Ebay Global Shipping Program
Discussion
How's this supposed to work?
As far as I can determine it's by far the slowest way to buy products. Bought a gadget from USA. It's taken ten days to get to their USA Depot. I think they skipped the truck and walked it there....
Am I just unlucky or has someone chosen a slow option?
God knows when it will get to me.
As far as I can determine it's by far the slowest way to buy products. Bought a gadget from USA. It's taken ten days to get to their USA Depot. I think they skipped the truck and walked it there....
Am I just unlucky or has someone chosen a slow option?
God knows when it will get to me.
It gets sent to a depot where it gets put on a pallet, then the pallet gets sent into a container and only once the container is full then that goes in the direction of a ship.
Minimum cost but oh so slow. I've also heard reports that you'll have to pay the incoming VAT and customs handling fee but won't get a VAT invoice.
Minimum cost but oh so slow. I've also heard reports that you'll have to pay the incoming VAT and customs handling fee but won't get a VAT invoice.
spikeyhead said:
It gets sent to a depot where it gets put on a pallet, then the pallet gets sent into a container and only once the container is full then that goes in the direction of a ship.
Minimum cost but oh so slow. I've also heard reports that you'll have to pay the incoming VAT and customs handling fee but won't get a VAT invoice.
The price was supposed to include import tax. I'll be less than impressed if it does not.Minimum cost but oh so slow. I've also heard reports that you'll have to pay the incoming VAT and customs handling fee but won't get a VAT invoice.
Its actually worse that that, the sellers who opt into "global shipping" sell the item as normal to you, then they actually send the item to a company, Pitney Bowes I believe. PB then open and unpack the item and put it in a smaller box if possible, then they lump all the other boxes that are going to a similar destination into a pile and wait until there are enough to send over.
So, a seller can pack your item with all the bubble wrap and care in the world but once it goes through the global shipping program all the packing except the bare minimum is removed.
This makes it cheaper for PB to actually send stuff so although you have been quoted a price for shipping often PB pay much less for the service and pocket the difference.
Problems also arise here because the company handling the item here will be the cheapest as well.
The other little money maker is the customs charges applied by PB, these are often more than you would pay if you had the item sent USPS and paid yourself once it got here.
I am not a fan of the Global shipping program, they take ages, pack badly and have lost several items completely.
So, a seller can pack your item with all the bubble wrap and care in the world but once it goes through the global shipping program all the packing except the bare minimum is removed.
This makes it cheaper for PB to actually send stuff so although you have been quoted a price for shipping often PB pay much less for the service and pocket the difference.
Problems also arise here because the company handling the item here will be the cheapest as well.
The other little money maker is the customs charges applied by PB, these are often more than you would pay if you had the item sent USPS and paid yourself once it got here.
I am not a fan of the Global shipping program, they take ages, pack badly and have lost several items completely.
I'm just a private seller and got 'automatically enrolled' into this thing I didn't want. I presumed it was because someone would be able to make more money that way - like when they want to charge you for a printed label. Last time I returned something I thought 'b
ks to that, I'll write it on the pack by hand and save 50p' - and from that point on the whole returns system went dysfunctional.
I think eBay worked much better 7-8 years ago when it was much simpler.
ks to that, I'll write it on the pack by hand and save 50p' - and from that point on the whole returns system went dysfunctional.I think eBay worked much better 7-8 years ago when it was much simpler.
surveyor said:
How's this supposed to work?
As far as I can determine it's by far the slowest way to buy products. Bought a gadget from USA. It's taken ten days to get to their USA Depot. I think they skipped the truck and walked it there....
Am I just unlucky or has someone chosen a slow option?
God knows when it will get to me.
It's eBay's answer to Amazon FBA - Bit more of an in-depth explanation here - http://ssc.channeladvisor.com/howto/using-ebay-glo...As far as I can determine it's by far the slowest way to buy products. Bought a gadget from USA. It's taken ten days to get to their USA Depot. I think they skipped the truck and walked it there....
Am I just unlucky or has someone chosen a slow option?
God knows when it will get to me.
Simpo Two said:
I think eBay worked much better 7-8 years ago when it was much simpler.
Simpo Two said:
I'm just a private seller
That'll be why it worked much better for you 7-8 years ago. eBay are growing the SME (Small-Medium Enterprise) market, so features like printing labels, handling returns, arranging international shipping are an attempt to service those SME's. For Joe Schmo auctioning the odd bit of tat now and again those features are less relevant which is why eBay bought Gumtree as they'd far rather you use that.Gassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff