on 18-06-2013 10:49 PM
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??
on 14-02-2015 06:44 AM
on 14-02-2015 06:48 AM
on 14-02-2015 06:55 AM
on 14-02-2015 06:59 AM
on 14-02-2015 07:05 AM
on 17-02-2015 02:45 PM
wait wait, so I can not leave feedback for any items sent by GSP?? **bleep**?
Even if the feedback have nothing to do with GSP?
For example, if I buy a laptop and the seller sends me a box of chocolate, and sent by GSP, the seller is protected from negative feedback??
on 17-02-2015 03:57 PM
@kuromusha1 wrote:wait wait, so I can not leave feedback for any items sent by GSP?? **bleep**?
Even if the feedback have nothing to do with GSP?
For example, if I buy a laptop and the seller sends me a box of chocolate, and sent by GSP, the seller is protected from negative feedback??
You can leave feedback as usual about the transaction in general but you cannot say for example "Great item but slow & expensive shipping" (referring to the GSP). You cannot make a comment about the cost of the GSP or the length of time it takes to arrive.
But go your hardest if you get the wrong item.....that is nothing to do with the GSP.
on 17-02-2015 04:35 PM
Just out of interest lyndal do you know if the seller gets automatic 5 stars for shipping time and costs with the GSP - I don't use it at all (well very rarely anyway and only for large items) - and I imagine that 3 stars or less for either won't trigger a defect for the seller either.............any ideas on that?
on 17-02-2015 07:20 PM
I have no idea Padi. I avoid sellers who use the GSP and have never bothered to find out how it affects their DSRs.
I have used it twice for small items of jewellery and only because the items were very much reduced in price to compensate for the high postage.
It was in the early days of the GSP and both items took forever to arrive but were great. I expressed my disapproval in the DSRs but heard later that ebay was removing poor star ratings for shipping time and expense. I have not bought anything since to see if the stars are greyed out now.
One member who might know is afantiques....she still seems to be keeping on top of the GSP and all its faults.
18-02-2015 03:32 AM - edited 18-02-2015 03:33 AM
That was a very painless sex-change! Possibly the Snork Maiden is confusing.
The spiel is that anything less than 5 stars will be removed, but as I am not a GSP seller I have no evidence that this happens.
Anecdotal reports do seem to indicate that if bad FB is not removed automatically a request will get it removed. In theory sellers do not know who gave them low stars,so only ebay would know the truth of this but they do say that if FB is removed any DSRs given are removed at the same time.
Just assume you have to like it or lump it.