When do I get accepted into EIS? | Selling | eBay Canada EN

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When do I get accepted into EIS? | Selling | eBay Canada EN

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When do I get accepted into EIS?

Summary: The discussion centers around the eBay International Shipping (EIS) program enrollment process. A participant explains that upon receiving the initial notice, sellers were automatically enrolled with options to opt out, and since then, re-enrollment invitations have been sent out randomly. Despite inquiries and automatic responses from the EIS support, clarity on how sellers can re-enroll remains limited, with further ramp announcements expected. Another participant confirms that the process for re-enrolling as described in the linked article is correct, though the option to re-enroll is still being developed. The conversation reflects a shared experience of uncertainty among sellers regarding the enrollment process.

Months ago I recieved and email from eBay telling me that I qualified for EIS. I am still waiting. Should I not have been invited after all this time?

Any one else still waiting?

rosscd57

862 View listings

Posted 8 months ago·Last reply 8 months ago

33 comments

intimewithmusic

·8 months ago

EIS Canada: Results Will Vary because it depends what you sell, where you ship from and the type of buyer you have. Before you stress over it you might want to look at the pros and cons of selling radios from your location thru EIS.

It will probably go Exp Prcl by land through varies stops and scans to Mississauga for processing. When it finally leaves the GTA it will get forwarded to the buyer in "Anywhere USA". This is different than sending it directly from you to the buyer.

More handling
Longer delivery time
Higher delivery cost to the buyer. Your label fee may actually be cheaper than sending it direct. That said, if you break even on your freight expense it doesn't make a difference to your bottom line.

These 3 potential negatives are what a buyer searching for a radio on dot com will see in your listing if viewed alongside the domestic US listings. The advantage you have over other sellers is your items are rare. Some collectors are willing to wait longer and pay more to get a collectible.

This is something I would take into consideration when setting the BIN price.

I have a GE C415 Musaphonic radio to list. It weighs 2.7kg unpacked say about 4kg packed. Normally, to ship it from Kelowna to Orlando (without export charges) it would cost about $50 for freight, insurance and a small packaging charge.

I couldn't find a similar example for sale in Canada so as an example there is a seller in Toronto with a 1967 Westinghouse Table Radio Model 917T5. No idea what it weighs. Their BIN price is $29.00. They offer 4 shipping options Exp Pcl, UPS, Fedex & EIS. Three of them are DDU. Buyer pays import chrgs. Thru EIS the import charge is $11.18 on the $29 Canadian made radio. No idea why there is an import charge on a Canada made radio to the US but there is. Maybe it's border charges or admin fees.

This is based on $29. Costs would be different on a $295 radio. The buyer in America sees the freight to ship it to Bakersfield from Toronto as $41.90 plus $11.18 = $53.08. Not bad. That's about what is used to cost if the radio weighs 4kg packed although I think this is a much lighter radio.

Not trying to persuade you in either direction @rosscd57 . I think the value of EIS in it's current form depends on what you sell, where you ship it from and the type of buyer you have. In your case it just might be a good thing as your items are of a higher value and EIS offers better seller protections. If I was you I would give it a go when the door opens keeping an eye on your tracking, damage/theft in transit, feedback scores etc as these can change quickly.

For the folks, here a screen shot of that $29 Westinghouse radio example:

PS: I love your penguin playing the guitar logo!

silentfoto

·8 months ago

I wouldn't waste your time. It's not worth the effort nor stress involved. If ebay were truly interested in Canadian sellers they would have a rep here guiding traffic to successful outcomes. But they aren't.

We are in nought but an echo chamber.

john_koenig99

·8 months ago

Well, for me it wasn't a waste of time. Pretty much all but one or two my sales are now shipping via eIS.

tarnvik

·8 months ago

I too have not had EIS added by Ebay. The rollout seems random. I haven't inquired yet as using EIS to ship based on community members issues, is problematical at best.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@tarnvik wrote:
I too have not had EIS added by Ebay. The rollout seems random. I haven't inquired yet as using EIS to ship based on community members issues, is problematical at best.

For anyone waiting with baited breath to be enrolled in eIS it is VERY important to have a backup personal email addy on file vs checking eBay mail. I received confirmation mine had been turned on a short time ago. Mail came to gmail addy but not to eBay as of yet. There can be a bit of tape delay and or problems if you have any filters turned on within ebay when it comes to eBay's inter-office correspondence.

Beginning of month received eBay coupon for supplies received notice coupon was on my sellers hub page. Received email on ebay on 7th. I've seen similar delays with messages from buyer or missing all together.

tarnvik

·8 months ago

Thanks for the heads up. I do have corresponding info. sent to my primary email linked to potential Ebay communication. Nothing incoming that I should miss (at least I believe:)

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@tarnvik wrote:
Thanks for the heads up. I do have corresponding info. sent to my primary email linked to potential Ebay communication. Nothing incoming that I should miss (at least I believe:)

The magic of eIS and access to traffic.

No eIS sales as of yet. According to further testing with eIS turned on you have access to approx 37 countries. The eBay help page only lists 30. The other 7 are most likely not high traffic options but they are there just in case. (Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa...). In 20 years of selling on eBay only sold to Guam once. (US Naval base)

chicweb

·8 months ago

Personally, I received the email also, never opted out, still not enrolled.

I'm not sure why they sent me that email a few months ago if it wasn't true.

So, I'm also scratching my head on that rollout.

recped

·8 months ago

@rosscd57 wrote:

Months ago I recieved and email from eBay telling me that I qualified for EIS. I am still waiting. Should I not have been invited after all this time?

Any one else still waiting?

Have you checked your Shipping Preferences?

I was auto enrolled when EIS was first offered, I opted out immediately, when I go to my Settings the option to enroll is there and has been since the day I opted out.

If I could have EIS available for the US ONLY I might have not opted out but there is no way I would use EIS for the rest of the world especially since EIS only ships to countries that are as safe to ship to directly as shipping within Canada.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@recped wrote:
@rosscd57 wrote:

Months ago I recieved and email from eBay telling me that I qualified for EIS. I am still waiting. Should I not have been invited after all this time?

Any one else still waiting?
Have you checked your Shipping Preferences?

I was auto enrolled when EIS was first offered, I opted out immediately, when I go to my Settings the option to enroll is there and has been since the day I opted out.

If I could have EIS available for the US ONLY I might have not opted out but there is no way I would use EIS for the rest of the world especially since EIS only ships to countries that are as safe to ship to directly as shipping within Canada.

@recped

My guess is the setting you are showing was offered to some users randomly. I have been checking since Oct as per other screenshots seen and that option has never been there in preferences both shipping and business policies.

It's possible it was turned on in October for some and then turned off at a later date. See my previous post as per the eis help page and opting in or out.

intimewithmusic

·8 months ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies @rosscd57 @recped

Quote

Have you checked your Shipping Preferences?

I was auto enrolled when EIS was first offered, I opted out immediately, when I go to my Settings the option to enroll is there and has been since the day I opted out.

-----------------------------
eBay fun fact
Notice the screen shot Lotz included places the "Enrol" option at the very far right.

Some sellers might not see it at all if they have their screen resolution or browser zoom set to exclude the far right edge.

On my browser (Chrome), when set at 100%, "Enrol" does not show up on screen unless the zoom is reduced to 90%

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@intimewithmusic wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies @rosscd57 @recped

Quote

Have you checked your Shipping Preferences?

I was auto enrolled when EIS was first offered, I opted out immediately, when I go to my Settings the option to enroll is there and has been since the day I opted out.

-----------------------------
eBay fun fact
Notice the screen shot Lotz included places the "Enrol" option at the very far right.

Some sellers might not see it at all if they have their screen resolution or browser zoom set to exclude the far right edge.

On my browser (Chrome), when set at 100%, "Enrol" does not show up on screen unless the zoom is reduced to 90%

@intimewithmusic

@rosscd57

Tested your suggestion on my system. No luck. Thanks for the try!!!

intimewithmusic

·8 months ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies

That's a drag but maybe it will help someone else.

Basically if someone can see "Not enrolled" at the top of Shipping Preferences but not the "Enrol" link

they might try using Chrome to zoom out to ensure they can see the entire screen.

If it's any consolation Lotz for the time being, I'm staying out. Being in the EIS program as a western Canadian seller was too risky for both my buyer and myself. A few close calls fortunatley resulting in buyer forgiveness was enough!

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@intimewithmusic wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies
That's a drag but maybe it will help someone else.

Basically if someone can see "Not enrolled" at the top of Shipping Preferences but not the "Enrol" link
they might try using Chrome to zoom out to ensure they can see the entire screen.

If it's any consolation Lotz for the time being, I'm staying out. Being in the EIS program as a western Canadian seller was too risky for both my buyer and myself. A few close calls fortunatley resulting in buyer forgiveness was enough!

My condolences @intimewithmusic on the close calls. In speaking to another seller they had a recent INR to Spain with eIS. Item disappeared off the radar. INR was closed in sellers favour. It didn't sound like much was done to assist buyer other than the refund. (Extending delivery time frame maybe/assist with tracking??) Unfortunately these types of scenarios have the possibilty of leaving a bad taste for buyers. Will the buyers return to challenge fate again? Not likely!!!

Just for clarification purposes I believe this line at the bottom of the help page for eIS as follows:

If you change your mind, you can opt back in 24 hours after opting out. To opt in again, go to Shipping Preferences and select Enroll next to eBay International Shipping.

My interpretation is you ONLY have a 24 hour window to enroll back in. After the 24 hours the option to opt back in MUST come as another invite. So a very limited time offer. Optimum setting would be a toggle vs a having to request or wait around for another invite. You would get an error message if for some reason you no longer qualify as per eBay requirements. My best guess for anyone that was to opt out they had their reason or at the time it just didn't match their needs either where they sell to internationally or the type of products they list. Situations can change. eIS Canada will never work perfectly for everyone until the country list expands along with the allowable category list. (Examples: Stamps, Coins & Currency)

intimewithmusic

·8 months ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies

"My interpretation is you ONLY have a 24 hour window to enroll back in. After the 24 hours the option to opt back in MUST come as another invite. So a very limited time offer. Optimum setting would be a toggle vs a having to request or wait around for another invite. You would get an error message if for some reason you no longer qualify as per eBay requirements. My best guess for anyone that was to opt out they had their reason or at the time it just didn't match their needs either where they sell to internationally or the type of products they list. Situations can change. eIS Canada will never work perfectly for everyone until the country list expands along with the allowable category list. (Examples: Stamps, Coins & Currency) "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Lotz. Thank you for your input

As you point out EIS with one eastern hub 4000km from Vancouver and a ridiculous 4000km from California combined with Canada Post rates versus USPS is complicated and messy. Rehashing reasons or wishing for some de minimis return is a complete waste of time. For Christmas I asked for $150 de minimis and got coal.

I'm aware of the restrictions you illustrate above. I opted out months ago. Here is what I see in my account today (see screenshot below). When EIS provides a positive (it's not) , happy (it's not), closer to USPS competitive rate (it's not) and a reasonably efficient service (it's very not) for international eBay buyers to purchase from Western Canadian sellers I'll jump at the chance to opt back in! Under the current border rules all Canadians need EIS. In it's current form it's an opportunity for Ontario based sellers and a curse for Westerners.

Nothing in life stays the same. Depending on what you sell, who you sell to, and where you sell it may be time to re-tool. Trying to circumvent a zero de minimis/tarif climate leads to the US household market that is currently experiencing a diminishing discretionary fund. I'm looking for a lower stress "greenish" pasture. I may take a run down to Osoyoos and speak with a freight forwarder to see if my customers could benefit.

Kudos to those still selling low value items to the US of A and making a very generous hourly wage doing it! Please write a Marsha Collier style book for the rest of us!

Lotz, I'm not going to execute it yet but the link seems to be active.

marnotom!

·8 months ago

@intimewithmusic wrote:

If it's any consolation Lotz for the time being, I'm staying out. Being in the EIS program as a western Canadian seller was too risky for both my buyer and myself. A few close calls fortunatley resulting in buyer forgiveness was enough!

What sort of risks are present for a seller in western Canada who’s using eIS versus a seller selling from elsewhere in Canada or the USA, @intimewithmusic?

intimewithmusic

·8 months ago

Thank you for your question but it's unclear as to why you're asking me. I've explained the pros and cons of EIS for westerners many times over in previous threads. Because your listings are hidden from the forum no one can ascertain if you're enrolled, if you're active as a seller or if EIS might affect you because you're in Western Canada. If you're not enrolled, or selling or in Western Canada why are you asking?

@marnotom! wrote:
@intimewithmusic wrote:

If it's any consolation Lotz for the time being, I'm staying out. Being in the EIS program as a western Canadian seller was too risky for both my buyer and myself. A few close calls fortunatley resulting in buyer forgiveness was enough!
What sort of risks are present for a seller in western Canada who’s using eIS versus a seller selling from elsewhere in Canada or the USA, @intimewithmusic?

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@marnotom! wrote:
@intimewithmusic wrote:

If it's any consolation Lotz for the time being, I'm staying out. Being in the EIS program as a western Canadian seller was too risky for both my buyer and myself. A few close calls fortunatley resulting in buyer forgiveness was enough!
What sort of risks are present for a seller in western Canada who’s using eIS versus a seller selling from elsewhere in Canada or the USA, @intimewithmusic?

@intimewithmusic

@marnotom!

I pointed this specific concern to eIS when I was 1 of the first people to have a zoom call with them. There is a substantial difference for anyone in the outreaches of Canada or a beyond point when it comes to shipping costs when you compare costs to someone located in an Ont/QC/GTA postal code. When we could easily ship to the USA tracked anywhere USA it was/is half the price as expedited to the GTA from Calgary. The person I spoke to gave me lots of ohs and huhs when I shared and said he would add to their spreadsheet of concerns. Why we have heard rumours of a western hub but it is still a work in progress with no tentative date to happen.

It's the same insanity in the USA if there is only one hub as an example shipping from west Coast to that hub when the item is going to BC/AB. It takes longer and adds to total handling.

grann-4629

·8 months ago

Is there a separate eBay fee for sellers using the eIS program?

If not, there's probably no reason to opt out even if you do want to ship to the USA only.

flipistics

·8 months ago

@grann-4629 wrote:
Is there a separate eBay fee for sellers using the eIS program?

If not, there's probably no reason to opt out even if you do want to ship to the USA only.

For sellers, the fees when using eIS are actually lower.

grann-4629

·8 months ago

Cool!

If I ever became a seller on eBay, I would sell to Canadians only and my shipping method would be Canada Post tracked only. I'm not sure if I could set up these restrictions on eBay, but at any rate, eIS would not benefit me at all.

I can see advantages for International sellers tho ...

flipistics

·8 months ago

@grann-4629 wrote:
Cool!

If I ever became a seller on eBay, I would sell to Canadians only and my shipping method would be Canada Post tracked only. I'm not sure if I could set up these restrictions on eBay, but at any rate, eIS would not benefit me at all.

I can see advantages for International sellers tho ...

You absolutely can. As long as you're listing on eBay Canada, you can restrict sales to Canada only and you can choose to only ship with Canada Post if you wish. There's really no reason NOT to use eIS unless the products are illegal to export or something. It basically works the same as a domestic sale as far as you're concerned, but with even less risk.

ricarmic

·8 months ago

As a caveat, you need to make sure what you sell can utilize eIS - as people like me who sell stamps can't use eIS even if we wanted to as stamps (and a number of other things) are prohibited from using eIS.

grann-4629

·8 months ago

Can I use the old-fashioned way by taking the item to the post office, buy postage, and mail it myself, or do I have to use an eBay label?

Also, tks for info on eIS ... might be an idea if it's the same as me shipping something within Canada but bound for another country.

ETA: On rethinking this, I think I would set up as Canada Only ... at least until the tariff/duty stuff is finally resolved.

tks 😎

marnotom!

·8 months ago

Keep in mind that eIS isn’t all or nothing the way the GSP was/is, @recped. You can still offer your usual shipping methods in your listings in addition to eIS. Let your buyers decide if it’s actually worth using.

Point taken about the Canadian eIS cherry-picking the easier destinations at present, although my poking around US listings yesterday led me to conclude that even with its far more extensive “ships to” list, the US eIS isn’t always fully available. I was looking at a listing for a vintage Casio watch and eIS didn’t show as a shipping method to a number of supported countries.

mrdutch1001

·8 months ago

and did you not have an OPT IN link?

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@mrdutch1001 wrote:
and did you not have an OPT IN link?

@rosscd57

When the original notice showed up you were automagically enrolled. You only had the option to opt out or leave as is. Many just wanted to confirm it was up and running....kinda properly. Since then sellers have gotten invites to re-enroll but very randomly. I was advised by eis that it was being done both monthly and quarterly so hard to know the real truth. Sending an email to eis addy only gets you the auto response. The follow up can be whenever.

This is the email I got Jan 4th and in that position.

If you are wondering if or when you will be enrolled in the eBay International Shipping program:

Sellers are being ramped into this program to ensure a smooth experience. The criteria for inclusion in ramps is based a wide variety of factors. There will be further ramp announcements over the next several weeks, so keep an eye on your email or My eBay to see if you’re included. You can also learn more about seller eligibility requirements here.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/ebay-international-shipping-program?id=5348&st=3&pos=2&query=eBay%20International%20Shipping%20program&intent=international%20shipping&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1704

Here are the notes regarding opting in and opting out. (Bottom of link). It does not appear that it is working as noted.

Opting out of eBay International Shipping

You can opt out of eBay International Shipping at any time by updating your Shipping Preferences. If you choose to opt-out, you'll be asked to provide a reason why.

To opt out of eBay International Shipping:

Go to My eBay and select Account.
Select Shipping Preferences.
Select Opt Out on the right-hand side of eBay International Shipping.
Select Done.

If you change your mind, you can opt back in 24 hours after opting out. To opt in again, go to Shipping Preferences and select Enroll next to eBay International Shipping.

@devon@ebay Are you able to confirm if this is how it supposed to work? There has been no option to re-enroll that I have seen to date.

mrdutch1001

·8 months ago

yes this is so weird and so unprofessional, but so typical of eBay incompetence for eBay Canada...It's not like there are the huge numbers of sellers like in the USA that truly needed a gradual rollout over many months...for .CA this is just beyond the ridiculous!

lotzofuniquegoodies

·8 months ago

@mrdutch1001 wrote:
yes this is so weird and so unprofessional, but so typical of eBay incompetence for eBay Canada...It's not like there are the huge numbers of sellers like in the USA that truly needed a gradual rollout over many months...for .CA this is just beyond the ridiculous!

The rollout was handled poorly from the get go. It should be a toggle. My other concern is the limited number of countries Canada eIS has access to compared to the US version. Even stranger is Mexico is NOT included when you consider proximity and relationship to Canada and USA. (Mexico does require that additional customs form to meet their requirements but still?)

devon@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin8 months ago

Community AdvisorView listings

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

@mrdutch1001 wrote:

and did you not have an OPT IN link?

@rosscd57

When the original notice showed up you were automagically enrolled. You only had the option to opt out or leave as is. Many just wanted to confirm it was up and running....kinda properly. Since then sellers have gotten invites to re-enroll but very randomly. I was advised by eis that it was being done both monthly and quarterly so hard to know the real truth. Sending an email to eis addy only gets you the auto response. The follow up can be whenever.

This is the email I got Jan 4th and in that position.

If you are wondering if or when you will be enrolled in the eBay International Shipping program:

Sellers are being ramped into this program to ensure a smooth experience. The criteria for inclusion in ramps is based a wide variety of factors. There will be further ramp announcements over the next several weeks, so keep an eye on your email or My eBay to see if you’re included. You can also learn more about seller eligibility requirements here.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/ebay-international-shipping-program?id=5348&st=3&pos=2&query=eBay%20International%20Shipping%20program&intent=international%20shipping&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1704

Here are the notes regarding opting in and opting out. (Bottom of link). It does not appear that it is working as noted.

Opting out of eBay International Shipping

You can opt out of eBay International Shipping at any time by updating your Shipping Preferences. If you choose to opt-out, you'll be asked to provide a reason why.

To opt out of eBay International Shipping:

Go to My eBay and select Account.

Select Shipping Preferences.

Select Opt Out on the right-hand side of eBay International Shipping.

Select Done.

If you change your mind, you can opt back in 24 hours after opting out. To opt in again, go to Shipping Preferences and select Enroll next to eBay International Shipping.

@devon@ebay Are you able to confirm if this is how it supposed to work? There has been no option to re-enroll that I have seen to date.

Hi @lotzofuniquegoodies! As of now, the Shipping team is still working on adding the option to re enroll but the steps are correct on how the process works.