[78-L] Global Shipping

[Dr Rainer E. Lotz]

Global Shipping is an ingenious scam by EBay to increase their earnigs.

The late Benno Häupl had this to say and advises EBay buyers to alert 
their sellers:



"PLEASE, NEVER EVER opt for "Global Shipping", which is sort of a scam. 
Regular uninsured airmail postage should be MUCH CHEAPER. I assume the 
risk of mail getting lost and this will not affect my feedback.
1Since Global Shipping automatically becomes the shipper to Germany, you
can over ride it by requesting a total amount from me.
To do so, follow these steps:
1. Go to your purchase history page.
2. Select: more actions.
3. Contact seller.
4. Select: Other reason.
5. Select: Continue
6. At the top of the page: Request total price & shipping information.
ebay will then allow me to send you the total price for sending outside 
of the
Global Shipping program.



May I clarify a few things about eBay and their infamous Global Shipping 
Program.

-  First I want to explain how the world postal system works.

-  Then I will show how you can opt out of GSP and I will go into detail 
about the flaws of eBay?s

    Global Shipping Program.

First of all, we must know that the global postal logistics system is 
divided into 3 parts:

-                  Letter mail (called First Class Int?l by USPS) up to 
4 lbs (USA) or 2kg (4.4.lbs) from other countries. Maximum length of all 
3 sides L*W*H  90cm = 36 inches. Remember, a wooden box can be shipped 
at the low ??letter?? rate!

-                  Parcel mail (anything over 4 lbs from USA or 2.kg 
from other countries)

-                  Courier Service EMS (called Express Mail 
International by USPS)

This is regulated by the Universal Postal Union in Bern, Switzerland, to 
which all postal services on earth adhere and where these things are 
decided in their annual Conference.

All other carriers are not postal administrations, but private courier 
services (UPS, TNT, DHL, FedEx?)  So, Pitney-Bowes, who run eBay?s 
Global Shipping Program (GSP) are a courier service.

For customs administrations courier services are business-to-business 
carriers (B2B), therefore ALL their shipments will be checked for 
customs duties.

If you use USPS FCI (or even USPS Priority Mail when in excess of 4 
lbs), and hand write the address on the package, you make the parcel 
look like a gift from auntie to her nephew and the thing will not be 
taxed, especially if you declare a low customs value (like $20).  Do not 
mark as ??gift??, because this makes the shipment suspicious. And low 
customs declaration is the best security measure against theft.

Let me show you how you can opt out of GSP (a method well hidden by eBay):

My eBay>Account>Site Preferences>Shipping Preferences>Offer the Global 
Shipping Program

There is a new Opt Out button & a "Use the Global Shipping Program 
automatically when I list item" check box.

If you don't want to opt out entirely, uncheck the box if you want to 
decide on a listing by listing basis.

GSP pitfalls for buyers.

1) Shipping cost is double or triple, because GSP is a courier service

2) GSP shipping costs are published nowhere (except on eBay item page) 
and thus GSP help themselves

3) Buyer pays import duties and import sales taxes plus a brokerage fee

      upfront - even in cases when no duties or VAT are legally due in the

     destination country.

4) Duties and taxes once paid to GSP are non-refundable - even in cases 
when

     they are not legally due or when the item is returned

5) Combined shipping is not possible. A buyer was to pay $450 shipping for

     13 books!

6) The GSP shipments are not insured

7) Some envelopes and packages sent via GSP will be opened by Homeland

     Security - with carpet cutters. Many damaged collectibles and 
antiques were

    reported. No possibility to complain.

8) There is no customer service for GSP problems - neither for sellers 
nor for

     buyers

9) ?Returns from international buyers are not handled through the Global

     Shipping Program at this time?.    So, solve your problems yourselves!

10) In order to save on volume and weight in overseas containers, GSP may

    repackage the shipments if "the package is too large for the 
commodity?? or

    when the package it too heavy, then it will be ??repackaged into 2 
or more

    parcels??.  Parts of shipments were reported lost, others were 
missing protective

    cushoning, resulting in damages (but there is nobody to complain with!)

11) As GSP collects duties, taxes and a brokerage fee ahead of time when 
they

    are not even due yet, these will not be reimbursed in case of loss 
or damage to

    the item.

12) Businesses buying via GSP will not get an invoice for duties, taxes and

    brokerage fee that will be formally tax deductable. (Last time it 
took eBay

   Germany three years to provide tax deductable invoices for eBay fees! 
Three years!)

13) Although GSP claims on the item pages that there will be no extra 
duties,

    taxes or fees to be paid on arrival, many cases were reported by 
buyer who had

    to pay extra on arrival. In fact, there is a clause in the User 
Agreement saying

    that they are not liable if they undervalued the shipment.

14)  Items advertised internationally with shipping via GSP are not 
allowed to be

    mailed by any other service, says the User Agreement.

15) Although there is no Customer Service for GSP, and no system set up 
for a

    loss claim, eBay states that the buyer will only be refunded the 
national shipping

    costs. The overseas portion and all other duties/tax/brokerage fee 
stay with GSP!

16) Undeliverable items (e.g. during vacation) cannot be refunded at all 
and will

    neither be  returned to the seller.  Post Offices in many countries, 
in contrast,  will

    keep overseas shipments for 6 weeks.

All this jeopardizes the seller's feedback and star ratings! "

-- 
Dr. Rainer E. Lotz
Rotdornweg 81
53177 Bonn (Germany)

Tel: 0049-228-352808
Fax: 0049-228-365142
Web: www.lotz-verlag.de