Ebay erroneously telling US buyers that a Canada Post receipt number is a tracking number.

[phc64]

I ship most purchases to the United States via Canada Post Small Packet Air. Since I sell mostly $5 to $10 items, tracking is simply too expensive. Since being switched to Managed Payments about a month ago, eBay has been telling my US buyers that what is actually the Small Packet Air receipt number is a tracking number, which is leading to all kinds of problems with US buyers asking why the supposed tracking information is only indicating 'tracking number provided'. I am getting rather tired of constantly having to send messages to my US buyers that what eBay is telling them is a tracking number is in fact no such thing.

Has anyone else been encountering this issue?

[darak10]

yes, Ive started sending some stuff domestic as well just to test it out and I've found the same.  What I find very odd yet very funny at the same time about the process is that they charge a lower price than CP like you say, then once we drop it off, it goes into the CP system to handle, process and deliver.  Dunno how they got CP to agree to allow that but bully for them, the guys running CP are perpetually short in the brain cell dept it seems haha  

[ypdc_dennis]

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@darak10 wrote:

... they charge a lower price than CP like you say, then once we drop it off, it goes into the CP system to handle, process and deliver.  Dunno how they got CP to agree ....

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Canada Post gives large discounts to high volume shippers. Especially those that bring in truckloads of parcels.

[darak10]

Im not paying CP to ship though, Im paying chit chats, so as far as I know, absolutely zero of that amount goes to CP.  Surely they get a cut but how much I have no idea.  I would love to know the logistics of how this operates though from a forensic perspective.  

[ypdc_dennis]

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@darak10 wrote:

Im not paying CP to ship though, Im paying chit chats, so as far as I know, absolutely zero of that amount goes to CP.  ....

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You pay ChitChats. ChitChats then pays Canada Post for each parcel that Canada Post delivers.  Chit Chats makes their money on the difference between what you pay them and what they pay Canada Post.

https://chitchats.com/how

[peterkat2020]

So it seems Ebay has no plans to fix this problem.  I just printed a small packets USA label through Ebay and they uploaded a number as a tracking # so I went ahead and edited it to add the UR# that appears under the barcode as others have mentioned it sometimes gets scanned by USPS.  So I know not to use Ebay labels again for small packet USA.

[parts_and_diecasts]

I agree and I'm a big fan of Chit Chats as well (provided you live close to one of the areas they serve).

90% of the time, if I drop the package on Monday, it is in the hands of the US buyer by Friday of the same week (maybe Saturday if shipping to California). It is seemless for US buyers and I would bet that most of them don't even realize that I am shipping from Canada.

I used to swim naked like the original poster (i.e. CPC Small Packets Air) but it's a pain having to explain half of the time why there is no tracking. I have to say that my experience with US buyers has been nothing but positive and I never had one abuse the no tracking by filling an INR (can't say the same of International Buyers). The other problem shipping CPC Small Packets Air is that these days there is a good chance of getting stuck at the Chicago ISC (vs the trucking to Rochester USPS depot with Chit Chats), risking delays, late shipments and buyer frustration (and INR if no tracking).

if your item values are $5 to $10, I gather that they are probably less than 0.5 lbs in weight and would fit in a 6x4x4, which on average is CAD$5.49 with Chit Chats (cheaper than CPC Small Packets Air, even for those of you that have level 4).

I sell items that can go up in value up to US$800 (just at the import duties limit), I have no stress shipping when tracked and able to compete on price with some of the biggest US sellers in my category. For heavier or bulkier items, Net Parcels UPS is often cheaper than Chit Chats. It's a trade-off between the 2, but I rarely use Canada Post directly anymore, aside from the yearly free Tuesdays promos. 😉