Global Shipping Program

 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??

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Global Shipping Program

I bought 9 matchbox cars over the last week off a seller in the US at a total of $US24.14. I went to pay last night through ebay checkout, and they tried to whack me with $US110 postage!!!!! They want me to pay individual postage on each item.  I still haven't paid. I have contacted the seller, who said he was forced into the program and knows nothing about it. I'm hoping that we can come to some arrangement as far as payment goes because that amount is beyond outrageous. He opened an unpaid dispute against me (despite me contacting him to say I was still bidding and he said OK). Once I realised what was going on, I went and checked other items I had bid on with other sellers and several were also using the GSP, so i immediately retracted my bids.

Turns out another seller I had bought several items off is using the program under duress too, so we are trying to work something out as we speak.  She was horrified when I contacted her. She said I was her first international buyer since she was forced into the program. The plan is to hopefully send the items to a friend in the US and then they can send them to me using International First Class, which for the 2 lots, shouldn't be any more than about $25. I don't think I have ever come across such a rort. I think saying I am disgusted is an understatement.

I know I should be supporting Australian sellers and I do where possible, but some of the more rarer items I want, I have to take them when I can get them and if that means from the US, then so be it.

I will definitely be asking sellers from now of whether they are part of the GSP unless they advertise their shipping as USPS International First Class. I'm not sure who is responsible for this rort, but they should hang their heads in shame.

Rant over 🙂

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Global Shipping Program

I have just heard back from the seller with the $110 postage and he offered to cancel the transactions for me. I think that was the best option because to pay any other way apart from through ebay checkout is a violation of their terms and conditions.
Let this be a warning to others, AVOID ANY SELLERS WHO USE THE GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM!!!
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Global Shipping Program


@ilovemychooks wrote:

I bought 9 matchbox cars over the last week off a seller in the US at a total of $US24.14. I went to pay last night through ebay checkout, and they tried to whack me with $US110 postage!!!!! They want me to pay individual postage on each item.  I still haven't paid. I have contacted the seller, who said he was forced into the program and knows nothing about it. I'm hoping that we can come to some arrangement as far as payment goes because that amount is beyond outrageous. He opened an unpaid dispute against me (despite me contacting him to say I was still bidding and he said OK). Once I realised what was going on, I went and checked other items I had bid on with other sellers and several were also using the GSP, so i immediately retracted my bids.

Turns out another seller I had bought several items off is using the program under duress too, so we are trying to work something out as we speak.  She was horrified when I contacted her. She said I was her first international buyer since she was forced into the program. The plan is to hopefully send the items to a friend in the US and then they can send them to me using International First Class, which for the 2 lots, shouldn't be any more than about $25. I don't think I have ever come across such a rort. I think saying I am disgusted is an understatement.

I know I should be supporting Australian sellers and I do where possible, but some of the more rarer items I want, I have to take them when I can get them and if that means from the US, then so be it.

I will definitely be asking sellers from now of whether they are part of the GSP unless they advertise their shipping as USPS International First Class. I'm not sure who is responsible for this rort, but they should hang their heads in shame.

Rant over 🙂


The giveaway for GSP (apart from the high postage cost!!!) are the words "customs services and international tracking provided" in the listing.

 

Sellers can, if they want to or know how to, send you an invoice to ship directly to you without using the GSP.

______________________________________________________

"Start me up I'll never stop......"
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Global Shipping Program

In the early days of the GSP someone posted on the boards that sellers were not allowed to combine shipping for multiple purchases.  Each item had to be charged full GSP shipping rates.  The rub was that Pitney Bowes usually ended up putting all the items in the one package and made a motza on the enormous shipping.

I can not vouch whether it is still the same as I have not noticed anyone complaining about anything other than the high rates in general.

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Global Shipping Program

(quoting) "AVOID ANY SELLERS WHO USE THE GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM!!!"...

 

Not so much about avoiding them, especially as some have been opted in without

knowing about it - or are not aware of what information we are seeing our end in

the listing (this is where I sometimes send a screen shot from MY screen). There

is normally a mention of Pitney Bowes in the listing...

 

I feel one way we can help create 'awareness' is by messaging the sellers direct

and asking if they are willing to ship directly eg via their post office.

 

 

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Global Shipping Program

I asked the seller if I could pay via paypal and then him ship with USPS and he said no for 2 reasons. First one being, it violates Ebay's T&C's and secondly, he wasn't willing to go to the post office and 'fill out all those customs forms'. Not sure what 'all those customs forms' means, but every package I have received from the US has a small form stuck to the front with about 4 things filled in. I'm guessing it would take around 30 seconds, which is all it took me when I posted a package to the US yesterday. That's his choice though.

I think some sellers sign up without realising the implications. I had bid on a few items with a new seller with no feedback (risky, I know). Then this morning I noticed that she was signed up to the program, so retracted my bids and then sent her a message explaining why. I figured that as she was obviously a new seller (we all have to start somewhere!), she probably had no idea what she signed herself up for. I don't know if there is any way she can back out of it now that she has signed up for it, or any other seller for that matter. 

It all stinks to high heaven. Thank goodness I now know what to search for and have this morning removed quite a few items from my watch list, so I don't accidentally bid on anything if I'm half asleep (which I have been known to do! Including placing a bid of $3,900 instead of $39, which I didn't notice at the time. Thankfully it sold for $52.....but I have seen them sell for triple that, so I was lucky).

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Global Shipping Program

I'd emailed a few sellers asking if they would post items by USPS instead of GSP and was having no luck.....until now.

 

I always include the GSP cost to Oz and I now add a brief explanation why these charges are unreasonable (and frankly some of them are VERY unreasonable - they vary so much I really wonder how they are calculated).  It seems to be working.  I've just had an e-mail from a seller of an item on my watch list, to say he would agree to my request should I win the item. And this is the second seller who has been so obliging.

 

Looks like I'll be placing a bid. 🙂

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Global Shipping Program

The trouble is, to pay these generous sellers you have to pay via PayPal using their email address as opposed to through ebay's checkout and doing that is a violation of their terms and conditions. The seller could find themselves in strife and risk suspension or cancellation of their account. 

I hope it works out for you, but I'm not taking any risks!

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Global Shipping Program

Not necessarily.  Apparently it is possible to just change the postage settings from GSP to USPS and that's what one seller did.  I paid through eBay (using PayPal) as usual.

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Global Shipping Program

karleif
Community Member

YES it is a rip off! I know that the postage to mail this coin to Norway is about $2.00. There are a lot of people that wants to take a part of the S/H. I WON´T PAY THIS!

 

I send a question to Ebay customer Support:

"Item 426th Air Base Squadron Stavanger Norway Challenge Coin Free Shipping. I told the seller that the S/H US$ 27.89 was far too high, it is over the double of the price for the item (price $12.95) Its only a coin to ship to Norway and he answered me: "Dear karleif, The shipping is determined by eBay, not by me. I just ship it to eBays global shipping program, then they ship it out of the US. - jlscards"

 

The answer from Ebay:

"Thank you for contacting eBay in regards to calculating Global Shipping Program Cost. I read your email and I understand that a coin that you wanted to purchase is priced $12.95 but the cost to ship it to you in Norway is double its prices. I know you have asked your seller about this and your seller told you that it is eBay who sets the price. I understand you would like to know how we came up with such shipping cost for an inexpensive item. I will be glad to further explain this issue.

Base on the information you provided, I see that the coin you are referring to was listed under our new Global Shipping Program, thus it would ship using our Global Shipping Program. The new Global Shipping Program is the most reliable way for U.S. sellers to get items to their international buyers.  It allows all the cost of purchasing internationally to be presented upfront with no additional charges being requested from the buyer upon delivery.  This means that the appropriate shipping, duties and customs fees are paid before the item is shipped.  The program also guarantees that the item will be tracked every step of the way to ensure it gets to its final destination.

Under this program, your seller will ship the item to our U.S. shipping center. Once our U.S. shipping center receives the item from your seller, they will then sort and handle the package for shipment of the item to its final destination outside of U.S.

You may also visit these links for an in depth review of our Global Shipping Program:

•Using the Global Shipping Program

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/shipping-globally.html

•Buying an item through the Global Shipping Program

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

•eBay Global Shipping Program

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/shipping/globalshippingprogram.html

•GSP Buyer Terms and Conditions

http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html

I hope you understand that GSP guarantees tracking and insurance on every package shipped from our hub. As such, the rate is closer to a priority quote then a first class mail quote (which most buyers are used to).

For  future reference, I suggest that if you are not comfortable with these charges, you should not bid/commit to buy the item as these charges are all viewable on the listing prior to purchasing. For a more in depth break down of how fees are applied when a seller uses this program, please see the link below:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/shipping-globally.html#buyer-charges

I hope I was able to explain how fess are charged using our Global Shipping Program. Thank you so much for choosing eBay and for your understanding regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Efren P.

eBay Customer Support"

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