Canada Post rates for Small Package Air to the US.

[puckfiend]

Hello there! I've just started selling on eBay again after a year's hiatus. I sell mostly logo hockey pucks and use Canada Post Small Packet Air to ship to the US. I notice that Canada Post has now added a 'fuel surcharge' to the basic rate. Previously this was only charged on packages mailed within Canada. For example, a package less than 250 grams is $9.48 plus 0.59 fuel surcharge for a total cost of $10.07. However, yesterday when eBay sent out an invoice to the seller immediately after the auction ended the 'fuel surcharge' was NOT included.  The invoice was for $10.98 shipping which also included my handling fee of $1.50 for the cost of packaging and materials used in shipping. It's not a lot of money but would be more on heavier items shipped. Is eBay not aware of this?   

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@puckfiend wrote:

Hello there! I've just started selling on eBay again after a year's hiatus. I sell mostly logo hockey pucks and use Canada Post Small Packet Air to ship to the US. I notice that Canada Post has now added a 'fuel surcharge' to the basic rate. Previously this was only charged on packages mailed within Canada. For example, a package less than 250 grams is $9.48 plus 0.59 fuel surcharge for a total cost of $10.07. However, yesterday when eBay sent out an invoice to the seller immediately after the auction ended the 'fuel surcharge' was NOT included.  The invoice was for $10.98 shipping which also included my handling fee of $1.50 for the cost of packaging and materials used in shipping. It's not a lot of money but would be more on heavier items shipped. Is eBay not aware of this?   

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That's a known issue. Ebay is working on it. See attached.

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/eBay-labels-on-Canada-site-broken-and-costing-sellers-mo...

Post 4 for most recent update.

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Weekly-Chat-Session/March-17-2021-Weekly-Session/m-p/455204#M8407

-Lotz

[pjcdn2005]

Welcome back.

They've been told about it numerous times. It apparently isn't a huge priority for whoever fixes those type of things. For now, you could set up shipping to the US using a flat rate.  Small packet USA isnt based on distance just on weight, so a 500 gram packager will cost the same to NY as to California.

Right now you don't have any shipping options or prices set up for other countries.  If you do decide that you want to show a price for those countries as well, then you would have to have either calculated OR flat rate for all international locations.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@puckfiend 

The other way would be calculated with a small handling charge to offset the fuel surcharge. You could always remove surcharge at a later time.

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

Personally I dislike handling charges. Both as a seller and as a buyer, I would rather my packaging costs be buried in the asking price.

But I'm also a great believer in Free Shipping, which as we all know (including buyers who bother to think about it) just means the shipping cost is buried in the asking price.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

Personally I dislike handling charges. Both as a seller and as a buyer, I would rather my packaging costs be buried in the asking price.

But I'm also a great believer in Free Shipping, which as we all know (including buyers who bother to think about it) just means the shipping cost is buried in the asking price.

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The buyer will never know how much a handling charge is and will never notice unless it is excessive.  Because many items are now selling using Best Offer, you can only mark things up so much and a handling charge gives you a bit of wiggle room when they do.  It is almost the only way to cover all the eBay FVF's, promoted fees, fees on misc. taxes and packaging expenses. If you are a seller that sells many different items at the same time it works well (Handling charge gets built in to the profits.) If you sell multiples not so well because it only gets attached to the first item. eBay Promotional fees get applied to all units. Flat rate or building in shipping may work for sellers that sell all the same kind of items. Not so well for sellers selling one of a kind unique items. Too many variables involved with shipping. Or situation like an added fuel surcharges when eBay omits applying in a timely manner.

-Lotz

PS. If you sell to businesses they understand shipping is just the cost of doing business. They pay it without a thought.