Global Shipping Program

[jumunjipeter]

 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??

[chezzy]

I want to know how it is possible for the GSP/PB information and cost to even appear on a listing that specifically

says no overseas shipping in the description? Not only are the shipping prices prohibitive but the information is

confusing/misleading.

[i-love-my-sheep]

I wonder how your seller did that Zanadoo_56, because I have a seller trying to work out how he can combine the shipping rate for me without violating the T & C's. If I could tell him how to do that, it would save so many dramas! He doesn't want to see me ripped off and doesn't want to be ripped off himself. 

I love the reply from ebay that Karleif posted. Yes, it explained it (sort of), but there was no mention of the outrageous shipping costs customers are being forced to pay, as in paying a shipping cost for every item on multiple purchases. Even if I buy off a seller that sends priority shipping with tracking, it's never come close to what I was charged last night, so saying that people are used to the cost of In't First Class is a crock. Quite a few sellers I've bought from used the dearer option for their own protection against unscrupulous buyers saying their item was lost, when it really wasn't. I sometimes buy 20 items from a seller, to save on shipping costs. 20 x $25+ works out to be an obscene amount.....for what? To get someone else to pack it and post it? This is borderline fraud if you ask me. I know a lot of US sellers have regular buyers from overseas and they will lose their best customers because of this.

[chezzy]

I had a seller end a listing because they couldn't figure out how to change it from GSP. They later created a new listing for the item at a buy it now price which included the First Class International price we had discussed. The shipping showed as First Class and no GSP/PB wording was to be seen - yay. As to the T&Cs in that situation I have no idea. But it was a positive sell/buy experience which should be the main concern and goal!

[lyndal1838]

---

@chezzy wrote:

I want to know how it is possible for the GSP/PB information and cost to even appear on a listing that specifically

says no overseas shipping in the description? Not only are the shipping prices prohibitive but the information is

confusing/misleading.

---

Chezzy, it is possible because the seller does not have to post overseas....they only post to an address in Kentuckey within the USA.

This is why some sellers have no idea when you contact them and strenuously deny that they post overseas at all.  Ebay has decided that they WILL post overseas and opt them into the GSP.

Apparently sellers have to opt out of the system, rather than opt in.

[chezzy]

I am very tempted to message a couple of sellers with GSP/PB listings and ask them to clarify (where they specifically state in their description that they do not ship overseas, but the description does not suggest a third party may be used to ship their item overseas!!)

[padi*0409]

---

@zanadoo_56 wrote:

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.

---

Yes it is zanadoo, the seller can opt to send the item to you without GPS,  but if they don't know how to send without  GPS, then there is a problem.............................

[imastawka]

Hi, padi

I buy from quite a few USA sellers and I always ask beforehand for

postage costs without the GSP.  It works out for me to be about 1/3

of the cost.   But sometimes they just don't know how (I don't either)

or they just can't be bothered - I actually had someone tell me this!!

Spoiler

Thought you could use a ride on mower

Spoiler

[padi*0409]

Stawka,

Behave,       I'm very senile so I do not put up with waves and stuff, 

                                                                                          

Spoiler

Where do you want me to launch Crickey to?????????????????

[padi*0409]

PFFFFFTTTT

Spoiler

 Runs away..........................from stawka, crickey and amber etc et al..........ZOOOOM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Spoiler

Really quickly....................sigh

"loads self into trebuchet......................."

Spoiler

Got one awesome curry cooking ATM.....................................loads trebuchet again................**bleep** is a diamond halo anyway?????

[i-love-my-sheep]

I sent a message to customer service and finally got a reply this morning. It could be of use to people and also to US sellers that don't know. This what they wrote:

"Thank you for your interest and questions about the global shipping program. The seller does have a choice in whether or not he would like to be involved in the program. If this is something that you guys wish to go outside of the program for, please click on the shopping cart in the top right hand corner of ebay and then click on request total from seller. This will allow him to send you his own invoice and not have it go through the global shipping program.

If the seller still wants to go through the global shipping program, the only other option you have is to ask the seller to cancel all of the listings, list them all together (instead of separately) and then you purchase one new item number. This would allow for you to get a better rate on shipping. I apologize that the shipping costs are so high, we typically suggest that a seller not use the program if the item is less than 1 lbs and under $30."

That was probably more useful than the reply from them that was posted above. This wouldn't have worked with my $100 seller as he wasn't interested in going to the post office, but for sellers that are willing and don't know about this, it could get both buyers and sellers out of a pickle!