Another UK Pipe Stolen by Pitney Bowes

[runscott]

I recently bought a 1910-20 Ben Wade pipe from a UK ebay seller, and today got the dreaded ebay message. Pitney-Bowes grabs most decent pipes shipped through the Global Shipping Program, from the UK. They show up again in ebay auctions a few weeks later, not shipped through GSP. The original seller keeps his money and the buyer gets refunded, but it sucks.

Ben Wade Gourd Calabash on ebay

From ebay:
"We are writing to inform you that your recent purchase through the Global Shipping Program from xxxxxxx cannot be completed.

The item in question has been deemed restricted. This could be due to import/shipping restrictions or eligibility requirements within the Global Shipping Program. The item will not be shipped to you nor returned to your seller."

 

[paulfg]

The ebay GSP is a total lottery,as you say many times they steal the item only to resell later.
I have never seen any information on what they deem as restricted and they dont give the reason when they do stop an item.

I have reached the point after reading this so many times that i would contact the seller and ask if they would ship via another way or not bid at all if they wont.

 

[mso489]

That is not a good look for Pitney-Bowes. Not good public relations. It's like the kid to whom the teacher gives the confiscated water pistols. Not popularity inducing.

For a hefty p.r.consultant fee, I'd be glad to advise them on this.

 

[runscott]

The ebay GSP is a total lottery,as you say many times they steal the item only to resell later.
I have never seen any information on what they deem as restricted and they dont give the reason when they do stop an item.

I have reached the point after reading this so many times that i would contact the seller and ask if they would ship via another way or not bid at all if they wont.

There is a UK law that restricts shipping of 'drug paraphernalia'. After going round and round with the GSP help desk, they finally told me that Pitney-Bowes is calling smoking pipes 'drug paraphernalia'. That is the loophole that they use to steal them and then re-sell. I had 5 pipes stolen by them last Fall, and when they showed up on ebay again, I contacted the seller ( thefactoryoutletstore), described to her what had happened, and tried to buy them. What did she do? She blocked me.

Now I avoid UK sellers who use GSP, but on two occasions I really wanted the pipe, so I did what you are suggesting, and they shipped Royal Mail, skipping GSP.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Like many others I refuse to purchase an item if the GSP is being used. I have a friend based in UK who I send everything to now, and then once he has a box full will forward them on.

 

[runscott]

That is not a good look for Pitney-Bowes. Not good public relations. It's like the kid to whom the teacher gives the confiscated water pistols. Not popularity inducing.

For a hefty p.r.consultant fee, I'd be glad to advise them on this.

They are nothing but crooks. They are very aware that pipes are shipped to the U.S. from the U.K. on a regular basis, and it presents no issues with either government. The first five pipes I had this happen to were listed as BIN's at double what I paid. I raised a big stink with the GSP. At the time, only high-end pipes were being confiscated by Pitney-Bowes. Now they keep all of them - probably to disguise somewhat what they are doing.

I contacted another UK seller who was using GSP to ship to the U.S., and who didn't realize what was going on. He told me that he had had the same thing happen, and the ebayer re-selling his items was even using his photographs, even though ebayers could no longer find the old auctions. So it was clear to him that Pitney-Bowes was in league with the ebayer selling his pipes.

 

[ashdigger]

Pitney-Bowes is an operation run by absolute scumbags.

All they have to do to resolve it is clearly state to sellers that pipes are prohibited items.

Done. Simple.

I’ve had 4 pipes disappear.

One I got lucky enough to repurchase through an intermediary.

If I see a pipe that interests me I immediately go to shipping, if it’s the Gargoyle Scam Prosthetic I pass.

 

[Jimmy_Jack]

This is criminal racketeering, organized crime. Plain and simple. A hammer should be used to come down on these folks if what you are saying is true.

 

[sablebrush52]

As a point of information, I ask international sellers not to use eBay Global Shipping as it is a rogue organization. Royal mail does just fine for me. If the seller refuses, I skip that offering. No regrets.

 

[Egg Shen]

I’m confused. I thought Pitney Bowes was a company that sold fax machines in the 90’s. Nor have I heard of this GSP.

 

[STP]

I’m confused. I thought Pitney Bowes was a company that sold fax machines in the 90’s. Nor have I heard of this GSP.

 

[runscott]

As a point of information, I ask international sellers not to use eBay Global Shipping as it is a rogue organization. Royal mail does just fine for me. If the seller refuses, I skip that offering. No regrets.

Yes. It's not just pipes - I've heard of them grabbing much more valuable items.

This was my first Ben Wade, and I have plenty of smoking gourd calabashes, so it was really not that much in my wheelhouse. But what really bums me about it was that @greeneyes was asking about it and I'd planned on cleaning it up and discussing with him.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

I recently bought a 1910-20 Ben Wade pipe from a UK ebay seller, and today got the dreaded ebay message. Pitney-Bowes grabs most decent pipes shipped through the Global Shipping Program, from the UK. They show up again in ebay auctions a few weeks later, not shipped through GSP. The original seller keeps his money and the buyer gets refunded, but it sucks.

Ben Wade Gourd Calabash on ebay

From ebay:
"We are writing to inform you that your recent purchase through the Global Shipping Program from xxxxxxx cannot be completed.

The item in question has been deemed restricted. This could be due to import/shipping restrictions or eligibility requirements within the Global Shipping Program. The item will not be shipped to you nor returned to your seller."

Sounds like legalised theft to me!

 

[anotherbob]

As a point of information, I ask international sellers not to use eBay Global Shipping as it is a rogue organization. Royal mail does just fine for me. If the seller refuses, I skip that offering. No regrets.

Yeah because they actually know the specific restrictions and also feel that it's up to the destination to decide what can be shipped. Where as couriers and the like play more of a guessing game and are more cautious in a large part because they have more to lose. The more things they send that get dinged at the destination and sent back the more scrutiny they get, the more scrutiny the slower their service gets. The slower it gets then there is no reason to use them over the cheaper but currently slower services.
I've had more then a few packages that I had to make phone calls and discuss the fact that yes you are allowed to ship this thing to me.....

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I have to wonder if I'm being scammed by FedEx right now when the pipe I ordered from Italy a month ago has been indefinitely "delayed" at the Memphis FedEx distrubution center.
The retailer put in an insurance claim last week, a brief search tells that most people get their lost package claims after about a month, although I already paid the import fees for entry to a country the package will never see so this is the last time I pay any courier anything before the package is in my hands.

 

[greeneyes]

@runscott @Ahi Ka has just messaged me about a Ben Wade Calabash .... it appears that YOUR Calabash has been relisted!!!!! Link in your DM

 

[runscott]

@runscott @Ahi Ka has just messaged me about a Ben Wade Calabash .... it appears that YOUR Calabash has been relisted!!!!! Link in your DM

Thanks. The seller is even using the original ebay auction pics.

Shouldn't this Pitney-Bowes racket be illegal?

 

[kcghost]

Find another place to do business with.

 

[runscott]

Find another place to do business with.

Things getting boring in Olathe?

 

[kcghost]

I'm 75, what do you think? I grateful every day I wake up and I'm alive.