---

@josma33 wrote:

Situation is correct and is still current.  I ordered goods on eBay over one month ago ; which was very expensive >40 % of the total cost, but  currently the item has not arrived.  

Why would this surprise you.....the GSP has always been slow and expensive.  A month is not at all unusual.

 

A similar item ordered from the USA 4 days afterwards was delivered days prior to this good; using USA Post at  a 11%  "Postage markup.".

The service from USPS has always been faster than the GSP....it cuts out the middle man and the items come directly from the seller to you without detours and delays in processing the paperwaork.

 

The Global Shipping  so-called tracking system is a Farce.  It  records everything in New York time.  My goods were tracked as being delivered at about 10 pm local  Australian EST time.  But no such "delivery" took place!   No card or anything was left behind as to where the "postal deliverer" was located; and Ebay switches off all enquiries after the tracking system "reports the item as beig "delivered" (even though    none  took place

I have always found the GSP tracking to be very comprehensive.  Allowing for the item doing a Cooks Tour of the USA before arriving at the GSP hub in Erlanger KY, everything is documented very clearly.  And of course it shows in US time.....the GSP is run by Pitney Bowes, a US company, for the benefit of US sellers, using USPS initially.   Once the items arrive in Australia the tracking will show in local time.

EBay is "unable" or unwilling to enquire as to the Whereabouts or Local  Contacts of the "Postal Provider" leaving this  to the Supplier to provide the details!!  Very unsatisfying.

While the item is in the USA it is in the hands of the USPS till it gets to Pitney Bowes in Erlanger.  Once the paperwork is completed Pitney Bowes hands the items to FedEx for delivery in Australia.  After the goods have cleared Customs here they are either delivered by FedEx or handed to Australia Post for final delivery to the customer.

You don't need ebay to tell you where the items are or who has them....the tracking will tell you those facts if you know how to read it.

Buyers on EBay , outside of the USA,  should be warned  of the pitfalls of buying goods which use GlobalShipping as the carrier.

After all the time the GSP has been in use, most of us know full well the pitfalls....it is very well documented on the boards, if nothing else.

 

 

---