What's the shipping cost for a very small package from the US?

[patken123]

 I asked a US ebay seller if he could ship my order(a small item) any cheaper,he says  $36.48 USD ($45.50 CDN$), but it just doesn't make sense, the item in question is a metal nut 2.1/2" long, 1" wide and weighs about 10 grams,does that not fit in a small bubble wrap envelope (don't know what they are called)

Does it make sense that the cheapest cost is $36.48 with USPS priority international shipping? 

Can any of you shed some light on this ?

Thanks.

[thestuffofchris]

I did a quick test on USPS, calculating what an approximate cost to my location would be, and the Priority Mail International cost was $31.75 USD. If that's the service he plans on using, the cost he quoted doesn't seem far off.

At the bottom of the page, though, First-Class Package International Service was priced at $9.50 USD. Perhaps ask if he would be willing to use that service instead.

[ypdc_dennis]

As thestuffofchris says USPS First-Class Package International Service (which the USPS likes to hide) is the way to go. And you can also tell the seller that if they buy the label online that the USPS includes "Electronic USPS Delivery Confirmation International" in the price for shipments to Canada.

-..-

[femmefan1946]

You can check it yourself.

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

The better choice would be the Shape and Size choices. The seller provides her own packaging, she has Confirmation of Delivery, and the price is lower.

[momcqueen]

I'm not saying it hurts to ask the seller to ship cheaper but please be prepared for a 'no' and take that with grace. A seller may set whatever prices they like for shipping using whatever service level they see fit. It is the choice of the buyer to accept it or move along. Perhaps this seller sticks only to Priority because he or she has had bad experience in the past with First Class International taking too long, and it behooves you to respect their wishes. 

No seller wants a buyer who is trying to beat them to the bottom, and then plans to leave negative feedback or low DSRs anyway. 

I agree with what the others have said before me but thought I should share another perspective. 

[patken123]

Actually the seller is very kind and helpful, he's working on finding the lowest method price wise, he agrees with me that the $36. charge seems way too much for such small/light weight item so he understand why I didn't go with that quote.

[patken123]

"At the bottom of the page, though, First-Class Package International Service was priced at $9.50 USD. Perhaps ask if he would be willing to use that service instead."

That sound like a better solution for both, the seller is new to selling internationally and the various costs associated with it, I'll let him know about that first class int. service if in fact costs $9.95. thanks for the suggestion.

[patken123]

Thank you femmefan, I suggested your recommendation and a couple of the others as well,
Thank you all for your comments you were all very helpful and to the point, with your comments.

[patken123]

Update:

I just had the most pleasant experience with My US Seller, Earlier today I received an email from the seller telling me that he found a less expensive method to ship my item(USPS first class package international service),the cost dropped from $36.48 to $24.50 USD, I was happy with that and bought the item .asked if he could ship it as soon as he possibly could.

Then received another email within a couple of hours to tell me that my item was shipped, but not only that he also found out that the actual cost for shipping my order was in fact $12 cheaper so I got a refund of $12 USD as well !!. how's that for honesty and great service?

Needless to say, I'm really pleased with all that happened today , and in the process I found another great seller that I gladly will add to the list of my favourite sellers.

Thank you all again for your helpful comments.

Ken.

[thestuffofchris]

Thanks for sharing. That's great to hear.

All too often we only hear about the bad experiences and a lot of vitriol is spewed towards eBay, so it's nice to hear something positive for a change.

[thestuffofchris]

Also, if you haven't already, it would be good to send a message to let your seller know how happy you are. As great as positive feedback is (every bit helps), getting a personal note will be something the seller will remember much more than just another green dot.

For me, the most memorable transaction I had was from a buyer who went out of their way to message me expressing their happiness with everything (and they are the only buyer to have done so). Needless to say, I remember that more than any feedback I've received.