topic Re: Pitney Bowes in Buying

Pitney Bowes

skapes_69 — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 03:04:24 GMT

Hi all just want some advise about Pitney Bowes.

Purchased an item from a US seller 190994128640 postage was around 105 US on the ad

when it finsihed the seller got back to me and said it was going to be 127 odd and thats fine as I thought 105 was a bit cheap

So I asked him to create a new invoice and he could'nt, something to do with the global shipping program I think he sent me what it said, anyway I said thats fine paid the invoice and paid the difference via paypal, so far all good.

This is the first seller I have come across that has global shipping program and I buy a bit from the US

This morning he emails me and said there must be some mistake as he didn't get all the money, basically 61 was taken by pitney Bowes, I explained this to him and he doesn't seem to know whats going on, what is the procedure at their end with pitneys now?

I suggested he refund and create a new invoice for direct shipping or to a US address I can use but I don't think he knows how.

I would prefer a new invoice via USPS but know all I can see is a mess.

Any advise moving forward?

Thanks.

Re: Pitney Bowes

amber-eyed-girl — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 04:48:57 GMT

Pitney Bowes will have taken the amount owing to them out of your payment.

You will see from Paypal a "multiple payments" receipt, which will separate out that payment to Pitney Bowes.

The way it works is your seller does not ship you your item directly.

They ship it to Pitney Bowes, who then handles everything such as any paperwork and organising the shipping.

So Pitney Bowes is paid for that, as they're doing the work of getting it to you overseas.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/buy/shipping-globally.html tells you about it.

The seller will be paid the cost of the item, and the cost of the local shipping, which they need to do, to get it to Pitney Bowes.

So it is normal that the seller did not get all the money.

Direct them to the link, explain it to them, then hopefully they'll send out your parcel to the US shipping centre.

They should have been given the information as to where they should be posting your item.

They do not post it directly to you.

Ask them to look at any emails they have received from eBay/Paypal regarding the address they need to ship to, in the U.S.

Re: Pitney Bowes

skapes_69 — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 04:59:02 GMT

Ok thanks, I already sent that link through to them, I guess if it does get forwarded to pitneys do I get a tracking number from them or the seller?

Re: Pitney Bowes

amber-eyed-girl — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 05:21:56 GMT

Yes, you can get a tracking number.

Ask the seller to enter it into your item details so it will appear in your purchase history, then when you click on it, it will open up the usual pop-up box with tracking details. It can be sent by various carriers, but it is trackable...the tracking number in the box that opens, will be clickable, and take you to the full details.

Just watching one myself right now 🙂

I didn't get anything from Pitney Bowes, but did get an email from eBay, the item update one, which had the number; and the seller had put it into the item info.

Re: Pitney Bowes

lyndal1838 — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 05:21:39 GMT

I am having a small item shipped through Pitney Bowes and I received an advice from the seller that it had been shipped on Tuesday of last week....there was a tracking number in the advice. So far I am able to track it on it's sight seeing tour of the USA but it has not yet reached the PB depot for repackaging so I have no idea whether I will get another tracking number or not.

You need to be aware that the service is painfully slow....do not expect to see your item till the New Year.

Re: Pitney Bowes

amber-eyed-girl — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 05:31:32 GMT

Mine's called a "Global tracking number"; did this once before, the number stayed the same throughout and was with FedEx at delivery.

They didn't get a signature.

It wasn't repacked either, it was in the packaging from the seller.

Re: Pitney Bowes

wombat_boy — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 23:31:13 GMT

I bought a $9 item from a USA seller. Pitney Bowes then charged me $47 for shipping to Australia, which after nearly 4 weeks waiting has been stuck somehwere in the Sdney FedEx warehouse, while they spent a couple of days doing an unnecessary customs clearance (required only for items over $1000) and then it sat around for 5 days waiting for some sub-sub-contractor to deliver it. FedEx even phoned me yesterday to find out why it hadn't been delivered. How would I know??? Apparently now they've decided it's due for delivery today.

This could have been sent by USPS in a small bubble wrap envelope for maybe $20 and would have arrived in seven days or less.

This is my third bad experience with USA sellers using the slow, expensive and unfair Pitney Bowes shipping option, and will probably be my last. I used to by a lot of gear from the USA, but it's becoming almost impossible, what with the elready high internal shipping costs within the USA, plus the falling exchange rate, but mainly the Pitney Bowes imposition and disruption.

Let your sellers know you won't be bidding or buying it Pitney Bowes is involved. Send them pre-purchase questions pointing this out and send negative feedback for the consequences of pushing PB on to buyers.

Re: Pitney Bowes

amber-eyed-girl — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 02:08:35 GMT

My U.S purchases have plummeted due to PB.

I used to ask the seller, if I was really interested in the item, if they would consider shipping it directly, due to the expense and slow delivery time of PB/GSP. So that they know it's awful, because they don't as a rule...

That's worth a try.

But mostly I just can't be bothered now.

I was buying things you can't get here, so I haven't transferred my custom to local sellers...just buying a lot less.

Re: Pitney Bowes

amber-eyed-girl — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 03:21:42 GMT

OK.

On my latest Pitney Bowes parcel, it had a global tracking number.

Now it has been passed to Fedex.

When you go to purchase history, click on the tracking number, when the box opens, it says it's with Fedex and gives a new number...so continues to be trackable, at

https://www.fedex.com/fedextrack/?action=track&cntry_code=us with the new Fedex number.

Re: Pitney Bowes

plcproject — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 05:41:27 GMT

Pitney Bowes is ruining eBay. They are so extremely slow... it can be painful at times. Cringe worthy even.

Why try and fix something that wasn’t broken… it wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t broken. Pitney Bowes, now that’s broken.

I buy lots on eBay and need competitively priced efficient shipping. Competitively priced efficient shipping does not mean I want cheap slow cross your fingers and pray to god shipping. It means I want to pay a few extra dollars and use USPS Express Post or UPS or FedEx without a third party involved.

One recent purchase has taken 6 days just to get to the FedEx Hub from where it then gets shipped internationally. What use to take seven days to me here in AU now takes six days just to reach the FedEx hub still in the US.

EBay before Pitney Bowes was excellent! It had its moments but nothing compared to what is going on now.

I feel better now I have had a rant! I hope they sort it out!

Re: Pitney Bowes

robinsonmarineparts — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 06:26:38 GMT

I don't know what's going on here, i buy 95% of my stock from the USA, zero problems with shipping costs.

Re: Pitney Bowes

lyndal1838 — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 06:31:35 GMT

But are your sellers using the Global Shipping Program?

If you read this thread you will see that the complaint is about sellers who use the GSP/Pitney Bowes.

Re: Pitney Bowes

robinsonmarineparts — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 07:02:10 GMT

Hi, i read the O.P.

I do understand what there saying, maybe............there's a different way of buying.

What would i know?

Re: Pitney Bowes

davewil1964 — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 07:05:03 GMT

@robinsonmarineparts wrote:
I don't know what's going on here, i buy 95% of my stock from the USA, zero problems with shipping costs.

Do you buy your stock through eBay, though?

The GSP is an eBay 'initiative'.

Re: Pitney Bowes

robinsonmarineparts — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 07:09:44 GMT

Hi, yes and no, a fair amount of stock comes thru ebay.

Any way i'll leave it there, thanks.

Re: Pitney Bowes

merlijnokinawa — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:14:45 GMT

My sentiments exactly. We need an alternative to Ebay if this GSP does not go away.

Re: Pitney Bowes

lyndal1838 — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:30:33 GMT

@merlijnokinawa wrote:
My sentiments exactly. We need an alternative to Ebay if this GSP does not go away.

There are a lot more pressing problems on ebay than the GSP.

The GSP is not exactly new, so it is not going to go away any time soon. Buyers are managing to either accept it or work around it but if the new defects system is not stopped there will be no small sellers left on ebay in a very short period of time.

Ebay will be left with the Chinese sellers and large retail shops who already have their own websites as well as a B & M presence.

Re: Pitney Bowes

stormboy04 — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 07:55:10 GMT

I purchased 8 pairs of mens underwear from the USA, and I was charged $98.00 shipping to have them sent to Australia. Ebay's Global Shipping Program is a total rip off. Don't buy from any sellers who use this program. Spread the message far and wide.

Re: Pitney Bowes

padi*0409 — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 08:50:05 GMT

And those 8 negs you gave the seller will probably be removed.

It's not the seller's fault that Pitney Bowes charges so much, often they are opted into the GSP as default international shipping and may not even be aware they are shipping overseas - the only address they see will be Erlanger in Kentucky.

Re: Pitney Bowes

davewil1964 — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 09:05:21 GMT

Anybody know how many GSP threads have been started in the last 3 YEARS?