GSP combined shipping cost evidence?

[Tulips]

I'm in an annoying situation. I bought several items from a seller who posted using the GSP. I had asked them previous to buying whether they would combine postage, they said they couldn't send an adjusted invoice but may refund after they posted.

So I paid 3 individual postage costs, they posted all 3 items in one box and I've just received them... No partial refund so far, and the box has NO evidence of how much it cost to post. I usually get customs forms on the boxes, nothing! Just a Pitney Bowes sticker, and an Australia Post barcode.

It obviously wouldn't cost the same to post them together as separate, so I'm going to ask the seller again about my promised partial refund... But I was hoping there would be some way for me to know how much it actually cost to post them?

Anyone have a clue?

Cheers 

[Loa]

Urgh, really annoying.
I imagine the only way to see how much it cost, is if you get your own estimate, either on Australia posts website, or down at the PO.

[Keemax]

Unfortunately I don't think the seller actually can give you a refund...

You see, when a seller uses GSP they relinquish all control they have over shipping fees to ebay. Ebay is the one who decides the cost of shipping to other countries and the seller won't actually know how much shipping ebay is charging their buyer unless:
a) they look at their listing hosted on another country's version of ebay
or
b) it can be seen after the item has already been purchased on the 'print shipping label' screen.

In addition when you, as a buyer, pay the shipping costs none of that money goes to the seller. It goes directly to ebay so ebay can pay third party people to deliver your item to you. All the seller gets is whatever price they put on the listing for shipping within their own country because all they have to do is send the item to the GSP centre in their own country (and subsequently do not have to fill out a customs form - which is actually one of the main reasons why people use GSP) and the people at the GSP centre take over from there.

i.e. If the seller put that it costs $3 to send a package to someone within their own country, then ebay would give the seller $3 for shipping fees and keep the rest to pay third party people.

The seller wasn't kidding when they said they couldn't send an invoice for combined postage - ebay won't let them because the shipping money isn't theirs to combine.

In fact, if a buyer has purchased multiple items from a seller using GSP, the seller isn't actually allowed to send all of the items in one package unless they're all paid for in one transaction (so there is only one resulting reference number). If they're paid for in different transactions then each item would have its own reference number and as it states here(http://sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/using-global-shipping-programme note: this is the UK info page) the rule is one reference number per package.

But, from what you describe, it sounds like you did pay for all three items in one transaction considering they were all send in the same box. In which case, the seller can possibly refund a small amount of the postage fee if you over paid for shipping within the sellers own country. (i.e. if the seller put a charge of $3 on the listing of the item for shipping fees within their own country, and ebay gave them $9 for shipping because you bought three items, then they may be able to refund you $6)

However ebay is in charge of the rest of the shipping fee and while GSP lets you combine several items under one reference number, it doesn't seem to stretch as far as shipping costs.

Actually, if you click on that link, scroll down to FAQ's, and look under 'Payments and fees', you'll see this:
Can I offer combined postage discounts?

At this time, seller-specified combined postage discounts aren’t supported by the Global Shipping Programme. However, a combined postage discount for the international leg of the delivery will automatically be applied during checkout when the buyer places all items in their shopping basket prior to making a purchase.

Can I use “Send Invoice” or “Request Total” for Global Shipping Programme orders?

No, "Send invoice" and/or "Request total" will not be available for Global Shipping Programme orders.

How are postage charges calculated for the international leg?

The international postage charge your buyer sees is derived from a number of factors, including the buyer's location, package weight and dimensions. A network of postage carriers will be used to provide fast, reliable and trackable services. Carriers will be selected depending on their suitability for sending your item internationally. For more details, see the Global Shipping Programme terms and conditions for sellers.

And as far as evidence of how much it cost the send the items, I'm not sure you ebay will give that to you... Sorry. 

[LadyMoondancer]

For the actual seller, I believe they are given a small amount of money to ship the item off to the nearest Pitney Bowes shipping facility.  The rest of the money is pocketed by Pitney Bowes.  So I think to get any money back you would have to get it from PB, not from the seller or eBay.  But I also think that's basically impossible . . . Pitney Bowes is not going to relinquish anything without a fight.  And, yeah, they do not put the real postage price on their packages.

They're awful.

I'm surprised they even sent you all three items in the same box, usually they do not allow combined shipping, but insist on sending every item separately.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Whenever I hear the acronym GSP... I know nothing good will follow!    Try not to use it! 

It actually is an inflated rate of ~30% more than you would be paying if the seller actually took the package to the post office themselves and filled out the forms. 

I don't know about the Australian economy vs the USD at the moment but  I sure don't want to be paying 30% more for anything

[Stormness_1]

At one point from US to Australia it was actually cheaper to ship through GSP. Now though, with the very low AUD$, it's much cheaper without GSP. I was buying large packages (think 2 large carry-cases big) from the US through GSP for upto $40AUD less than it cost similar weight packages without Pitney Bowes sending them, but now it's reversed, and it's about that much more to send with GSP, even for smaller packages. Even the UK GSP is getting ridiculous - their shipping price to me is usually similar to local postage rates, but you can triple that at least for GSP rates.

[Tulips]

Thanks for the info everyone! I've contacted the seller and they were a bit strange in their reply, telling me to purchase another item and they would sort out the refund... I'll try prompting them again but it seems they'd rather pocket the difference instead of keep their word

[Taffeta]

I saw a GSP lot last night that quoted me $89 for shipping. Not a chance. I know US fees have gone up, but not that much. Not when other sellers have similar lots listed for $25-30 shipping.

I just wondered whether the seller combined the items or they were combined by the Ebay/PB people? Because they do repackage stuff to cut down on costs so they get the best value for their service and I have heard various stories about that, including damage to items. If they saw three items coming from one seller to one buyer, might they have combined them? Especially if the SELLER can't combine but they can on postage?

I dunno. I hate the GSP. It takes twice as long and usually costs more. And the custom fees are often 3x what HMRC charge, even with the handling fees of Royal Mail.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

The GSP is a total scam. Tell the seller that in the future they should avoid it like the plague