Exhorbitant Shipping Costs to Canada

[sib2048w]

I recently purchased 4 magazines on eBay. In the last couple of years, I have noticed and knew that eBay shipping had changed the requirements, hence the high costs. Sellers are required to purchase tracking and signature for all items.

My 4 magazine purchase prices were less than $10.00-$15.00 each, while the shipping costs were about $ 15.00 each, all in U.S> Dollars.

Does anyone else also think shipping costs are too expensive or demanding by eBay?

Thanks,

SB

[marnotom!]

I don't know what you mean by "eBay shipping had changed the requirements" and I don't have time to look up your purchases to see what shipping method the sellers of your magazines used.  

The fact is, anything sent outside of the country that's not a letter, be it from Canada, the US, or just about anywhere else, is going to be pricey to ship.

What you could be looking at are sellers who have opted to use a "package" service rather than a letter service to send the magazines.  You could also be looking at sellers who have opted to use a forwarding service such as eBay's Global Shipping Program to send the item from a central forwarding location, and the Global Shipping Program doesn't generally calculate lettermail prices.

Finally, USPS has been ratcheting up its international shipping rates over the course of the past few years.  $15 is actually pretty much in line for a lightweight package (not a letter) sent from the US to Canada.

Others who have time to look up your listings may be able to weigh in with more informed responses.

[richardcm]

eBay does not control the cost of shipping. The shipping companies do. Canada Post, USPS, UPS, FedEx, and so on.

Sellers who offer free shipping actually have the cost of shipping in the item price.

[mrdutch1001]

If the magazines were purchased from a USA seller, the shipping costs from the USA would reflect that as per method used by that seller...from the USA magazines cannot be shipped via USPS media mail so would be at a higher rate. If those magazines were from a USA seller who used the GSP, that may also reflect a higher shipping rate. If the magazines were purchased from a Canadian seller, the shipping costs would be according to size, weight & destination and Canada Post rates are what they are & within Canada that too can be pricey. However, without actual details pertaining to your order it is difficult to determine if the shipping costs were indeed out of line. Having said that, as a buyer you agreed to those shipping costs when you made your purchase and if you were not agreeable to those shipping costs why did you proceed to purchase?

[reallynicestamps]

Sellers are required to purchase tracking and signature for all items.

No.

Tracking is a Seller Protection against unwarranted claims of non-delivery. Many Canadian sellers go commando on tracking because it is so expensive.

For example I can ship a 250gr item Letter Rate to the USA for $11.14 but it would cost $18.38 to ship by Tracked Package.

Signature is only required for items valued over $650.

My 4 magazine purchase prices were less than $10.00-$15.00 each, while the shipping costs were about $ 15.00 each, all in U.S> Dollars.

Shipping cost has nothing to do with the value of the contents.

You could cross check the costs here:

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

Use Shape and Size and scroll to the bottom of the next page to get FirstClass International Package rates, which are the equivalent of Canada's Tracked Packet.

If the seller chose not to use a tracked service she could send a 12x8x1 "letter" weighing 8oz for $3.94 US/~$4.75Cdn.

The Global Shipping Program is another Seller Protection.

The seller only needs to ship to a central plant in Kentucky and her responsibility for delivery ends.

The GSP import fee includes duty (on items valued over $150Cdn) sales taxes (on items valued over $40Cdn) and a ~$5 service fee.

On your four magazine package there would be no duty, but GSP would charge their service fee (compare to Canada Post at $9.95) and whatever sales taxes apply in your province on the $40-60 sale.

All international tracked shipping is expensive. Canadian sellers usually send low value/low fraud items without tracking, believing that most people are honest, the postal system is good at its job, and getting more sales is better than protecting against the very occasional fraud.

Our American colleagues... ummm... are less sanguine.

[blooknight]

Thank God there's Taiwan, China, Korea, Hong Kong etc etc. The American market is starting to dry up and orders are crashing and they only have themselves to blame.....that and the post office and the government.