Ebay Global Shipping Program? 0

[spreads]

One other point not directed to anyone in particular, I don't get why sellers get offended if a foreign buyer asks to mark something as a gift.  For Canada the US anyway, we're supposed to have a free-trade agreement.  Case in point, yesterday I came back from a vacation in NC.  I purchased about $200 worth of clothes during my trip, because I was out of the country for more than 48 hours it's considered duty-free and not subject to additional taxes.  Really, what difference does it makes whether I'm on vacation or at home buying comics? 

Edited September 27, 2017 by spreads

[Turtle]

21 hours ago, spreads said:

One other point not directed to anyone in particular, I don't get why sellers get offended if a foreign buyer asks to mark something as a gift.  For Canada the US anyway, we're supposed to have a free-trade agreement.  Case in point, yesterday I came back from a vacation in NC.  I purchased about $200 worth of clothes during my trip, because I was out of the country for more than 48 hours it's considered duty-free and not subject to additional taxes.  Really, what difference does it makes whether I'm on vacation or at home buying comics? 

I won't speak for anyone else, but it offends me when foreign buyers ask me to mark an item as a gift because they are effectively asking me to falsify federal documents and commit mail fraud just so they can save some money.  If a buyer asks for an item to be marked as a gift, the seller is assuming all the risk with no risk/consequences to the buyer.  I print my labels through Ebay, so there's an easy-to-follow "paper trail" that shows unequivocally that the transaction is not a gift. 

You are free to feel any way you want about laws or the way things are, but please don't ask me to break the law simply because you don't agree with them.  These kinds of requests (mark as gift, mark as a lower value) were so common that it really drove me to using the GSP as a seller.  Roughly the same percentage of my buyers are abroad now as they were before adopting the GSP.  But now I have much fewer headaches and fewer potentially uncomfortable conversations to have with buyers.   

[FN-2199]

21 hours ago, spreads said:

One other point not directed to anyone in particular, I don't get why sellers get offended if a foreign buyer asks to mark something as a gift.  For Canada the US anyway, we're supposed to have a free-trade agreement.  Case in point, yesterday I came back from a vacation in NC.  I purchased about $200 worth of clothes during my trip, because I was out of the country for more than 48 hours it's considered duty-free and not subject to additional taxes.  Really, what difference does it makes whether I'm on vacation or at home buying comics? 

I'll do whatever the customer asks. I'm not subject to Canadian law so how can I break it? Besides, doesn't the Canadian customer have to pay up if there is an error? I understand I may have my right to commerce cancelled for violations but I doubt they care about >$300 comics. If they issue me a warning letter, I might change my mind.

Watch out for this rebel without a cause! Put me on the probation list! Also I have been known to eat bacon which is illegal in many countries.

 

[greggy]

1 hour ago, Turtle said:

I won't speak for anyone else, but it offends me when foreign buyers ask me to mark an item as a gift because they are effectively asking me to falsify federal documents and commit mail fraud just so they can save some money.  If a buyer asks for an item to be marked as a gift, the seller is assuming all the risk with no risk/consequences to the buyer.  I print my labels through Ebay, so there's an easy-to-follow "paper trail" that shows unequivocally that the transaction is not a gift. 

You are free to feel any way you want about laws or the way things are, but please don't ask me to break the law simply because you don't agree with them.  These kinds of requests (mark as gift, mark as a lower value) were so common that it really drove me to using the GSP as a seller.  Roughly the same percentage of my buyers are abroad now as they were before adopting the GSP.  But now I have much fewer headaches and fewer potentially uncomfortable conversations to have with buyers.   

[bababooey]

<insert text outlining regulations/penalties etc...>

 (thumbs u
 

[spreads]

1 hour ago, Turtle said:

I won't speak for anyone else, but it offends me when foreign buyers ask me to mark an item as a gift because they are effectively asking me to falsify federal documents and commit mail fraud just so they can save some money.  If a buyer asks for an item to be marked as a gift, the seller is assuming all the risk with no risk/consequences to the buyer.  I print my labels through Ebay, so there's an easy-to-follow "paper trail" that shows unequivocally that the transaction is not a gift. 

You are free to feel any way you want about laws or the way things are, but please don't ask me to break the law simply because you don't agree with them.  These kinds of requests (mark as gift, mark as a lower value) were so common that it really drove me to using the GSP as a seller.  Roughly the same percentage of my buyers are abroad now as they were before adopting the GSP.  But now I have much fewer headaches and fewer potentially uncomfortable conversations to have with buyers.   

I think you're over-reacting, mail fraud, give me a break?  Look, I ask very politely if someone is willing to do it, if they don't then that's fine I move on.  I understand how answering an email is very difficult and aggravating, I bet you must be great to work with. 

Edited September 28, 2017 by spreads

[Ottobord]

26 minutes ago, spreads said:

I think you're over-reacting, mail fraud, give me a break?  Look, I ask very politely if someone is willing to do it, if they don't then that's fine I move on.  I understand how answering an email is very difficult and aggravating, I bet you must be great to work with. 

But your honor he asked me very politely to falsify the customs form so I did it.   

 

This thread is justifying the existence of the GSP.

[Jimmy Linguini]

This thread is good.

[mrc]

.....if a comic book is duty free coming into the UK, why would I care what the value is on the package label?

[Ryanfromottawa]

6 minutes ago, mrc said:

.....if a comic book is duty free coming into the UK, why would I care what the value is on the package label?

Replacement value if it is insured in the event it is lost / damaged?

[KPR Comics]

2 hours ago, FN-2199 said:

I'll do whatever the customer asks. I'm not subject to Canadian law so how can I break it? Besides, doesn't the Canadian customer have to pay up if there is an error? I understand I may have my right to commerce cancelled for violations but I doubt they care about >$300 comics. If they issue me a warning letter, I might change my mind.

Watch out for this rebel without a cause! Put me on the probation list! Also I have been known to eat bacon which is illegal in many countries.

 

Hmmm.

[Quicksilver Signs]

On 9/25/2017 at 8:45 PM, Mijael.Levy said:

The GSP is a good service , i dont have to deal with inexperienced sellers that dont know how to ship international and i pay my taxes in advance 

Except you're paying duties that most likely won't be charged to you - it's a complete scam-alang-adingdong. For all the packages I get from the US maybe 1 in 10 I get dinged for duties. GSP it's 100% plus high shipping. 

[bababooey]

22 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

Except you're paying duties that most likely won't be charged to you - it's a complete scam-alang-adingdong. For all the packages I get from the US maybe 1 in 10 I get dinged for duties. GSP it's 100% plus high shipping. 

The UK bound duty/tax problem is unique to you guys and doesn't necessarily apply for every destination country.  
Mad Bob from the UK got his money back from them and also got an explanation as to why tax was collected (in error) 

 

Edited September 29, 2017 by bababooey
clarification

[Mijael.Levy]

1 hour ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

Except you're paying duties that most likely won't be charged to you - it's a complete scam-alang-adingdong. For all the packages I get from the US maybe 1 in 10 I get dinged for duties. GSP it's 100% plus high shipping. 

Works perfect for Mexico i pay what i have to pay 

[Ottobord]

Just curious why doesn't the UK tax comics? I can understand the current periodicals but back issues that are collected seems strange that they are exempt.

Edited September 29, 2017 by Ottobord
spelling

[FN-2199]

7 hours ago, FN-2199 said:

I'll do whatever the customer asks. I'm not subject to Canadian law so how can I break it? Besides, doesn't the Canadian customer have to pay up if there is an error? I understand I may have my right to commerce cancelled for violations but I doubt they care about >$300 comics. If they issue me a warning letter, I might change my mind.

Watch out for this rebel without a cause! Put me on the probation list! Also I have been known to eat bacon which is illegal in many countries.

 

Rereading this statement several hours later, I realize this comment does not reflect positively on me. I got carried away answering a hypothetical question. 

To clarify:

I have not knowingly falsified customs forms when shipping merchandise internationally.

I do not use GSP and work with the customer so he/she has a positive experience.

[Turtle]

16 hours ago, spreads said:

I think you're over-reacting, mail fraud, give me a break?  Look, I ask very politely if someone is willing to do it, if they don't then that's fine I move on.  I understand how answering an email is very difficult and aggravating, I bet you must be great to work with. 

Again, not agreeing with/liking a law doesn't negate the fact that it is a law.  Falsifying customs for IS mail fraud and IS illegal.  No overreaction, just stating a fact. 

Customers asking me to willfully break the law so they can save some money doesn't resonate with me.  It tells me that they are comfortable with using shady business practices just as I'm about to commence a business transaction with them.  Who knows what else they're comfortable with doing?  Shilling?  Book swapping?  Returning a box of German newspapers?  The fact that the buyer assumes zero risk in the endeavor just rubs salt in the wound. 

You asked why sellers get offended by this practice.  I'm just letting you know my reason.

[Turtle]

17 hours ago, greggy said:

And for the record, I'm happy to ship to board members anywhere in the world (especially Greggy, whom I missed in Baltimore ).  Generally speaking, I think the boards host a higher class of collectors than ebay.  I've shipped internationally on the boards plenty of times with no issue.  On ebay, it's just too much of a gamble.

 

[spreads]

1 hour ago, Turtle said:

Again, not agreeing with/liking a law doesn't negate the fact that it is a law.  Falsifying customs for IS mail fraud and IS illegal.  No overreaction, just stating a fact. 

Customers asking me to willfully break the law so they can save some money doesn't resonate with me.  It tells me that they are comfortable with using shady business practices just as I'm about to commence a business transaction with them.  Who knows what else they're comfortable with doing?  Shilling?  Book swapping?  Returning a box of German newspapers?  The fact that the buyer assumes zero risk in the endeavor just rubs salt in the wound. 

You asked why sellers get offended by this practice.  I'm just letting you know my reason.

I don't think your examples are apples-to-apples at all, the GSP was not initiated to target these issues/problems.  Ebay and Paypal have protection policies in place for shilling, feedback etc.  The simple fact is the buyer doesn't want to (in some instances) pay double the shipping charge for essentially the same service for what is pretty-much a money-making scam by Ebay.  Again, using my example above the laws on customs values are fairly arbitrary, they're being revised/negotiated as we speak. 

[Turtle]

1 hour ago, spreads said:

I don't think your examples are apples-to-apples at all, the GSP was not initiated to target these issues/problems.  Ebay and Paypal have protection policies in place for shilling, feedback etc.  The simple fact is the buyer doesn't want to (in some instances) pay double the shipping charge for essentially the same service for what is pretty-much a money-making scam by Ebay.  Again, using my example above the laws on customs values are fairly arbitrary, they're being revised/negotiated as we speak. 

You're missing my point about shilling and other shady practices.  I never said GSP was meant to address these other issues, just that someone who in engages in some dubious business practices might be likely to dabble in others. 

And if you don't like the "money-making scam" that you think Ebay is perpetrating, then don't use them.  Just don't ask me to break the law because you don't agree with a company's business model.