Canada post ruins the ebay experience

[leogexx]

Recently I sold some items on ebay (I try this once a year usually) and with the shipping costs by Canada Post and the ebay fees ,it really doesn't seem to be  worth the time and effort to sell on ebay unless you have small envelope sized items or items you know will fetch a decent price. I find the high cost of Canadian shipping scares customers away or really effects the selling price . I have even had a customer (long time ago ) give me a negative for what the canadapost rates were.

[pjcdn2005]

I had one package going to another location in Canada..  The calculator automatically put the shipping in for the Buyer at one price.  When I went to print the label, even though NONE of the info had changed, it was suddenly 75 cents more for me to ship the item!  

It gets better.  When the Ebay supervisor and myself both checked on the Canada Post website, independent of Ebay, a package that size & weight to that location should have actually been several dollars cheaper for both the Buyer AND the Seller.

Can you give any specifics such as

-dimensions and weight of the package

-destination of package (first 3 letters of a postal code)

-amount showing on calculator and amount showing on the Canada Post site

On another note....I notice that you use regular parcel for within Canada. If you use expedited parcel and print the label through Paypal there is a discount so expedited is less than regular parcel.

[pocomocomputing]

Most errors in the eBay listing shipping calculator are user errors. Garbage in, Garbage out.

The user either inputs incorrect dimensions or incorrect weight. Or changes the dimensions when using a slightly larger box when shipping and dimensional weight is triggered using a larger weight class and a different shipping rate.

Or the user compares the eBay listing shipping calculator to the wrong Canada Post Find a rate site which shows different rates parcels when using the Personal Find A Rate calculator or the Business Find A Rate calculator which also has a Venture One discount savings link to show another rate.

A user of these eBay and Canada Post tools has to know there are these differences in these calculators when trying to compare the results. An understanding of the Canada Post rates is also helpful to understand the differences and why they are different.

I would say that most of the time the user is at fault and not the various calculators.

As PJ suggested, give the dimensions, weight, to and from postal codes, shipping service used (Regular Parcel or Expedited Parcel). Someone here reading these forums who is familiar with the workings of the various tools will check what you got for results.

[pierrelebel]

"Most errors in the eBay listing shipping calculator are user errors"

I agree.

But it is so darn easy to blame eBay or PayPal or Canada Post or Pitney Bowes (who administers the system on behalf of PayPal), or..or... or... anybody else..

[rose-dee]

One aspect that hasn't been mentioned here is the higher cost of fuel that has to be a factor in higher shipping costs.  Until airplanes run on air, shipping costs will keep going up every year.

On the other hand, I look at it this way: if I have to "subsidize" my U.S. buyers a little on shipping (since they are 90% of my customers), in order to continue to attract sales, I'll do it.  There will come a point where that is no longer feasible, but at the moment it's workable.

I use flat rate shipping so that I can specify in advance what my buyers will pay, giving them discounts where I am able. 

Although in comparison to US rates, Canada Post seems expensive, I think it's important to put the service in perspective -- we do have fairly good options to the U.S.  For example, I don't consider shipping an item by air to, say, California from eastern Canada for $5.33 (Light Packet) and getting it there in under 7 days is a bad deal.  And I'm hoping Tracked Packet will be even better for more pricey items once they finally give us the online discount.  It's the overseas (and ironically also the Canadian) rates I find difficult to deal with.  

Still, I have to admit, the only DSR rating I have that isn't 5.0 is for "Shipping Charges".  What can I say to those buyers?  I can't afford to send everything for free. 

[scorps007]

rose-dee

 I agree with one point, light packet is a good option for those smaller items and cost is reasonable.

 Problem is it offers no insurance or any type of tracking/shipment verification.

pierr

 I can tell you recently one case a larger parcel was properly weighed (over weighed) and correct dimensions given. As it was a little pricey item I only offer both insurable & trackable services. When it got sold to a US customer, I didn't change any of the original weight or measurement but is now wouldn't let me use expedited... just it exceeded allowable something.

 Well, fortunately I had a few larger parcels shipping globally so it was well worth a trip to the border. Money saved gave me a full tank of gas and groceries, now I will just need to properly set up an account on USPS to get the online discount.

 Again if Canada Post brought their prices down, offered better tracking services and brought back insurance it would no longer make it worth shipping from the US for me and probably thousands of other packages. I know of companies that have their shipments picked up routinely in the mornings by drivers just to take shipments to a US post office.

 They don't even need to match pricing, just enough so it is no longer worth it I believe they will experience much larger volume to more then make up those price cuts.  

[pocomocomputing]

scorps007, you are in lower mainland in BC. Look into bookstotheborder in New Westminster. They take packages to the USA for a small fee per package to ship by USPS..

[degree9]

Well, Canada Post is a true business first place.  They sell you international shipping labels on Ground or Surface but they don't have a tracking number that works for them.  Yes, when you print the label it comes out with a tracking number but it doesn't work!

eBay has ripped me off for over $1200.00 on orders that I shipped to Russia.  Don't ship there!!  The customer see's that it will take and "estimated"  4-6 weeks delivery time but they can put in a Resolution in only 7 days (eBay's policy) if they want to.  I had a Russian complain in just over a week and before the 4-6 week time has even elapsed, eBay "stole" my money and gave it back to him even after I sent in all the correct paper work showing I had printed the shipping label and posted it.

Russia put and Embargo on all mail in April because they have a 5 Ton backlog of mail and can't handle any new stuff coming into their country.  This was also sent along to eBay to show that mail delivery is Extremely slow and a lot of mail is just sitting in the post office's warehouse's both in this country and Russia. 

When I spoke to the eBay Rep she told me they new nothing about an Embargo yet she said the did an investigation into the claim and it was no mentioned in it??????

So, it's my opinion  that eBay has a great way to rip off the merchant and make like they are serving the customer   Well, I guess they are because this guy (and a few more people) got his money back and sooner or later he will receive his package.  Not a bad deal if your a customer but sucks Royally if your a merchant.  

If I had a tracking number that showed where the parcel was I would have been a lot better off but shipping by ground or Surface, doesn't give you one and it's 5 times the cost to ship it by air.  It obvious that Canada Post is forcing you to pay the higher rate but that cuts WAY Back on customers because you have to sell it for a lot more if your going to make a profit.

So... Don't Ship to Russia and eBay will steel your money!!!!!!!

[cumos55]

Canada Post rates have changed each year  and will continue to change.... up and up

It is not so much that the rates are high, it is the perception by buyers that the rates are too high.  They blame the seller for charging such high rates, and in turn down goes the S & H rating.

With each passing year it will become more difficult to maintain a high rating for S & H on eBay....

Buyers want low shipping costs..

I keep hearing there are problems with Paypal/eBay shipping....and eBay, as per the Wednesday meetings,  has admitted there are problems... that need some form of correction.

as Sellers on eBay we see the rates go up each year.

Unless buyers know enough to check the parcel to see what the cost of postage really is... the seller is blamed for high shipping costs.

[pierrelebel]

"Buyers want low shipping costs.."

Why?

Because many merchants (on eBay and other online sites) do offer lower shipping costs.  Many in fact offer "free shipping" where no additional charge is made for delivering the goods to the buyers.

In many such instances, those merchants have much lower shipping rates than available to most eBay sellers, making it difficult to compete.

A few months ago, we were looking for a book for one of our granddaughters. The local Chapters store was out of stock but we found it available through Chapters online.  Same price - free shipping!

That is the reality many buyers see and understand.  It has nothing to do with Canada Post and other carriers high shipping rates.  Buyers do not care what merchants pay for shipping, they only care about what they have to pay.

And they are right!

[bb_cool_stuff]

In many instances, those merchants have much lower shipping rates than available to most eBay sellers, making it difficult to compete.

Buyers do not care what merchants pay for shipping, they only care about what they have to pay.

Bottom line, Yes, the buyers do not care what the sellers pay for shipping.

The onus is on us to be competitive with other sellers in regards to Item Price & Shipping Costs.

It can be done but the road is getting a little bumpy.

[cumos55]

When Chapters delivers through an on-line purchase... this is most likely a very small percentage of purchases for that one book, or all books sold by Chapters.

In that situation  the cost for shipping that one book is spread across the sale of all books through a store, and  without a shipping cost.

What a buyer on line sees is free shipping... but does not have any indication of how many books that Chapters will actually sell at each store location.

Our perception of free shipping on eBay... shipping included n the price is not the way Chapters sees it.

Shipping for one book ....$10.00 .... if  spread across the sale of 1000 books out of a store ... it  is one cent per book....

That is true free shipping....

[rose-dee]

Because many merchants (on eBay and other online sites) do offer lower shipping costs.  Many in fact offer "free shipping" where no additional charge is made for delivering the goods to the buyers.

I agree that "free shipping" is appearing on many, many sites these days, even if only for a certain dollar level of purchases.  It's probably accurate to say that buyers now expect to see free (or cheap) shipping everywhere online.

The reality is that eBay sellers who don't adapt but instead continue to charge full shipping will find it harder and harder to compete.  Rolling some of the shipping cost into the item price will only be feasible as long as the proportion isn't too great.  In other words, if it's not the shipping cost it will be the item cost that will put buyers off, so what has a seller really gained by doing this?

As I see it, there are 3 main ways to adapt as an eBay seller:

- Change what you sell;

- Find a way to absorb shipping costs (to a greater or lesser extent); or

- Find a cheaper shipping method and/or assume greater risk through self-insurance or the crossed-finger approach

EBay is morphing into something VERY different from what it was even 5 years ago.  Originally everyone on eBay expected to pay for shipping and happily did so (the days before DSRs and FVFs on shipping), then sellers began to demand that buyers pay for premium shipping on costly items, or blatantly overcharged on shipping.  EBay had to crack down on those problems, but there was also growing pressure from competitor sites to offer free shipping.

I think we're only one step away from sellers having no choice but to offer free (or discounted) shipping in order to maintain any sort of reasonable status on eBay.  This of course is a good thing for buyers, but with rising shipping costs there will be many small or medium-sized sellers (especially Canadian) who will no longer be able to compete on eBay.

So,IMHO, it isn't only Canada Post that is ruining the eBay experience for smaller sellers, but the wider e-marketplace itself.  My prediction is that the "big box" sellers with large sales turnovers and some immunity to shipping costs will become the "new" eBay, with uniformity being the credo, just like the physical big box stores that swept away neighbourhood shops and all their interesting stock. 

This being said, despite getting free (or cheap shipping), I can't help but believe there will be many, many buyers out there who would miss the sort of eclectic and unique items that were the mainstay of eBay for so many years offered by smaller sellers.  Many of those sellers will either go elsewhere or go under.  The question is, will the buyers go elsewhere?  I doubt it.  EBay is counting on today's buyers wanting lower prices over variety -- after all, there is a whole generation that has already been conditioned to the big box experience.  In a few years eBay will look like just another megabrand shopping site. 

[kashka]

There is one reason and one reason only Ebay is pushing free shipping..Higher FVF fees for them.I would guess when they started this not many sellers offered it..so then came the fee on shipping.And then better placement of listings..They are probably wringing their hands in glee and wetting themselves now with the latest postal increases here and across the line.

There is no such thing as "free shipping".All I have seen as a result of this is higher and higher prices on items on Ebay..and an exodus of good sellers who refuse to get caught up in ebays reindeer games.

[pocomocomputing]

There is one reason and one reason only Ebay is pushing free shipping..Higher FVF fees for them.I would guess when they started this not many sellers offered it..so then came the fee on shipping.And then better placement of listings..They are probably wringing their hands in glee and wetting themselves now with the latest postal increases here and across the line.

There is no such thing as "free shipping".All I have seen as a result of this is higher and higher prices on items on Ebay..and an exodus of good sellers who refuse to get caught up in ebays reindeer games.

ebay starting charging FVF on the total price (item + shipping) in 2 years ago so your comment is no longer true. A seller can have free shipping, partial cost of shipping, full cost of shipping, outrageous amount of shipping, whatever, in the shipping section of a listing and ebay will get there FVF.

[pierrelebel]

"There is no such thing as "free shipping"."

Please read post 108 again.

[kashka]

Well..ok...it is "free shipping" if the seller incorporates it into his selling price and the buyer doesn't pay an extra charge above purchase price..But..the buyer is still paying for shipping in the item price..so..it ain't free.

[rose-dee]

I think many sellers are giving up some of their already fairly slim margins in order to offer free shipping, in the hope that it will increase sales and offset some of the loss.  I don't think all sellers are willing (or able) to increase the prices of their items in order to make up for shipping costs, as they realize it will ultimately drive buyers away, decreasing overall sales. 

It's a difficult balancing act.  EBay has been encouraging free shipping and (as noted earlier) there is pressure from other online shopping sites to do away with shipping costs.  The difference is that many of those sites are large single-corporation entities that can negotiate bulk discount shipping rates with carriers.  EBay sellers on the other hand are more or less on their own, too small individually to have any say in available shipping options.  For Canadian sellers this is becoming a serious issue that may break some of us, or drive us to other venues. 

Free shipping may not be a problem to offer on an item that is small, flat (under 3/4") and lightweight (and inexpensive enough) to go by regular lettermail or Light/Small Packet service, but where the problem lies is with larger or heavier (or slightly more expensive) items that need to go with insurance and/or tracking. 

Since eBay quite rightly demands that sellers be responsible for items getting to buyers, with these larger/heavier items the cost is anywhere from $12 to $100 or more for "protected" (i.e. insured/tracked) shipping, depending on where the item is going.  International rates have become so ridiculously high that it's impossible to offer free shipping for those transactions, and so some sellers are simply restricting their selling to US and Canada only.  There is no equivalent Light or Small Packet Air service within Canada, so items that do not fit into a normal bubble envelope cost quite a lot to ship within Canada. 

A seller may be able to offer free shipping worth, say $20, on a $100 item, but it's just not feasible on an item of lower value.  Because of this, many sellers in Canada may have to stop carrying certain types of items if they want to offer low or free shipping.  I for one would love to be able to offer free shipping on every item, but I'd soon be out of business completely. 

So, it's a difficult issue that is only going to get more serious as postal rates increase. 

[cumos55]

Two situations

(1) Upload 101 items to eBay  and call it "free shipping"  with the cost of shipping included in the price.

(2) Upload those same 101 items  and list one as free shipping.... with shipping NOT included in the price..

and if the remainder of the items sell  that one item with free shipping... that would have cost $10 to ship is free whipping with the cost of shipping spread across those items with shipping cost ...not ...free.

$10.00 spread across 100 listings without free shipping is 10 cents per listing....  a handling fee...

Free shipping is free if it is not included in the price of the item being sold.

[pierrelebel]

You buy a 4 litre bag of milk at the grocery store for $3.99 and many grocery stores charge you an extra $0.05 at the checkout for a shopping bag!

You buy the same 4 litre of milk at WalMart (and some other retailers) for the same $3.99 and they do NOT charge you an extra $0.05 for the shopping bag.

From my perspective, the shopping bag at WalMart is free!

I have been in business a long time and understand the cost of the shopping bag is part of the overhead and included as such in the selling price, as is the cost of electricity, and heat, and other utilities, and staff, and insurance, and rent, and pilferage (shoplifting), etc...

The point remains that the shopping bag is free to me, the buyer, when I compare the situation to a store that will charge me $0.05 for it (and make money on it since the bag only costs $0.015 on average),

The same applies to many - not all - instances of "free shipping" on eBay.

[cumos55]

If you buy five items that are listed as free shipping.... on eBay

With shipping included you could pay close to five times the actual cost of shipping.

Buy five items at a local store  and they are in one 5 cent bag.... not five shopping bags

Many sellers will offer free shipping if one buys more than 5 items... or there abouts

eBay uses the words free shipping, but never defines the meaning of free shipping.

It is the many sellers on eBay who then include the cost of shipping in the price of the item.... for all items they sell on ebay and only sell on eBay

True free shipping means the seller pays 100 % of  the cost of shipping.... and with no shipping included in the price of the item....

Many large corporations offer free shipping on a select group of items... because mail order is a small part of their overall business.