eBay

tho3547_ihymun9n · ‎05-06-2015

Hey guys.

I've been buying on eBay for a while, decided that I should finally sell some stuff.

Anyways I'm unsure about what shipping options are best for a Canadian seller who's listing video games of dvd case size.

I'd like to be able to ship within Canada and to the US, but I would also like to have tracking or at least delivery conformation.

If anyone has the information for this, I would be very grateful.

I posted an item today, with shipping only to Canada as a pseudo trial. Lemme know if something is distinctly wrong if possible.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261878905685?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

recped · ‎05-06-2015

Forget about tracking, the cost for services that provide it relative to those that don't (for a dvd) is ridiculously high.

For Domestic you can use LetterMail.

For USA/Overseas Light Packet/Small Packet

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

femmefan1946 · ‎05-06-2015

The basic problem is that shipping by LetterPost/LightPacket is relatively expensive through Canada Post, but neither includes tracking or Delivery Confirmation of any sort.

The USPS allows cheap Media Mail(slow, domestic only) or first class delivery(quicker) to include Confirmation of Delivery for about a quarter when purchased online.

Now, 90% of your buyers are likely to be in the USA, and your demographic runs heavily to youngish males (see: GamerGate for a demographic profile).

So you have a few options.

Ignore the problem, ship without tracking. Absorb the cost of the Not Received claims. (Stuff doesn't get lost in the mail although it does get delayed. I speak from over 30 years of involvement with selling by mail order.)

Aim at Canadian and overseas customers. A much smaller group, but your US competitors ignore or over charge them (See the Global Shipping Program boards -- over 10,000 screams of fury). Your Canada Post shipping will be roughly the same as your overseas or Canadian customer would pay to a US seller if he could even find one. Again, you are aiming at 10% of the market and ignoring 90%.

Try to offer the hard to find stuff, but remember that it is hard to find because it never had much of an audience to begin with.

Your biggest problem will not be shipping. Your biggest problem will be finding product at a price that allows you a decent profit.

drucecat · ‎05-06-2015

@tho3547_ihymun9n wrote:
Hey guys.
I've been buying on eBay for a while, decided that I should finally sell some stuff.

Anyways I'm unsure about what shipping options are best for a Canadian seller who's listing video games of dvd case size.
I'd like to be able to ship within Canada and to the US, but I would also like to have tracking or at least delivery conformation.
If anyone has the information for this, I would be very grateful.

I posted an item today, with shipping only to Canada as a pseudo trial. Lemme know if something is distinctly wrong if possible.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261878905685?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Hello tho3547;

Yes, there is a problem with your current "test" item.

You have stated that it will ship parcel post. For which you are going to charge $4.00. Unless you are heavily subsidizing the shipping from the items selling price, you are going to lose at least $6.00 by using Parcel Post.

Shipping this item from Ottawa to even Toronto via Parcel Post will cost $10. It will cost you about $13.40 to ship this item to Vancouver.

So, the best methods to lower this cost are;

1. Use letter mail, if possible. You are restricted to having the item, including the packaging, to be a maximum of 380 mm in length x 270 mm in width x 20 mm in height. The weight must be less than 500 grams. The cost of postage is the same for all destinations in Canada, and is charged by weight, as follows:

Up to 100 g	1.8
Over 100 g up to 200 g	2.95
Over 200 g up to 300 g	4.1
Over 300 g up to 400 g	4.7
Over 400 g up to 500 g	5.05

The largest problem with lettermail is keeping the height less than 20 mm. Trust me, they do check this, and I have had items returned to me a few days after posting, because they are too high. If you mail at a manned postal outlet they will run your package through a guide to check all the dimensions.

Uline (uline.ca) sells a perfect box for DVDs, Blu-Rays and most games, but you need to sell quite a few to justify buying these. I've shipped 400 + DVDs and Blu-Rays using these, with nothing but very positive feedback from buyers. These boxes are located in the DVD section and you have to buy a minimum of 200.

A lot of sellers use bubble mailers etc, with varying degrees of success. The problems with bubble mailers is they generally add a fair bit to the height of the item. And, they do not protect the contents near as well as the boxes.

There is no tracking when using lettermail.

2. If you have to use Parcel shipping, use Expedited Post and purchase your label through PayPal. This method of shipping is discounted by Paypal for eBay sales (which results in it being the same price or often cheaper than Parcel post) and comes with tracking plus it's a little bit faster than Parcel post.

Use the shipping calculator on eBay to get a rough estimate of the price of shipping Expedited and take about 10% off of the prices shown to get the amount PayPal will discount this price:

http://payments.cgi5.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EmitSellerShippingCalculator

You may also use the shipping calculator to estimate the prices to the US and the rest of the world. But, there is no discount on the Lite Packet rates shown.

If you really want to be sure, download this from Canada Post and make yourself a chart or a spreadsheet, as shipping is really something you can't afford to be mistaken about.

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/CPprices-e.pdf

A discount is available through Canada Post called Solutions For Small Businesses (formally Ventureone) and is explained on the Canada Post website.

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/pages/buserv/default.page?ecid=murl|pdn|jb|1

Getting the shipping portion of your listing right is initially very time consuming, but it becomes easier and easier as time goes by. The key is knowing all of your options and getting it right from the beginning. But it will become second nature and if you start with a good foundation, you will never have those really nasty surprises you keep reading about on the boards.

Best of luck with your selling!

pocomocomputing · ‎05-07-2015

@drucecat wrote:

Use the shipping calculator on eBay to get a rough estimate of the price of shipping Expedited and take about 10% off of the prices shown to get the amount PayPal will discount this price:

http://payments.cgi5.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EmitSellerShippingCalculator

You may also use the shipping calculator to estimate the prices to the US and the rest of the world. But, there is no discount on the Lite Packet rates shown.

When using the above ebay calculator, look at the weight dropdown list and use the Custom Weight to enter the weight of your item for weight under 500 g. The lowest the list shows is Under 500 g which means you will not get the lower weight of 200 g, 250 g, 300 g and only the 500 g weight rates.

Also use metric measurements (kg, g, cm) and not imperial measurements (lbs, oz, inches). Canada Post uses metric measurements so using imperial measurements may cause conversion roundup when a weight or a dimension is near a break point and charge a higher rate for shipping. This is true for eBay listing shipping calculator and PayPal calculator. Use metric and much less chance of issues.

canadian.tree · ‎05-07-2015

I made the mistake on tracking for my first few sales cost me 45$ to ship 3 games.. Terrible because I was worried someone would say I didn't ship that was not the case. I have over 500 sales not 1 complaint about something not getting to the buyer , from 0 feedback to were I am now. So don't be worried you have not sold anything that they will accuse you of not shipping.

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-07-2015

You really should consider shipping to the United States otherwise you are missing out on a huge market right next door.

Also, some Canadians may shop exclusively on ebay.com and since you don't ship to the U.S. they won't see your listing there.

maximus7001 · ‎05-07-2015

We sell cd's, cassettes, dvd's and video games all the time and send them lettermail to USA and overseas if they are 100 grams or less in a bubble mailer and fit through the 2cm slot, just include your phone number with the return address. Never had an issue yet with doing this.. Just throw them in a mailbox, there is no point in arguing with the cranky old lady at the post office about this.

mr.elmwood · ‎05-08-2015

Someone explain to me what difference it makes what is in the envelope.

It is not insured, it is below the max weight. Dimensions are correct. It fits through the slot.

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rose-dee · ‎05-08-2015

You should be able to ship most of your items lettermail within Canada (light packet to the US). I sell products on CD and I've never found this to be a problem, as long as the parcel is under the requisite dimensions (as others here have noted). As a previous poster mentioned, the cases the CDs/DVDs are in can make a difference, as can the bubble mailer.

I've never used tracking for these items because the cost of tracking far outweighs the risk of loss or damage -- or even the cost of a refund should something go amiss.

Frankly I've never had a lettermail or Light Packet item not reach its destination in many years of using these services, and only once had a parcel delayed beyond Canada Post's expected delivery window. That one delay was due to Hurricane Sandy having virtually destroyed the area in New Jersey where the parcel was destined, resulting in the local Post Office there being closed for a week and parcels being routed to another P.O. for outbound delivery. Would tracking have helped in that instance -- not likely. The only times I use tracking/delivery confirmation are for items over about $150, or where I think a buyer may be troublesome or fussy and the item is valuable enough to warrant the cost.

Do what I did and create a home-made dimension tester from a piece of stiff cardboard, by cutting a slot precisely 37cm across by 2.0cm deep. Make sure you measure the slot accurately, mark it out with clear pencil lines and use a utility knife to get crisp, accurate edges. Keep that piece of cardboard handy when you're packing an item and before you seal it in the bubble envelope, put it through your slot. If it slides through fairly easily without shoving, you're probably just fine.

Best of luck!

recped · ‎05-08-2015

@mr.elmwood wrote:
Someone explain to me what difference it makes what is in the envelope.

It is not insured, it is below the max weight. Dimensions are correct. It fits through the slot.

The difference? Less money for Canada Post!

Just received a First Class LETTER from California containing a couple of camera batteries, cleared customs in Vancouver whereupon Canada Post converted it to XPRESSPOST.

I'm not complaining about the service which was incredibly fast for the less than $1.15 the shipper spent but why CP would turn this into Xpresspost and overnight it to me from Vancouver is a bit of a mystery.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-08-2015

@recped wrote:

I'm not complaining about the service which was incredibly fast for the less than $1.15 the shipper spent but why CP would turn this into Xpresspost and overnight it to me from Vancouver is a bit of a mystery.

No kidding. It seems like overkill for a first class package. I would rather that we were 'allowed' to use letterpost to the U.S. for merchandise as long as the package fit the dimensions. Actually, aren't the USPS dimensions for first class del con more generous than the light packet dimensions?

I can't remember if I mentioned this in another post but I sent a package via Tracked Packet to California. Delivery took 13 days. The buyer sent it back to me with first class int'l del con and it took 4 days. In both cases it took the same amount of time to cross the border but after that the delivery within Canada was much faster.

rose-dee · ‎05-08-2015

@recped wrote:

Just received a First Class LETTER from California containing a couple of camera batteries, cleared customs in Vancouver whereupon Canada Post converted it to XPRESSPOST.

I'm not complaining about the service which was incredibly fast for the less than $1.15 the shipper spent but why CP would turn this into Xpresspost and overnight it to me from Vancouver is a bit of a mystery.

I've had exactly the same thing occur on a number of small purchases from the U.S. on which I paid a minimal shipping charge. I would have expected -- at best -- they'd be converted to Expedited Parcel for the amount of shipping I paid, but the Xpresspost stickers are on the package. As you say, they go at lightning speed once they cross the Canadian border.

How Canada Post does this (and why) is beyond me. I wonder if they're obliged by an international postal convention to upgrade to such an extent?

I'd be interested to know, if anybody has first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of C.P. (where's 'toff' when we need him?).

mr.elmwood · ‎05-08-2015

Guy I know puts stamps on and throws parcels in the mail box. Never worried about thickness or weight. Only recently has been getting caught on thickness. Not on contents.

I wonder what the thickness tolerance is for the machines?

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rose-dee · ‎05-08-2015

@mr.elmwood wrote:

I wonder what the thickness tolerance is for the machines?

I don't really know, but then I rarely take too much of a chance. If I have to apply some pressure to shove my parcel through my DIY cardboard slot, then I pay for Small Packet (to the US).

The problem with "guesstimating" is that if the parcel does get rejected by Canada Post and (who knows??) sent back to the seller, then you have a shipping delay that the buyer won't be happy about. As a small seller, I just can't afford the kind of bravado your friend has.

I'd love it if Canada Post would increase that thickness, just a wee bit, to 2.5cm (1") -- that would solve nearly all my problems.

drucecat · ‎05-09-2015

@rose-dee wrote:
@mr.elmwood wrote:

I wonder what the thickness tolerance is for the machines?
I don't really know, but then I rarely take too much of a chance. If I have to apply some pressure to shove my parcel through my DIY cardboard slot, then I pay for Small Packet (to the US).

The problem with "guesstimating" is that if the parcel does get rejected by Canada Post and (who knows??) sent back to the seller, then you have a shipping delay that the buyer won't be happy about. As a small seller, I just can't afford the kind of bravado your friend has.

I'd love it if Canada Post would increase that thickness, just a wee bit, to 2.5cm (1") -- that would solve nearly all my problems.

I agree with you Rose!

As I said above, I have had packages returned because they were too thick (in one case I'm talking about a package that was maybe 22 mm). But, it is what it is.

Interestingly enough, all three of the packages that I have had returned, went through the sort facility in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver). But, that really is not the point - they were too thick, I took a chance and I paid.

I paid a lot, as I had to contact my buyers and tell them that CP returned my shipments (and I didn't know why - a white lie, and another ring in my downward spiral into purgatory) and I had immediately reshipped their package via Expedited parcel and provided them a tracking number.

Ouch - very expensive - I lost all of the original postage, plus I purchased Expedited for about $12. But, I kept my customers in the loop - and happy! And I received positive feedbacks and had 2 repeat customers.

My fault, I have no complaints. The limit is 20 mm. and I exceeded it.

As far as shipping product to the US via letterpost - I choose not to play Russian Roulette. If someone at CP decides to enforce their regulations, then your shipment will be returned. And, as customs is involved, the fix won't be fast and it will be expensive. I don't need the" negative" or the "defect".

So I always choose to ship internationally, as CP instructs. I know lots of others think I'm a fool for doing this, as they have never had an issue, but I can live with that.

I choose not to risk the goodwill that I have accumulated on eBay, to sell my "right nostril inhaler" more easily.

femmefan1946 · ‎05-09-2015

I've been told that the machines will 'chew up' packages over 2cm.

But they'll chew up other things too, like the envelope on the Mother's Day card I got yesterday.

Oddly, no note on the card about the damage.

It is possible that the older machines have a one inch opening-- but those would go back to 1974 or earlier when the PO went metric.

With newer machines, like those in the newer terminals like Vancouver or Winnipeg, there would be less leeway.

And of course, some of the material may not go through any machines.

cardfandom · ‎01-11-2018

I've been selling dvds/games for the past decade and can safely say that tracking and insurance don't mean a hell of a lot to CP so unless you want to incorporate an extra $12+ into your sales pitch it'd suggest try to be under 30mm (I've never had any problems unless it's over) and throw on 5 stamps.
If you have bigger items or a group you can always apply for a free CP Venture Card. Just put into your company name and you often get 5%-10% off dependent on location; which increase if you sell a lot every annual. Suffice to say I rarely go to the post office, I've had so much trouble with them; overpricing everything, not to mention other disputes. I've tried the Paypal discount also but it's pretty comparible as of now.