Ebay Global Shipping Program?

[RBSinTo]

I am interested in an item for sale by an American seller on ebay, and noticed that in addition to the shipping fee, the item also attracts a Global Shipping Charge, which in this case, amounts to more than 10% of the selling price.
I have purchased a number of items from ebay sellers in the past and never have been required to pay this additional charge before.
I was wondering if anyone here has experience with this GSP and could advise me about its legitimacy, and whether it is really necessary to pay such a fee when buying an item in the US that will be shipped to Canada.
Please and thanks.
RBSinTo

 

[AcornHouse]

I have an experience from the seller side of things when I sold some autographs to a Swiss buyer. I shipped care of a clearing house which then forwarded it to the seller. I believe it handles the various customs and duty fees.

 

[zulu]

I use it for all of my international sales on Ebay. I ship to a USA address and everything is taken care of. Not only is it very convenient, it's also the only way I've been able to accurately predict shipping cost. I've had buyers pass on my items because there may be cheaper options, but I insist upon it because of the hassles that can arise.

 

[Default]

I've heard stories of items being confiscated, and being destroyed, rather than being returned to the sellers. This happened to a couple of guitars and at least one amp. This was due to materials like abalone and certain metals used in tube and amp manufacturing.
That's enough for me not to take the chance.

 

[GAD]

I've heard stories of items being confiscated, and being destroyed, rather than being returned to the sellers. This happened to a couple of guitars and at least one amp. This was due to materials like abalone and certain metals used in tube and amp manufacturing.
That's enough for me not to take the chance.

That sounds like a customs thing, no?

 

[Guildedagain]

How many things have you bought to be surprised by a out of country charge?

The GSP, best thing since sliced bread as far as eBay's concerned, takes care of all of it.

I can send something to China.

Well not me, I send it to Erlanger KY, with buyer name/location on package, no matter how remote, and a month later, eBay let's me know it's been delivered, and they handle the Customs fees and hassles.

Is that not worth something?

People come at me from the side, how much to ship to Buenos Aires, Paris, Russia even, stubbornly insisting on bypassing the GSP so that they can get you lie about the value on Customs forms, so they can avoid fees. Not happening. After several tries, I add them to my blocked bidder list.

Then there's the CITES baloney.

It's much better to ship CITES affected guitars through GSP because eBay is a big boy, and no one is going to look at all the packages.

Is that worth something?

Yes.

I should share this story, just to get it off my chest.

I guy in China bought an item, but didn't want to use the GSP, bugged me for days "Boss, send me an invoice with shipping price".

I finally had to cancel it, and blocked him.

Relisted it.

No joke, he got a buddy of his buy it guy on his behalf and then started the whole "Boss, please send invoice" rubbish all over again.

Time after time, I pleaded with him. For the love of Mike, just pay, and I will send it, to Kentucky that is.

I canceled that transaction and realized that the only way I could avoid this daily nonsense was just to pull all of my eBay ads.

20 year anniversary for me on eBay, and it's basically over.

 

[Guildedagain]

it is really necessary to pay such a fee when buying an item in the US that will be shipped to Canada.

Do you want the item?

That's your answer.

 

[geoguy]

I've heard stories of items being confiscated, and being destroyed, rather than being returned to the sellers. This happened to a couple of guitars and at least one amp.

One of those stories that Default is referring to, might include a guitar sold by a guy on the Gretsch Pages. IIRC, he was located in the mid-Atlantic area of the US, and sold a guitar to someone overseas. The eBay Global Shipping Program took it upon themselves to determine that the instrument included wood species that were prohibited from re-sale outside the US due to CITES regulations that were being enforced at that time. That guitar was not shipped, and allegedly destroyed by eBay/GSP.

He was a very unhappy customer.

RBS, as the buyer I think you are at minimal risk in the case of your transaction. Only you can decide if the extra cost is acceptable or not, but it does spare the seller from preparing international shipping documents. And perhaps the seller wouldn't sell to someone outside the US if they had to prepare those documents themselves.

 

[RBSinTo]

One of those stories that Default is referring to, might include a guitar sold by a guy on the Gretsch Pages. IIRC, he was located in the mid-Atlantic area of the US, and sold a guitar to someone overseas. The eBay Global Shipping Program took it upon themselves to determine that the instrument included wood species that were prohibited from re-sale outside the US due to CITES regulations that were being enforced at that time. That guitar was not shipped, and allegedly destroyed by eBay/GSP.

He was a very unhappy customer.

RBS, as the buyer I think you are at minimal risk in the case of your transaction. Only you can decide if the extra cost is acceptable or not, but it does spare the seller from preparing international shipping documents. And perhaps the seller wouldn't sell to someone outside the US if they had to prepare those documents themselves.

Thanks to those who replied. I appreciate the insights.
RBSinTo

 

[wileypickett]

RBS, as the buyer I think you are at minimal risk in the case of your transaction. Only you can decide if the extra cost is acceptable or not, but it does spare the seller from preparing international shipping documents. And perhaps the seller wouldn't sell to someone outside the US if they had to prepare those documents themselves.

I know of a number os U.S.-based sellers who stopped shipping instruments beyond the border due to hassles. I was one.

I sold a fair number of guitars via eBay back in the late '90s and early 2000s.

I stopped selling beyond the U.S. borders partly because preparing the necessary documents was time consuming, but mostly because one guitar I shipped got held at Canadian customs for more than a month.

To get the guitar freed up, I had to call Canadian customs and be interviewed, as did the buyer. Several weeks after being interviewed the buyer was told he could come collect the guitar. He had to drive some 300 + / - miles to pick it up in person (customs would not ship it) and he had to pay around $200.00, cash, in customs fees.

After that, I said, "Never again."

If eBay is now providing a service that spares buyer and seller the possibility of avoiding those difficulties, it's certainly worth considering IMO.

 

[chazmo]

^ yeah, wow, that's a cautionary tale right there, Glenn. Yikes!

 

[RBSinTo]

As a follow-up to my initial inquiry, I decided to answer Guildedagain's final questions, and because I indeed wanted the ebay listing (by way of full disclosure, a hockey helmet with a goaltender's face mask) to replace the battle-worn set I currently use, I decided to act.
Having procrastinated for many weeks over the listing, I found late last week that there suddenly and unexpectedly was another bidder, so I got up in the middle of the night (3:00 am) and sniped it with five seconds remaining. It ended up costing about 25 % more than necessary because I had to out-spend the other bidder, but that was my own fault.
Still, I'm happy with the outcome, and again thank everyone for their input and advice.
RBSinTo

 

[chazmo]

^ Glad it worked out, RBSinTo.

 

[RBSinTo]

^ Glad it worked out, RBSinTo.

chazmo,
I'll let you know if it works out after the first game I wear it, and take a hard shot on the mask or helmet. That will be the true test.
RBSinTo

 

[RBSinTo]

Just following up on my purchase:
After winning the auction, I immediately remitted payment.
Since then, in the last few days, the helmet/ mask was boxed, and sent to a facility in St. Louis MO. Then it went to a second faciliy in Indianappolis, and a day later, it has appeared in Cincinatti (!!!!)
I assume that it is travelling by ox-cart, and that this is all part of a plan for the item to make a country-wide tour of every American city before finally crossing the border.
I'm beginning to understand why ebay needs to charge those Global Shipping Fees. They're used to rent the oxen.
RBSinTo

 

[nmiller]

That's how every major US mail and freight carrier works: they shuffle packages from one regional depot to another until it reaches the destination. The cheaper the service (and I assume Ebay's GSP uses the cheapest available), the slower the progress. Looks like the package is gradually winding its way toward Toronto.

My experience is that Canada Post works the same way, so I'm surprised at the surprise.

 

[fronobulax]

Since then, in the last few days, the helmet/ mask was boxed, and sent to a facility in St. Louis MO. Then it went to a second faciliy in Indianappolis, and a day later, it has appeared in Cincinatti (!!!!)

Once upon a time US mail was sorted in the local post office. An efficiency expert decided money could be saved by having a central sorting office and all the local post offices would send their mail there to be sorted. Eventually the Hub and Spoke logistics model got widely adopted.

As with many good ideas it was adopted by organizations that did not quite understand it and it is now quite common for something to go from a point of origin to the nearest hub and then go from hub to hub until the destination is closer than the next hub. This is efficient for some definition of cost and efficiency but not all and it commonly leads to criticism and commentary from people who have different definitions of "cost".

I am reminded of a less on from military history. During the American Civil War many streams and rivers were impediments to military maneuvers. I have visited many such sites and always why a stream, that I could cross in three leaps or walk and everything below mid-calf remained dry was an obstacle. What I finally realized was that crossing a stream was not about individuals. It was about having an organized fighting force before and after the crossing. It was about crossing with wagons and artillery which would get stick in mud that was not a concern for me.

My takeaway then, has been, when something doesn't seem efficient to my I should first look and see of the costs are the same.

In this case, after I paid the seller for shipping, the only cost of interest is the time it takes to get to me.

In the few cases where I have paid for the fastest shipping the tracking I see is almost always shows a single jump between the hub closest to the shipper and the hub closest to me.

 

[RBSinTo]

Well, now the package is in Erlanger KY.
Apparently, the ox cart driver pulled off the road to take a leak, and the oxen wandered away. By the time they caught them they were in Erlinger. I suppose I'm lucky the cart wasn't being pulled by sled dogs or they'd probably be in Alaska by now.
If I sound upset, it's only because I had hoped to wear the new helmet and mask in games before I retire from hockey.
Now I'm beginning to wonder if that will happen.
RBSinTo

 

[fronobulax]

Now I'm beginning to wonder if that will happen.
RBSinTo

Don't retire

 

[MacGuild]

I stopped selling beyond the U.S. borders partly because preparing the necessary documents was time consuming, but mostly because one guitar I shipped got held at Canadian customs for more than a month.

To get the guitar freed up, I had to call Canadian customs and be interviewed, as did the buyer. Several weeks after being interviewed the buyer was told he could come collect the guitar. He had to drive some 300 + / - miles to pick it up in person (customs would not ship it) and he had to pay around $200.00, cash, in customs fees.

After that, I said, "Never again."

Sorry you and the buyer had to endure that behavior, it is pervasive and has been a national embarrassment for far too long. It will come as no consolation to you that things have only gotten worse here since then; the delays are longer, the fees greater and more numerous, more damage, more loss, less efficiency, less recourse. If I had a loonie for every time I had to apologize for Canada's apparatchiks...

I do not blame you or any other seller one little bit for not selling to Canada. Why put yourself through it? Your item may well sit for weeks in an airplane hangar, quonset hut or who knows what; in a country with frigid winters and thickly humid summers, that is nightmarish. This has all become a deal-breaker for buyers, too. Customs has been known to hold items for much longer than one month. For a guitar, these days I would expect a month.
There's a good reason why Reverb dot com isn't nearly as exciting when you filter by "Ships to Canada", your story is an all too familiar one.

And I don't say that lightly because a lot of what interests me gear-wise is in the United States, but folks should know that shipping here can get highly frustrating. Not always, but often enough.