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Outrageous Shipping Cost to Canada from the USA.

Summary: The discussion revolves around the high shipping costs from the USA to Canada via eBay, highlighting inconsistencies in the eBay International Shipping (EIS) program and how it affects buyers and sellers. wolfsden359 raised concerns about the cost discrepancies and marnotom! noted the issues with the EIS program, describing it as a growing challenge. ryanluckylll and others shared negative experiences, expressing frustration with eBay's logistics partners and mentioning a shift to alternative shopping platforms due to high costs. fergua3 and marnotom! discussed the differences between the old Global Shipping Program (GSP) and the new EIS program, emphasizing the need for eBay to select better delivery services. Several participants expressed a desire for eBay to address these shipping issues to avoid losing Canadian customers, while others discussed different reasons for inflated shipping costs, such as inexperience among sellers and USPS policies.

Just a general question.. What is it with the shipping cost out of the USA to Canada... When I was recently looking to purchase a small travel tool kit for my motorcycle, I found two similar kits. Both were being shipped from Pennsylvania. Shipping cost for one is $14.02 Canadian.. which is reasonable..the second was listed at $106.98 Canadian.. just wondering who is setting these prices. I do know for a fact that shipping cost is dictated by distance and weight within the country and import charges are added on for international. Never in the 35 years of working in logistics have I seen shipping costs so high for such a small item from any country. I recently purchased replacement cell phone screens for my cell phone. Two exact items listed. One from the USA the other from Austraila. I saved about $100 in shipping cost placing the order for the ones from Austraila. A country on the other side of the world from where I live whereas to go to the USA from where I am is a 3 hour flight including stopover... Unreal !!

wolfsden359

220 View listings

Posted 3 years ago·Last reply 1 year ago

60 comments

kh-phdan

·1 year ago

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue discussing this topic.

Thanks for your understanding!

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

These might be useful for new or returning buyers who are unaware of the high cost of both domestic and international shipping.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/tools/find-a-rate.page

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

If you need a US zipcode, 90210 is easy to remember.

Note that USPS puts the cheapest tracked rate (First Class International Tracked Package) at the bottom of the list of available services. Many US sellers never look below "Priority" shipping.

marwo507547

·2 years ago

As a recent buyer on ebay, I've noticed these outrageous prices for shipping - yes shipping from the USA to Canada is crazy expensive so I've decided to not buy from sellers in the USA unless it is an absolute must. What I've noticed in Canada is that shipping is still rather expensive - I've seen $20 for shipping for a single comic book and that is very expensive especially if it is just standard mail without any tracking or insurance. I've asked sellers to justify their shipping cost when they are sending by standard mail and most of the sellers never bother replying - so I don't buy from them.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@marwo507547 wrote:
As a recent buyer on ebay, I've noticed these outrageous prices for shipping - yes shipping from the USA to Canada is crazy expensive so I've decided to not buy from sellers in the USA unless it is an absolute must. What I've noticed in Canada is that shipping is still rather expensive - I've seen $20 for shipping for a single comic book and that is very expensive especially if it is just standard mail without any tracking or insurance. I've asked sellers to justify their shipping cost when they are sending by standard mail and most of the sellers never bother replying - so I don't buy from them.

@marwo507547

What is very important to remember, especially for shipping within Canada, rates depend on final package weight, dimensions, where you are located in Canada in relationship to the seller, tax based on the province you are in and a thing called a fuel surcharge that floats depending on the current price of gas. For shipping from the USA much of that has to do with limited options with USPS to Canada. Finding sellers that ship that way is the next challenge. Majority of defaulted to eIS which has either everything built in like customs clearance and tax or it's collected at your door.

-Lotz

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@marwo507547 wrote:

As a recent buyer on ebay, I've noticed these outrageous prices for shipping - yes shipping from the USA to Canada is crazy expensive so I've decided to not buy from sellers in the USA unless it is an absolute must. What I've noticed in Canada is that shipping is still rather expensive - I've seen $20 for shipping for a single comic book and that is very expensive especially if it is just standard mail without any tracking or insurance. I've asked sellers to justify their shipping cost when they are sending by standard mail and most of the sellers never bother replying - so I don't buy from them.

@marwo507547, what are you defiing as "standard mail"? As it's not "postal legal" to send merchandise internationally as a letter because letters don't have customs documentation, something like a comic book would have to be mailed as the US equivalent of the Canadian postal system's small packet. If you check the link to the US Postal System that @reallynicestamps provided, you're going to find that the lowest counter rate for a lightweight item like a comic book is now US$18.45.

There are sellers who can do this for less than that, but they tend to be using services provided by mail consolidators which can sometimes be quite a bit slower than shipping directly by mail. But I urge you to do some homework before you pester US sellers about their shipping rates. The price of shipping by mail has gone up considerably in the past few years, and the use of eBay's inhouse international mail forwarding and consolidation system (boringly called "eBay International Shipping") has also increased considerably. Ask us if you need to know more about that after reading through this thread.

marwo507547

·2 years ago

I did not "pester" US sellers just mentioning the cost of shipping as expensive - $18.84 usd becomes $25 cad - so that is expensive - yes it is the cost of shipping that USPS or whatever charges but that does not change that it is expensive to buy from the USA and ship it to Canada.

And you will note that the post was mostly about Canadian shipping and that is some outrageous cost of shipping.

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@marwo507547 wrote:

I did not "pester" US sellers just mentioning the cost of shipping as expensive - $18.84 usd becomes $25 cad - so that is expensive - yes it is the cost of shipping that USPS or whatever charges but that does not change that it is expensive to buy from the USA and ship it to Canada.

Sorry, I guess I must have misunderstood this part of your post:

I've asked sellers to justify their shipping cost . . .

@marwo507547 wrote:

And you will note that the post was mostly about Canadian shipping and that is some outrageous cost of shipping.

I interpreted your statement "What I've noticed in Canada" as being about what a Canadian buyer notices about US sales. After all, this is what the thread is about.

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@frankieandjohnnieand anyone else, you might find this recent thread from the .com discussion boards on the subject of the eBay International Shipping system to be of interest:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/USA-sellers-shipping-through-International-shipping-hub-is-not/m-p/34684757

flipistics

·2 years ago

Many US sellers don't input dimensions when listing. This isn't really an issue for within the USA, but it makes a HUGE difference when shipping internationally as the system likely has to guess a worse case scenario. I suspect that's part of the reason for the discrepencies we see.

the_past_and_the_curious

·1 year ago

Nope. This has nothing to do with sellers dimensions specifics as I am one trying to get to the bottom of this and find the cheapest way to get an item to an interested buyer in Canada. USPS is rinsing Canadians and presumably all international buyers outside the US on shipping as their cheapest international rate is around $30 and USPS is the cheapest option overall.

leaky-bucket-labs

·2 years ago

ebay is a joke. I been complaining about this for years. even when it was GSP.

all these lame excuses is all they are: lame!

I'm looking at a 12" piece of plastic that weighs 15 grams, they want $60 to ship it in some listings and less in others, some want double the shipping price if you dont pay duties now...its a mess.

I wanted to buy pistons and I bought them from summit and saved $100 because its free shipping over $250

ebay wants to kill the average American seller its obvious

FYI THE FREE SHIPPING IMAGE IS FROM JAPAN.

SO FREE FROM JAPAN BUT NOT FREE FROM OUR NEIGHBOURS TO THE SOUTH.

WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

clemowbooks

·2 years ago

Shipping by post from USA to Canada.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

You may notice the cheapest tracked rate is at the bottom of the list, First Class International Package.

rainbow71113

·2 years ago

when I list something I check what other sellers are selling it for and one time I had a 2 page leaflet that would have cost me at the time less than $3.00 to ship to the US-a seller in the US shipping the same leaflet to Canada was charging $90!!! US honestly....I get that they don't want to ship outside the US which started the whole global shipping nonsense in the first place but then I realized...it actually gives me an edge in selling...I do more Canadian & international business now due to my lower rates when compared to the US. I've actually had buyers email me to ask how my shipping can be so much cheaper than US ones...LOL.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM APRIL 2023.

The problem with zombie threads is that the advice may be out of date or no longer applicable.

No one wants to pay $15 for an item that weighs as much as a business card. Wake up.

The size of the item is not related to its value nor to the cost of shipping it.

American sellers are basically paranoid and xenophobic about international sales.

The eIS and the GSP before it were designed as Seller Protection programs. They offer nothing to buyers except possibly the opportunity to purchase something they can't find in a neighbourhood shop.

The seller need only ship to a US address- the eIS plant near Chicago- and most of the MBG ends right there for them. Seller Protection on international shipping is stronger than shipping across town.

If a seller decides to forego those Protections, they can use USPS shipping.

They will still want tracking (xenophobic and paranoid, remember?) so this might be of interest.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

If you need a US zipcode, 90210 is memorable.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

For reference:

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

nottoni_0

·2 years ago

After years of eBay who I loved, have to search elsewhere dut to ourageous shipping cost to Canada from USA. I don't think eBay will do anything about it since today it's the same High shipping costs to Canada, even 3-4 times highter than the item.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@nottoni_0 wrote:
After years of eBay who I loved, have to search elsewhere dut to ourageous shipping cost to Canada from USA. I don't think eBay will do anything about it since today it's the same High shipping costs to Canada, even 3-4 times highter than the item.

@nottoni_0

Unfortunately the selling price has very little to do with the item price. It's all based on weight and size of item, distance and service options provided/available. Now if eBay could do something to make shipping a bit more economical from USA to Canada that would be very helpful. They should have some negotiating power...one would think.

-Lotz

frankieandjohnnie

·2 years ago

I totally agree. This is so frustrating. When you ask the seller about the high cost of shipping, they reply they have no control over it, they say it's decided by Ebay. It seems like all sellers are part of the Ebay Global shipping program automatically and that is the main issue. I used to have reasonable shipping costs from the US to Canada but I stopped purchasing from Ebay USA as the shipping costs are ridiculously high, no matter the item you want to purchase. The sellers should just ship directly to the customers. I do not have any issues when I buy from other countries to Canada. The only issue is from the US to Canada. And US sellers don't seem to care as they find it easier to sell to US customers. Therefore, I shop elsewhere.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

From eCommerce Bytes -- "USPS will raise rates for Priority Mail and Ground Advantage by over 5% in January. Priority Mail Flat Rates are going up by more. USPS is also raising non standard fees - "

The USPS is still controlled by deJoy, a Trump appointee with strong ties to the private sector shipping and courier industry.

Add to that, the setup of the rate card online puts Priority Shipping at the top of the list, with the cheapest tracked service (First Class Package International) at the very bottom. Many sellers have never looked to see their other choices.

It is possible to ask a seller BEFORE buying if they would consider using the cheaper service, emphasizing that it is a Tracked service. That tracking is the important part of the request.

luv4orphans

·2 years ago

I have tried and asked on several occasions. 99% of the time they won't budge. Only 1 agreed to that. By the time I heard back item had sold. Most prefer to use the EIS program which I understand is a precautionary measure if items get lost. We ship overseas without that program, just tracking and everything turns out fine. I've been doing it for years. It would be much cheaper for us in Canada if it came directly through USPS but no most won't budge.

Will no longer buy anything from the US unless I can't find it anywhere else for that reason along with things taking 3-4 weeks to get here thru that EIS program.

frankieandjohnnie

·2 years ago

Exactly! This system is not working. Canadian buyers are penalized when purchasing from US sellers. I only had a seller once who sent my item directly to me but that's because it was his first time shipping to Canada and I received my package within a week. I do not buy anymore from Ebay US. I receive packages faster from Europe or Japan. This makes no sense.

flipistics

·2 years ago

@frankieandjohnnie wrote:
Exactly! This system is not working. Canadian buyers are penalized when purchasing from US sellers. I only had a seller once who sent my item directly to me but that's because it was his first time shipping to Canada and I received my package within a week. I do not buy anymore from Ebay US. I receive packages faster from Europe or Japan. This makes no sense.

It's not just one way either. Sellers (listing on dot ca) not having access to the global shipping program for overseas is also a problem given a lot of the new regulations that are starting to come into effect.

Giving sellers access to the global shipping program where we'd ship the item to the States, and partnering with someone like Stallion for orders coming to Canada would solve a LOT of problems both ways.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

The Global shipping program is absolutely uneccessary.

Both EIS and the GSP (still used by UK sellers) are Seller Protection programs.

They were set up by eBay to encourage xenophobic and paranoid US/UK sellers to sell outside their comfort zone.

Did you know US sellers can refuse to ship to Alaska and Hawaii? Possibly more to the point to military addresses? (No you can't buy my second hand DVDs of Rambo. Thank you for your service.)

Once the shipment reaches the shipping hub, the seller is no longer responsible for delivery.

The seller does not have to spend that ten seconds filling out a customs declaration.

The seller does not even have to weigh and give dimensions for the package.

And.

The buyer is giving up a great deal of their protection under the Money Back Guarantee.

The buyer who wants a refund gets it from eIS not from the seller.

And that is why sellers are not going to ship directly internationally.

reallynicestamps

·2 years ago

@marnotom!

There is a recent thread on dotCOM where a stamp dealer is getting some friendly ragging from other sellers about how little it costs to ship his goods.

While most of his stamps are in the $10-$50 range, he does sell some well over $200 , and the original question is about the sale of 28 lisitings with "free" shipping and his difficulties in discounting. For 28 $10 sales I would be tracking, and for 28 at $50 I'd certainly would be.

But his fellow sellers, teasing or not, do not seem to understand your point that value of contents has nothing to do with the cost of shipping.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

There was a discussion about this the other day, but I don't recall if it was on dotCA or dotCOM. I've mentioned Canada Post discounts on dotCOM from time to time and no one has expressed envy or shock, for what that's worth.

The discussion was about what the buyer sees and whether the seller should pass on the savings.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@reallynicestamps wrote:
There was a discussion about this the other day, but I don't recall if it was on dotCA or dotCOM. I've mentioned Canada Post discounts on dotCOM from time to time and no one has expressed envy or shock, for what that's worth.
The discussion was about what the buyer sees and whether the seller should pass on the savings.

@reallynicestamps

Pretty sure you had previously passed on a screenshot of a work in progress for ca sellers to show the level 4 discounts. Is something like that already available on dot com? Has it been available for months? We all know how long it takes for a feature to arrive on ca. On occasion its taken over a year. All we hear is we are working on it. Then crickets. And when it does eventually arrive usually it is a stripped down, or a not fully tested version for ca sellers. At least that's been my recurring observation for new features.

-Lotz

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

To give us an idea of what our US sellers see.

I went with 2 oz to Canada in a rigid envelope.

The cheapest rate is at the bottom of the list- First Class International Package at $15.75 which includes tracking.

The first rate is $71.10, but it does seem to include the envelope.

Priority Mail International would be $30.35, including the envelope.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@reallynicestamps wrote:
https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

To give us an idea of what our US sellers see.
I went with 2 oz to Canada in a rigid envelope.
The cheapest rate is at the bottom of the list- First Class International Package at $15.75 which includes tracking.
The first rate is $71.10, but it does seem to include the envelope.
Priority Mail International would be $30.35, including the envelope.

@reallynicestamps

The question that has always come to my mind regarding US shipping to Canada is can US sellers offer discounted shipping? They have access to it with eBay Labels/Stamps dot com, etc and then do they? Especially if they are a high volume shipper?

-Lotz

pjcdn2005

·3 years ago

Yes, a US seller can check off if their listings will show the commercial rate for USPS or show buyers the retail rate. I think that many sellers will show the retail rate and use the difference between that and the commercial rate to pay for the fvf on shipping.

In some cases the difference isn't that much. For example, the retail rate for a 4 oz package from the US to Canada is $15.75. The ebay/commerical rate is $14.96. The percentage varies depending on the service.

I'm guessing that the reason it has always been set up like that on .com is that those commercial rates apply to basically every site that sells usps labels. They aren't specific rates to ebay so there probably is minimal work to having it set up that way. The Canada Post system works a lot differently. Plus the number of useres that utilize ebay .ca shipping is much smaller. However, I do agree that we should have the option of showing buyers either retail rates or the ebay rates but I don't know if they will set it up like that or how fast they will do it. Changes here seem to be on the low priority end of the scale.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·3 years ago

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
Yes, a US seller can check off if their listings will show the commercial rate for USPS or show buyers the retail rate. I think that many sellers will show the retail rate and use the difference between that and the commercial rate to pay for the fvf on shipping.

In some cases the difference isn't that much. For example, the retail rate for a 4 oz package from the US to Canada is $15.75. The ebay/commerical rate is $14.96. The percentage varies depending on the service.

I'm guessing that the reason it has always been set up like that on .com is that those commercial rates apply to basically every site that sells usps labels. They aren't specific rates to ebay so there probably is minimal work to having it set up that way. The Canada Post system works a lot differently. Plus the number of useres that utilize ebay .ca shipping is much smaller. However, I do agree that we should have the option of showing buyers either retail rates or the ebay rates but I don't know if they will set it up like that or how fast they will do it. Changes here seem to be on the low priority end of the scale.

@pjcdn2005

Good to know but poorly addressed by eBay when they released discounted Fedex months ago(8 +) and CP Level 4 recently. The problem being if sellers could show the discounted (honest) rates buyers would not hem and haw when it comes to choosing 1 seller over another and completing a purchase. The price may be in the buyers budget but if shipping isn't the buyer most likely will go elsewhere.

-Lotz

PS Side Note: Let tagging be your friend!! 🙂

All I see is this:

I do know dot com discussion posts get different treatment vs dot ca but unsure how they show with the app.

kdwebber

·3 years ago

Looking at trading cards listed in the US, they want anywhere from $13 Canadian to $20+ shipping for a single $5 trading card. It has been this way for a few years. It is absolute **bleep**. There is no way Ebay can justify that, other than just gouging. I now buy my items from Facebook listings and completely avoid that rip off. I have had an Ebay account since February of 2000. I rarely buy anything from the US anymore. It's a joke. US buyers are missing out on purchases by Canadians because of that scam.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@kdwebber wrote:

Looking at trading cards listed in the US, they want anywhere from $13 Canadian to $20+ shipping for a single $5 trading card. It has been this way for a few years. It is absolute **bleep**. There is no way Ebay can justify that, other than just gouging. I now buy my items from Facebook listings and completely avoid that rip off. I have had an Ebay account since February of 2000. I rarely buy anything from the US anymore. It's a joke. US buyers are missing out on purchases by Canadians because of that scam.

There is no scam, at least not on the part of eBay or US eBay sellers. The cheapest option for US sellers shipping two-ounce packages of merchandise directly through the postal system to Canada is now US$15.75.

While trading cards can be sent domestically as letters, they can't be sent as letters internationally, at least not postal-legally.

mrdutch1001

·3 years ago

"There is no way Ebay can justify that, other than just gouging."

eBay does not have to justify anything regarding the shipping costs of an item as eBay DOES NOT set the shipping costs > that's on the seller...so no need to blame eBay for what a seller charges for shipping...take it up with the seller!

"Ebay loses out on the sales."...well maybe yours...but there are lots more buyers out there besides you and they won't all be Canadian.... Canadian buyers may only be a small percentage of any USA seller's customers...

lwhyte604

·2 years ago

I contacted a seller to inquire about an outrageous shipping cost for a $30 item of clothing. She said she had the charge at $4, and changed it to free shipping, but the shipping cost lowered only slightly, and now shows as $28. Who is taking that fee?

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

Many USA sellers don't have a clue about shipping to Canada..many USA sellers don't even realize that Canada is another country as they don't "think" beyond themselves...

IF that particular seller said the shipping cost was set at $4 and/or free shipping, they were probably quoting a domestic shipping cost(shipping cost within the USA and not a shipping cost to Canada)...

The $30 and/or $28 shipping cost could very likely be the shipping cost to Canada through the EIS program...

marnotom!

·2 years ago

For what it’s worth, @lwhyte604, the cheapest USPS counter rate for a one pound package to Canada is now just shy of US$25.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
For what it’s worth, @lwhyte604, the cheapest USPS counter rate for a one pound package to Canada is now just shy of US$25.

It does seem like US sellers do have a very nice discount for shipping domestically. 15 to 25 % off vs the 4 % off for shipping Internationally. (6% on premium services). Too bad they don't have access to Canada Tracked service?!?🤠 That would an actual cause for a yeehaw for Canadians!!🤠

https://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator

tr6186.ikq7cd

·2 years ago

This!! I am trying to buy trading cards and I always have to sort on Price PLUS Shipping because there's always $14-20 worth of shipping costs on top. I can't even buy $1 cards from US sellers because of it. I only buy from US sellers on clearly expensive items where the shipping doesn't change my decision to buy. SO, SO many US sellers have exactly what I want at the price I want but the added "eBay international shipping" for what is essentially a **bleep**ing envelope and a toploader makes me not make a single purchase. They are absolutely missing out on my sale every time. Such BS!

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@tr6186.ikq7cd wrote:

This!! I am trying to buy trading cards and I always have to sort on Price PLUS Shipping because there's always $14-20 worth of shipping costs on top. I can't even buy $1 cards from US sellers because of it. I only buy from US sellers on clearly expensive items where the shipping doesn't change my decision to buy. SO, SO many US sellers have exactly what I want at the price I want but the added "eBay international shipping" for what is essentially a **bleep**ing envelope and a toploader makes me not make a single purchase. They are absolutely missing out on my sale every time. Such BS!

I hope that you read or plan to read all of "This!!" thread, @tr6186.ikq7cd In a nutshell, it's no longer "postal legal" to mail merchandise internationally as letters (as they have no customs forms) so you're looking at around US$15 to send a sports card to Canada by USPS as a small packet with delivery confirmation.

Canadian sellers are facing the same issue for shipments to the US and abroad. Some of them still try to send their cards to the US as letters and are finding that they're sometimes either getting hit by claims for undelivered items or they're getting returned to them weeks later.

Small and cheap to sell does not necessarily mean cheap to ship. This isn't strictly an "eBay International Shipping" thing. There are less expensive alternatives to directly shipping to Canada by mail, but my experience is that the sellers using those services are ones that sell stuff that's of little interest to me. C'est la vie.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@tr6186.ikq7cd wrote:

This!! I am trying to buy trading cards and I always have to sort on Price PLUS Shipping because there's always $14-20 worth of shipping costs on top. I can't even buy $1 cards from US sellers because of it. I only buy from US sellers on clearly expensive items where the shipping doesn't change my decision to buy. SO, SO many US sellers have exactly what I want at the price I want but the added "eBay international shipping" for what is essentially a **bleep**ing envelope and a toploader makes me not make a single purchase. They are absolutely missing out on my sale every time. Such BS!
I hope that you read or plan to read all of "This!!" thread, @tr6186.ikq7cd In a nutshell, it's no longer "postal legal" to mail merchandise internationally as letters (as they have no customs forms) so you're looking at around US$15 to send a sports card to Canada by USPS as a small packet with delivery confirmation.

Canadian sellers are facing the same issue for shipments to the US and abroad. Some of them still try to send their cards to the US as letters and are finding that they're sometimes either getting hit by claims for undelivered items or they're getting returned to them weeks later.

Small and cheap to sell does not necessarily mean cheap to ship. This isn't strictly an "eBay International Shipping" thing. There are less expensive alternatives to directly shipping to Canada by mail, but my experience is that the sellers using those services are ones that sell stuff that's of little interest to me. C'est la vie.

@marnotom!

As a side quirk of this, for feedback one of choices buyers gets to choose from is one named "Reasonable shipping". What is reasonable? As you stated in your post something may "not necessarily cheap to ship just because of the value. Sellers may base their choices on quick and easy while others may base it on the buyers perspective. An item may be heavy/bulky/ travelling a major distance. While many other sellers just choose from the top of the list. Who knows what method a seller used or if it was the best 1? All I know from my time selling on here that tag Reasonable, if there is 1 of feedback choices, there is a good chance that one WON'T be one to get 5 out of 5 vs the other 3. The perils of a open to interpretation, poorly designed feedback system.

Maybe even Shipping Speed would have been named Timely Handling? Like the seller has any control on how fast the post office/courier moves something from A to B? But the seller can control how fast they process an order. Next to impossible to fix something that was poorly designed, out of the chute.

-Lotz

syfiguy

·2 years ago

It seems that Ebay is trying to drive away Canadian business. I use Ebay less and less due to the excessive shipping costs to Canada. A comic book I considered today listed free shipping in the US but was $76 to Canada. I am no longer using this service for this kind of product since Ebay does not seem to value my business. I recently had to search across the internet for an identical item and the shipping was under $20 dollars. Judging from the number of similar concerns on this post many people are encountering the same outrageous fees. Will Ebay listen? Is it merely a newly implemented policy glitch? Seems unlikely, this has been going on for a few years now. It was nice to have such varied product in one place but I will simply have to search harder elsewhere where the service is of value.

flipistics

·2 years ago

@syfiguy wrote:
It seems that Ebay is trying to drive away Canadian business. I use Ebay less and less due to the excessive shipping costs to Canada. A comic book I considered today listed free shipping in the US but was $76 to Canada. I am no longer using this service for this kind of product since Ebay does not seem to value my business. I recently had to search across the internet for an identical item and the shipping was under $20 dollars. Judging from the number of similar concerns on this post many people are encountering the same outrageous fees. Will Ebay listen? Is it merely a newly implemented policy glitch? Seems unlikely, this has been going on for a few years now. It was nice to have such varied product in one place but I will simply have to search harder elsewhere where the service is of value.

I think part of the problem is that a lot of US sellers don't put dimensions in, which causes the algorithms to use some sort of worst case scenario that drastically overinflates most shipping quotes. I suspect if eBay started enforcing that, a lot of the shipping cost issues would go away.

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

although for many years I kept a good distance between myself & AZ, but during the Covid years, AZ was delivering hundreds of dollars worth of products,supplies,clothing, items of all shapes and sizes, etc,etc to my household...just about anything that was needed/wanted could be found on AZ and a Prime membership was so worth it. Rarely search for anything on eBay anymore and rarely ever buy anything on ebay...and really and truly who needs the hassles presented here on eBay when AZ can do it all and for cheaper...For my buying needs/wants, eBay is quickly becoming a thing of the past...

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@syfiguy wrote:

It seems that Ebay is trying to drive away Canadian business. I use Ebay less and less due to the excessive shipping costs to Canada. A comic book I considered today listed free shipping in the US but was $76 to Canada. I am no longer using this service for this kind of product since Ebay does not seem to value my business. I recently had to search across the internet for an identical item and the shipping was under $20 dollars. Judging from the number of similar concerns on this post many people are encountering the same outrageous fees.

In your case, however, we don't know the shipping service that the seller was planning on using to Canada. If the customer were shipping the comic book in a USPS Global Express Guaranteed envelope, you'd be looking at a cost along the lines of what was stated in the listing.

thecatpotvin29

·2 years ago

Well said. Wake up, eBay.... Do something about this. The amount of money you do not make in the process is baffling to me. How can your executives not see that shipping to Canada is broken? No one wants to pay $15 for an item that weighs as much as a business card. Wake up.

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

eBay's sandbox and if eBay chooses NOT to change its partnership with the EIS, then buyers will do what they need to do...

this subject has been discussed, complained about,many buyers have been in a state of anguish for many many months now and as we all know NOTHING has been done and NOTHING seems to be forthcoming as a solutionto the EIS and/or whatever shipping methods USA sellers are using to ship goods to Canada.

...so we either accept, adjust, adapt and carry on OR MOVE ON!

Broken as it may be, (USA shipping to Canada). It is STILL buyer's choice to purchase from these sellers who use EIS and/or high cost methods of shipping goods to Canada.

It is what it is and telling eBay to "Wake up" is totally USELESS ...

since this is eBay's site you have no say in what changes are or aren't made to the site.

Plain and simple answer: Purchase your needs/wants from other sources if the shipping costs through eBay is a deal breaker for you.

marnotom!

·2 years ago

@thecatpotvin29 wrote:

Well said. Wake up, eBay.... Do something about this. The amount of money you do not make in the process is baffling to me. How can your executives not see that shipping to Canada is broken? No one wants to pay $15 for an item that weighs as much as a business card. Wake up.

Which eBay do you mean, @thecatpotvin29?

eBay Canada's job is to support Canadian buyers and sellers. To that end, it's managed to negotiate special shipping rates for Canadian sellers selling smaller items domestically and abroad.

eBay USA's job is to support Amercian buyers and sellers. The US market is many times larger than the Canadian market. Sales to Canada and other international destinations generally make up a smaller proportion of sales than Canadian sellers' sales to the US and other international destinations. Right now, there isn't a lot of incentive for eBay USA to negotiate something unique for US sellers selling and shipping to Canada. There are companies out there who can sell US sellers cheaper postage for mailings to Canada than the USPS counter rates. Some sellers use these companies, some don't. I don't think this is an "eBay problem". It's just how the sellers who participate in one of the world's largest economies and cultural influences roll. We need them more than they need us, unless you consider our natural resources.

luv4orphans

·3 years ago

Sometimes its just an error the seller made when listing. I usually contact them in a case like that if you know to see what's up. Or they might not have listed Canada as a destination country and only put international. Still seems like a lot for a small item. Maybe a newbie that doesn't know any better?

Or some will try and if somebody bites, A bit excessive though.

fergua3

·3 years ago

yeah, sometimes you do see goofy high shipping costs from some sellers. These sellers clearly have no idea what they are doing and are to be avoided. In a way, it's a good screening process to weed out bad sellers.

One thing i have noticed from the new Ebay International Shipping program (note this is replacing the GSP) is that many of the shipping costs have been very reasonable, on items i've looked at (haven't purchased anything yet). Whether this refelcts reasonable rates or inexperieced sellers entering incorrect weights and dimensions resulting in too low shipping costs i don't know.

There have been a lot of reports from Canadian buyers that they received a notice that their item could not be exported to Canada and then they recieved a refund with no further explanantion. Perhaps one of the reasons is US sellers charging too low shipping costs?

Anyway, it's no surprise that all of Ebay's international shipping programs have been terrible. They seem to be a very disorganized company, with inexperienced people (as far as selling online) running the show.

If they really cared about creating a good buyer exprience, which they've been trumpeting for years, they would use a postal based international shipping service rather than one using flakey, flight by night, one star rating courier services.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

@fergua3 wrote:

One thing i have noticed from the new Ebay International Shipping program (note this is replacing the GSP) is that many of the shipping costs have been very reasonable, on items i've looked at (haven't purchased anything yet). Whether this refelcts reasonable rates or inexperieced sellers entering incorrect weights and dimensions resulting in too low shipping costs i don't know.

eIS's shipping rates are definitely lower than USPS's counter rates, and possibly even lower than the discounted rates eBay.com offers to sellers shipping directly to international destinations. The fly in the ointment is that these shipping rates are added to the seller's domestic shipping rate to Illinois, and while that might not be a big deal for smaller items, on larger items it can really hurt.

@fergua3 wrote:

Anyway, it's no surprise that all of Ebay's international shipping programs have been terrible. They seem to be a very disorganized company, with inexperienced people (as far as selling online) running the show.

If they really cared about creating a good buyer exprience, which they've been trumpeting for years, they would use a postal based international shipping service rather than one using flakey, flight by night, one star rating courier services.

The GSP was orchestrated by Pitney Bowes, which I still regard as a postage meter company struggling to reinvent itself in the online age. It made a number of acquisitions in its quest to become a "global solutions" "ecommerce" sort of company, but they may have picked some low-hanging fruit. Anyway, as far as I can tell, the GSP's shipping partners were selected by Pitney Bowes or whoever Pitney Bowes contracted out to operate the Global Shipping Center in Canada, not eBay.

I suspect it's a similar deal for eIS, which seems to be orchestrated by EasyShip. Their claimed list of Canadian shipping partners can be found here.

fergua3

·3 years ago

Canada Post is on the list. There is hope. 🙂

I realize that Ebay doesn't pick all the delivery services but they do pick the orchestrator and probably go with the lowest bidder, rather than the one with the best buyer customer service. Penny wise and pound foolish. Ebay may save a few bucks using a cut rate company but lose big on lost international sales once everyone discovers what a piece of garbage EIS is.....if it is, that's not certain yet but so far it sure ain't looking good..

Anyway, believe it or not, i made a purchase using EIS today. After all my ranting and crtiticism. It was for an item that i've been searchig for for a very long time and the price was way below market average. I figured even if i got nailed with high brokerage fees and import taxes, it was still going to be a good deal. So, anyway, here we go..... I'll report back in the days ahead with my experience.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@fergua3 wrote:

One thing i have noticed from the new Ebay International Shipping program (note this is replacing the GSP) is that many of the shipping costs have been very reasonable, on items i've looked at (haven't purchased anything yet). Whether this refelcts reasonable rates or inexperieced sellers entering incorrect weights and dimensions resulting in too low shipping costs i don't know.
eIS's shipping rates are definitely lower than USPS's counter rates, and possibly even lower than the discounted rates eBay.com offers to sellers shipping directly to international destinations. The fly in the ointment is that these shipping rates are added to the seller's domestic shipping rate to Illinois, and while that might not be a big deal for smaller items, on larger items it can really hurt.

@fergua3 wrote:

Anyway, it's no surprise that all of Ebay's international shipping programs have been terrible. They seem to be a very disorganized company, with inexperienced people (as far as selling online) running the show.

If they really cared about creating a good buyer exprience, which they've been trumpeting for years, they would use a postal based international shipping service rather than one using flakey, flight by night, one star rating courier services.
The GSP was orchestrated by Pitney Bowes, which I still regard as a postage meter company struggling to reinvent itself in the online age. It made a number of acquisitions in its quest to become a "global solutions" "ecommerce" sort of company, but they may have picked some low-hanging fruit. Anyway, as far as I can tell, the GSP's shipping partners were selected by Pitney Bowes or whoever Pitney Bowes contracted out to operate the Global Shipping Center in Canada, not eBay.

I suspect it's a similar deal for eIS, which seems to be orchestrated by EasyShip. Their claimed list of Canadian shipping partners can be found here.

@marnotom!

Re: Claimed list of Canadian shipping partners states discounts up to 91%. Too bad anything with an attached discount rate seems to be next to impossible to find. Basically a needle in a haystack.

-Lotz

kdwebber

·3 years ago

I have seen many large Ebay sellers charging absolutely outrageous amounts to ship from the US to Canada. It's not just small or inexperienced sellers doing that. It is a complete and total ripoff. Ebay used to be a good place to get deals. Not anymore. Now it's a joke. I avoid buying items from the US through Ebay now. I find other items listed on other sites and completely avoid the ridiculous fees. Ebay loses out on the sales.

frankieandjohnnie

·2 years ago

I agree. I used to buy on Ebay on a regular basis but not anymore. ALL SELLERS now have ridiculous shipping costs. The last time I tried to make a purchase, it was a used tablecloth for 25$ US dollars but the shipping cost was nearly 65$ US dollars. This is ridiculous. When I am really interested in an item, I ask the seller if they would ship directly to my address instead of going through the Ebay Global shipping program which is the reason for these ridiculous shipping fees. The sellers don't care because it's easier for them to sell to US customers. I cannot find anything I want or rarely on Ebay Canada unfortunately. The Global shipping program is absolutely uneccessary. You get a tracking number for your shipment from the seller. No need to go through this **bleep** system which makes the cost higher and it takes twice the time to receive a package because of the stop to their Hub. I NEVER have issues when I purchase from Ebay UK or Ebay Japan. They ship directly to me and I receive my packages faster, which makes no sense considering Canada is the US neighbour.

the_past_and_the_curious

·1 year ago

This is not the Sellers fault. I am actively trying to find the cheapest method for a Canadian buyer and everything says to use USPS to ship internationally and their cheapest option is around $30. Please stop spreading misinformation about sellers.

mrdutch1001

·1 year ago

You have responded to a thread from 9 months ago for which may contain outdated information, irrelevant info and/or advice. Best to start a new thread to which respondents can provide current info and/or info and advice applicable to the current time/situation..

mrdutch1001

·1 year ago

@kh-phdan

Thread from 9 months ago that may no longer have relevance to current timeframe/current situation...

ryanluckylll

·3 years ago

I have been on ebay for over 15 years, went from spending 1000$+ a year on the site, to not spending a single dime on ebay in the past couple months...

Ebay bypasses USPS and Canadapost by contracting their own third party to ship items and charges extremely high shipping costs.

Not only that, the shipping and logistic partners are not unionized and are extremely inconsistent, twice I have had items either stolen or insanely mishandled by Ebays global shipping program partner, where they falsify records, open packets and reseal them, and take phony blank screenshots as proof of shipping. Their shipping partners do not even have an office, and just have warehouse that is completely inaccessible and not contactable by the public here in Toronto.

Its hurting the brand tremendously and want them to do better. I cant even order a 1.5 gram cardstock paper card without it costing nearly 30$ in shipping costs. It renders it nearly impossible to shop given 95% of Canadian traffic is to US sellers, and most of the time for more than 75% of items-- shipping is higher priced than the actual item. It deters many from buying and doesnt make sense to shop given it is more expensive for shipping and has a higher rate of lost mail.

lu-c391

·2 years ago

I have completly left Ebay for this reason; paying a 30$ fee for a 5$ item, that a deal breaker to me. Now i'm mostly on Amazon, Aliexpress, Facebook Marketplace, Craiglist, Bonaza, ect. There is a life after Ebay.

marnotom!

·3 years ago

I suspect the more expensive shipping is the result of the item being listed with the new, confusingly named "eBay International Shipping" program which is basically a glorified mail consolidation service with a lot of perks for US sellers who choose to use it. It seems to be going through a lot of teething pains right now.

Have a look-see at this other thread that was started today, as I don't want to repeat myself so soon:

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/Ebay-international-shipping-has-lost-its-mind-RIP-Ebay/m-p/493221