to Australia...they won't even ship a butter knife.

And electronic keyboards have been know to "disappear" before leaving the USA.

Most of us have long ago stopped buying from sellers who use the service but it is getting more and more difficult as ebay make it very attractive for seller....they remove bad feedback that has anything to do with shipping and the items are fully insured and trackable.

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It is so frustrating when you see something you want to buy but the seller uses the GSP.  I've watched the progress of a vintage Tupperware item now on relist for the third time I think.  The cost has gone down to the stage that the seller might as well give it away next time....but the item is featherlight and the GSP charges are approx $34 which is why I don't want to buy it.  Trouble is no one else wants it either.  I did ask the seller about shipping but he said they only ship overseas via the GSP.....assuming they ever manage to sell the item that is.

[esayaf]

I recently bought a tin from the states that was listed originally with a GSP shipping amount of $103.
I informed the seller that I would be prepared to buy it but as shipping was US$103 there was no way I could afford it. Eager for a sale they said they would send it via USPS first class international but didn't know how to disable the GSP.
Thankfully they worked it out. I did have to point out that it must be somewhere in the shipping section. Hardest part was explaining what uncheck means.
Doesn't hurt to ask if they will send via USPS first class international and let them know it is a fully tracked service

[davewil1964]

Easy.

Uncheck means don't use a check (cheque).

You have to remember that while they use a version of English it is not actually English. Hence their use of home produced dictionaries.

The other trap is to assume they have a knowledge of the world outside of mainland North America. The cluey ones will know Hawaii is SOMEWHERE in the Pacific Ocean. Which might be closer to China than Europe.