eBay

hocotatefreight · ‎03-23-2014

I've been reading the forums and have seen some say Canadians don't like to buy in USD. I'm not sure why that is or what the norm is, I don't care which currency I buy in, I convert it to CAD and assess the cost accordingly.

Is it better for a Canadian seller to sell in Canadian dollars? Is it just preference for buyers or is there any other benefit to selling in CAD?

westernstargifts · ‎03-23-2014

It depends on where your market lies. If you sell mostly to Canadians then it would be beneficial to list in CAD.

Most sellers find that they sell mainly to the U.S. Also U.S. currency is recognized worldwide. Both are good reasons to list in U.S. funds.

When the Canadian dollar was high we lost a little in the exchange wihen listing in U.S. funds. Now we gain because the Canadian dollar is low. It is a good time to be selling in U.S. dollars. Canadians might not like it but you can offer free shipping and/or absorb the tax to make up for the difference in exchange. I have only had about 2 Canadians complain about my listing in U.S. dollars in 7 years of selling here.

hocotatefreight · ‎03-23-2014

Thanks you, westernstargifts! The reasons you state were always why I've only sold in USD. The CAD being so low certainly could help now eh! 😉 I think my items are universal but still the US market is more large so I will keep with the USD.

I wonder, would free shipping to the US be a good idea? I know it costs more for me to ship to the US but it might draw that much larger market which could balance it out! Right now I'm offering free within Canada with a fairly low fee to ship to the US.

I'm not a serious seller, just personal items as I run out of room for my stuff but in the past (pre 2009) my sales were always 90+% to the US.

femmefan1946 · ‎03-24-2014

I know it costs more for me to ship to the US

Not always. It depends on the service you choose. If you are willing to go without insurance or tracking, Small Packet Air is a pretty reasonable service.

You can self insure by adding a small amount to every asking price to cover the occasional loss. If you get a claim you pull the refund out of the virtual Cookie Jar you put all those dimes in and voila!

If you have a buyer who whines about the currency....well I'm a grumpy old lady (old enough to have been a member of the Waffle) and if they are not seeing your price in BOTH currencies the hypocrites are shopping on eBay dot COM. Nothing will satisfy them. Consider the Blocked Bidder List.

May have been the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.-- Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

hocotatefreight · ‎03-24-2014

I always do use Small Packet Airmail to the US and just eat any loss I might have. I've never had one though! 🙂 I don't sell expensive items. As it is now, I charge more to ship to the US to cover that possibility but you're right, I could consider just adding into the cost of the item and do free shipping US/CAN. Why not? I love free shipping, as a buyer, it shows the cost right up front, makes purchasing/bidding much easier.

dutchman48 · ‎03-24-2014

Light packet is not cheap any more, and never was. To ship a small item, not letter mail, is now $4.00 which is absurd for lower priced items. If you offer freer shipping and add that to your price, you are gouging Canadians for that high shipping, especially in US dollars. We in Canada, thanks to Canada Post, that sell small items such as tokens, coins, etc have just about lost the US market due to shipping costs.

And when letter rates go up, it will be even worse for sellers of cheaper paper items such as stamps and cards.

hocotatefreight · ‎03-24-2014

Light packet is not cheap any more, and never was. To ship a small item, not letter mail, is now $4.00 which is absurd for lower priced items.

In the past it indeed was "cheap" to ship US small packet airmail. I could ship an airmail small packet to Florida from BC less expensively than I could ship ground to Ontario. This was pre 2009 though, like I said, I'm new again and really haven't spent the time to compare the current prices. $4 to ship a small item is peanuts. What's $4 when you are purchasing something you hardly need to buy in the first place?

mr.elmwood · ‎03-24-2014

It is all relative. I sell mostly to the USA. With the exchange, small packet is cheaper now than two years ago. So, it is cheaper and easier me to ship than it used to be. Opens markets up as I can be more competitive with the Americans.

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dutchman48 · ‎03-24-2014

Start shipping $2 to $4 items and see how Americans like the $4 shipping charge. It is probably cheap when selling $50 or $100 items but we all don't sell those. Same is true for any cheap item today.

Canada Post is a rip off and are doing their share to kill small business and protect the union members. Time they got in the real world and dealt with the population as a whole, not just the Union. Or, just shut the doors and let free enterprise take over. Mail 2 to 3 days a week would be fine and reduce costs drastically instead of raising postage 30% or more which is only a band aid and they will continue to increase costs yearly and continue to lose business which they don't seem to understand. Of course, the Union would not tolerate that.

And yes, I am PO'd at the post office as my business has been cut in half since the January increases and who know what will happen next week again.

mr.elmwood · ‎03-24-2014

Start shipping $2 to $4 items

I refuse to. Stuff like that I either pass by or "recycle". My business model does not allow for losing money on every sale.

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fatdane · ‎03-24-2014

When I offer Canadian & Newfoundland stamps at Ebay I price them in $C because Canada is the largest market for them. For the rest of the world I price in US$. Folks in the US understand what a US$ is, but may not be very good at converting other currencies.. For the rest of the world most buyers will know what there local currency will convert to in US$, but if asked to convert their local currency to $C many would be unable to convert.

hocotatefreight · ‎03-25-2014

Mr.elmwood
It is all relative. I sell mostly to the USA. With the exchange, small packet is cheaper now than two years ago. So, it is cheaper and easier me to ship than it used to be. Opens markets up as I can be more competitive with the Americans.
This is good to hear! 🙂

I refuse to. Stuff like that I either pass by or "recycle". My business model does not allow for losing money on every sale.
I, too, find a $2 auction to be more hassle than it’s worth, since my items aren’t all the same, individual pictures etc really isn’t going to pay off to sell a $2 item. Lots make more sense. I am thinking of trying to sell some DVDs...does anyone still buy those? XD

As a buyer, I will never understand other buyers who feel $4 shipping isn’t reasonable on a $2 item. If it’s the cost to ship it ad it’s something I want and the over all value is well enough, it’s silly to separate the two costs when thinking of the total. I’m thinking most don’t see it that way though, they just don’t look at the total value.

Thanks fatdane as well!

brandeentertainment · ‎03-25-2014

DVD's is a bad business to get into these days .. Way to many competitors... but have at it ... Did me good for 4 years...

I alway failed to see the why it's Canada post fault that selling something for $2 is not worth it ... If you made 100% profit a $2 item is still not worth the 15 minutes it takes you to list it ...

Canada post is doing what any business would do and it is expected that business will adjust or fall of the map.. Times are changing but blaming Canada post for hiking prices ...

Think about it ... Canada post delivers 1 parcel to me in my basically non existent town I live in... They have to pay an employee to drive 30 km to drop off one parcel ... DO you really think anyone can do that for $12 .. This is CAnada in a nut shell a bunch of low population places spread out over a hge land mass ...

It's all business not personal .. You think Canada post hiked prices for fun .. They know they will lose some business but they also know they have no choice .. Now it does hurt some people but all that means is the businesses it hurts need to change .. Canada post no longer ships anything for 20 cents like they did 2 decades ago and sellers can no longer sell items worh $2 so it is time to go after more expensive items or go back to the drawing board with the business

fine-eclectic · ‎03-26-2014

i sell some fairly expensive things (mostly to the US but lots abroad) and for the longest time headed the notion that USD got more sales. But i got tired of seeing $30 or $40 losses in conversion rates when i emptied my Paypal. When the dollars were a little closer to par i tried switching to CAD and noticed no difference whatsoever, except no conversion loss.

i should qualify that i sell a variety an really never the same thing twice, so trends are a little hard to identify. Now of course our buck sagged again so i switched back and still see no difference in sales but even with the conversion loss the disparity still warrants it.

i too offer free shipping but mostly on larger items. i do this because i feel it helps offset Canadian buyer's taxes and if it incites an extra bid(s) from Canadians i am hoping this helps boost US bids. But i don't really know if this is working.

And as far as insurance is concerned, i rarely sell things under $50 so i insure everything Canada Post won't cover, mostly with InsurePost. For the extra $1.50 (including in the shipping price) i feel you can't go wrong.

hocotatefreight · ‎03-26-2014

brandeentertainment
"Think about it ... Canada post delivers 1 parcel to me in my basically non existent town I live in... They have to pay an employee to drive 30 km to drop off one parcel ... DO you really think anyone can do that for $12 .. This is CAnada in a nut shell a bunch of low population places spread out over a hge land mass"
I agree. $14 to ship to rural Nova Scotia from rural British Columbia is probably done at a loss. It logistically ridiculous to deliver to some of these places. I did my homework this time and it’s about $11 to ship the same item to Florida, without tracking of course or insurance, Small Packet Airmail. So, it’s definitely still cheaper.

Thankfully, I won't be long term DVD selling. 🙂 Personal collection, some disney and other children’s category shows. At the very least, 50+ DVDs listing is getting me reacquainted with TurboLister. :s

Thank you, marek_antiques_and_collectibles! I haven’t ever sold when our dollar was high or par, it’s about where it was in 2009 when I stopped so I’ll continue on listing in US dollars. Food for thought if ours shoots up again.

I’m not sure how to go about selling DVDs, free shipping on each item pretty much prevents people from buying more than one. So, I think I’ll calculate shipping for those. I know if a seller says they will refund the extra cost if they don’t offer combined shipping or make you pay right away, I’ll just go “meh” and find the item elsewhere.

tobyshitzu · ‎03-26-2014

Where the CAN$ is should have no bearing on what currency to list in. If you list at $20 US, you'd list at $22 CAN now Buyers see it converted to their currency on .ca, .com, uk or wherever as the same thing

The difference is paying the premium to paypal to exchange, who pays and how much. Anyone outside of N America will pay the same whether its US or CAN, while the Can seller may pay to exchange US$ listing back to $CAN. Most Canadian buyers will have to pay to exchange for US$ listings, then the Can seller pays to change back. If its a US$ buyer, either the buyer is going to pay to exchange to CAN$, or most Canadian sellers are going to pay to exchange from US$ . Those exchange costs are exactly the same regardless of where the CAN dollar is

hocotatefreight · ‎03-26-2014

I have to say, your post is a bit confusing, toby**bleep**zu. But, I've never considered exchange rates at all. I usually use my PayPal balance to buy more stuff on eBay or from American companies, so, I'm buying in USD. Something to consider though, thanks, Toby**bleep**zu.