We want to hear from you—Canada Post labour disruptions

[happy_pigeon]

Hi all,

With Canada Post rotating strikes continuing for the third week with no indication of a resolution between Canada Post and CUPW, the eBay Canada team are looking to hear from Canadian sellers about the impact of the strikes on their business.

Feedback and examples from our seller community helps us to better advocate for you. If you're comfortable with sharing your experience, we want to hear from you, whether you've felt an impact from the postal labour disruptions or not.

Some members of my team (someone other than myself or Tyler) may reach out to you via PM for more information after you post in this thread. We look forward to hearing your stories!

[momcqueen]

A former customer can view THAT listing, yes, if there’s multiples of it but you’re talking about new items, aren’t you? Or relisted ones? Which did you do: use relisted to create and modify a new listing or start from scratch?

[otteropp]

I listed brand new listings and I use Auctiva so launched from there. There is no way that anyone can see my listings while my Store is on vacation.
The reason I am listing them while my store is closed is to make use of my 'FREE' or 'included' listings each month.
EBay is for some reason showing us as having views when it is impossible......so what can we surmise from that?

[cumos55]

The listings were prepared using Auctiva, and uploaded as new listings.

All listings are prepared using the same template on Auctiva.    I started with one listing and adjusted that listing in relation to shipping cost,  and then prepared listings using a template for a specific weight of book. 

All of my listings could then be identified  as being the same listing ... format  and if someone buys something then they can view all my listings.... Maybe that is so....

The listing with 94 views was the same listing of a book that sold previously on eBay, but it was a totally new listing from Auctiva, and not a relist on eBay.......

Many of the listings are for books that have never been listed or sold on eBay by me.

[momcqueen]

What can you surmise? That Auctiva is communicating with eBay is communicating with Google so that listings don’t ‘retire’ now as much as they live forever in order to satisfy Google Search Engine Optimization: any old listing will lead to a new one. Also, my third-party listing management software doesn’t distinguish between active and ended listings on eBay, probably at its root neither does yours.

[cumos55]

That makes my head spin.....

Wonder what eBay would say?

[momcqueen]

What explanation will eBay give? Only one way to find out: ask Tyler or Happy Pigeon.

[bcwet]

You can always download turbolister and download your listings to it active and expired and they live on forever. I relist items from years ago by finding them in turbolister. You need a computer for this. There is no turbolister app for iOS or Android.

[theoldestfart]

I purchased some parts for a computer repair for a customer on Nov9th. The product was shipped Nov 11th and then proceeded to sit in limbo after a supposed hand off to Canada Customs for 5 days without progressing any further. The laptop is in pieces and I have had to apologize to the customer once already. Now I find out that Canada Post has not accepting any further incoming shipments or even first class mail. ebay has no notice whatsoever so that ebayers know up front of this issue. I will be lucky if I see these parts in a month but heh eBay got their money.

[femmefan1946]

Can you find the parts within driving distance? How far would it be worth driving?

How about using a courier?

Is your deal with your customer within Canada?

I'm assuming you took the computer apart to see what piece needed replacing?

[ypdc_dennis]

The incoming shutdown request to other postal systems was November 15 (Thursday) -- anything already in Canada is part of the strike backlog.

 ...

Some postal systems (like Royal Mail) have announced that they have stopped shipping to Canada. Others like the USPS have not announced anything (so far).

-..-

[theoldestfart]

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@ypdc_dennis wrote:

The incoming shutdown request to other postal systems was November 15 (Thursday) -- anything already in Canada is part of the strike backlog.

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Sorry but Canada Post tracking system shows no receipt of the item at all.  The tracking detail says "International item has left originating country and is en route to Canada" That was on Nov 13th!

[ypdc_dennis]

And what does the original post office show for tracking?

Tracking info for different post office systems can show different details.

...

November 13: parcel Gateway plant in Mississauga was out on strike

-..-

[theoldestfart]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

Can you find the parts within driving distance? How far would it be worth driving?

How about using a courier?

Is your deal with your customer within Canada?

I'm assuming you took the computer apart to see what piece needed replacing?

---

No the computer parts are not available within driving distance as they are unique to these types of computers. The shipment is out of my hands. 

I and the customer is within Canada but the parts are no where available in Canada without paying 6x what I found them for on eBay even though I wound up paying $14 shipping for a part the size of your finger nail from the USA. 

Yes the computer is in pieces since I had to do that to determine the issue price out the parts and give the customer a price.

[theoldestfart]

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@ypdc_dennis wrote:

And what does the original post office show for tracking?

Tracking info for different post office systems can show diffferent info.

...

November 13: parcel Gateway plant in Misissauga was out on strike

-..-

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USPS shows 

"November 13, 2018, 11:18 pm 
Processed Through Regional Facility 
CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER  
Your item was processed through our CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER facility on November 13, 2018 at 11:18 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. " they handed it off to Canada

[zee-chan]

I used to use the turbolister but maybe it's just me, but I did have bits and pieces of my listings ended up missing, or format altered on the turbolister and it was a pain to fix...

[pjcdn2005]

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@cumos55 wrote:

The following was found with respect to views on those recently uploaded listings while a store is on vacation.....

"Buyers who have already purchased items from these listings still able to view them."

If someone has bought something from me... they can view the listings in a store that is on vacation.

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I’ve always read that to mean that buyers will still be able view the actual listings that they purchased from, not see all of that sellers listings.  

[momcqueen]

"I’ve always read that to mean that buyers will still be able view the actual listings that they purchased from, not see all of that sellers listings."

That is my understanding as well.  

[momcqueen]

Back to the topic at hand, I have exactly one shipment currently being held up by the labor disruption. One of dozens of domestic shipments that I mailed since the rotating strikes began a month ago. This one is bound for the East Coast.

Those 1.5 million parcels in 600 trailers of backlog have reached the critical mass, it would seem. I saw no impact until now.

I will remain furious at the labour disruption until the moment CUPW is ordered back-to-work and then I will be jubilant as will, I imagine, the actual postal workers who are also being thrown aside in this. The trade off is a more lucrative future for them whereas my tradeoff will be higher postage rates in the future making it even more difficult to recover from this.

Every online shopper and seller in Canada is being treated like throw-away trash in this situation. My own Christmas for my family depends on what I can sell to other families for theirs. It’s like a kick to the nethers every hour of every day: my sales performance is officially suffering. No one in their right mind is looking online for their Christmas shopping right now. There’s only so much I can sell via Local Pickup.

[cumos55]

Everything that has been put into discussions  on eBay during this postal strike  is a major source of information  that can be used to promote the view that on-line sellers and buyers  are an important consideration for Canada Post.

We were a hidden reality until sellers indicated what was happening to mail in Canada.... and then the backlog of parcels coming into Canada....  an effect of on-line buyers.

This backlog  was a surprise for me....  and if I read things correctly, it was also a surprise for the postal union.

[theoldestfart]

Canada Post has 5 times the normal backlog that they would have during this time of the season. eBay is not the only site not being up front with their end users. Major online retailers make no mention on their website regarding this labour issue with Canada Post even though they continue to use Canada Post for their intra Canada shipments. Sad that these merchants are not up front with their customers