posted on January 17, 2014 12:11:18 AM new
Well, after reading all of lost's posts and the problems that evolved with one sale to Russia, I decided to only sell globally using the GSP.
In my eBay, I checked all areas of the globe as no shipping to all countries.
I then checked GSP international shipping only to the GSP locations.
posted on January 17, 2014 07:55:43 AM new
thanks Bill,for the link.
both-applies to location and category.
This is not going to solve my problem shipping a diamond ring to Russia,as jewelry is on the restricted list although country Russia is okay to ship.
What I found out from another seller is that she uses stamps.com ,she will ship USPS priority express and take out insurance with Stamps.com which can be up to $10,000.
She will just declare on the customs form as jewelry.
Stamps.com is the only online insurer I know which has a max of 10,000 and will insure shipment to Russia for small sellers like us.
But she is violating USPS priority express internation which said no jewelry but since she has purchased her insurance with stamps.com,she will be covered if package is lost or stolen.
USPS priority intl express is turned over to Fed Exp and is trackable on both sites,so she is taking a chance either carriers would open her package and find out she is shipping diamond ring.
here is what USPS said about restricted items-
222.2 Prohibited Items in All Priority Mail Express International Shipments
The following items are prohibited in all Priority Mail Express International shipments:
Coins.
Banknotes.
Currency notes, including paper money.
Securities of any kind payable to bearer.
Traveler’s checks.
Platinum, gold, and silver.
Precious stones.
Jewelry.
Watches.
Other valuable articles.
[ edited by lostmymojo on Jan 17, 2014 08:22 AM ]
posted on January 17, 2014 08:04:05 AM new
This works for high ticket item as Pitney Bowles will ship USPS priority intl,which costs 23.95 and up and buyer has to prepaid customs duty.
For low price items,an overseas buyer would not want to pay priority shipping plus customs,they would rather have you ship first class and take their chance on customs.
I sell many small items $20 with shipping of $8.95 to countries like Australia,Western Europe,Canada and I doubt if they want to pay 23.95 to ship a small $20 item.
posted on January 17, 2014 01:42:45 PM new
Well, I have already mentioned that all our items on eBay have been changed to GSP. No matter the price, it will only be GSP.
I expect to increase our inventory on eBay to include additional items, in other categories, most priced below $10.00. The new items will also be GSP.
Further, we are having a great month to-date, shipping all item by Media Mail (books, catalogs, CDs) and Priority Mail. The small Flat Rate Priority Mail envelope costs the buyer $5.00, while the Flat Rate Padded envelope ships for $5.75, and regular rates for other Priority Mail and Express Mail items. There are no handling charges.
Now, this month, when the USPS changes prices, we will begin shipping globally using only Priority Mail International, and First Class will be limited to only catalogs, albums, and CDs.
If sales slow down, I will have more time to catalog and stock our store and watch TV. Maybe I will finally get rid of the boxes.
posted on January 17, 2014 05:30:13 PM new
GSP is good for the sellers but not good for the oveseas buyers.
Some said overseas buyers are now bypassing any listing with GSP logo.
posted on January 18, 2014 12:26:11 AM new
With all due respect to Bill and others using the GSP you can count me in as one Buyer who will not buy anything from Sellers using GSP.
For the past two weeks I have wanted to buy some items. What I buy is for the most part low cost. I still have not bought anything.
Here are some examples,
A single small Ladies handkerchief: Cost $8.50
Shipping by GSP $13.39
One overpriced hankie @ $24.99 but also $12.14 Shipping PLUS Import Charge of $7.25.
That is $19.39 in Shipping Costs for a hankie that weighs less than one ounce!
One more...a small hankie at Auction for 99 cents with GSP Shipping of $15.35.
I do wonder how many Sellers have seen their International Sales drop off since they started using GSP?
There is certainly a lot of talk about it on the eBay Discussion Boards both in Canada & the US.
I can see it's use for a high priced item when shipping to some Countries but Sellers need to really look into it before using and unfortunately the large majority have not a clue!
The eBay Canada staff are very good with responding to questions and gathering info.
There is a lot of info there that you may find both interesting & helpful.
There are very good points raised on both sites that you may find to be thought provoking and will certainly give you the Buyers POV.
posted on January 18, 2014 08:58:21 AM new
Here is a breakdown of an item shippped to Singapore last month-
buyer pays $1695 plus shipping $99.95=$1794.95
I paid :
-shipping USPS priority intl using my box with shipinsurance of $1000 coverage comes to $60.60
-Ebay fee $156.10
-Paypal fee $63.10
Total I paid $279.80
It was just delivered in Singapore yesterday,I have not heard from the buyer,she may have to pay customs duty .
Maximum Shipinsurance coverage is $1000,so I am underinsured,taking a chance here,next time I will use stamps.com which will insure up to $10,000.
Since it has been delivered,worst scenario would be partial damage,and it should be covered up to $1000 by shipinsurance!
I dont know how much it would cost the buyer under GSP,I would assume it would be a lot more than the $99.95 she had paid.
posted on January 18, 2014 09:05:11 AM new
Reminder.
Ebay and Paypal may have one month for buyer to file a dispute under buyer protection,but buyer can go to his credit card issuer and file a chargeback after 30 days.
Overseas chargeback could take 3 months,some have seen 6 months,so hold on to all your records,USPS may not have the tracking and signature ,so make a hard copy of the tracking and delivery information.
posted on January 18, 2014 09:23:40 AM new
Otto,
Yes I read some of the comments,the Canadian link was posted on Ebay seller central .
Under GPS,Pitney Bowles ships every package by USPS priority mail which cost 23.95 and up and it would not make sense for a small hankie to go by USPS priority mail.
USPS priority going to Canada is less than $24.95
But customs duty,I know shipping to Australia ,anything under $50 is customs free,UK may be 35?how much is Canada?
posted on January 18, 2014 09:25:53 AM new
otto,
One overpriced hankie @ $24.99 but also $12.14 Shipping PLUS Import Charge of $7.25.
That is $19.39 in Shipping Costs for a hankie that weighs less than one ounce!
///////////
why is Canadian import charge $7.25 for a $24.99 hankie,is it because US$24.99 comes to more than $25 Canadian dollars?
posted on January 18, 2014 09:37:18 AM new
Otto,
I found this in the Canadian discussion on GSP-
The GSP fee is made up of several fees.
Duty- if the item is not made in a NAFTA country. The duty varies from category to category.
Sales taxes- based on selling price. There will be a higher sales tax on a $305 item than on an $81 item. Sales taxes vary from province to province too, but that would not affect your experiment.
Pitney Bowes fee- which starts at $4.95 but rises with the value of the item shipped. Canada Post's minimum is $9.95 and also rises with item valu
//////////////////////////////////////////
I dont know Canadian has to pay sales tax on imports?
Where does it end?
posted on January 18, 2014 10:05:46 AM new
Lost...Unfortunately it doesn't end!
Our Duty Free limit for items coming in by mail is $20.00 CDN. In practice it is very rare for Customs to charge anything on items up to $50.
Under the 'Import Charges' it seems the total amount is not shown to the Buyer until they have purchased and are checking out. The Seller does not see those charges at all. I have seen on the US Boards that some Buyers are refusing to pay at that point which leaves the Seller both upset & confused because they had no idea what the Buyer was seeing as charges.
If a person is operating a small business either in Canada or the UK (the only two markets I have some knowledge about) then if we are charged GST (Goods & Services Tax) it is included in the basket of 'Import Charges'. Pitney Bowes has thus far refused to give a breakdown of the Import Charges which is causing difficulties for some Buyers. There are comments about this both on the Canadian & UK Boards.
The whole system has become like a lot of EBay 'innovations', totally adversarial and causing mass confusion.
Throw Pitney Bowes into the mix & it makes it even worse. Far too many players in what could have been a simple transaction.
I am certain that neither eBay nor Pitney Bowes thought this through before implementing it....in fact that is obvious.
I worked for Pitney Bowes many years ago and it is a good Company but I always found that their internal systems were confusing!
posted on January 18, 2014 10:07:34 AM new
One more note to any of you who are using GSP,
It is vitally important that the Country of Manufacture is put into the 'Item Specifics' as that plays a huge part in calculating the Duties payable.
Now I shall get off my high horse and gallop off to enjoy the sunshine!
posted on January 18, 2014 10:30:41 AM new
Why cant Ebay and Pitney Bowles make it known how much these fees would be when the prospective buyer click on intl shipping fee on the item page?
This would help the buyer decides if he wants to buy the item or not?
In all fairness to all parties involved,buyers come to Ebay looking for a good deal,a cheap deal they cant find in local market.We sellers subsidize labor and $$ which established retailers would not,such as rush me the order by Thursday or I am in Calgary,Canada and I need it 3 days from today,wait till I come back from vacation and I would clue you how to declare customs, I will be in USA staying at Hyatt in Atlanta,can you reserve this book and ship it to me at Hyatt?Ship to my sister and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY for me! Lie on the customs form it is a gift ,lie and say it is only $5 dollars.
Some of us do not live near a post office and so gasoline for a round trip can be 8 dollars ,not to mention time spent waiting in line at the post office.
Minimum wage in this country wil soon be 10,15,25 dollars per hour,it may be time for Ebay sellers to start charging a fair handling fee .
posted on January 18, 2014 06:23:59 PM new
I don't think International shipments have dropped with the exception of Canada now that I think of it. I offered GSP AND my own shipping in the past and both have been used by buyers. In fact, I have had 2 UK buyers ask if I would have it done through GSP.
posted on January 18, 2014 07:40:52 PM new
What do they care if you use GSP or your own method,as long as the item arrives ?
With seller doing his way of shipping,there is a chance they may not have to pay customs duty
posted on January 19, 2014 10:49:52 AM new
They care about the cost. I offer free shipping in the USA, so an international buyer gets to take advantage of me paying the shipping cost to the GSP shipping center in Kentucky.
A International GSP purchase from a seller who charges USA shipping will also incur the USA shipping charges.
I do find it a solution to worrying about International fraud. I prefer to consider it an International Shipping Escrow service.
It adds a level of protection for the seller and buyer. The seller knows that if they get it to the center safely, they are covered against everything. The buyer is assured it is handled by legitimate source in the middle, who also takes responsibility if the package is lost, the item is broken, etc. The guarantee lies in the middle, not an argument between seller and buyer.
The biggest issue is the cost, particularly for low dollar, small objects that can easily be shipped for a few dollars using 1st class mail. It isn't meant to fix that problem.
This seems to affect Canada most heavily because Priority Mail provides the safe guards to protect the seller, but costs more.
Canadians need to quit blaming the seller for the problem and look at how the postal system works in their country. They are who sets the outrageous rates and import duties, not the seller or eBay. I have had some rude Canucks emailing me about costs. Not my fault, blame Canadien Post.
posted on January 20, 2014 09:50:26 AM new
The buyer is protected any way by paypal and ebay and their cc issuer.
It is the seller who gets the protection badly needed by using GSP.
But the seller runs the risk of getting a 'neg' when buyer finds out he has to pay much more than he anticipated.
posted on January 21, 2014 10:02:21 AM new
I have shipped more packages by first class mail to Canada than USPS priority mail and my buyers are happy because they can save $10-$13 in shipping costs.
Mesico,thats a different story,ditto with Brazil.
posted on January 21, 2014 12:43:15 PM new
Lost...you are a Seller who is able to understand the system and has made it her business to research the best way for both Buyer & Seller to work together with the end result that almost everyone is happy...so many don't take that time.
I can't resist giving one more example. This is a Seller in Washington State who sells amongst other things, Souvenir Spoons which are not expensive. They live approx. 3 hours from here.
Shipping within United States $1.75.
Shipping to Vietnam $6.75
To Russian Federation $6.75
and most overseas locations are $6.75.
Shipping to Canada $15.58 + import Fees which are unknown until purchased.
Shipping to UK $18.83 +
This Seller is NOT an exception. It makes no sense for anyone in Canada to buy from them.
Once more I do agree that larger, more expensive items are most likely served well by the GSP but anything under $20 absolutely not.
posted on January 21, 2014 02:42:56 PM new
within United States $1.75.
Shipping to Vietnam $6.75
To Russian Federation $6.75
and most overseas locations are $6.75.
Shipping to Canada $15.58 + import Fees which are unknown until purchased.
Shipping to UK $18.83 +
////////////////
he must be subsidizing shipping.
-2 ounce domestic first class is 1.69 and if he is selling metal spoon,it could weigh more than 2 ounces.
1.69 plus a padded envelope and Ebay FVF for shipping is more than $1.75
-2 ounce overseas shipping is $6.16
6.16 plus a padded envelope plus Ebay FVF and Paypal fee is more than $6.75
Dont know why UK and Canada is so much higher,he is not collecting customs duty.
posted on January 21, 2014 02:46:15 PM new
Years ago there is a Canadian seller who posted here that she sells DVDs from Canada,she will drive across the border and ship them at Niagara Falls post office to save postage.
I mean she charges overseas shipping from Canada to USA but drive into USA to ship domestic media mail and pocket the savings.
posted on January 21, 2014 09:52:49 PM new
he must be subsidizing shipping.
-2 ounce domestic first class is 1.69 and if he is selling metal spoon,it could weigh more than 2 ounces.
1.69 plus a padded envelope and Ebay FVF for shipping is more than $1.75
-2 ounce overseas shipping is $6.16
6.16 plus a padded envelope plus Ebay FVF and Paypal fee is more than $6.75
Dont know why UK and Canada is so much higher,he is not collecting customs duty.
_______________________________
The spoons are the same type that I sell. They are the little souvenir spoons which barely weigh one ounce.
I should have mentioned that the reason that Canada & UK are so expensive is that they are using GSP for those two yet feel safer sending a package by First Class Mail to Cambodia or Russia or anywhere else in the World.
This is what I meant by Sellers not looking at GSP logically and deciding how to apply it. They just don't get all the facts before they decide to put their ducks in a very crooked row!
posted on January 22, 2014 07:36:17 AM new
It could be he does not sell too many spoons to the Russian.Cambodians,Vietnamese?
Russians want 18k gold and diamonds,SE Asians do not collect much,the serious collectors collect antiques,middle class keep the money in the bank and poor ones cant afford to collect/
posted on January 22, 2014 09:59:19 AM new
lost - actually, if you get a negative from a transaction thru GSP, it is likely to be removed. That is another protection built into the program.
otter - I misspoke about Canada Post, I should have said Canada Customs and Government.
I know you have many issues with it, but I will say that of all the countries I have shipped to, Canada buyers tend to be the most problematic and are the main reason why I have moved most of my items toward GSP when shipping Internationally. If it wasn't for so many bad apples out of the GWN, I would still offer 1st class mail for items that qualify.
My first (and only) fraudulent buyer that I had a chargeback through Paypal was from Canada. I have had more Canadiens ask me to lower the value on a package than any where else, some getting quite nasty when I refuse. I know it is frustrating to be quoted the shipping costs, import fees, and taxes all at once, but that is what it has become because of those problems.
