The ebay GSP is a interesting beast, some days I curse at it, other days it actually isn't soo bad.


Usually when I order items that cost 20$ or more, most Canadians who order from out of country know some of the headaches that can happen. I always request it be shipped USPS, because im sure many of us are familiar with the UPS and FedEx schemes. Now this is where the GSP can be helpful, what they do is, once you order your item, and pay for the semi high "GSP" fees, the seller ships the parcel within the US to Erlanger, Kentucky, where the Pitney Bowes head distribution office is. Then it is group shipped up to Canada and usually sent via Purolator to your home. On big ticket items, it actually is a decent savings because the overall shipping is reasonable, and you don't have to worry about any taxes or such. Now on small items this is where it begins to suck.


Even on items valued for less then 20$, or for small items, the GSP program is still applied, and the shipping costs are astronomical. I usually request the seller to opt out of the GSP program and just pray they are willing to ship USPS in a small envelope or box.




I was forced to use the GSP to buy some CNC tooling and such, and the costs were very reasonable; especially considering the weight of the stuff. however I also ordered some clothing, and the GSP was not worth it, I asked the seller if they were willing to ship direct using USPS and they did.