topic Re: Global Shipping disaster in Buying

Global Shipping disaster

catgirl770 — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 06:26:28 GMT

This new program in the UK and the US is a disaster. It routinely charges 200% or 300% of the usual cost and it's very difficult to get round. I've been badly stung twice with purchases from the UK and now I won't buy items that are sent by Global Shipping - and it's not as though the seller gets the money. If it was some random seller not on ebay you'd think it was a scam, it's so outrageous.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

ajarnjenny — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 06:30:34 GMT

Yep!

Re: Global Shipping disaster

bombbloke — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 09:21:32 GMT

You've got my curiosity; how do you get "stung"?

Re: Global Shipping disaster

cherry*135 — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:50:02 GMT

stung = ripped off.

How does the GS work in the UK, do they have their own distribtion centre?

Re: Global Shipping disaster

lyndal1838 — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 11:02:12 GMT

Yes, I noticed the other day that the UK now has Global Shipping.

Does anyone know who is running the show in the UK and who is the courier delivering to Australia?

Re: Global Shipping disaster

catgirl770 — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 11:03:26 GMT

Found myself locked into paying 2 or 3 times the regular postage and no way of negotiating it, as it's the system that does it, not the seller. I contacted ebay 'support' for help and after speaking to 4 different people over 2 days, the best they could offer was to cancel the transaction and start again without GS. Both the seller and I were very, very unimpressed.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

bombbloke — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 11:07:50 GMT

So you're saying that you're shown one price pre-sale, and a different price post-sale?

Re: Global Shipping disaster

catgirl770 — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 23:25:20 GMT

No, it doesn't show you the shipping price pre-sale (because the seller only opted for within UK), and then when you've bought it you can't request a total, it just decides what the total is and you're locked in. It's pay or cancel. And it opts for 'International Priority', the most expensive option.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

bombbloke — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 00:13:29 GMT

Ah, so you're saying that if the postage price isn't visible prior to purchase, don't go ahead. Sounds like a plan. 🙂

Re: Global Shipping disaster

catgirl770 — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 00:34:50 GMT

Just don't buy anything that's using GS - you can see that info on the listing. "This will be sent by Global Shipping".

Re: Global Shipping disaster

reserves! — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 00:40:13 GMT

I noticed a UK seller with GSP yesterday.

Though dedinitions will be argued over, a string of questions keeps poping up about the GSP's implementation. To me it reads like the default setting has you operating as an agent of the Global Shipping Program. Would that position be a Condition of Use for the Ebay sites that offer GSP? Ebay is always at pains to explain "We are only an auction site" whenever pressed on a topical matter. (The advertising goes without saying.)

Re: Global Shipping disaster

terminalvelocd — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:01:43 GMT

If a seller chooses to allow shipping via the GSP, they can also provide secondary shipping services (e.g. Royal Mail in the UK, USPS in the States). It is up to the seller to provide shipping options and they don't have to if they don't wish to. There's no 'lock' as such. As I have said so many times, I have been a winner on a large scale with the GSP, having hundreds of kg of items shipped to me at a small fraction of the price that they would have cost me if I had them shipped via other means.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

padi*0409 — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:01:02 GMT

I believe the main problem with GSP (in USA anyway) is that it's a default setting for shipping, and apart from few sellers knowing how to opt out of it, anecdotal evidence suggests that in an auction if there are bids on the item then the "opt out" is not an option.

It would also appear that combined/reduced postage prices are not possible with the GSP.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

sprinklespowerpuff — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:05:09 GMT

Fine for you then but certainly not for a huge number of buyers of jewellery, collectables and so on - small items that with GSP make purchases of such items completely unviable cost wise. No wonder many no longer buy on this site.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

zanadoo_56 — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 08:18:04 GMT

I've been reading about the intro of GSP ('Global Shipping Programme' LOL) in the UK and many sellers have complained about being opted in automatically like in the US, or even opted in when they had already contacted eBay not to be (I gather this was an option). So eBay is up to its old GSP tricks it seems. Like the US they send stuff to a processing centre then on it goes (hopefully).

I also read that initially it only applied to posting to other EU countries....where in a situation remarkably like the Canada/US debacle, buyers were being changed for duty where none was required, due to some agreement between EU nations...or something like that. (Don't quote me! I haven't read the UK boards for a while).

UK sellers of course have had the advantage of advanced warning of how the GSP works (or doesn't) compared to US sellers, and they seem to be more cynical about it, not to mention savvy about opting out. I'd be surprised if eBay/Pitney Bowes are as successful there as they have been in the US.

If the GSP from the UK now includes shipping to Oz that is really bad news.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

lyndal1838 — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:38:09 GMT

Do you know if the UK service is handled by Pitney Bowes?

I thought I saw a post somewhere mentioning a different company being the shipper from the UK.....It was on the Australian boards but I can't find it now.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

mark311055 — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 04:08:54 GMT

I find I can no longer shop for my bargain or vintage or individual clothes overseas because of the ridiculous postage prices .. And now the UK too! Second hand clothes are no longer a bargain or good value when you are paying 2 to 3 times what the postage should be! Occasionally I will strike a seller who is not using GS and their postage is reasonable ... But they are few and far between! Buyers can only WALK away .... Sellers are the ones who have to change -don't use Global Shipping or your customer base will diminish! I will only shop locally one ( Australia)

Re: Global Shipping disaster

zanadoo_56 — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 08:14:41 GMT

@lyndal1838 wrote:
Do you know if the UK service is handled by Pitney Bowes?

I thought I saw a post somewhere mentioning a different company being the shipper from the UK.....It was on the Australian boards but I can't find it now.

This is from eBay's GSP UK site:

PayPal is the exclusive payment method currently accepted, to allow the buyer’s payment to be split between you and Pitney Bowes - the global technology and international postage provider who will manage the UK Shipping Centre.

Re: Global Shipping disaster

cq_tech — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 18:23:29 GMT

Bugger! Well there goes another neighbourhood. 😞

Re: Global Shipping disaster

wilk1149 — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 22:32:31 GMT

And it won't be long before Pitney Bowes and the global shipping program is the default option for international shipping out if this country. Might be a hint in the first part of their name, Global