diff --git a/scripts/ipkg-build b/scripts/ipkg-build
index 73cd87ceea..e026c7a157 100755
--- a/scripts/ipkg-build
+++ b/scripts/ipkg-build
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ FIND="${FIND:-$(which gfind)}"
 TAR="${TAR:-$(which tar)}"
 SVN="$(which svn)"
 GIT="$(which git)"
-export GZIP="-n"
+GZIP="$(which gzip)"
 
 # look up date of last commit
 if [ -d "$TOPDIR/.git" ]; then
@@ -139,20 +139,20 @@ mkdir $tmp_dir
 
 echo $CONTROL > $tmp_dir/tarX
 # Preserve permissions (-p) when creating data.tar.gz as non-root user
-( cd $pkg_dir && $TAR $ogargs -X $tmp_dir/tarX --format=gnu --sort=name -czpf $tmp_dir/data.tar.gz --mtime="$TIMESTAMP" . )
+( cd $pkg_dir && $TAR $ogargs -X $tmp_dir/tarX --format=gnu --sort=name -cpf -  --mtime="$TIMESTAMP" . | $GZIP -n - > $tmp_dir/data.tar.gz )
 
 installed_size=`stat -c "%s" $tmp_dir/data.tar.gz`
 sed -i -e "s/^Installed-Size: .*/Installed-Size: $installed_size/" \
 	$pkg_dir/$CONTROL/control
 
-( cd $pkg_dir/$CONTROL && $TAR $ogargs --format=gnu --sort=name -czf $tmp_dir/control.tar.gz --mtime="$TIMESTAMP" . )
+( cd $pkg_dir/$CONTROL && $TAR $ogargs --format=gnu --sort=name -cf -  --mtime="$TIMESTAMP" . | $GZIP -n - > $tmp_dir/control.tar.gz )
 rm $tmp_dir/tarX
 
 echo "2.0" > $tmp_dir/debian-binary
 
 pkg_file=$dest_dir/${pkg}_${version}_${arch}.ipk
 rm -f $pkg_file
-( cd $tmp_dir && $TAR $ogargs --format=gnu --sort=name -zcf $pkg_file --mtime="$TIMESTAMP" ./debian-binary ./data.tar.gz ./control.tar.gz )
+( cd $tmp_dir && $TAR $ogargs --format=gnu --sort=name -cf -  --mtime="$TIMESTAMP" ./debian-binary ./data.tar.gz ./control.tar.gz | $GZIP -n - > $pkg_file )
 
 rm $tmp_dir/debian-binary $tmp_dir/data.tar.gz $tmp_dir/control.tar.gz
 rmdir $tmp_dir