The Relief of a Non-GPS US Seller!!!

[byto253]

We wanted an exact replacement for headphones a puppy decided were an excellent chew toy but that exact model is not available except for on Ebay.   Lots available there, lots of refurbs, open box and some sealed new.   Anyway, it quickly became shopping for shipping as GPS costs pushed the total price to unacceptable levels.  We finally found a good seller in NY with the right product, great feedback on these items, and shipped direct with USPS for $12.32 total.   

It was such a relief to do a straight forward transaction without the added GPS expense and re-direct through Kentucky.  I want to encourage the direct use of USPS so sent them a message: 

"Just a quick note of thanks for shipping by regular USPS and NOT Ebay's GSP. As a Canadian shopper that was what made me buy from you instead of someone else for these headphones. GSP is just to expensive for small items."

Now this is not going to stem the tide of GSP but I hope that it give the seller a bit of warm and fuzzies!!!! 

[marnotom!]

Shipping costs through the GSP are actually pretty reasonable provided the seller gives the GSP bot enough information to calculate them properly.

What makes the shipping expensive is the fact that you're paying for two sets of shipping: the GSP's shipping charge plus the charge from the seller for getting the item to Kentucky.  I'm looking at some headphones with "free" shipping within the US with GSP shipping charges around US$14, which is pretty competitve with what you paid.

[byto253]

I did not find that with the headphones we were shopping for, and I gave it up after checking a number of GSP ones since the lowest GSP shipping was $20+ all in.  The order I did also goes direct from NY to here without the side trip shipping and handling through Kentucky.  

Not saying there may not be reasonable GSP on some stuff, I just find that overall I have not had that luck with my shopping.   And all things being equal I prefer the direct shipping of USPS instead of through the center.     

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@marnotom! wrote:

Shipping costs through the GSP are actually pretty reasonable provided the seller gives the GSP bot enough information to calculate them properly.

What makes the shipping expensive is the fact that you're paying for two sets of shipping: the GSP's shipping charge plus the charge from the seller for getting the item to Kentucky.  I'm looking at some headphones with "free" shipping within the US with GSP shipping charges around US$14, which is pretty competitve with what you paid.

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Were you able to find any sellers shipping headphones to Canada for free.  The biggest problem for Canadian buyers is trying to locate a seller who will ship to Canada at a reasonable price. GSP/Standard Intl are the new go to for the majority of US sellers so the rule vs the exception.

-Lotz

@byto253 

Congrats on lucking out. I send a similar message to US sellers when I accidentally find one that bypasses those confounded programs.

[byto253]

Hi Ltoz, $12.32 US so not free.  But direct USPS ship to here from NY.   

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@byto253 

12.32 USD is atleast reasonable. If there is something I am looking for and can't find elsewhere I will message a seller if they will ship outside of GSP. 9 times out of 10 they say no so yes is like a small miracle.

Question was for @marnotom!  In testing search on dot com there isn't even a way to filter for free shipping to Canada and dot ca only option is Canada or N. America(NA involves major scrolling). It's very easy to locate sellers in USA selling most anything within the USA for free. Almost impossible to find any selling Internationally>>>Canada.

As a sidenote, search on dot com does seem to offer many more listings than searching with dot ca. After that the trick is to find something within your budget.

-Lotz

[marnotom!]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

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Were you able to find any sellers shipping headphones to Canada for free.  The biggest problem for Canadian buyers is trying to locate a seller who will ship to Canada at a reasonable price. GSP/Standard Intl are the new go to for the majority of US sellers so the rule vs the exception.

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There are a few out there, although I'm not sure that some of them are shipping out of where they claim the headphones are located.

And that "problem" you mention is true of anybody buying from outside their country, not just Canadians.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@marnotom! wrote:

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

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Were you able to find any sellers shipping headphones to Canada for free.  The biggest problem for Canadian buyers is trying to locate a seller who will ship to Canada at a reasonable price. GSP/Standard Intl are the new go to for the majority of US sellers so the rule vs the exception.

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There are a few out there, although I'm not sure that some of them are shipping out of where they claim the headphones are located.

And that "problem" you mention is true of anybody buying from outside their country, not just Canadians.

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Not positive so only a guess at best, that there are many more sellers in Canada shipping to the USA with free shipping...Built into their prices vs vice versa. If there are its very  low ticket items.

-Lotz

[byto253]

Pre-covid days I used a US address service that holds shipments for a year for $5, so if it was not urgent I could use the free shipping, build up a number of shipments then pick them up in one trip.  That was great for buying audio part lots.  Hopefully with a rapid test being ok to get back from the US instead of a PCR, that is becoming an alternative again.   Though I am leery about another variant tightening things up again.   

[byto253]

Yup, free shipping to Canada from the US should be checked to see if they are oversees drop shippers.    

[femmefan1946]

After that the trick is to find something within your budget.

The trick there is to start with Highest Price plus Shipping.

Seems counter-intuitive, but there will be fewer items higher than your budget than the low priced, misdescribed garbage you see with Lowest Price as a Search.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

After that the trick is to find something within your budget.

The trick there is to start with Highest Price plus Shipping.

Seems counter-intuitive, but there will be fewer items higher than your budget than the low priced, misdescribed garbage you see with Lowest Price as a Search.

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I know it's still living in a fantasy world but a filter to remove GSP/International Standard would be awesome. It was when I and others suggest it over 3 years ago and it fell on deaf ears. Bottom line it makes too much money for eBay even if it is causing more buyers to go elsewhere.

-Lotz

[pjcdn2005]

The filter has been asked for by some buyers right from the start.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

I was one of them. Was brushed off as not on the horizon.

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

From a small amount of visiting Boards on Australia and France, GSP is reasonably popular overseas. (I can't read German or Spanish.)

The biggest problems for Canadians were watching the tracking - never a good idea, guys, just mark the estimated delivery date on the calendar - and the "higher" cost.

Now that the higher cost has more or less disappeared with the $150/$40 allowance under the new NAFTA, rather than the old $20 that Canada Post ignored, most of the complaints are about speed.

Unfortunately, that new focus arrived in July 2020, just as the supply chain problems became their own pandemic.

Basically, I don't think GSP is a good fit for Canadian sales, since our postal systems are well aligned and again, the duty-free allowance has quintupled.

But would the xenophobic and paranoid sellers who won't ship to Alaska, never mind Puerto Rico, or to APOs  (I will not sell you my used videogame, but thank you for your service), or 0FB buyers, or PO boxes,  ship to Canada without it?

[marnotom!]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

But would the xenophobic and paranoid sellers who won't ship to Alaska, never mind Puerto Rico, or to APOs  (I will not sell you my used videogame, but thank you for your service), or 0FB buyers, or PO boxes,  ship to Canada without it?

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Keep in mind that what's likely stopping many of those sellers from shipping to locations such as AK, HI, PR or to APOs is that they're not using the postal service to ship their items and their shippers charge a premium for getting their items outside of the continguous 48, if they even do so.

Also, the prospect of filling out a customs form gives many US sellers the heeby-jeebies.

To be honest, I can't recall the last time my wife or I made a non-eBay purchase from the US that was mailed directly with the postal system.  Everybody seems to be using couriers and/or some sort of mail consolidation or forwarding service now.