Shipping prices on items outside of Canada
Summary: trophyk_95 inquires about ways to reduce shipping costs for items purchased outside of Canada. mrdutch1001 suggests buying from Canadian sellers to avoid issues with high shipping costs and delays associated with US sellers. femmefan1946 recommends using a site for comparing shipping charges and warns about additional customs fees. marnotom! advises using a US address or forwarding service but notes the risks of losing eBay buyer protection. blingluva shares positive experiences using MyUS and mailbox services near the border to circumvent high costs and delivery issues with eBay's international shipping system. The discussion highlights various strategies and trade-offs in dealing with high shipping costs.
8 comments
blingluva
·2 years agoI've used MyUS very successfully for a couple of years.
I've had very valuable shipments (CAD5,000+) sent through them and have found them to be excellent. Never had a problem at all. Fast and reliable, and being Florida based no US sales tax.
Rates to Canada are highly competitive. I usually use FedEx International Priority and they usually get to the GTA in either 24 or 48 hours and it costs around CAD50/60.
If you are in drivable distance from the border I would suggest using a reliable US mailbox service. As I'm only 70 minutes from the border I use CBI USA in Niagara and have also found them to be outstanding.
Well worth the extra hassle to avoid the useless ebay EIS hub at Glendale which loses packages for fun.
Its not always possible to just buy from Canadian sellers depending on what you are looking for of course. And has been noted once the item is delivered domestically to the 3rd party your buyer protection is gone from that point.
That said I've never had an issue and have used 3rd parties dozens of times over the last 3/4 years. YMMV.
Caveat emptor as always.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·2 years ago@marnotom! Might be dangerous. Only would be popular from a Canadian buyers point of view. Plus it's a cash cow for eBay.
marnotom!
·2 years agoIf eBay is even breaking even on eIS right now given the problems it's having, I'd be very surprised, @lotzofuniquegoodies .
marnotom!
·2 years agoGet your items sent to a US address and find a way to get them up to Canada from there. You could have them sent to a friend or relative, or use a forwarding service that will hang on to your items until you're ready to have them shipped out as a bulk purchase.
Just be aware that you're going to forego most of your eBay buyer protections by doing the above.
femmefan1946
·2 years agoYou could bookmark this site and compare what the seller is charging for shipping to what they are paying.
https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440
Remember that , buying from the USA, you will be paying Canadian sales tax on imports over $40 and duty on imports over $150.
If the seller is using UPS or FedEx you will also be paying thier "customs brokerage" charges.
mrdutch1001
·2 years agoIf you are making reference to USA sellers using the EIS program and the related rather high shipping costs, and the infamous delivery delays/lost packages,etc,etc, then the option is to refuse to purchase from said USA sellers and do your best to find the product from within Canada. I rarely ever purchase anything from USA sellers anymore...I would rather pay a little extra and obtain any wants/needs from Canadian businesses. I am a "support Canada"/support Canadian businesses sort of person so IF I cannot find an item I really truly need/want from within Canada, I "might" purchase from Europe but I will not purchase from Asian countries....and if that isn't a go, well I probably didn't need the item that badly anyway LOL!
lotzofuniquegoodies
·2 years agomarnotom!
·2 years agoTry suggesting that on the .com board, @lotzofuniquegoodies . I bet your suggestion will get a lot of attention from US sellers.