Learned Lesson with USPS Global Shipping Program

[Throttlesteer]

I'm about done with Ebay and especially the bogus Global Shipping program. I've had problems with 2 transactions (out of 10 or so) where the buyer never received the card. USPS still shows it in transit, but it never moves out of that state. The most recent, I have a buyer upset that his card didn't arrive in time for Christmas, even though it was sent USPS Priority through the GSP. It shouldn't take two weeks to go to Canada, but it is the holidays. He opened a case against me and is asking for a full refund. To top it off, I only charged $5 shipping but his invoice shows $26.18. Does the GSP charge the buyer a totally different amount than my own shipping costs?

I followed every Ebay guideline, but it looks like I'm going to get screwed again. Globegistics still shows the package in transit and was updated 12/20. He wanted the GSP shipping refunded and then just decided to go for the whole amount. To top it off, he has 4 feedback which sounds suspicious.

Should I wait for Ebay to resolve? Do I have any recourse with PayPal?

[bobbyw8469]

The beauty of the GSP is you aren't responsible. All you have to do is get it to Kentucky (or wherever your nearest hub is). Once Ebay takes over, it is out of your hands.

[sedin26]

If you shipped through GSP your responsibility ends once Ebay receives the package at their facility. This will not be your problem.

[byrone]

I’m in Canada

The GSP “shipping” charges are often very outrageous, so yes, your $5 shipping fee can turn into a crazy amount on the buyers side

I don’t recommend it

[RL]

If you shipped through GSP your responsibility ends once Pitney Bowes receives the package at their facility. This will not be your problem.

[Throttlesteer]

Thanks guys. At least this one isnt going to burn me.

[buymycards]

This is from the GSP FAQ's on eBay.

Although you're responsible for getting the package safely to the Global Shipping Center, in general you won't be responsible if the item is damaged or lost during international shipping. For additional information, see the Global Shipping Program policies and FAQs. Undeliverable items may not be returned to you.

eBay will remove any negative feedback in regard to the GSP.

I wouldn't worry about the Priority package to Canada. There is no guaranteed delivery date, and the system is really backed up right now. It may be held up in customs. From what I understand, every package entering Canada is being inspected because of the large amount of drugs that are entering the country through the mail.

[warrior1978]

My recent experience is this:

Sold a cellphone for $60 and in the auction I said No International shipping.

The winning bidder had what looked like a normal address in Dora, FL but there was a number after his name. I later learned after my package did not make it to him, that it was a freight forwarding center.

So I ship my package and track it all the way to Miami where it goes out for delivery. Then nothing. Package is never scanned as delivered. A little more research tells me that the freight forwarder has their own delivery scanner machine and they scan the packages as delivered when they are delivered by USPS.

So basically my package is lost in the system and the buyer says they didn't receive it, the system still says out for delivery a month later, USPS relies on the freight forwarder to scan the packages in as delivered.

So did USPS lose my package, did the freight fowarder lose my package or is the international customer taking advantage of the screwed up scanning process and seeking a refund for a phone they received but I can't prove was delivered?

[Stampsfan]

As many of you know, I’m in Canada and am strictly a buyer. As other Canadians have said on this forum, we find eBay’s GSP an utter ripoff. The shipping costs are neither accurate nor consistent. Cards and comics (what I mostly buy) can range from just over ten dollars to over fifty dollars, from the same city and the same state. When I’ve reached out to different US based sellers, it appears they do not have any idea how much the GSP is showing on their listings.
This has been discussed before, but from someone who always pays quickly, I find it frustrates me to pay these excessive Shipping fees. however I have heard on this board how it protects sellers from fraudulent buyers.

[mantleman]

I only buy about 20 % of what I used to on Ebay because of the Global Shipping rates.

I am also absolutely dumbfounded that Ebay does not let the seller know what the buyer sees when considering a purchase.

All of the $1 singles I used to buy that now fall under the Global shipping, I am being charged roughly $17USD per card. For us Canadians, that is huge, PLUS FACTOR IN THE ROUGHLY 30 % EXCHANGE RATE !!!

Another gripe with Global shipping is I do not believe you can do combined shipping for most orders

[irv]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

As many of you know, I’m in Canada and am strictly a buyer. As other Canadians have said on this forum, we find eBay’s GSP an utter ripoff. The shipping costs are neither accurate nor consistent. Cards and comics (what I mostly buy) can range from just over ten dollars to over fifty dollars, from the same city and the same state. When I’ve reached out to different US based sellers, it appears they do not have any idea how much the GSP is showing on their listings.
This has been discussed before, but from someone who always pays quickly, I find it frustrates me to pay these excessive Shipping fees. however I have heard on this board how it protects sellers from fraudulent buyers.

Originally Posted by mantleman

I only buy about 20 % of what I used to on Ebay because of the Global Shipping rates.

I am also absolutely dumbfounded that Ebay does not let the seller know what the buyer sees when considering a purchase.

All of the $1 singles I used to buy that now fall under the Global shipping, I am being charged roughly $17USD per card. For us Canadians, that is huge, PLUS FACTOR IN THE ROUGHLY 30 % EXCHANGE RATE !!!

Another gripe with Global shipping is I do not believe you can do combined shipping for most orders

I no longer, and haven't for a long time now, purchased any cards/memorabilia from sellers who use Global Shipping. I am not knocking or condemning those that choose to, just stating the fact, like what is mentioned above, it can get spendy!

My most recent search of either baseball or hockey cards lead me to a seller in California whose GS fee was $92.00 U.S.!

The thing is I have purchased other cards from sellers in California and other southern states and none of those have come remotely close to that figure.

In my opinion, like a lot of things in this hobby that I have learned about in my relatively short time here, this hobby can be real ugly at times.

[bobbyw8469]

Ya'll do realize that sellers dictate NOTHING about the way operates the Seller Global program??? It is solely a way for Ebay sellers to feel more comfortable about shipping items international. But we don't dictate the prices Ebay charges for that.

[vthobby]

I've used GSP as a seller about 10 times...........a few items have been claimed lost on the other end........one of them was a $300 item..........I have NEVER been charged back for a GSP sale. NEVER!

I feel its solid. Yes the buyer pays a very high amount on their end but that is their choice. If they did not like the charge, then they would simply not pay.

You'll be fine.

Peace, Mike

[ngnichols]

Another reason why I don't bother to even offer items I sell to international buyers. Just too much that can go wrong. Hell, it's hard enough just to get stuff to someone here inside the US at times.

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Ya'll do realize that sellers dictate NOTHING about the way operates the Seller Global program??? It is solely a way for Ebay sellers to feel more comfortable about shipping items international. But we don't dictate the prices Ebay charges for that.

Maybe I missed it, but no one on here claimed Ebay seller's dictate the GSP prices. The point some American sellers seem to be missing is that you can still ship normally to Canadian customers WITHOUT using the GSP. A number of items have sold far below what I would have paid if the seller wasn't using the ridiculous GSP, so in the end it's both sellers and buyers who lose using it.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Huysmans

Maybe I missed it, but no one on here claimed Ebay seller's dictate the GSP prices. The point some American sellers seem to be missing is that you can still ship normally to Canadian customers WITHOUT using the GSP. A number of items have sold far below what I would have paid if the seller wasn't using the ridiculous GSP, so in the end it's both sellers and buyers who lose using it.

Yep, I've watched cards go for much less than I was willing to pay due to GSP.

I've reached out to a few the last few years but due to their stance, have refused to use anything else.

Like I said, I understand why some choose to use it, but I also know, like was also previously mentioned, some sellers have no clue what their listings read as far as shipping fees go.

I've copied and pasted more than one in PM's to sellers and most times they are shocked at the amount EBay is charging. There is zero consistency anywhere and there is no doubt EBay is banking large on this scam.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

The beauty of the GSP is you aren't responsible. All you have to do is get it to Kentucky (or wherever your nearest hub is). Once Ebay takes over, it is out of your hands.

This is a hundred percent false. I have a buddy in British Columbia who purchased a card from some guy down in Florida. This guy was using the GSP, so my buddy paid the ridiculous shipping fee and the tax charge. He waited many weeks and the card never arrived. He opened up an eBay case and won.

When you use the GSP, the parcels don't get handed to Canada Post. Some other small company delivers them.

Anyhow, I've said it many times before that USPS First Class Mail is the way to go. The parcels get handed over to Canada Post and you can even track it on the Canada Post website using the same USPS tracking number.

And yes, if you are an American seller, you can opt out of the GSP. I've had many guys do this and ship to me directly themselves - zero problems so far.

Happy holidays

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

This is a hundred percent false. I have a buddy in British Columbia who purchased a card from some guy down in Florida. This guy was using the GSP, so my buddy paid the ridiculous shipping fee and the tax charge. He waited many weeks and the card never arrived. He opened up an eBay case and won.

When you use the GSP, the parcels don't get handed to Canada Post. Some other small company delivers them.

Anyhow, I've said it many times before that USPS First Class Mail is the way to go. The parcels get handed over to Canada Post and you can even track it on the Canada Post website using the same USPS tracking number.

And yes, if you are an American seller, you can opt out of the GSP. I've had many guys do this and ship to me directly themselves - zero problems so far.

Happy holidays

I have not uttered one false statement. If you used the GSP, then if there is a problem EBAY is on the hook, NOT the seller. I have had more problems BEFORE I used it, due to the fact that International buyers don't wish to pay for tracking (which can be quite expensive) and are quick to file claims when items are late.

[alaskapaul3]

Had a guy in Russia with 100% feedback with 500 + transactions buy a coin that I sold using GSP. You as the seller cannot see that the shipping to a country for particular items is prohibited. The guy buys the coin and then cannot check out. I contact Ebay who are vague about why they won't ship. Major PITA and not worth your time as a seller.

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Anyhow, I've said it many times before that USPS First Class Mail is the way to go. The parcels get handed over to Canada Post and you can even track it on the Canada Post website using the same USPS tracking number.

And yes, if you are an American seller, you can opt out of the GSP. I've had many guys do this and ship to me directly themselves - zero problems so far.

Happy holidays

This is true for Canada, as well as most other major countries as far as being able to track the package all the way through to delivery. When GSP was introduced, the inability to show a "Delivered" scan on the tracking for international shipments to dispute "item not received" claims was the big stick being used to coerce sellers into using the program. If you can't enter a tracking number online and have it come up with a result of "Delivered," the seller will lose the dispute every time. Once upon a time, USPS tracking only followed a package to the international airport it flew out of, and then showed no further updates due to the disconnect between the USPS system and the systems of the international mail carriers. Nowadays though, USPS has arrangements, similar to the one with Canada Post quoted above, with the mail carriers in most (perhaps all?) countries that I ship to, and I can think of only 1 instance in the last couple of years where an international shipment truly went missing so that I wound up refunding it. That's 1 in hundreds of international shipments (because I deal with a lot of entertainment photos, about 15-20% of what I sell goes overseas), which is comparable to the loss rate on domestic shipments. It is worth noting that about the time the international tracking went into effect, the rates jumped drastically as well, so that there are no "cheap" international shipping options any longer. No doubt that has led to some of the unpaid items I have had when international buyers did not check the shipping price before bidding, but again, the rate of unpaid items is no more than on my domestic sales. In general, I have not found international buyers to be any more likely to be fraudulent than domestic buyers.

I have a number of repeat customers overseas who I feel certain would have been one-and-done buyers, or never bought in the first place, had I used GSP to deliver their purchases. I know some sellers are scared to ship internationally, but I find that the process is identical for me to pack, print labels (using stamps.com), and ship a package myself to Norway as it is to Nashville. Add in that the loss rates have proven to be no worse than domestic shipments, and I now have the same tracking ability to back "item not received" disputes as I have with domestic shipments, and there is zero incentive for me to enter into a program where I have no ability to set reasonable charges or predictable delivery times for my buyers.

[Jim65]

I wonder why more international bidders don't use US reshippers? Gives them an American address to ship to. Its good for the seller because once them is delivered to the reshipper, the seller is off the hook with Ebay and PayPal.

I have a regular buyer in Saudi Arabia who buys from me and he uses a shipper in Baltimore. Works great for me.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Jim65

I wonder why more international bidders don't use US reshippers? Gives them an American address to ship to. Its good for the seller because once them is delivered to the reshipper, the seller is off the hook with Ebay and PayPal.

I have a regular buyer in Saudi Arabia who buys from me and he uses a shipper in Baltimore. Works great for me.

So... excuse my ignorance but what is a “US reshipper”?

I can guess but I’d like to hear more about your first hand experiences. Maybe that’s the answer.

[Santo10Fan]

Originally Posted by Throttlesteer

I'm about done with Ebay and especially the bogus Global Shipping program. I've had problems with 2 transactions (out of 10 or so) where the buyer never received the card. USPS still shows it in transit, but it never moves out of that state. The most recent, I have a buyer upset that his card didn't arrive in time for Christmas, even though it was sent USPS Priority through the GSP. It shouldn't take two weeks to go to Canada, but it is the holidays. He opened a case against me and is asking for a full refund. To top it off, I only charged $5 shipping but his invoice shows $26.18. Does the GSP charge the buyer a totally different amount than my own shipping costs?

I followed every Ebay guideline, but it looks like I'm going to get screwed again. Globegistics still shows the package in transit and was updated 12/20. He wanted the GSP shipping refunded and then just decided to go for the whole amount. To top it off, he has 4 feedback which sounds suspicious.

Should I wait for Ebay to resolve? Do I have any recourse with PayPal?

This program is one of the reasons ebay is so expensive to sell with. We all pay for a program not everyone uses. Yes, the buyers still pay all tariffs and fees, ebay just streamilnes the process so you don't have to deal with it. That number you quoted sounds legitimate based on many lightweight parcels I've sent via the program. Since your package made it to the distribution center you are protected after that. It's out of your hands.

I've received a request before to ship an item directly in order to save the buyer in fees, so anything the program charges over what a buyer considers "normal" tariffs is between them and ebay.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

So... excuse my ignorance but what is a “US reshipper”?

I can guess but I’d like to hear more about your first hand experiences. Maybe that’s the answer.

Basically a company in the US that receives packages and re-sends to international customers. I know some will open the package and send pics of contents for customers to ok before re-shipping the item. I've had people tell me its cheaper than Ebay's Global Shipping.

[swarmee]

COMC's mailbox is one of them:
https://www.comc.com/mailbox
Instant US mailing address.