How to Mail Packages to the US Without Zonos
Summary: sylviebee raises an issue about returning an item to the US from abroad without incurring extra fees using Zonos, despite the item being Not As Described (NAD). sapphyres-designer-jewellery suggests having the seller cover the return if it's a low-value item, noting the cost of shipping. marnotom! advises getting a shipping quote from an alternative carrier, possibly using services like Stallion Express or Chit Chats, and suggests having the seller reimburse the fee. They also reflect on past experiences with shipping logistics.
I briefly touched on this issue in another thread as a hypothetical but now it's a reality. I have an item I have to return to the seller. I have my items shipped to me via freight forwarder because it's much more efficient and generally less expensive than eBay's International Shipping program ............... until something goes wrong.
I want to return an item and even though it was clearly NADed I'm OK with paying return shipping because I don't see another way to do it.
BUT.... how can I buy a shipping label to ship an item to the US without going through Zonos and paying and extra $4+ to process the item?
There must be some way to mail items to the States without having to pay duty and processing fees? Or not?
mandicrafts
·2 weeks agoNo, there is no way to bypass customs for sending to the USA, even if it is a return. Although you could send via UPS where the recipient in the USA will have to pay any tariffs/duty upon delivery but they may refuse the parcel if you do that.
If you use Canada Post you will have to use zonos to prepay.
If you do go ahead, you should put "owner's goods returned" in the item description so that may bypass and tariffs?? I wouldn't guarantee it though.
marnotom!
·2 weeks agoThe way to do it, as with most international returns, is to get a shipping quote for the carrier of your choice, and then have the seller send you that amount via PayPal or similar.
If you don't want to use Zonos, you'll have to find a carrier other than Canada Post/USPS. On another thread, I suggested you look into whether Stallion Express or Chit Chats are workable options for your sales.
I'm not the biggest fan of eIS, but it does seem to make the return process a lot easier.
marnotom!
·2 weeks ago · EditedSorry, just saw some of your other posts about Chit Chats, though I didn’t see you mention Stallion specifically.
You brought back memories of my wife and me filling garbage bags with outbound eBay shipments and taking them to the downtown post office by bus. Fortunately, the bus route that we lived on at the time (over twenty years ago) wasn’t particularly busy, usually.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·2 weeks agoNo, everyone needs to use Zonos (or a cross border shipper that will broker the item across), if you ship to the US.
If it's clearly a NAD, I would make them pay. They might decide just to forget about the return if it's a low value item as shipping is going to cost you at minimum $15 CAD to return (for the smallest item).