Global Shipping Programme Extortion

[ozziebob60]

I have just come across the Global Shipping Program rort as I have recently been buying items from the US and UK.

I can not believe the extortion tactics used and the time wasting.

I live in Australia and have an item bouncing around the US at the moment. Tracking for the last 5 days show about 25 entries so far and it hasn’t left the country. (NY, Ohio, Kentucky…)

Meanwhile in the UK, I have an A4 paper document which could have been put in an envelope and posted directly for the price of a UK stamp. Instead it has hardly moved for 3 days and is costing AUD$22 !!! What customs charges, handling charges, VAT/GST etc do a few sheets of paper attract????

But it is worse than that. This is the extortion part!

The seller had it listed as free postage and couldnt understand why I was seeing $22. He wanted me to have the free postage but ebay added postage despite this.

On checkout there was no option to request a total from the seller where he could give me a discount and make it free postage. As we had agreed to do.

So... Is ebay gulity of misrepresentation, false advertising and gouging?

From now on will ask sellers if they use GSP. If they do, Ill delete the item from my watch list.

This will result in less sales for the US and UK and less bidding competition for items.

[lyndal1838]

There is no need to ask the seller if they use the GSP as it is clearly shown on the listings unless you have logged into the Us or UK sites. 

If you are browsing through the Australian site you will be told that the GSP is being used.

Many sellers have no idea they have been opted into the GSP.....they often do not sell internationally and it is only be ebay opting them in that you can even buy from them. 

The fact that you saw free postage on a UK item but were charged for the GSP indicates that the seller was not intending to ship internationally but was opted in by ebay.....they still post via free postage to an address in the UK but you pay the high GSP shipping rate.   Did your seller realise that you are not in the UK.....did you make it clear that you are in Australia and he woulds be paying more for postage than just a local location?

What I don't understand is why an A4 sheet of paper is being sent with the GSP as it is only meant to be for parcels.

Nobody likes the GSP as you would know if you read the boards.   There are plenty of threads about it and all it's failings which have nothing to do with the sellers in most cases.   However it is very cost effective for large and heavy items but this depends on sellers listing the correct weights and measurements of the item and packaging.