Postal rates from U.S.A. to Canada

[kalgaryklutz]

As a buyer on Ebay for many years I have seen the postal rates increase at an alarming rate. I am unsure if it is the rates that are rising or simply a way for sellers to make more money. (Or a combination of the two) Items are quite often cheaper than the postal rates. My spending on Ebay has declined so much because I now search all other sites and only come here as a last resort. Yesterday I messaged a seller for shipping rates on a small piece of plastic that he was selling for $16.99 US. He replied that the shipping would be $12.00 US. Small wonder that so many of us are buying from Amazon!

[pjcdn2005]

The international postal rates have gone up quite a bit in the last few years.  For a package up to 8 ounces, the postage cost from the US to Canada is about $9.50.  Some sellers add on a handling charge for packaging supplies etc.   

[kalgaryklutz]

Is that why a $50.00 pair of pants has a shipping and handling charge of $50.00? If American sellers don't want to ship to Canada then don't offer International shipping. I ordered 25 books from England with a shipping charge of $35.00. That same order from the States would be several hundred.

[pjcdn2005]

If they are charging $50 to ship to Canada, they are probably using a medium flat rate Priority box which costs about $47US.  (or are using a regular Priority service and adding on a $15 handling fee). Some sellers will insist on using Priority as it does comes with some insurance but it really expensive and it annoys me when they use Priority for something under 4 lbs.  I've also had the same thoughts when I've looked at a shipping cost...I wonder why the seller even bothers shipping internationally as their shipping costs gives the impression that they don't really want to ship outside of the US.

I don't disagree that some sellers could use a different service  so that shipping is less or in some cases they could lower their handling charge. But the point of my last post was that shipping really has gone up a lot and in some cases the charges may look expensive to us even if the cost is accurate.  I've seen a lot of sellers on the US boards who do charge a reasonable shipping cost complain that their international sales have fallen because of the postage increases.

[momcqueen]

Amazon generally offers good pricing only on the stuff it sells from itself and with Prime membership which the buyer pays to use. You can get the same 'deal' shopping at any multinational conglomerate with an online store. Also, Amazon subsidizes its dirt-cheap shipping on the back of its third-party sellers.

When you buy on ebay, however, you are supporting small businesses as opposed to a billionaire. We pay our own shipping as individual businesses which is the reason two million small sellers cannot compete with the postage contract rates offered by one business with two million items for sale. 

It's up the the buyer to decide whose pockets they want to line. I prefer to give my money to small business owners in Canada as opposed to a single American fat cat but that's me. 

[marnotom!]

My understanding is that Amazon sellers are subject to shipping price caps and the maximum price they're permitted to charge for shipping depends on the item's category.

Make sure you're comparison shopping by total price and not fixating strictly on only the item price or the shipping charge.

EDIT: This post is a reply to @kalgaryklutz

[ypdc_dennis]

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@marnotom! wrote:
My understanding is that Amazon sellers are subject to shipping price caps and the maximum price they're permitted to charge for shipping depends on the item's category.

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That's no longer true. Amazon has made a number of changes over the last year and a half. "Pro" sellers (equivalent to eBay's "Store" sellers) can set their own shipping rates. "Individual" sellers (equivalent to eBay's non-store sellers) must use amazon's default shipping rates (which have very little connection to actual shipping costs).

...

[marnotom!]

Thanks for that info, @ypdc_dennis.

What I can see happening in this scenario, though, is "Pro" sellers being forced to charge similar shipping rates as "Individual" sellers in order to remain competitive on the site.

[rajeee]

After 18 years and thousands of purchases. I am finished!!

[femmefan1946]

There are sellers who use the Global ShippingProgram even for low cost items.

This is a Seller Protection Program which charges Canadian duty on every item valued at ~$16USD ($20CDN)  plus SALES TAXES plus a $5USD fee.

When a Seller uses USPS shipping the buyer/importer MAY not be charged duty, because CSDA doesn't see the point in spending taxpayer dollars when less will be charged than it cost to do the assessment. (But legally-- expect to pay the duty on your doorstep -- and be grateful when you are not charged.)

But USPS charges for International shipping are not cheap.

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

And many US sellers don't realize that Canada has lower rates than the rest of the world.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

But doesn't it make you wonder when you are dealing with a US seller that has 10000 plus transactions, has free express shipping to USA but is charging the moon for shipping to Canada for every item they list. One would think that they have access to some sort of USPS discounted rate but for some reason they don't want to pass  a portion of that discount on to their customers.

-CM

[femmefan1946]

There are still US sellers who are shocked to get an international sale through the GSP, because they had no idea they had been opted in by default a few years back.

Which makes it clear that the USA, the largest economy in the world, doesn't think of reaching out for international customers.

And that US sellers are a parochial and xenophobic bunch.

[lorim9770]

I hate to point out that there is no actual free shipping on any sales platform, Amazon included.  The shipping is added in to the cost of the item. Shipping is expensive - much more so than most people realize, particularly when you need it tracked/insured etc. Try going on to the USPS site and plug numbers in - you will easily find out what a fair shipping price is. Buying from Amazon may be cheaper, but there are also risks/drawbacks, and many times the items are originating in China.