Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

The calculated shipping costs from Canada to the USA are not working for my auction.  This is the second time I've had this issue, and I'd love to figure out if it is something I did, or if eBay's site is simple broken.

 

The auction is here.

 

I've entered the dimensions and weight, and Canada Post Expedited Parcel.  But, if I change the country to the US, and enter a zip code, I get "Shipping cost cannot be calculated. Please enter a valid Postal Code".

 

What gives?

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

What are the dimensions of your parcel?

The minimum measurements for regular and expedited parcel within Canada is smaller than the minimum allowed for expedited USA.  If the dimensions are too small, the calculator will not tell you, it will just not show a shipping price.

 

Canada Post Minimum Dimensions

Expedited Parcel within Canada - 10cm x 7cm x 1 mm         4"x2.8"
Expedited USA - 21 x 14 x 0.5 CM.                                       8.25x5.5"

Xpresspost USA - 21 x14 x 1 cm                                           8.25x5.5"

Small packet air U.S. & International - 14cm x 9cm x 1mm             5.5x3.5"

Tracked Packet USA & International - 14cm x 9cm x 1mm             5.5x3.5"

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working


@khorton15 wrote:

Hmm.  I entered 7 in x 5 in x 5 in as the dimensions in the auction.  The Canada Post site gives me a quote if I enter those very same dimensions into their calculator, so they seem happy with those dimensions.  

 

Is the problem that the dimensions get scrambled in the handover between eBay and Canada Post, unless they are greater than this minimum?


The Canada Post calculator has done that for a while.....it will show you a quote for an item too small for that service.  I have no idea why it does that but if you look on the CP site you will see the minimum dimensions allowed.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Rant on.

 

I still can't believe after 5+ years of having this issue (that I know of) with the eBay.Ca SYI form not checking the dimensions minimums, that this issue is still here. A couple of times a month, someone gets caught on the Expedited Parcel Canada and USA minimum difference. Usually new sellers.

 

Just amazing that it has never been fixed.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

The problem is with the minimum dimensions most likely.

 

Canada Post Expedited Parcel within Canada has minimum dimensions of 10 x 7 x 0.1 cm.

 

Canada Post Expedited Parcel to USA has minimum dimensions of 21 x 12 x 0.1 cm.

 

To make it work for both, you must meet the minimum for the USA.

 

The eBay Sell Your Item form does not check the minimum dimensions for the shipping options you choose very well. Long time issue that has been complained about to eBay Canada staff many times.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

What are the dimensions of your parcel?

The minimum measurements for regular and expedited parcel within Canada is smaller than the minimum allowed for expedited USA.  If the dimensions are too small, the calculator will not tell you, it will just not show a shipping price.

 

Canada Post Minimum Dimensions

Expedited Parcel within Canada - 10cm x 7cm x 1 mm         4"x2.8"
Expedited USA - 21 x 14 x 0.5 CM.                                       8.25x5.5"

Xpresspost USA - 21 x14 x 1 cm                                           8.25x5.5"

Small packet air U.S. & International - 14cm x 9cm x 1mm             5.5x3.5"

Tracked Packet USA & International - 14cm x 9cm x 1mm             5.5x3.5"

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

You sniped me, PJ.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Hmm.  I entered 7 in x 5 in x 5 in as the dimensions in the auction.  The Canada Post site gives me a quote if I enter those very same dimensions into their calculator, so they seem happy with those dimensions.  

 

Is the problem that the dimensions get scrambled in the handover between eBay and Canada Post, unless they are greater than this minimum?

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Also, for your Canadian shipping, there is no need to list both regular and expedited parcel. Expedited is slightly less expensive and faster then regular so why offer regular at all? Also, when buyers see a list of items in search view, they see the shipping cost that you listed first. In your case,unless the buyer clicks on the shipping tab, they just see the regular parcel price  even though expedited costs less.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Do not use imperial measurements (inches, pounds) in the eBay shipping calculator. Use metric (cm, grams). Because the eBay Sell Your Item (SYI) form rounds up to the nearest whole inch, inches are less precise. Canada Post uses metric for all rates.

 

So inches get rounded up in the SYI form, converted to cm and rounded up to the nearest cm for the rates tables. So the cumulative rounding up can add 2-3 cm to your dimensions and make it jump to another higher rate. Same with pounds and ounces. Gets rounded up to the nearest ounce and converted to grams (no more rounding up as grams are very fine and precise) potentially jumping a weight class.

 

There is nothing wrong with using Imperial measurements versus metric measurements in the the real world. Both are precise. However, the way eBay Sell Your Item form works and the round up issues, imperial measurements are not as precise as metric measurements on eBay.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working


@khorton15 wrote:

Hmm.  I entered 7 in x 5 in x 5 in as the dimensions in the auction.  The Canada Post site gives me a quote if I enter those very same dimensions into their calculator, so they seem happy with those dimensions.  

 

Is the problem that the dimensions get scrambled in the handover between eBay and Canada Post, unless they are greater than this minimum?


7 x 5 x 5 inches is 18 x 13 x 13 cm. The second 13 is under the 21 x 14 x 7 for Expedited Parcel USA.

 

When that close, just fudge the number from 13 to 14 cm. Do not look for a bigger box when so close. Little checking by the post office when being shipped so not a problem.

 

is Canada Post web site seems to less data checking than the eBay Sell Your Item form! You can get a quote there when you should not sometimes.

 

Know your minimums and maximums for the shipping service you use.

 

 

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working


@khorton15 wrote:

Hmm.  I entered 7 in x 5 in x 5 in as the dimensions in the auction.  The Canada Post site gives me a quote if I enter those very same dimensions into their calculator, so they seem happy with those dimensions.  

 

Is the problem that the dimensions get scrambled in the handover between eBay and Canada Post, unless they are greater than this minimum?


The Canada Post calculator has done that for a while.....it will show you a quote for an item too small for that service.  I have no idea why it does that but if you look on the CP site you will see the minimum dimensions allowed.

Message 9 of 20
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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Or did you snipe me? 🙂

 

7 x 5 x 5 inches is 18 x 13 x 13 cm. The second 13 is under the 21 x 14 x 7 for Expedited Parcel USA.

 

Both the first and second number are too small.   Smiley Tongue

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working


@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Or did you snipe me? 🙂

 

7 x 5 x 5 inches is 18 x 13 x 13 cm. The second 13 is under the 21 x 14 x 7 for Expedited Parcel USA.

 

Both the first and second number are too small.   Smiley Tongue


I converted the 5 inch first and that was in my head. Did not notice the first at all.

 

Too many proofreaders here, lol.

 

Thanks for the correction!

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Rant on.

 

I still can't believe after 5+ years of having this issue (that I know of) with the eBay.Ca SYI form not checking the dimensions minimums, that this issue is still here. A couple of times a month, someone gets caught on the Expedited Parcel Canada and USA minimum difference. Usually new sellers.

 

Just amazing that it has never been fixed.

Message 12 of 20
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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Thanks for all the info guys.  It is very useful.  I'll send off a complaint to eBay on this issue, to add to their collection.  

 

The inability to get a shipping quote must deter some bidders, which has to affect selling prices, which in turn affects the fees that eBay collects.  You think there would be a clear business case for them to fix this.  It shouldn't be rocket science.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

In the future, when creating a listing for sale, when ready to list, schedule it into the future 2 weeks. Then list and it will appear in the schedule Listing view of My eBay.

 

A scheduled listing is only seen by you but it acts as a real listing. You can proofread it, test out shipping options to see what works (test by changing shipping location to Canada, USA (have a few zip codes ready) and other countries. It should work if you have set up shipping right. If not, figure out why (not easy but ask here).

 

When the listing looks good and shipping is working, then revise the listing and change from scheduled listing to start immediately. Or since the schedule option is free for non-store sellers, schedule listing to start/end in an evening or Sunday evening for more potential views if it is an auction.

 

 

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

I've also been having this problem with my lots. 

 

I have a magazine-sized item for sale - 30cm x 24cm x 2cm weighing 600g - well above the minimum dimensions listed above.

 

When international shipping is limited to United States, ebay displays the correct shipping cost. But when I allow world wide shipping, and "United States" is selected as the destination country, ebay gives the error "Shipping cost cannot be calculated. Please enter a valid Postal Code".

 

I called eBay about this on Dec 9 and spoke with Kellen (pronounced kay-len). He verified that this was an ebay bug, and that there was an active ticket to get it fixed. Alas, he was unable to provide a work-around (though he did try to find one).

 

Hopefully, this will be fixed soon...

Graham

 

 

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Customer service honestly have no clue how the Canadian shipping calculator works. It is always a good idea to first come to the boards with a problem like that as we are more familiar with how things on .ca work.

 

When you are shipping to the U.S. and to other international countries, which service are you using for the U.S.?  Since different Canada Post services go to the U.S. then to other countries, you must specify different services.

 

If you are using small packet, you should specify small packet USA for the U.S. and small packet international for other countries. The same is true for light packet. Actually for light packet, there is one rate for the U.S. and one rate for all other countries so if you want, you can use flat rate shipping. However, the cost for small packet does vary from country to country.

 

You may be using the short version of the sell your item form which only gives you one international option. If you want to ship to the U.S. and other countries, click on the link on the upper left of the syi page...it says something like change to expanded version.

 

Also, I strongly suggest that you don't use small packet international ground. It can take anywhere from 4 - 12 weeks from delivery and in some cases, a buyer will file an item not received case before that.

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

PJ - Thank you good sir! 

You are awesome.

 

I resubmitted a listing using the advanced tool. Now it correctly calculates shipping to the USA, and I was able to list multiple international shipping options. 

 

It would be nice if the customer service people at ebay.ca knew about this...

 

Thanks again,

Gaham

 

 

Message 17 of 20
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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

You're welcome.

 

Part of the problem is that there is no separate ebay.ca customer service. You phone in to the same people that handle the ebay.com calls and the info they have is more geared to Americans.

 

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

Simple answer !

 

Thanks !

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Shipping from Canada - Calculated shipping not working

@remlec

Not so fast.

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2014

@happy_pigeon

 

The problem with Zombie Threads is that the information may be out of date or inaccurate.

 

In this case, the answers do seem to remain correct, but it is usually best to post a new question when the only posts you can find are over a year old.

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