eBay

momcqueen · ‎02-01-2017

Woke to another letter from ebay lobbying for my support in pushing for a higher de minimus.

Last time, I were merely annoyed.

This time, it made me angry.

I'm not going to sign a letter that sells Canadian sellers and/or retailers (taxpayers and ultimately residents of Canada) up the river.

I happily pay my taxes on all items that are taxable INCLUDING IMPORTS OVER $20 because I understand that tax dollars support everything about Canada that I hold dear.

And the fact it might hobble the excitement about some online purchases from outside Canada is less important than the alternative.

Note also: this letter came from ebay Relations at ebay.com and not ebay Canada.

I'm not facilitating this campaign by adding their links. It boasts that close to 50,000 Canadians have already signed it. Fifty thousand. Big whoop.

momcqueen · ‎02-01-2017

So while we're on the subject of lobbying government, again I am going to publicly call on ebay Canada to make a statement to its Canadian buyers and Chinese sellers about delayed Estimated Delivery Dates on items shipped from China because all lettermail from China is being inspected for fentanyl.

This is a major issue! Canadians are dying like its an epidemic because China is happily exporting legal-to-cook-in-China but illegal-to-use-or-have-in-Canada drugs. Not to mention, Canadian buyers aren't getting their goods on time and Chinese sellers are forced to issue refunds for merchandise that might still be in transit. It's a lose - lose - lose situation.

If ebay wants to get involved in policitcs, first of all, take care of its own customers at home by acknowledging and addressing this delay and secondly, lobby our government to lobby the Chinese government to make it illegal for them to manufacture and export carfentanil. It's so toxic that two grains the size of salt grains can cause overdose. First responders have to carry antidote and police now routinely wear hazmat suits to conduct investigations where they believe it is contaminating the crime scene.

And available as easily as with a google search.

Not that I'm suggesting you do that.

rose-dee · ‎02-03-2017

Writing to one's MP, with a copy to the Minister, was exactly what I was going to suggest, good for you. I plan to do the same. Our government needs to hear that there are voices aside from those eBay sellers who may have been hoodwinked into signing eBay's "petition".

As I may have expressed on other threads, this effort by eBay.com (and make no mistake, it's eBay HQ driving this) is nothing short of a foreign corporation exploiting the bona fides of its Canadian sellers to lobby the Canadian government for a change of laws that will primarily benefit eBay's U.S. operations. EBay knows that direct lobbying on behalf of a U.S. corporation would get nowhere in Ottawa. I call it, at the very least, a deeply cynical campaign, a corporate Trojan horse in the guise of a polite, upbeat letter-petition that they hope Canadian lawmakers will be naïve enough to fall for.

I almost can't express how incensed I am at eBay over this tactic.

Beware geeks bearing gifts...

maggiebvintage2010 · ‎02-04-2017

Hi "rose-dee" - my post was removed because I reproduced the reply from my MP, and your post has been edited so you have now replied to "mjwl2006", not me.

Hi "mjwl2006" - if you ever read this again, I wish you would show us the entire ebay letter - I still have not received the second petition, and would like to forward it to my MP as well as to the Ministers for Finance, Revenue and Trade with more comments about my opposition to eBay's stance.