Difference between ebay.com and buying something from ebay.ca that ships from USA?

[williamwyattdick]

I'm new to Ebay and trying to purchase a laptop.

What is the difference between using ebay.com (and buying something that ships from the USA) and using ebay.ca (and also buying something that ships from the USA)?

In both cases, I probably have to go through the same issues with customs and sales tax, right? Also, I tried using my CIBC Visa Debit on something on ebay.ca (ships from US) and it wouldn't let me. Currently shifting funds to my paypal account to see if that works.

I'd like to buy a laptop, and between my fear of getting a bilingual keyboard and the better options I find in the US, it seems like ebay (of one sort or another) shipping from the US is my best bet. Hopefully they'll let me pay with my paypal.

I'm going to spend about $1k US on a laptop. Any advice, both as to my initial question, and as to best handle importing the laptop (customs, taxes, etc.) would be appreciated. I'm a total novice here. BTW would any of the websites and services like Borderlynx be helpful?

(In case it matters, I'm looking for a 17.3 laptop with at least 256 GB of SSD. If only 256 GB SSD, I'll need a HDD of some kind. If 512 GB SSD, then no SSD. I want a discrete GPU and Windows 10 and a 1080p rez. Maybe 8GB of memory. I'm totally into refurbished, if possible. And I don't mind older or weaker CPUs or GPUs. Not gonna game, but I'm gonna be away from the country for many years and I just want this to handle anything--short of high end games--that I can throw at it for the next 4 to 5 years.)

[esclyons]

you might want to look into the warranty as well, especially if buying from another country.

[femmefan1946]

This is one case where you WANT the seller to use the Global Shipping Program.

This is a Seller Protection service that usually doesn't have a lot of usefulness for the buyer, but with a $1000 item you will be paying applicable duty and certainly paying Canadian Sales Taxes.

You will also pay a small (~$5) service fee to Pitney Bowes who run the program for eBay.

The GSP means you pay the duty and taxes up front. Not on your doorstep.

You will know how much they will be  before you click that you accept the charges and pay your seller.

No surprises.

And the service fee is smaller even than with Canada Post.

Tracking is tricky with GSP,but it is not really important (except emotionally)to the buyer. Tracking is a Seller Protection.

Your laptop will probably be delivered by Canada Post.

If you are not home, you will get a Notice, telling you where and when you can pick it up, usually the local PO.

Ask your potential seller what service he uses. If he says UPS or FedEx, do NOT order from him. There is an old thread complaining about usurious service fees from couriers that is over 6000 posts and eight years long.

You want USPS/ Canada Post or Global Shipping Program.

And most US sellers won't ship a laptop to a zero feedback foreigner by USPS.

Buying on dotCOM vs dotCA

The main difference is the currency.

And don't think because the seller is listing on dotCOM he will ship from there.

I do more than half of my listing on dotCOM but everything ships from Vancouver Island.

It's a marketing thing.

Look at the location of the item, which should be below the asking price.

If you are not sure, ask the seller before ordering.

If he is in Canada, any shipping method is fine. Couriers and duty don't come into it. (Actually if you don't live in an urban area, the courier may be sub-contracting to Canada Post anyway.)

The debit card-- Umm. You can back your Paypal with a bank account. But in effect you are writing an e-cheque which takes longer to clear the banking system. As I understand it, debit cards are e-cheques.

In the USA, debit and credit cards are much more similar. This may be why your debit card was refused.

The best backing for a PP account is a credit card. Your seller gets paid instantly and you have Buyer Protection from eBay PLUS Paypal PLUS the card.

I'll let someone who is not a technodolt speak about the laptop.

[femmefan1946]

In effect, nothing purchased on eBay has a warranty, unless the seller is an approved agent of the manufacturer.
The substitutes are the eBay and PP Buyer Protection programs.

[williamwyattdick]

I have a Canadian (CIBC) VISA Debit that acts as a credit card with a limit equal to my balance. It works everywhere. But it wouldn't work on Ebay.ca with a US Seller. I'd heard that this can be a common issue on Ebay, though no one really could explain why. Often Canadian Debit cards that act as credit cards and work everywhere else--sometimes even real Can. credit cards--don't work on Ebay with US sellers.

I'm actually transferring 2K to my actual paypal balance from my bank account. It will take another 5 days to clear. I believe that should definitely work, right? Almost all ebay sellers take actual Paypal (straight from the balance--not any kind of e-cheque backed by a bank account).

[pjcdn2005]

Paypal is an American company and I think that US debit cards are different than ours so that could be the problem.

Everything will be the same if you purchase from a US seller regardless of which site you make the purchase on.  There is a good chance that the seller you are dealing with is not an official dealer for that computer brand which means that the computer company may not warranty that product. Also, if there is a warranty.....when a product is made and sold in the US, they probably require that all warranty issues be fixed in the US so you would have to send it there.

It is totally up to you but for an expensive purchase like that, I would be more comfortable dealing with someone in Canada and with someone who is an authorized dealer for that brand.

[marnotom!]

I think there may be a difference in how the import charges for a Global Shipping Program are handled on .com versus .ca.

For me, at least, I can see the import charges on .ca listings, but I see a "see import charges at checkout" message on .com listings.  And, yes, I am logged into .com.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/362067001199

versus

http://www.ebay.com/itm/362067001199

[williamwyattdick]

I completely agree that it would be best to buy from a Canadian dealer when purchasing something this expensive.

The problem is, however, that here in Canada we literally cannot get many types of computer configurations, no matter how much we want to spend. We have issues with Bilingual keyboards being foisted on us. Or in my case, SSD drives are often not available in non-gaming laptops. (I suppose I could have a third party put one in after, but that raises other problems.) HP won't let you customize in Canada, etc.

So I'm not really sure what I'll do. The lack of warranty is, indeed, an issue I should consider. What would happen if I ordered from a US dealer and got a dud computer, using the GSP or PP Protection plan or whatever?

Thanks again for all the help guys!

W.

[pjcdn2005]

I've never received a bilingual or French keyboard, I didn't realize that it could be a problem.  I realize that there are a few different factors though of why you want to buy from the US.

If you got a dud computer from the US you could file an item not as described claim through ebay as long as you did so within 30 days after it arrived.  The seller would have to pay for return shipping but that can be a bit of a hassle if they have used the gsp but it is doable.

If you made a PP claim, you would have to pay for return shipping.  But in both cases, these are for the condition of the item when you received it.  If you used it for 2 months and then something went wrong, neither eBay or PP handle warranty issues or returns for warranty purposes so you could be out of luck.

I've purchased a few different  pc's on dell.ca and they do allow for a certain amount of customization but I have no idea if the same is true for laptops.

[ypdc_dennis]

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@marnotom! wrote:

I think there may be a difference in how the import charges for a Global Shipping Program are handled on .com versus .ca.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/362067001199
versus

http://www.ebay.com/itm/362067001199

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Screen shots of your examples. eBay.COM is working on the bait and switch principle by hiding the extra wallet hit until after you decide to buy.

versus

I also note that eBay.com has a really loose business day definition when displaying delivery times. That 6-13 business days on eBay.ca would be Aug 22 to Aug 31

-..-

[marnotom!]

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@ypdc_dennis wrote:

eBay.COM is working on the bait and switch principle by hiding the extra wallet hit until after you decide to buy.

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In fairness, I wouldn't call this "bait and switch" as there's no substitution of goods involved, but I appreciate what you're getting at. For whatever reason, the .com site doesn't fully disclose GSP import charges in the manner that it's done on other local eBay sites. Perhaps this is another of eBay's "experiments" with the GSP to see if this makes any difference when it comes to non-US eBay users using the .com site versus their local site.

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@ypdc_dennis wrote:

I also note that eBay.com has a really loose business day definition when displaying delivery times. That 6-13 business days on eBay.ca would be Aug 22 to Aug 31

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It could be a "really loose" definition of business days, or simply a reflection of the fact that USPS and other US carriers deliver packages on Saturday and the .com delivery calculator doesn't take international carriers into consideration.