eBay Global Shipping Program: a fraud?

[Lestodante]

I've often found items that are shipped with ebay "global shipping program".
They automatically calculate the shipping costs of the item and the import fees.
An item I bought recently was worth 60 USD. ebay calculated a shipping of 29.15 USD plus an import fee of 19.00 USD (total shipping costs=48.15 USD).
I contacted the seller and sayd if he could send me a personal invoice by Paypal and ship the item directly to me instead of using the eBay global shipping service.
He was not sure about this at the beginning, but at the end he agreed and today I received my item regularly. The total amount of the shipping I payd was 11 USD.

So why I should pay 48.15 instead of 11?
I Also read that in my country (yes, I know... it's Italy ) when a package arrives it may happen that you have to pay again the import fees (if the item pass through Custom check) because they don't recognize what you have already payd to eBay.
And also if you leave a negative feedback to a seller that joined global shipping program, it wil be automatically removed by the system.

For the reasons above I always try to negoziate the shipping with seller or I don't bid on that auction at all.
This is not the first time I contacted a USA seller and avoid the global shipping program and save lot of money on shipping costs. So I guess it is some kind of ebay fraud to make more money!!!

 

[Jonas]

It is the same for Denmark. It seems that this Ebay Global Shipping Program have no deal with the Postal Service of the other countries and if it gets taken in you have to battle it out yourself, so people often just give up.

 

[Chico]

I avoid any auction listed with that service and its a complete pain in the ass to have to deal with. It's been brought up many times on wargaming forums. The only plus point is that as I'm in the UK and most items are found on the UK ebay easy enough I don't have to use the US listings that often.

 

[Niibl]

Re: AW: eBay Global Shipping Program: a fraud?

It is a double edged sword.
First of all, US shipping cost is very erratic and I have experienced cost between 11 and 31$ (thought it was a typo...) So that is no surprise.
Then we have the customs service.
You don't have to worry about anything. Easy.
Personally I avoid that service but I am on good terms with my local customs officers and I know the drill. Other people might be less experienced.
And the chance of "slipping through" has become very low. So you have to drive to the customs office and probably have to take half a day off.
"Gift" declaration is not believed anyway and if you pick the wrong description you pay costoms fee.
Else you will only pay 19% tax.
So, ebay offers a way without all this. Expensive but care free.
I do not like the fact that it is not optional though.

 

[Aiteal]

Re: AW: eBay Global Shipping Program: a fraud?

I do not like the fact that it is not optional though.

I believe it's optional for the seller, I have read reports of people messaging the sellers and explaining to them the issues with the 'global shipping programme' and the sellers then withdrawing from it (not realising they had actually opted in to it in the first instance)

 

[King Arthur]

I would be very wary of using the service again. I brought some very hard to get models from a reputable seller in the USA (Palanquin of Nurgle and 2 C27 Beastmen) and being at the time ignorant of what the Global Shipping Program was, was shocked when the Seller sent me an invoice with Shipping that was $48!

If you purchase multiple items, you can not combine the shipping as the Program works out each sale separately and then slaps you with Import Fee's, so my winning bids totaled to around $40 and then the Postage and Import Fee's brought my invoice up to $97

The Buyer has since refused to use the Program and lists USPS as his postal service in his auctions now.

Be very careful if using this service as it works out pricey!

Cheers

Gary

 

[Zhu Bajie]

To be honest I don't know what's going on with it. Just last week I ordered $44 of stuff and under GSP had shipping for $6, which is really good!

Stuff hasn't arrived yet, so don't know if the guarantees about paying import tax etc. are true, but it looks good to me so far.

 

[Kafka]

I've always found the GPS system over priced but it does deliver the item pretty quickly - at least from the US to the UK. The high postage cost is down to the fact the item is posted to a central depot in the sellers country, processed and then shipped out to the buyer. Effectively doubling the postage price for the buyer.

If you look at your paypal receipt (and initial payment screen) you'll notice an additional payment is being made direct to "Pitney Bowes".

It's quite frustrating when buying a few figures cheap and then being hammered with a postage cost of $48 and possible import tax on top of that. I've emailed several sellers in the past to tell them the problems with the system and have been told they didn't realise they had been using it. I've been getting stuff sent from the US to the UK for years now and only usually pay $8 or so via USPS for small boxes.

 

[Citadel Collector]

My worst eBay experience ever by a long shot was at the tail end of this programme. The U.S. seller lived up to his side fine, but once the package got to the UK is was a courier/package handler nightmare

 

[Naagruz]

Re: AW: eBay Global Shipping Program: a fraud?

First of all, US shipping cost is very erratic and I have experienced cost between 11 and 31$ (thought it was a typo...) So that is no surprise.

U.S. shipping shouldn't be erratic. I ship from the U.S. overseas constantly & it's hasn't varied much except for when prices jumped in 2012. Weight or bulk will drive the price up. If someone is sending a box versus a padded envelope, then you will see some fluctuation in price.
I can get a mini or three to the U.K. for ~$9 and that hasn't changed for quite awhile. Used to be I could get them there for $3.50...

 

[Zhu Bajie]

Stuff arrived today, absolutely perfect, no problem. Maybe I just managed to roll a perfect to-hit, to-wound, to-save combo, but judging from this experience, I wouldn't have any doubts about using it again.

 

[Auretious Taak]

My worst eBay experience ever by a long shot was at the tail end of this programme. The U.S. seller lived up to his side fine, but once the package got to the UK is was a courier/package handler nightmare

This. All of this.

the last time I had to use this program the package got to me, a large box for models 1/8 the size of the box (why the frack did I have to pay for a box size 3 times the size in the first place is beyond me) with 2 rips down the outside of the box, dinged in and delivered upside down despite a fragile this way up sticker on all 4 side facings, it was raining when it came and I was on the verandah at the time, usually packages are dropped off and placed under the garage awning, this guy just hoiked it over the gate, and off he went. The only reason the models were intact is because they were wrapped solid in a bag inside the box so didn't fall out whenever the rips occurred.

I've ebayed mainly from the US/UK for the past 5ish years now with over 250 odd deliveries and I've not had a single experience like this. First and last time using the sh itty program. I just pm the seller and ask if they'll us priority first class international ship it and explain that the priority us international gives true tracking whereas the usps first class international does not, it's the expensive option buit works out cheaper then the global shipping program most times and so much better service. A majority of sellers are open to that.

 

[Wachaza]

I'm currently waiting for a US parcel which was passed to citipost in the UK on 29 January. No delivery attempts yet that I can find. Terrible service.

 

[Niibl]

I have to say that my last expereince as positive. No issues at all.
I asked the seller if we could find a different arrangement and was somewhat galled at first as he refused.
But a small calculator check told me that I only paid 5$ more than the usual 19% tax+ the drive to the custom's office.
So I should not complain.
I am pretty sure that the balance had been worse in the past but this time it was ok, more convenient for the seller and for me too.
Parcel arrived safely, within a reasonable time too.

 

[Wachaza]

...and the courier lost the parcel.

Stunningly poor.

 

[bug16]

I got badly burned by this once and because of that I will no longer buy from outside of the EU on ebay. I bought ten SMv2 era Leman Russ tanks for £20 from a seller in the US (average price but they were a particular sculpt I wanted to get in one go). The cost to post them was £8 (average). I was then forced to pay £15 import duty (excuse me? £15?!). I contacted the seller and explained that I was happy for him to ignore the importy duty costs and if my parcel got nabbed by UK customs I'd just suck it up and pay around the £5 they'd charge me (20%+ their admin cost). He didn't want to do that and I was forced to cough up £43. Even better a week later a UK seller was selling the same items for £15 with £4 P&P. Oh well eh?