Finally some headline Canadian media coverage for de minimis suspension
Summary: The discussion centers around the impact of the US ending the duty-free exemption, which has led to challenges for Canadian online sellers. byto253 criticizes the CBC for inaccuracies in their reporting and notes that eBay will no longer allow Canada Post shipments to the US, causing sellers to use more costly alternatives like UPS. lotzofuniquegoodies and ilikehockeyjerseys discuss the complexities and potential costs related to customs processing, with ilikehockeyjerseys also noting that duties must now be paid upfront. biglittleape and ilikehockeyjerseys express concerns about how this change could harm small and medium businesses, particularly those reliant on US sales. Some participants discuss how the elimination of the de minimis threshold has already resulted in decreased sales, affecting businesses that once thrived online.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/article/small-businesses-brace-for-higher-costs-as-us-ends-shipping-fee-exemption/
sonicconcept
·11 months agoilikehockeyjerseys
·11 months agoI think this will kill a lot of smaller retail businesses. Even ones that people don't perceive to be "online retail". Based on the average margin most businesses have, the additional charges to the US make selling there a waste of time. There will be exceptions to the rules if someone has a unique product that is more capable of withstanding a rise in the price, but that won't be most retailers.
Businesses that are fortunate enough to be positioned to where they are strictly a local market will be fine, but that is becoming increasingly uncommon.
byto253
·11 months agoThere are a lot of brick and mortar shops that also sell online through eBay, Etsy, etc. that will be hit hard. The store front is a good way to get goods, then the online is as or more important than the in person sales.
Not just pawn type shops either, craft stores, model railroad and RC, tons of businesses.
easoss
·11 months agoExactly. That's what I did as a flea market seller for close to 30 years. Bought so many things to sell on eBay. For a time it was a literal gold mine of riches. But it slowly drained as people wanted more and more for their stuff. And rent went up and up so eventually I left. And another aspect are the small stores who do online consignments. That will be an absolute nightmare to do. I know a local sport card shop that survives on selling boxes and then consigning cards pulled by customers. Without that they won't survive.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·11 months agoThat's basically how we get our goods... someone in my network has a store front and stuff comes in, and we pick from that stuff what would be good to sell online.
C.
reallynicestamps
·11 months agoWas anyone else approached by the writer, Campbell?
byto253
·11 months agoI looked on the CBC site for an email or contact info but I didn't find it. I guess with some more digging I could find something or a general/generic feedback button.
biglittleape
·11 months agoPolitians only talk about the big industries. This de minimis removal will destroy thousands of small businesses and I'm not hearing anyone talk about it. It's all about steel, aluminum and autos.
Shipping to the US is no longer viable.
byto253
·11 months agoSigh, wish CBC would take a second to get some info correct.
"As postal companies scramble to implement duty collection systems, eBay has said it will stop allowing users to ship with Canada Post, citing "a significant risk that non-compliant shipments arriving to the US beyond August 29th will be returned to the sender."
Not selling labels but you can ship how you like.
cottagewoman
OP11 months agobyto253
·11 months agoI did my last shipments Monday and Tuesday mornings directly with Canada Post, no way was I taking a chance with UPS in case things are turned back. So for so good, Monday item processed through New York, Tuesday ones have been forwared to the US so looking good. And that is that for a while.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·11 months ago@byto253
@cottagewoman
Imortant to consider if customs processing is required and is at senders expense the amount can vary. The 10.00 I recently reported for UPS is actually not bad. Inbound via UPS in 2004 I paid 16.95 CAD + GST + GST on item purchased***. Another wrench gets thrown into the amount if billing is US or Canadian funds. Customs processing is usually only included with premium services which most senders will never use. It wasn't as much of a "nuisance" when there was a de minimus in play.
I believe there have been multiple random reports of US buyers and maybe even Canadian sellers receiving crazy bills for customs services since this all kicked in.
***This makes me wonder more what eIS is building in to their charge if eBay pre collects sales tax at time of sale. Most inbound items were either duty free or at very low rates in the past.
ilikehockeyjerseys
·11 months agoWith eIS in the US, I've seen it both ways but I might be misremembering.
I think if the seller fills in all the proper information, you can choose to pay the duties at checkout. Otherwise, you have to pay the duties before eBay will release the item to the international carriers. For example, I ordered something last month from the USA via eIS. There were no duties mentioned at checkout, and then I received a message to pay the duties a week later after it was prepared by eBay.
Speculation about UPS had to do with how they previously operated for non-deminimis orders. If you shipped an item with a Chinese COI via UPS, they would not collect duties ahead of time but would presumably pre-pay them on your behalf. Then if the buyer rejected the order, they woud charge you for that unrecoverable cost (or if you printed via eBay, the cost would be charged toy our eBay account).
But it has now been announced by UPS that duties will have to be paid upfront by the sender.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·11 months ago@ilikehockeyjerseys
I'm interested to know how often it happens...or if ever, where something gets shipped with eIS to Canada and there are no duties and processing charged. I think it is almost always at bare minimum the processing fee. This is why when you use a customs broker they are working on your behalf and bill you according. Why they have power of attorney for services rendered. Like a border official, customs brokers are in constant training to stay up on rules.
I personally do not even want to imagine a billing process for these types of before or after the fact transactions. Knowing that for anyone that wants them they are unable to get a break down of shipping charges including tax, fuel and any surcharges.
Quote of the day. This is an estimate only!!!!!
tarnvik
·11 months agoPerhaps the response coming from other countries will influence the US government to ease customs/tariffs.
I saw on the news that now 25 countries will are no longer shipping to the US for standard packages impacted by the de minimis elimination. Some one will have to blink!