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 Replies: 33 / Views: 7,482 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
818 Posts |
I've noticed this more and more with U.S. sellers. I've avoided it like the plague until the other day, I saw a coin with a rare variety that I needed for my set. It was in New York. On a 115$ U.S. coin I had to pay 20$(US) to "Global Shipping" and 10$(US) for priority shipping on top. This was the 3rd of January and my package is in Kentucky right now  The estimated delivery date has now changed to the 22nd of January. I've had regular mail from the States arrive by now. This "service" is simply a cash grab and I will never use it again. Has anyone else had experience with the Global Shipping Program? |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2495 Posts |
I haven't had any personal experience with it yet, but I agree with you as I think the whole concept stinks!
I have however avoided buying an item I wanted, because of these excessive shipping charges.
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Moderator
 United States
54280 Posts |
Many people also do not like it because it "forces" them to pay import duties (that they somehow avoid otherwise). I have also read that they sometimes mark the parcel wrong subjecting them to import duties no owed.
Show your financial support of the Coin Community Family (click here)See my topic on Mexican Numismatic Medals (click here) |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
818 Posts |
I guess I shouldn't complain because I did have the option not to buy but I assumed it would be a better service, which at this point, it is not. Also, how do they justify charging you twice for shipping? On the ebay website it explains that it is to cover import charges. I have never paid an import charge on any coin I've bought from the States. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1505 Posts |
As a seller I have not used the program, but as I buyer I can say a few things. 1. Items with global shipping will receive a lower bid from me 2. I have seen non dutiable items be auto charged duty by ebay, no recourse for refund 3. Less likely to bid on a sellers items I have a US address as well, so it is often a tradeoff between convenience and price for shipping. I have contacted sellers and let them know how expensive the program is, they were surprised, apologetic and thanked me for the information after verifying what I said. In short, I think the program increases costs unnecessarily for buyers and provides minimal improvement for sellers. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5324 Posts |
It's another fee ebay dreamed out a year or so ago, I have contacted US sellers some have opted out and I started bidding, some wouldn't so I would rarely bid unless it's a must have unit. It's a complete ripoff to the buyer. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
818 Posts |
Also of note, you cannot combine Global Shipping Program costs. I contacted a seller today regarding shipping costs on multiple lots, he said I have to pay an import charge for every lot that because it is an international sale, he cannot combine lots on one invoice and that includes the regular shipping costs. He said he would refund the regular shipping for each extra lot I won. No thanks!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5324 Posts |
Ask the seller to opt out, they have the option, Fred Weinburg one of the largest error dealer had some Canadian errors when they started the global shipping program, I email the office and they agree it was a rip off and opted out.
Edited by john100
01/11/2016 10:33 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2366 Posts |
My understanding is that it's enabled by default for US sellers. One guy I talked to didn't even know his item was being made available to international buyers this way as he only wanted to sell within the US and thought that was what he was doing. Other US sellers I've spoken to like the convenience and 'security' of it and are willing to accept the lower return on their sales.
As others have mentioned above. No, it isn't a better service for buyers. The seller has to ship it to the processing centre which has to process it and then ship it to you which can take up to twice the time of shipping direct. 'Import charges' are charged on everything including duty free items such as .9999 silver as there is no option built in for a seller to indicate duty free or not. From the seller point of view it's just selling you that warm and fuzzy feeling of 'security' that is actually the same as what you get with USPS tracking and Seller Protection for cheaper. Worth mentioning though that for many smaller sellers that don't sell frequently and/or don't consider international sales in their target market, it isn't really worth their effort to read through the fine print and figure that out.
My advice is don't get all worked about it. Mention it to US sellers who are using it and have items you're interested in, but at the end of the day it's an option they can choose to use it or not and it's their right to choose how they want to sell their stuff. As the buyer, just factor it in to the total cost you're willing to pay as you do with the various shipping charges offered by Canadian sellers, taxes etc. Personally, I don't care whether I'm paying $100CDN for an item with free shipping and no taxes charged or $31.16US + $10US shipping + $12US "import charges" = $100CDN. In the latter case it's just less money ending up in the seller's pocket based on the choice they made and that's not really my problem.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1984 Posts |
The thing I hate about it is that it is invisible to most sellers. So many sellers sell items with it attached to the listing because it is the default. The buyers pays the huge fees and then the seller just pops it in the usual mail anyway! The seller does not get the fee....the money goes to ebay. It really is a scam by ebay because they must know that listings are going through the Global Shipping program but not moving through their warehouse. I twigged on to the whole thing when I discovered that I was listing things for sale with the box for Global Shipping ticked by mistake and I could;t figure out why my international buyers suddenly disappeared. Pre paying the import duties is an awful deal for Canadians. I have probably bought a couple of hundred items off US ebay sellers over the years and I think I have had to pay duty once....on a box with about 25 rolls of coins in it. So it was not a subtle package! |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
I've seen a number (many) coins I've been interested in, but have not bid or purchased because the seller is a part of this program. I've thought about asking them to opt out, but it's just too much of a hassle.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5324 Posts |
Just inform the seller to opt out, the more not in the program the better, especially for a US seller selling a Canadian coin there is no benefit for the US seller.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
I like the majority of Canadians live within a 30 minute drive to the US Border. Once over the border one can easily find Freight forwarding places that will handle packages that you can pick up. This would allow you to ship within the USA, opening up free shipping options, and would allow you to negate all this hassle.
the extra fees are usually within $2 to $5 depending on the package and the deal you can work out.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2781 Posts |
I've used it for larger electronics purchases and it's worked out well. A lot of seller's wont ship outside the states, or aren't allowed to sell certain brands outside the states. This plus having the import fees known up front with no surprises has made making these purchases much easier. HOWEVER, for numismatic items it is a complete waste for everyone (except ebay). Luckily I am only 20 minutes from a US PO Box and wait until I have 4 or 5 packages waiting (most shipped free within the USA) so I end up saving $80-$100 on the group (almost makes up for the exchange rate) |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
818 Posts |
An honest response from an honest seller regarding the Global Shipping Program:
Me:
This global shipping really seems like a cash grab to me. I like your coins and I would love to bid but global shipping is too expensive. Not sure why some sellers have it but others don't. I would be inclined to pay more for the coins if it weren't for the global shipping costs which I assume doesn't go to you anyway. It seems like you'd be losing money with that service. What advantage do you have for using global shipping?
Seller:
You are absolutely correct when saying that it is a cash grab. I begrudgingly made the decision to switch to Global Shipping a year and half ago. I live in an area where all international packages have to be taken directly to the post office. Problem being, their hours are the same as my office hours. It was sometimes a week before I could get to the PO to ship. This was negatively effecting my seller rating, causing me to lose discounts on sellers fees on all of my sales, national and international alike. For every buyer that said they wouldn't mind waiting a week, there were a dozen more leaving low seller ratings. With such a small portion of my sales being international, I made the decision to switch to global shipping, knowing it would effect my international sales but ultimately save me money in the long run.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2843 Posts |
I agree that the program is a cash grab. However, it is the easiest option for a seller on ebay. In order to reach a greater customer base, without knowing all of the details of international shipping and customs. So when the option is between not shipping international at all, or GSP, you can't lose by offering it. |
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Replies: 33 / Views: 7,482 |
Posted 01/11/2016 09:45 am
