Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

After four days of working with Shippo tech support to get several bugs worked out I have done a comparison time wise between creating labels on Shippo versus creating labels on PayPal. two.  Know that 95% of my shipping is to the USA via Expedited Parcel or Tracked Packet.  The remaining 5% to Canada.

 

With all of the extra steps and inability to set defaults in metric and CDN dollars it takes twice as long to create a Shippo label than it does to create a PayPal label.  There is a latency problem from the time that you pay for the label until it appears ready to print.  I have yet to have a label appear for printing in less than three refresh requests. 

 

I have mostly combined item shipments that range from 3 items to 50 items.  A real time suck is the customs declaration page where I need to remove all of the separate lines and create a single line that better describes the contents that relate to the tariff code used.  To remove each line requires two mouse clicks and two page refreshes.  For some sellers this may not matter, but for me useless mouse clicks and useless page refreshes matter.  They matter a lot.

 

There are some other time consuming issues as well.  That said, the tech support team at SHIPPO is the best I have ever encountered.  They did not try to get rid of me with the least possible effort like some many tech support experiences go.  I provided a detailed account of my concerns and the Shippo design team are no planning a project to streamline the Customs Declaration input page(s). 

 

I guess everyone will have to do their own evaluation but for me and for the time being I will be sticking with PayPal shipping for as long as I can.

 

I hope this helps.

Fred

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

qottie
Community Member

Hi Fred,

 

Thanks for the feedback!  Very useful.  I have passed it over to Shippo and we will see what we can do to improve the experience.  The metric defaults are something that are in the plans - hopefully we should have that fix live soon.  The other points you raised are also good feedback so I will see what Shippo says they can do to help.

 

Glad you found their support so helpful.  We have been very impressed with how quickly they are able to turn things around in general, not just in support.  Feedback like this is great since they can often quickly make changes to the platform.

 

Hope we can get you using Shippo for all your labels soon!

 

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping


@thewoodguy1 wrote:

Know that 95% of my shipping is to the USA via Expedited Parcel or Tracked Packet.  The remaining 5% to Canada.

 


Wow, I took a peek at your store, and you sell some wonderful, unusual items.  The whole shipping issue aside, what a shame that you need to add the "red print workaround" in your listings for your U.S. customers to be able to check out properly.  

 

For the 25% hike in store fees we were hit with last year, I'd like to see eBay focus some effort on the whole checkout system and make it work easily and seamlessly, regardless of which site on which the seller lists or the buyer chooses to buy.  

 

Cheers!

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Anonymous
Not applicable

@rose-dee wrote:

@thewoodguy1 wrote:

Know that 95% of my shipping is to the USA via Expedited Parcel or Tracked Packet.  The remaining 5% to Canada.

 


Wow, I took a peek at your store, and you sell some wonderful, unusual items.  The whole shipping issue aside, what a shame that you need to add the "red print workaround" in your listings for your U.S. customers to be able to check out properly.  

 

For the 25% hike in store fees we were hit with last year, I'd like to see eBay focus some effort on the whole checkout system and make it work easily and seamlessly, regardless of which site on which the seller lists or the buyer chooses to buy.  

 

Cheers!


The eBay.com shopping cart was upgraded to handle international currencies quite some time ago. That red text is no longer needed. 🙂  If you create combined shipping rules when listing on eBay.ca, buyers can now combine them in the shopping cart on ebay.com.

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping


rodney@ebay.com wrote:


The eBay.com shopping cart was upgraded to handle international currencies quite some time ago. That red text is no longer needed. 🙂  If you create combined shipping rules when listing on eBay.ca, buyers can now combine them in the shopping cart on ebay.com.


 

Hummm... not so sure about that. Please take a look at the problem I had some days ago:

 

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Commit-to-buy-not-there-for-americans-on-CA/m-p/376258#M8...

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Hi Rose-Dee,

 

Thank you for your reply.  I have written long epistles to ebay during their surveys, called the help desk etc.  I explained how much work the check out process needs.  Nothing, absolutely nothing comes back or is taken to heart.   I lose sales regularly because of the check out issues, two this week as a matter of fact.  I have had written warnings from ebay to stop sending my phone number to customers so that I help them check out.  Not all of my customers are computer savvy and a little verbal coaching works wonders.   Where else would a company tell you to not communicate with your customers.

 

I agree with you.  Ebay has raised our fees several times but has done nothing to give back or improve the service they provide.  There is no give along with the take.   

 

I have met many wonderful wood workers via ebay. The art, the craft, the exchange of ideas and photos of their work.......etc.  It is those friendships that keep me doing this.

 

Thanks for the opportunity to vent.

 

All the Best,

Fred

 

PS  I always read your posts.  KUDOS!

  

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Rodney, that is incorrect to the extreme.  I have combined rules and check problems are common. 

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

I have presented these issues as well as some others not listed here to the Shippo design team and Tech support team.  From our efforts last week, they are pulling a project together to streamline the Customs Declaration input and a few other issues.  The latency will be another issue entirely because it involves the Canada Post data center being in the loop.

 

Just FYI,

FAR

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping


@thewoodguy1 wrote:

Rodney, that is incorrect to the extreme.  I have combined rules and check problems are common. 

 


I believe that he was referring to your statement in your listings about US buyers having to sign into .ca to use the cart. The .com and .ca cart have worked the same way for a while now so there shouldn't be a need to direct your buyers to the .ca cart. 

 

What sort of problems are you having? I noticed that you use calculated shipping but the items don't combine when I put them in a cart so you must not have combined shipping for calculated shipping turned on. 

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

PJ,

 

For the combined shipping question, I suspect that you are referring to the second item on the shipping and currency page.  All of the other items that relate to combined shipping are answered with a yes.  That line is answered no because there is no possible method in which I could apply such a simplistic formula to my shipping function.  I ship packages that weigh from 0.250 Kg to 29.5 Kg.  I can have a large package with only two items in it or a small to medium package with 30 items in it.  I have shipments that have to be broken up into multiple packages because of weight and even a few that had to be broken up into multiples because they were over the allowable insured value.  In my operation, no two packages are the same and the number of items in a package of the same size and weight category varies as well.  I have tried a variety of experiments over the years to this end but nothing was really effective.  I need to use the invoice method for combined shipments.  Now that the cost of the shipping label is printed on the label itself, that eliminates even trying to try something different. Now that the cost of the label is printed on the label has created a situation where the shipping cost on the invoice has to closely match the amount on the shipping label. 

 

As for your first question, most of the folks that have problems with the shopping cart/paying are trying to make a purchase using a phone or a tablet.  The variety of problems that result from the invoicing/checkout process on phones is too much to list here.  Once I find out that the customer is using a phone, I tell them that if they use a desktop computer things will probably work and most of the time it does.   Mucking about with all of this is a real time suck, but I feel sympathetic towards these customers that are trying to come on line and I try to help out as best I can.  Many are retirees and seniors.  I had one person who did not have a desktop/laptop computer, he only had a phone.  He had to drive to a friend’s house to complete the payment.  We will much more of 'I just have the phone' going forward.

 

There is no doubt that the ebay app is still in beta.  I tell my app customers were to go to click on certain buttons to only for them to tell me that the button(s) is not even on the screen.  The button fails to appear on this phone but something else does not work on the next.  Granted, there are user issues but there are just as many issues with the ebay mobile app (as developers know, user issues are the applications issues).  All that said, considering how many different phones there are and that no two are configured alike I see where it would be challenging to code an app across this spectrum. But.... also considering eBay's profit, maybe they could contract with a competent firm to write an app that takes these variables into account.

 

As Rose-Dee pointed out, ebay continues to increase the fees in one form or another but they do not give back any corresponding value added component to the sellers.  There has been lots of changes over the same time period as the fee increases but ebay has not responded with anything that is of value to the sellers (at least not the sellers that I correspond with).  The check out problem has been ongoing for years; all we get is spin.

 

My 2 cents worth,

Fred

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

From my reply to PJ

 

------------------Beginning of cut & paste---------------

 

I suspect that you are referring to the second item on the shipping and currency page.  All of the other items that relate to combined shipping are answered with a yes.  That line is answered no because there is no possible method in which I could apply such a simplistic formula to my shipping function.  I ship packages that weigh from 0.250 Kg to 29.5 Kg.  I can have a large package with only two items in it or a small to medium package with 30 items in it.  I have shipments that have to be broken up into multiple packages because of weight and even a few that had to be broken up into multiples because they were over the allowable insured value.  In my operation, no two packages are the same and the number of items in a package of the same size and weight category varies as well.  I have tried a variety of experiments over the years to this end but nothing was really effective.  I need to use the invoice method for combined shipments.  Now that the cost of the shipping label is printed on the label itself, that eliminates even trying to try something different. Now that the cost of the label is printed on the label has created a situation where the shipping cost on the invoice has to closely match the amount on the shipping label. 

 

----------------End of cut and paste -------------------

 

I have to use the invoicing method for combined shipping.

 

FAR

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Anonymous
Not applicable

@lady.stark wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:


The eBay.com shopping cart was upgraded to handle international currencies quite some time ago. That red text is no longer needed. 🙂  If you create combined shipping rules when listing on eBay.ca, buyers can now combine them in the shopping cart on ebay.com.


 

Hummm... not so sure about that. Please take a look at the problem I had some days ago:

 

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Commit-to-buy-not-there-for-americans-on-CA/m-p/376258#M80564

 


Thanks. The issue on that thread could have been driven by the buyer using the "Buy It Now" button instead of adding the items to the shopping cart. If you don't use the shopping cart, then you can't combine immediate pay items (on any eBay site, for any items).

 

A buyer using an outdated version of the eBay app, before the shopping cart was added, could also potentially encounter these problems.

 

In some cases, we've found that there was an issue with the way the seller had set up combined shipping discounts, or that the buyer was attempting to combine items that were listed in different currencies. 

 

There could absolutely still be some kind of platform issue or issues of course. If you care to PM me with transaction details re what happened in your particular case, we can certainly have a look. 

 

 

 

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Anonymous
Not applicable

@thewoodguy1 wrote:

Rodney, that is incorrect to the extreme.  I have combined rules and check problems are common. 

 


Sorry to hear that thewoodguy1.

 

Please PM me with detailed examples if you can. 

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@Anonymous wrote:

The eBay.com shopping cart was upgraded to handle international currencies quite some time ago. That red text is no longer needed. 🙂  If you create combined shipping rules when listing on eBay.ca, buyers can now combine them in the shopping cart on ebay.com.


Yes, the .com cart was upgraded, but this doesn't really address the point I was making.  That was that checkout (i.e. buyers' ability to choose and pay) should function first time, every time, clearly, easily, quickly and seamlessly, regardless of which eBay site the buyer is logged onto, and which items from which eBay sites the buyer chooses to purchase.  If automation (i.e. cart checkout and automated discount rules) are eBay's focus, that automation should work for every possible order situation.  

 

This should be true even for Canadian sellers listing on both .ca and .com who sell multi-item orders (or sellers listing on two or more other sites).  If eBay is going to continue to permit such listing, in a variety of currencies, then it really should recognize that buyers may choose items from more than one site to put in their cart.  Items of a variety of weights and measures should not compound the problem -- although they often do, making invoicing and personal contact indispensable.  

 

While I understand that the .com cart upgrade was a very significant improvement, I am speaking here as a buyer who has encountered a lot of issues attempting to get through the checkout process when purchasing more than one item.  I won't reiterate the list here, since I've posted them (along with screen shots) previously.  Suffice it to say that were I not an experienced eBay buyer and seller, I may well have given up in frustration and looked for another place to buy.  

 

I think it takes a pretty persistent buyer to get through eBay's checkout if they're buying a number of items that the seller has listed on different sites, and/or of different weights and sizes.  Actually, it probably takes a buyer who is determined and willing enough to message the seller to help out.  Most buyers won't bother.  And that is my concern as a seller. 

 

On a related point, I've never been able to understand why eBay doesn't simply oblige all its sellers to list in one currency ($USD), and deal with the currency conversion issues at the point of sale.  Wouldn't that make seamless, integrated checkout more achievable?  Or is it too late for such a change?

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping


@Anonymous wrote:
 

...or that the buyer was attempting to combine items that were listed in different currencies. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________ 

 

This is precisely an example of what I was referring to above.  In my view, this should never, ever be problematic as long as eBay allows listings in different currencies.  It's tantamount to blaming the buyer for problems because the buyer chooses something that was being offered on the site.  

 

EBay should either change its listing methods or ensure that all buyers, on whatever site, can choose what they want, from whomever and wherever they want on eBay, and happily and easily pay.  Commerce 101. 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

I've listed in 2 currencies for a number of years and I think that I have only once had a buyer who wanted to purchase  items in both currencies in one transaction and that doesn't seem to be much of a problem for most sellers based on what I've read.  eBay is unique in that the different sites do use different currencies and as a Canadian buyer and seller I would not want eBay to limit me to buying and selling only in $US.   I'm sure that would only decrease the number of Canadian buyers even more.

 

 

 

 

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Hi Rodney,

 

There is a wide variety of issues with a variety of situations and buyer (user) skill levels.  Do you want me to go back through my sales and identify each one?  I would rather be getting product ready for my next auction. If I made a list it would only be the failed shopping cart instances that I know about.  I estimate that I average 5 per month; that is 60 per year.  Multiply that by the number of sellers that you have selling into both Canada and the USA.  I would suggest that you would have a enough impact to warrant pulling a project together to set up a monitor on the shopping cart; collecting data on shopping cart attempts, abandoned carts, carts uncompleted at payment level etc etc, - gather some real data from across the spectrum and design another project to fix the shopping so that works everybody.

 

For godsake do not try to fix it with eBay's internal tech team.  Hire a competent firm to do the coding.

 

My 2 cents worth

Fred

 

 

 

 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

Hi Rose-Dee,

 

Thank you for your replies, well written as always.  These items have been covered in this forum before as well as ebay surveys.  When it comes to items about the functionality of quote "eBay" itself as a program/application it seems to me that the management team suffer a real disconnect understanding that user issues are really the applications issues.  It get the feeling that management sees the application as sacrosanct.  It is as if management refuses to admit that the sellers need to be concerned, "everything is a OK".  In this thread I was just going to share a time study that I did to compare  the time it takes to do shipping labels in PayPal versus Shippo.  The shopping cart issue raises its head again when it should have been addressed years ago.

 

FAR

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping

I have had some very persistent customer's that really wanted the sale to complete.  They called the ebay help desk for assistance with the shopping cart/making payment etc  only to have the ebay help desk tell the buyer to contact the seller directly.  Over the years I had to become my own ebay help desk in order to have buyers get through the purchase process.  Still doing it.  That is what lead to the red paragraphs mentioned earlier.

 

FAR 

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Shippo Compared to PayPal shipping


@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I've listed in 2 currencies for a number of years and I think that I have only once had a buyer who wanted to purchase  items in both currencies in one transaction and that doesn't seem to be much of a problem for most sellers based on what I've read.  eBay is unique in that the different sites do use different currencies and as a Canadian buyer and seller I would not want eBay to limit me to buying and selling only in $US.   I'm sure that would only decrease the number of Canadian buyers even more. 

 


To address your first point, the number of multi-item orders will obviously vary for sellers depending on the type of merchandise on offer.  Mine happen to attract quite a number of such orders, and because I list on both sites (.com and .ca at the moment), I've had several buyers contact me regarding problems or confusion over checking out.  My concern has always been that those are the buyers who are persistent enough to contact me.  There are doubtless others who have just given up.  

 

Secondly, checkout issues aren't unique to me as a seller.  I've encountered them at least half a dozen times over the past year as a buyer, purchasing multi-item orders.  Had I not been on eBay for years and understood the "workaround" rigmarole, and had I not been so keen to get those particular items, I probably would have thrown up my hands and looked elsewhere.  Clearly this is concerning from a seller's viewpoint as well. 

 

Lastly, I imagine the majority of Canadian buyers go to eBay.com first and foremost, and purchase largely from U.S. sellers (selling in $USD).  Few Canadians are completely unaware of the relative value of $USD.  The rush over the border when the Canadian dollar was above the $USD was proof of that.  At one point, when I lived in BC, there were regular, long line-ups at the Abbotsford/Blaine crossing every weekend of Canadian bargain-hunters.  

 

As a seller I wouldn't mind being restricted to $USD if it meant that all the checkout issues would go away.  That to me would be a trade-off well worth it.  Which is worse -- paying in a currency that is somewhat less familiar, or having problems paying at all?  

 

In any event, I think Canadians are pretty well experienced in thinking in terms of $USD, and other things could be done to highlight the fact that a particular seller was Canadian.  Is it really too much to ask of an online selling venue that checkout work easily, quickly and smoothly virtually 100% of the time?  I'd be willing to give up a lot of other ancillary window-dressing to have eBay concentrate on that one issue until they got it right. 

 

To 'thewoodguy's point, I agree that eBay has, to a large degree, had a tendency to regard site functionality issues in terms of seller or buyer mistakes, not in terms of errors in design or execution of the site programming itself.  Rodney's comment above (inferring that the buyer made the "wrong" choice in checking out, which then caused problems) is illustrative of this perspective.  

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