eBay

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-05-2023

@dinomitesales

I have a 1 kg parcel to go to a reserve in N. Ont from Calgary. (Winter roads or flown in) Rates are as follows.

Ebay non discounted Counter rate - Regular - 27.77

(eBay Calculator Tool) Expedited - 34.27

Xpresspost 41.32

eBay rate - Regular - 27.77 (Discounted 29.89) +1.22

Expedited 34.27 (Discounted 34.27) + 0.00

Xpresspost 41.32 (No Discount) -0.00

When it comes to off the beaten track and or reserves it may be a good idea to do some research/consider the CP prepaid options vs using eBay Labels.

Just for chuckles I checked 200 grams to the same address, shipping by

Expedited lite Counter rate (system strangely quotes a counter rate) would be 27.14. Expedited Lite 27.40 discounted. +0.26

Regular parcel Counter rate would be 25.46. Discounted eBay Rate regular parcel 27.40. +1.94

Counter rate expedited parcel would be 27.40. Discounted eBay Rate Expedited parcel 27.40 +0.00

These examples would explain the variances when creating listings and what a seller sees when checking shipping for across Canada and why using flat rate can be extremely dangerous in many cases.

Please note. Your final total may vary depending on fuel/applicable tax. As for a random side guess discounts are not always applicable.

-Lotz

CP Calculator Tool Display:

femmefan1946 · ‎11-05-2023

If the second keystroke in the postal code is a "0" be ready for surcharges.

Even trickier-- most people who both live on Reserve and hold Indian Status are exempt from sales taxes.

How does eBay handle those special but not unusual cases?
BTW - the same may hold for those holding diplomatic status. Living for 40 years in Ottawa made me aware of both situations.

byto253 · ‎11-05-2023

Thanks, a good heads up.

Did you look at the rate with the SBS discount? For most places it is not that much, and more bumps you up a class of service but just wondered if it was worth much.

femmefan1946 · ‎11-05-2023

BTW- if you ship to an isolated address, don't bother with anyone but Canada Post, since your private shipper will be sub-contracting to CPO anyway.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-05-2023

@femmefan1946 wrote:
If the second keystroke in the postal code is a "0" be ready for surcharges.

Even trickier-- most people who both live on Reserve and hold Indian Status are exempt from sales taxes.
How does eBay handle those special but not unusual cases?
BTW - the same may hold for those holding diplomatic status. Living for 40 years in Ottawa made me aware of both situations.

@byto253

@femmefan1946

Yes it does have a Zero as the 2nd keystroke.

Because of eBay labels using level 4 in theory the rate available should be better than the level 1 most SSB customers get. I didn't go that to that step with my testing. In the past I have seen some difference for out of the way places but this time was not expecting to see positive $ difference with a supposedly discounted rate.

As for the question about customers with exempt free status I've passed that question on in the past to eBay on multiple occasions. There was NEVER any followup as to a procedure in place for these kinds of situations. Basically entirely up to buyer to attempt to claim back. There is nothing on either help page on the specific subject. For other B & M type busiesses, if/when someone is tax exempt they prove and the exemption number is applied. (The questions has been asked on dot com also and as far as I know there was never an answer there either.)

-Lotz

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-05-2023

@byto253 wrote:
Thanks, a good heads up.

Did you look at the rate with the SBS discount? For most places it is not that much, and more bumps you up a class of service but just wondered if it was worth much.

@byto253

@dinomitesales

CP was in process of doing upgrades when I received the order. Just checked now. Same non-discount for level 1 as level 4. 34.27. Approx. 6 of that is fuel and 3.50 is tax(Expedited).

Guess this means discounts are no longer applicable to those types of locals.

-Lotz

ilikehockeyjerseys · ‎11-05-2023

I usually go with flat rate shipping, or free shipping with the price baked in. The big benefit with having flat rate boxes as an option is that they represent a ceiling of what you will pay for shipping.

For people who list on eBay, it is pretty common to assume that the Buy It Now W/ BO price is flexible. So in a case where I get hit with a higher than usual shipping charge, in most cases it doesn't really matter because the item is usually selling for higher than I would have taken for it in a worst-case scenario.

I guess the way I look at it is that it's not worth the hassle of measuring every single item to offer calculated rates, because a majority of the time my items fit into flat rate boxes, so I know I have a $17-$30 (or whatever it is now) ceiling to fall back on, and it is pretty rare to get hit with an absurdly expensive location to ship to.

ilikehockeyjerseys · ‎11-05-2023

For those registered for GST, eBay is the billing agent for taxes. In a case where someone inquires about tax-exemption status, I would direct them to eBay's customer service page so that they can chat with an appropriate CSR.

eBay now offers a tax invoice accessible from the View Order Details page. They did not have this previously, which seemed like a major issue. I am unsure about the exact laws regarding tax exemption and online purchases, but my assumption would be that the buyer would have to pay the tax up-front and then using the provided invoice, apply for a refund from the government. Although, some major websites have a process for verifying tax-exemption status. So maybe eBay now has that since they became the billing agents last year for GST-registered sellers.

I am not an accountant or an expert in tax law. So the above is just my own speculation and not actual professional tax advice.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-05-2023

@ilikehockeyjerseys wrote:
I usually go with flat rate shipping, or free shipping with the price baked in. The big benefit with having flat rate boxes as an option is that they represent a ceiling of what you will pay for shipping.

For people who list on eBay, it is pretty common to assume that the Buy It Now W/ BO price is flexible. So in a case where I get hit with a higher than usual shipping charge, in most cases it doesn't really matter because the item is usually selling for higher than I would have taken for it in a worst-case scenario.

I guess the way I look at it is that it's not worth the hassle of measuring every single item to offer calculated rates, because a majority of the time my items fit into flat rate boxes, so I know I have a $17-$30 (or whatever it is now) ceiling to fall back on, and it is pretty rare to get hit with an absurdly expensive location to ship to.

@ilikehockeyjerseys

Unfortunately for sellers that sell bulkier items those flat rate boxes do not work for everything. Lost track of number of times I've said under my breath.....if only. I ballpark on side of slightly up on measurements, add a bit extra for packaging and build in extra as required to meet minimums for eBay calculator to show ALL options I would like to include. Flat rate hopeful optimism just doesn't work for everyone, because of their product mix or risk of being burned for some place that happens to be way out of the way.

-Lotz