Global Post

[Anna]

Does anyone know if it's possible to opt OUT of Global Post?  All of my international packages are currently being fed through a global post location in Carol Stream, IL and I've had a lot of packages that end up sitting there for a month, which is ridiculous.  I didn't even know I was using Global Post -- I assumed my USPS packages went through customs and then on to their destination country.  

In addition to shipping through Ship Station, I also do shipping through Etsy.  Etsy package labels print all the customs information and they just ship straight to the destination with no problems -- I've never had a complaint.  I've had three complaints from this global post link just in the last month and I've wasted a lot of time trying to get some answers.

Their service is awful and I want out!

[SuperMgr-Sarah]

Hi Anna, 

To use GlobalPost services, you have to select the GlobalPost service from the services drop-down:

If you are not choosing GlobalPost services but your international USPS shipments are going through a domestic sorting facility, it's likely they are using the Global Advantage Program (GAP) from Stamps.com, which does occur automatically when you choose international services using your Stamps account in ShipStation. I did some research and it looks like you can opt out of GAP if you contact Stamps support and request they disable the feature on your Stamps.com account. Here is the general Stamps support number: 1-855-860-7867

If you need your Stamps.com account username, in ShipStation go to Settings > Shipping > Carriers & Fulfillment, then click the settings icon next to your Stamps account. Your username should be the first item in the settings pop-up.

[info679]

Hi Sarah, (sorry if I duplicated this post) this is not directed towards Shipstation per se but you need to know Stamps did outright lie about this.  I received the email stating the implementation of GAP...I reviewed their FAQ, it states quite clearly that the service is automatic for new subscribers to Stamps.  I am not a new user and it states very clearly that I must Call to Opt In which I never did, they forced it without my approval.  I just tried to process an International order and when I printed the label it came out as a GlobalPost processing center. (nothing in the dropdown about this)  I called Stamps and the employee on the phone was very irked that I wanted to cancel and then told me it would be TWO Days for the change to take place.  This in my view appears to be more of a penalty for those that cancel.  Must suck working at Stamps if every change to a spreadsheet or notice takes two days to update.  I logged into my Stamps acct and there is nothing that indicates that this service which you pay for is active.  My acct simply states that I have a Stamps.com Pro Plan - Shipstation account and I can mail packages, letters domestically and internationally.   This is a very deceptive trade practice on Stamps part.

[SuperMgr-Sarah]

Thank you for posting about your experience. 

You are correct that accounts created before August 6, 2019 would need to opt-in to the Global Advantage Program (GAP). Given the interruptions to international shipping in recent months, including shipping suspensions to Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, etc., Stamps.com rolled out GAP for all accounts. This was done in partnership with GlobalPost, as their service to international destinations remained unaffected by USPS’s closures. The intention was to enable businesses to continue shipping to these locations without interruption. 

This was done with urgency to address these unprecedented shipping interruptions. We apologize for the lack of communication around the rollout. There are no additional subscription fees or charges to use the service, and we price protect rates by keeping shipping costs at current USPS rates or below. 

We have contacted our support team to share your feedback in regards to how this was handled. If they give us any further details that will be helpful to the ShipStation Community, we’ll be sure to share them here. 

[brandons]

I was also forced into this program and have talked to both shipstation and stamps.com and was told that I needed to contact Global post to have it removed.... 

The Stamps number in your first reply hangs up on you as soon as you call it. 

I've spent many hours trying to cancel something that I never signed up for and has caused many issues with delays in our shipping and lost packages. 

[tony11]

Just now seeing this:

"You are correct that accounts created before August 6, 2019 would need to opt-in to the Global Advantage Program (GAP)."

This is 100% NOT true. I was a customer for years before this date and I was enrolled with ZERO input. I did not opt in. GP has been an utter disaster and I was initially under the impression that GP was just a new way for USPS to handle international orders. Once I discovered this post I immediately wanted to cancel GP but had to go through customer service hell before I was finally able to get it cancelled. All around a terrible experience. And might I add that the new version of the UI that we were all forced to update to is still worse than what came before.

[VA]

This is awful customer experience. We never selected to be in Global Post and was always selecting USPS First Class Mail International to ship to our customers and this service automatically starts appearing on our labels. The parcels go to a NJ sort facility and the tracking status updates to "DELIVERED, Picked up by Individual" and no more movement after that. What are we supposed to tell the customer? Well, just wait and hope for the best? Weeks go by and I'm not even sure if they even make it to the customer. Sarah H, imagine you just spent $100 through my store for your kid's birthday gift only to have the tracking state Delivered and picked up by Individual and never making it in time to be delivered for your kid. Wouldn't you be angry and never shop through my store again? This whole involuntary charade is costing us BIG TIME. 

[Moderator-Davis]

Hey there @VA,

Thanks for joining us here in the community! I appreciate you providing us this perspective on your experience.

What you are describing sounds like the utilization of the Global Advantage Program or GAP. 

If you would like to reach out in regards to a specific shipment for any type of claim, please review this GAP Knowledge Base article that we have. The "Notes on GAP" section at the bottom of the page will provide you instructions on how to do so! 

While this service type does provide some excellent savings for our users, I totally understand if you do not wish to continue using GAP. In that same article linked above, you will see instructions to follow for your removal from GAP. 

I hope this helps! 🙂 

[fdroberts2]

Well I just ran into this myself as I am trying to ship an international package through ShipStation also using USPS which I have done 100's of times each year and now all of a sudden I see Global Post at the bottom of the label and was utterly confused and stumbled onto this Post.  This is totally BOGUS as I have ZERO interest in using Global Post which appears to be a stamps.com company just another means to try and privatize a service that is being provided by the government.  I really hope I don't have to spend multiple hours getting something disabled that I didn't sign up or agree to use...

If this ends up being a mess I might just consider dropping Stamps.com period...

Frank

[Moderator-Davis]

Howdy there @fdroberts2, 

Thanks for becoming a community member! We are so happy to have you here 🙂 

From what you've described, it sounds like the Global Advantage Program via Global Post. If you do not wish to participate in this program, you can absolutely request removal from it. 

To disable Global Advantage Program:

If you do not want to use the GAP program, you will need to reach out to ShipStation Customer Support with the following information:

-First and last name on the account

-First and last name of credit card holder

-Username

-Email address

-Billing address

I hope this helps get your account setup how you'd like it! 

[galaxylense]

Please ship station not automatic force me upgrade my account to this GAP terrible program. That is main reason we are using ship station. The GAP is slow and missing package only benefit for stamps .com trying to make more profit from us. It is not an fair practice program.

[bolidemodels]

The word "upgrade" does not apply here, as the word implies an improvement. The GAP program is awful, and you are correct that it's just a money grab by stamps.com.

[Moderator-Davis]

Hey there! 

Thank you for this feedback, we appreciate you sharing your perspective. 

If this program is not desirable, you can request removal from it. Reach out to our support team via email (support@shipstation.com) to make that request. 

[tony11]

Glad to find this post. Ever since ShipStation added Global Post, my USPS international shipping has been TERRIBLE. The last straw was last month when a customer in Brazil received a package that was not mine. Then a week or 2 later I got an email from someone in Belgium telling me that they got my package instead of their stuff. Essentially these 2 boxes had their labels swapped at the CA hub. In general, GP has been incredibly slow and the fact that there are 3 tracking numbers (one on the label, another within ShipStation that's emailed to the customer, and a 3rd that's on the label they affix at the hub) just makes things worse.

I've turned off USPS Priority International on ShipStation but if I can get GP cancelled, I'll turn it back on. What an utter disaster GP has been for my international shipments. Terrible.

[tony11]

I am stuck in customer service hell with ShipStation. I asked them to remove GP from my account and they told me that it was already off. It is not. I sent them pics of the GP labels that continue to be generated for USPS international shipments. They then sent me a video link that was supposed to offer "guidance on  how to send up a Stamps Request to remove GAP." The video has no sound and is of an interface that I have ZERO familiarity with. The video shows a cursor moving around and filling in information and that's it. Again, I have no idea what this interface even is. It's not ShipStation. I told them that the link was not helpful and that they needed to help me deal with this issue. Now I just got a terse email telling me that I needed to provide them with the additional information that they need. They never told me to provide them with additional information. They also said that if they didn't get an answer in ONE day, they would move my issue to "Solved status." So they don't do their job and if I don't get back to them quick enough, they get to mark it as solved. Unbelievably bad customer service. Just jaw dropping.

[Manager-Erin]

Hello @tony11, 

Thanks for reaching out to us and for being a part of our community. Just in case it was missed I am going to paste my response to your other post on the community. 

Hi Tony, 

I wanted to thank you again for sharing this experience with us. This is not how we want anyone to feel when trying to get support with an issue.  Justin from our merchant engagement team has been made aware of all the details of your case, and should be reaching out via email shortly if he hasn't already. 

Just so you know what he may ask of you, you might want to make sure you have the following information ready for him: 

• First and last name on the account
• First and last name of credit card holder
• Username
• Email address
• Billing address

Justin will be able to take good care of you, but if you have any further questions or concerns for me, my inbox is always open to you. 

-Erin: Your Friendly Neighborhood ShipStation Community Manager 

Also would like to extend our apologies for the delay in responding to your comments here. 

-Erin: Your Friendly Neighborhood ShipStation Community Manager 

[fdroberts2]

Hi Tony on more than one occasion I have had support tickets that have been left unresolved moved to 'Solved' status in which I had to go back in a do an additional reply to the case to be able to move it back to 'Unsolved'.  Amazing how someone believes that a case should be moved to 'solved' because they(being shipstation) either did not respond or because they never actually solved it...that was another reason I finally lost it and filed formal complaints...just seems like it has gotten somewhat shady over the last year with how SS is handling things.  My bet is they are getting positioned to be bought and therefore minimizing support and trying to maximize profit by doing some sort of 'under the table' agreement with Stamps.com and Global Post...

[glam]

ShipStation Team,

I write this letter to express my profound dissatisfaction with the services rendered by GlobalPost, to which I was automatically transitioned (without my approval) by ShipStation. Despite the GlobalPost tagline, "sell worldwide without the hassle", my experience has been far from hassle-free; instead, it has been an absolute nightmare.

As of today, May 18, I have over 100 packages that are missing, with some orders dating back to early March. These packages have had no tracking updates for weeks on end. GlobalPost Plus' service was advertised to include door-to-door tracking, with a tracking event indicated upon delivery. Unfortunately, this promised service is not being fulfilled. There is not a SINGLE package that's been delivered in the post time frame. 
https://www.goglobalpost.com/plus/

The mandated 30-day waiting period to file a claim is unreasonable. It is unrealistic to expect customers to wait a month for an order, particularly when there have been no tracking updates for weeks. This has resulted in numerous chargebacks as customers are not receiving their orders in the promised time frame. This is not only financially burdensome for us but also detrimental to our reputation.

I operate a bath and body business. I've had an alarming number of packages returned due to alleged "hazardous" items. I ensure that all products shipped internationally are safe, such as our water-based perfume, specially formulated for international orders. All ingredients are clearly marked and shipped in sealed bags. We've even send in MSDS directly to GlobalPost. Today, we had 12 orders of non-hazardous beard oils returned! 

Moreover, GlobalPost has been opening and unpacking each protected item before haphazardly repackaging and returning orders. This disrespectful handling has resulted in returned products appearing dirty and mishandled, broken and with instances of long hairs adhered to items.

As a small, handmade business, we take great pride in carefully crafting and packaging our products. It is disheartening to see our efforts handled so carelessly, not to mention the cost we bear to remake and reship every order.

GlobalPost Plus claims a delivery time frame of 5-8 business days, a commitment that has not been met -- not ONCE! For instance, one of my packages (tracking: LV461486635US) was shipped on March 20, 2023, and has been languishing in Elk Grove Village, IL since March 21, 2023 with no updates. This lack of service and communication is unacceptable.

I implore ShipStation and GlobalPost to promptly address these serious issues. The current circumstances compel me to consider opting out from GlobalPost, and I believe many others may follow suit if these problems persist.

I await a swift resolution to these issues and particularly the recovery of my missing orders. I look forward to a serious consideration of the financial losses resulting from these systemic failures, including the cost of charge backs due to non-delivery of orders.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Cheri Tracy
Founder
Orglamix Cosmetics

[glam]

I sent a request to customer service chat with the above information to remove myself from Global Post.

The support person, while professional was not aware of the process or how to do this so the only thing he could do was escalate my request.  #3581439

[tony11]

I suggest you make your own post with the details of your experience. I wasn't getting any traction at all until I did that and they were then able to cancel GP for me in one day. https://community.shipstation.com/t5/Carrier-Integrations/Am-unable-to-get-ShipStation-to-cancel-Glo...

[fdroberts2]

Hello Everyone,

  I can 100% empathize with everyone's issues here.  Going back ~1year ago I had ShipStation start using GlobalPost without my doing also.  They told me that GlobalPost had been permanently disabled from my account back then.  Then about 4months back all of a sudden USPS international packages started defaulting again to GlobalPost, WTF&#!!  I spoke to SS about this and they tried to tell me "well you must it enabled."  I replied well I would NEVER enable Global Post and it was supposed to have been PERMANENTLY DISABLED going back nearly 1 year ago.  They then blamed Stamps.com and I said how can Stamps.com get access to my SS account and "RE-ENABLE" something that I was told was PERMANENTLY DISABLED???  Needless to say I checked my settings and someone/somehow Re-enabled Global Post without my authorization or doing.  I have had several issues with GlobalPost and Shipstation all within the last year in which I have used SS going on about 5 years now.  I have had more issues of which the majority of them are still un-resolved in the last year than I have in the previous 4 years all together.  I personally believe there is some sort of 'agreement' between SS & Stamps.com & GlobalPost to switch unsuspecting customers over to GlobalPost without their understanding.  Otherwise HOW CAN MY ACCOUNT SETTINGS BE CHANGED WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION OR DOING??  Seems very wrong to me...Another issue that just recently within the last couple of months is that USPS International Letter Label don't scale correctly, they are placed in a 8.5x11 sized PDF vs. a 4x6" label size.  I reported this months ago and is still not fixed.  I got so frustrated with the various issues I had recently been having and posted comments/reviews.  Interestingly enough within about 1 week of posting a negative review explaining all the issues I had recently that went unresolved all of a sudden I got transferred to someone in tech support that responded to my case that at least acknowledged the issue of the label scale/size vs. the prior tech support person that just blamed Stamps.com and could not even acknowledge/understand the problem which should have been trivial to see.  Needless to say it is STILL NOT FIXED.  I literally have to save the label as a PDF and do a screen capture with SNAG IT and print from SNAG IT directly to my label printer so that it is scaled correctly. 

There are numerous places you can place reviews including "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau" as this is bordering on fraudulent activity with in my case somehow my account being accessed and RE-ENABLING GobalPost.  The fact that Global Post even got enabled for anyone on this forum without the express consent is also bordering on fraudulent activity...

https://www.usa.gov/consumer-complaints

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

https://www.trustradius.com/products/shipstation/reviews#overview

Regards,

Once Very Satisfied Now Very Disillusioned Customer

[alfred]

ShipStation and Stamps.com are owned by the same company. 

[fdroberts2]

Well that explain everything and confirms my suspicions.