3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
So I buy this card on eBay for $160 USD (which is a very fair price for the card IMO). Import and Customs and GSP I paid $95 CDN. NOT VERY HAPPY ATM. Anyone else run into this?
Import, GSP and Customs
- Thread starter 3rdlinewinger
- Start date
dahabsfan
Verified Trader,
Thats why you always have to verify the method of shipping being used on cross border transactions. Sounds like you got a taste of the clowns in brown.
Darren
Last edited:
Or get a member in the U.S. to buy the card or get it shipped to them. Last time I checked my records I have saved $2K+ in shipping fees over the last few years.
lucscaps
Verified Trader,
I've been shipping most of my us based stuff to the same person. I've saved so much, plus I've been able to get some things that won't ship to canada.
I've saved in the 100's for sure since i've started this.
Heck my last whale was purchased this way.
I've saved in the 100's for sure since i've started this.
Heck my last whale was purchased this way.
TanguayFan
Verified Trader,
Darren got it right.
Congrats, you just got violated by UPS. NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVER buy from a seller who uses UPS for shipping cross border. You will end up having to pay a $50 brokerage fee right off the top, on EVERY shipment. Canada Post only charges $5.00 brokerage fee, and that's only if they catch it and broker it, and if taxes are applicable to your purchase.
Frendo
Banned User
Yes UPS is a true nightmare....ridiculously shipping rates plus ALWAYS extra fees in import duties and taxes etc....Once I bought a item from ebay (video games NEO*GEO console plus 5 games) for 12-13 years ago who ended up $360 but the shipping plus fees was at +$600.....shipping was $400....the seller raised the fee constantly afterwards plus only import duties became 1500 SEK so that's about $220-$230!!!
So shipping/fees got almost doubled as the amount I won for the item at ebay!
But the worst was the shipment was at a speed of a snail...3-4 weeks!!!
Also bought once a DVD a little after that nightmare up above from a ebayer who only costed about $20dlvd with UPS but only the import duties landed at $30 for just a bloody stupid DVD who was sent as a air mail thorough UPS in a bubble mailer!!!!
Never more UPS since that!
It was so long time ago but I bet that everything should be even more expensive for now if I bought that console + 5 games again now....
UPS is a huge joke!
99wgretzky99
The Great One,
They're dressed in the colour brown for a reason. I would rather go on a Forrest Gump run and retrieve the item myself than use UPS.
FedEx is the only semi-reasonable company to use outside of USPS. Their brokerage or handling fee is only $10 + tax at the door.
Craig2
Verified Trader,
Living in a border town, I've actually brokered my own shipments twice to avoid UPS fees. Probably took about ten minutes each time, just filling out a form, waiting for my number to get called, then taking my paperwork down the hall. It's criminal what they charge.
I've got a US mailing address, and the number of people for whom I receive cards and ship to (charging only for shipping, not an ad for my services) has been going through the roof lately.
WesM44
Verified Trader,
With regards to the Ebay Global Shipping Program, a number of US-based sellers either don't know (or don't care) that Ebay is using them as a slimy way to line their pockets. They'll list that they charge $3 for shipping, but Ebay adds on a hefty profit just for receiving the package and sending it to the buyer.
As a seller, you have to physically check the box to opt out of this service but did Ebay ever make an announcement regarding that? I doubt it. They don't even ask if you'd like a piece of leather to bite down on when they collect your Seller Fees.
And yeah, unfortunately, if you've completed the sale and paid for it, there's really nothing you can do about the lost cheddar. If there's any question in your mind, ALWAYS ask before bidding.
Additionally, just like others here, I have taken advantage of a kindly U.S. based HI member to receive domestic shipments for me and ship once in bulk. I can't even figure how much I've saved by doing that, but it's easily counted in hundreds over the last couple of years.
As a seller, you have to physically check the box to opt out of this service but did Ebay ever make an announcement regarding that? I doubt it. They don't even ask if you'd like a piece of leather to bite down on when they collect your Seller Fees.
And yeah, unfortunately, if you've completed the sale and paid for it, there's really nothing you can do about the lost cheddar. If there's any question in your mind, ALWAYS ask before bidding.
Additionally, just like others here, I have taken advantage of a kindly U.S. based HI member to receive domestic shipments for me and ship once in bulk. I can't even figure how much I've saved by doing that, but it's easily counted in hundreds over the last couple of years.
sedinfan
Verified Trader,
I've used COMC for over a year and probably saved hundreds if not over 1k in shipping - it's not the perfect alternative for everyone, but it works great for me!
Of course there's other options like reaching out to the seller on ebay to see if they're willing to modify their listing to remove the GSP, or working something out with a friendly HI member who lives across the border, but sometimes it's difficult to work out arrangements in a timely manner before an auction ends... COMC makes things really easy for me, anyone can create an account there, and simply get your cards shipped to your account name @ COMC.
They'll accept cards for $2, scan them in and email you a picture of the outside of the envelope and all the contents immediately, then a few days later they end up in your COMC account. You can then add 45 cents for supplies (they use fresh sleeves/toploaders) and have them shipped to you for a much more reasonable rate. If you're like me and receiving cards all the time, but not in a huge hurry, you can let the cards accumulate in your COMC account for a while, then get them all shipped to you at once for a reasonable rate.
As an example, if I buy ~20 cards a month on the 'bay, and save around $4 per card in shipping by having them sent to COMC's US address, I pay 2.45 per card in fees, and $3 total to ship the lot to me... that's $80 savings in shipping - $52 to COMC = $28 savings. Not necessarily massive, but hey, it's still money. Where it really makes a difference though is when people are willing to ship for $3 in the US, but want to use GSP or some tracked/insured shipping of like $25 or more to ship to Canada, then the savings are huge.
Some drawbacks, it takes significantly longer to get your cards in hand, and COMC does charge per card (even if the seller includes base card filler) so there's the potential to get hosed there unless you reach out to the seller to specifically request no filler, but given how much they've saved me in the past year I'd definitely recommend folks check it out and see if it's right for your situation.
Of course there's other options like reaching out to the seller on ebay to see if they're willing to modify their listing to remove the GSP, or working something out with a friendly HI member who lives across the border, but sometimes it's difficult to work out arrangements in a timely manner before an auction ends... COMC makes things really easy for me, anyone can create an account there, and simply get your cards shipped to your account name @ COMC.
They'll accept cards for $2, scan them in and email you a picture of the outside of the envelope and all the contents immediately, then a few days later they end up in your COMC account. You can then add 45 cents for supplies (they use fresh sleeves/toploaders) and have them shipped to you for a much more reasonable rate. If you're like me and receiving cards all the time, but not in a huge hurry, you can let the cards accumulate in your COMC account for a while, then get them all shipped to you at once for a reasonable rate.
As an example, if I buy ~20 cards a month on the 'bay, and save around $4 per card in shipping by having them sent to COMC's US address, I pay 2.45 per card in fees, and $3 total to ship the lot to me... that's $80 savings in shipping - $52 to COMC = $28 savings. Not necessarily massive, but hey, it's still money. Where it really makes a difference though is when people are willing to ship for $3 in the US, but want to use GSP or some tracked/insured shipping of like $25 or more to ship to Canada, then the savings are huge.
Some drawbacks, it takes significantly longer to get your cards in hand, and COMC does charge per card (even if the seller includes base card filler) so there's the potential to get hosed there unless you reach out to the seller to specifically request no filler, but given how much they've saved me in the past year I'd definitely recommend folks check it out and see if it's right for your situation.
3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
Guys it wasn't UPS. It was the USPS. Unless those two are the same which I don't think they are. Lol.
3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
Also I see a mod might of changed my thread title to GST. I meant GSP (global shipping program) unless I screwed up lol. That's happened before.
dahabsfan
Verified Trader,
If it was the global shipping program, costs are published up front before you buy the item
Darren
3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
I know. But really? $19 for the gsp, and the stamp from the originating post office had $8.25 on it. What gets me is the import fees and customs. Is that not really the same thing?
dahabsfan
Verified Trader,
There are no "customs" fees.
That would be brokerage fees and the only company that charges that much is UPS. You sure they didn't handle some portion of the shipping?
When it comes USPS it gets handed off to Canadapost who charges $5 for "brokerage/inspection" and appropriate canadian taxes only.
The only other plausible explanation is the seller put a value on it that was much much higher than the purchase price.
Darren
TanguayFan
Verified Trader,
There is no such thing as " import fees and customs".
The only thing you will have to pay is the taxes owing ( based on where you live) plus the brokerage fee that the carrier charges to clear the shipment through customs and pay the taxes on your behalf. The brokerage costs between $5 for USPS/Canada Post, up to $50 for UPS.
Global shipping program is a scam. If you purchased from a seller that uses it, all you did was pay twice for shipping and line eBay's pockets even more.
3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
There's a customs collection sticker overlapping the senders custom declaration sticker thing. I peeled off the customs collection sticker to look at the customs sticker and the seller put $150 value instead of $160 :$
3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
And yes the gsp is a major PO but it was an Enforcers 2 tough patch 1/1 I wanted. So I had to pay it.
dahabsfan
Verified Trader,
Whoever you paid that to screwed you over then and had no business collecting a cent as the GSP is pre-payment of the taxes and brokerage fee as well as the shipping cost from seller to Pitney Bowes Shipping Center and from Pitney Bowes to you.
Darren
3rdlinewinger
Verified Trader formerly Kessel_fan_87,
That's why I'm P!$$ED.
