eBay's new postage option: "the Global Shipping Program" = A nightmare!

[yannis.zach]

I had recently 2 awful experiences as a buyer, with this quite new "shipping+taxes" option (or "Global Shipping Program") that eBay uses:

 

I bought the first item and eBay's shipping company had it for days in their storage place, without never contacting me for delivery. I tried to contact them, and I had to pay for the call €5 (~$6.5), as they charge €1.34 the call, then 0.36/min and they have you waiting for at least 10-12min, without finally accepting your call, with the excuse that the lines are too busy and that you'll have to call later again...

Finally, one day, they came to deliver, but without even ringing my bell, they put it (a signed-for shipment) inside my box...

 

The second one, they never delivered any parcel, but their tracking status indicates that they did delivered to my hands and that they've put my name as the person who received the parcel... When I opened a dispute on PayPal for this, Paypal in dt time, closed the case, with the excuse that they can't help on this and that I have to find a solution with the seller!... In any other similar case, if the seller had shipped via any other carrier, they could ask him to show them (to PayPal) the proof of delivery, asking this from the shipping carrier... If the shipping company couldn't prove that they had my real signature, then the money had to be returned to me. But as this new company is eBay's (so & PayPal's) business, they of course closed their eyes, as they can't blame their own company. SO, I lost $273.76...

 

I will NEVER-EVER buy any item from sellers that they are using this "Global Shipping Program" again! NEVER! I've found though that there are hundreds of others with similar, like mine, problems...

 

If you are selling on eBay and you want to avoid any negative feedback caused by similar cases, never use this option again please.

To be able to do so, please follow this next steps, to block this shipping option from your sales:

Your ebay>>account>>site preferences>>posting and packaging preferences>Offer the Global Shipping Programme, then on the right hand side of the screen change yes to NO and save changes.

 

By the way I have to say that, with this "Global Shipping Program", buyers are paying more on import taxes, than if they had to pay straight to their customs...

 

That's all from me.

[Liszon]

Really sad to hear that mate, sounded like such a great concept though.

[nahua]

As a seller it's already checked for you.  So they trick you into selling with this option.  They try and make it so everyone will be fine with this option.  "Ship it and forget, all will be taken care of" kind of thing.  It's such bullshit.

[richg101]

Sorry to hear you've had problems with it.  Personally I always get quite excited when I see the global shipping program option on items I might be interested in.  - as long as the item isn't high value.

 

Assuming I want to buy something for $80 + $20 shipping, to be shipped from the USA to the UK, If I buy it and they declare the value as $80usd I tend to get hit with the tax ($25), import duty ($10) plus a terrible admin fee from the handler (normally £12).  overall with the taxes and admin fee the price has gone up by almost 50% - for nothing!.  

 

With the global program I usually end up avaoiding having to pay tax on the shipping and also avoid the admin fee.  it tends to save around £20.  Buying big items with this process is a bad move because you end up paying the tax in advance when you may not end up paying anything if it gets through without a check by customs personnel.  The admin fee and tax on shipping costs you save is less of a big deal on something of high value.

 

I do notice that items bought through the program always tend to have been packed rather badly.  with the ebay branded tape usually poorly applied without care.  Always wondered what the process is and why there is ebay tape on the item.

[valid]

Bought a lens through that program once - no tracking updates, of course - and it was just left lying on the floor (!?) of the public corridor in my apartment building. And I was home all day, so no one even tried to deliver it. Luckily I found it and picked it up before someone else did, but still very strange.

 

Have avoided that service ever since.

[andy lee]

items get sent to a central ebay depot buy the seller - then that depot posts it to you the buyer - hence the ebay tape on the package

[richg101]

items get sent to a central ebay depot buy the seller - then that depot posts it to you the buyer - hence the ebay tape on the package

 

So I assume a seller packages a beautiful iscorama to survive the journey, then some dumb ass muppet in the depot opens it up to check it is what it's meant to be, then poorly repacks it then when it arrived broken, both you and the seller are left to sort it out!  

 

It angers me when customs are able to open items they clearly have no skills in handling.  I need to get some 'if tape seal is broken, check contents before signing for parcel' tape for DSO 

[andy lee]

yep its all mad!!

 

this is all ebays bid for glodal domination by now taking a huge slice of the postage market that comes from ebay sales - they have gone we are making money for 3rd party couriers off all these ebay sales - lets take a slice

[rook]

Yeah, this is a problem for me too.

 

It is so clearly a scam. 

 

That said, it has not been without it's benefits. It has cut my ebay spending by about 90% since this absurd gouging has taken place.

 

At this point, if I see the global shipping program on the ad, I just click off.

 

It is the seller's way of saying they do not want to sell internationally.