Hi,has any members had problems with the Global Shipping program.

[benji_woof]

Hi,has any members had problems with the Global Shipping program.It would seem that another party has been added just to double our chances of a mistake.The contract is between buyer and seller on the ebay site and it is hard enough to recieve an item without damage and in a reasonable time without it being duplicated in the shipping process.Unable to contact the global Shipping Co so where do we get any help.

[papermoon.lady]

At any rate I really don't understand what some sellers think is wrong with international tracking + signature (registered mail). I am not saying they should send their parcels without any guarantee or tracking.

Last week I got two small parcels (small, but real parcels, I mean boxes), one from England and one from Germany, both registered (tracking + signature).

I paid 10 pounds for postage for the parcel from England and 6 euros for the parcel from Germany.

[papermoon.lady]

It is, of course, the soul of commerce to convince people that they need something that they don't need, so in this sense you are right, it can't be called a scam.

However, at least in my opinion, the problem is exactly this - sellers now think that they are not protected without PB, which is just not true. PayPal will not side with the buyer if the tracking shows that an item has been delivered and signed for, so sellers are ALREADY protected with tracking + signature.

Even if some buyer wanted to play smart and say they didn't get an item because the official tracking usually doesn't show tracking from overseas, if they open a case PayPal would find out immediately that they have lied and would side with the seller.

[lyndal1838]

Sellers in the USA don't even need to pay for tracking, insurance and signature on delivery.....that works out to be very expensive.  They are better off just using one of the more expensive Priority or Express mail options but they are going to work out nearly as much as Pitney Bowes.

By far the best option from the US is First Class Mail Intrnational with e Delcon.....this is fully trackable on the USPS site and the seller gets delivery confirmation.   And it is free!!

[papermoon.lady]

I could track my last First Class parcel even on the AusPost site, which I have to confess surprised me. AND on the USPS site too. I paid USD 13.50 for a small to medium parcel (not heavy, but with a lot of protection which made it bigger). Fully trackable.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@papermoon.ladywrote:

At any rate I really don't understand what some sellers think is wrong with international tracking + signature (registered mail). I am not saying they should send their parcels without any guarantee or tracking.

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but many eBay sellers all over the world choose to not sell internationally.  In the USA, many sellers were opted in to the GSP without their knowledge.  When they sell to an Australian buyer the mailing address for that buyer comes up as the Pitney Bowes Erlanger address.  As far as the seller is concerned they are selling/shipping domestically.

It doesn’t matter if there are other safe posting options cheaper than the GSP.

[papermoon.lady]

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@k1ooo-slr-saleswrote:

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@papermoon.lady

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but many eBay sellers all over the world choose to not sell internationally.  In the USA, many sellers were opted in to the GSP without their knowledge. 

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Yes. I have even seen sellers who indicate GSP as shipping method and then in the description they say "UK only" for example. I first thought it was weird, but then understood why.

Sellers who used to sell small items internationally before should never have been opted in without fully understanding or being told how it works because they have just lost buyers and bidders. It is just worse for them not only because they have lost buyers and bidders, but also because I still think that traditional postal services are better. It is not even clear who handles the GSP parcels and some people say PB uses very cheap companies that are just not 100% reliable.

Those who didn't sell internationally at all "could" find some use in it, possibly explaining in the description that it might be expensive, but that they only ship domestically and this is the only option they have to sell to buyers overseas.

At any rate eBay shouldn't have opted sellers in automatically in the first place because it is obvious that it is just not good for everyone, and unfortunately not everyone knows. The biggest mistake was to opt all sellers in automatically without fully explaining how it works.

[lyndal1838]

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 It is not even clear who handles the GSP parcels and some people say PB uses very cheap companies that are just not 100% reliable.

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This has to be the most uninformed comment you have ever made about the GSP.

If you are going to run the service down at least have the courtesy to understand how it works before doing so.

Pitney Bowes uses FedEx to send GSP items from the USA to Australia.   I would hardly call them very cheap and unreliable.

It has never been a secret which courier company is used.....the GSP parcels are trackable on the FedEx website.  Anyone should know if you can track an item on a courier's website then that is the company that is shipping the goods.

Pitney Bowes is a well established logistics company in the USA.....no-one could accuse them of being cheap.....just the opposite in fact.

You have quoted "some people" as saying PB uses cheap and unreliable carriers......please point out any post on the boards where that has been mentiond.   I have never before seen that as a complaint.

[papermoon.lady]

It is a comment from a verified reviewer I read here: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/business/pitney_bowes.html

I am going away to visit family tomorrow so I won't be able to come back.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@papermoon.ladywrote:

It is a comment from a verified reviewer I read here: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/business/pitney_bowes.html

I am going away to visit family tomorrow so I won't be able to come back. 

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I think you have cherry picked a comment from a site that has no relevance to the Australian GSP experience.

The first comment I saw that mention unreliable couriers appeared to come from a French person, with most of the comments about contracts people have with Pitney Bowes for leased equipment.  Hardly relevant to eBay GSP service.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

@mariq

I just took a more detailed look at that linked site.  Only two of the reviews are eBay related.  The rest are PB postage machine/meter or lease related.

Spoiler

do a ‘Find in page’ search when the site page loads.  Search for “eBay” and then “Global” and you will find the eBay/GSP reviews.