Re: eIS shipping to hub by letter mail
Summary: The discussion revolves around strategies for shipping low-value items to the eIS hub using tracked services, particularly for sellers in distant locations in Canada. lotzofuniquegoodies expresses frustration about late and untracked shipments being marked inaccurately by the system. Several participants, including 440snojet and kawartha-ephemera, share their approach of using economy shipping and marking items as shipped manually to manage buyer expectations. Others, like clemowbooks, employ unique methods such as a self-managed insurance fund to cover potential losses. The conversation also touches on the challenges of delivery times and the lack of effective tracking options akin to those available in the USA.
Has anyone come up with a workable solution for shipping low value items to the eIS hub with a tracked service when buyer automagically pays for letter mail? Mostly addressing anyone located in the farther reaches of Canada vs those sellers located in ON/QC where it is not as risky. There just isn't enough left over on a 15 dollar sale to cover expedited lite out of a sellers pocket and chit chats etc are not an option. Or do you just throw your hands in the air and send letter taking your chances?
Under the new world circumstances are there sellers that were opted into eIS that are or will opt out shortly?
reallynicestamps
·2 days agoI use Feedback to note the date that the shipment was mailed , even when I am using untracked lettermail.
"Thank you for your prompt payment. Shipped 28/8/26 Canada Post Air Mail."
This helps me find my shipping information if there is a question, and shows the future buyer that I am a steady seller- none of this "in the past six months" or "more than a year ago" nonsense.
uwantuneedgiftsandgoods
·2 days agoPersonally I just send everything Expedited Lite and tracked as it saves awkward buyer discussions, INRs, and there is no insurance against a damaged item. It might cost the buyer more but it saves peace of mind for buyer and seller. I just try to encourage buying multiple items to help buyers offset shipping costs but that is a perfect world scenario. Somedays Im working for free but out of pride I just sell the items and just keep my stores reputation good and hope for better days and larger orders to make up for any of the losses on lower priced items. The thing with tracked is I only needed it once and it saved me trouble as an Item claimed the item wasnt delivered but Canada Post showed it had been delivered. A buyer was trying to pull a fast one but tracked package saved me 100 dollars and a lost item, and having to pay out of pocket. Plus CP will refund a package value if they made a mistake. I was advised against lettermail a few years ago and haven't had issues because I always use tracking. It's way harder to be scammed as well usuing tracked packaging.
thehobbycop
·1 week agoI personally sell all low end items, and just send by letter mail, I have a very good rate, but wish ebay Canada had a tracked letter option like the do in the USA
lotzofuniquegoodies
OP1 week ago@thehobbycop
Maybe the next addition down the road will be free home pick ups for anything eIS and Canadian sellers?!?!?
https://community.ebay.ca/forum/announcements-26/topic/drop-off-at-the-eis-hub-4581/
chicweb
·1 week agoI mostly send lettermail to the hub. No problem as of yet. (and it's more than 50 items as of now). All of them reached the hub.
The only thing to know: Some items can take longer to reach while other reaches very fast. Lettermail is not as reliable timewise, specifically since Canada Post is making changes. With tracking, it will always be faster than lettermail. Allow 10 business days to reach the hub without tracking.
lotzofuniquegoodies
OP1 week ago · Edited@chicweb
You're located in Quebec along the TCH so mail to TO should arrive in 10 days....disclaimer being, most of the time. Anything from out west good luck. 15 days is good. Problem being ebay uses generic shipping estimates for across Canada. Best case scenario is more apt description.
thebossorder
·2 weeks agoyou can ship lettermail to the hub , ive done it multiple times its safe and easy.
ive opted out of EIS because there's no point. sales arent increasing, audience is the same as it always was, but buyers saw an increase in shipping price and quoted incorrect duties on my items.
reallynicestamps
·2 days agoI see your point, but since eIS includes import fees (and tariffs) the customer will not be surprised by demands for payment on their doorstep.
regs43
·2 weeks agoSent 7 to the Hub yesterday. Im in ON, most take like 10 days to get a tracking number uploaded. I have my handling time set to 7 days to extend it, and cover myself with all of Canada becasue nothing is making it anywhere in 2-5 days before buyers start to freak out (and ebay estimates suck in general).
easoss
·2 weeks agoI just send it Lettermail. I actually prefer EIS because it saves me money for small items. I have no worries.
clemowbooks
·2 weeks agoSince most of my items are low cost (and cost me even less) I use Cookie Jar Insurance. A small part of my shipping charge is a virtual premium against a Failed Transaction and goes in a virtual Cookie Jar. If something goes wrong, I can cover my costs with the accumulated premiums.
Just like a "real" insurance company, but it always pays out with no argument.
440snojet
·2 weeks agoI just risk it and send it as Lettermail. Once an order is ~$60+ then I start to eat the cost and send it as Expedited Lite.
I'm less worried about lost packages and more concerned about delays. I've had lot's of Lettermail orders take 2+ weeks to arrive this summer. Even some 4+ weeks ones which used to be a very rare occurrence.
lotzofuniquegoodies
OP2 weeks ago@440snojet
@devon@ebay
My average to hub from Calgary is 12 to 15 days so reliably unreliable. Each one gets marked as late and untracked EVEN THOUGH it gets scanned/processed when it eventually arrives at hub. Then international buyers are marking as late because the quoted delivery window is not met. This was supposed to have been fixed several months ago. It never was. As you mentioned 60.00 to upgrade makes sense. Below that, not really unless it was a super good score of an item.
440snojet
·2 weeks agoJust checked, mine are also 12-14 days for delivery to the hub from southern Manitoba. Tracked parcels average 4 days.
I'm sitting at 12 out of 44 shipments being "uploaded late".
I use the "Economy Shipping" option instead of Lettermail as it has a longer estimated delivery time. Only down side to that is that it's not very clear to customers if it will have tracking or not. If they see Lettermail as the shipping option then most customers will know at a glance that it has no tracking.
I also started using discounted postage stamps this year after constantly seeing it being mentioned in the forums. Those savings help offset the losses incurred by the orders I end up shipping as Expedited Lite.
clemowbooks
·2 weeks agoI'd consider the lack of clarity on tracking as an upside. To my mind, the honest customer will not worry, based on their own behaviour, and the sketchy guy will be wondering.
And yes. Stamps.
lotzofuniquegoodies
OP2 weeks ago@clemowbooks I've had several eis buyers message asking why the tracking between my location to hub was not working. I had to explain the systems defaults to the Canadian method. So due to that I am seeing an uptick on slow shipments under TSR's. Something I don't see with "normal" Canadian deliveries.
kawartha-ephemera
·2 weeks ago · EditedMy solution would be first, use Economy shipping and second, manually select Mark As Shipped immediately after mailing the order. I wouldn't wait for the hub to receive it. I opted out but I assume this option is still available with eis turned on.
440snojet
·2 weeks agoYup, that is exactly what I do. Economy shipping for the extended delivery times and I mark them as shipped the day I send them out. Lettermail delays still cause them to be "late" on occasion. Haven't had any US customers complain about delays yet.
lotzofuniquegoodies
OP2 weeks ago@440snojet
@kawartha-ephemera
I automatically mark and others as shipped with dated CP noted. It doesn't matter according to eBay standards because it doesn't have anything for physical tracking it's scored as late/untracked EVEN if it arrives early. According to a past post between Mandicraft and Luke that was not/should not happen.
Every item I have sent to hub via letter has been scored that way. The only reason only 1 shows now is the infrequency of orders and system purges after 90 days.
easoss
·2 weeks agoI just tell buyers that EIS can take a little time and be patient.