2 months shipping from China to Canada??

[oragex]

What is happening with Ebay?  Back in 2014 I used to wait 4 or 5 weeks, and found that long.  Now it regularly takes 2 months to get the items here.  Ebay dispute deadline is just that, 2 months, after which we cannot do anything to get a refund.

First, the two months delay is psychologically deterring.  I am buying less and less from China.  Secondly, this huge delay certainly hurts the Chinese sellers because they have to refund items that get lost in transit.

Can't Ebay do anything?  Isn't there a faster shipping option? 

I recently purchased an item, and the seller was asking $1 shipping.  Well, this particular item  arrived in 3 weeks and I had to sign for reception. 

Why doesn't Ebay offer a $1 shipping option to have the items being shipped within 3 weeks?

What do you guys think?

[momcqueen]

I think you should stop buying the cheapest stuff available (from China) and purchasing the slowest speed offered (the cheapest) and then expecting miracles. Ebay doesn't set the shipping, the seller does. The buyer chooses their seller.

Buy Canadian. You'll get it within a week or less (in most cases) and it will be worth the money you spent on it.

[femmefan1946]

For the (Canadian ) sellers here, your complaint is Good News.

But the old adage is: You can have it good. You can have it cheap. You can have it fast. Pick two.

[i.am.vivian]

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@oragex wrote:

Why doesn't Ebay offer a $1 shipping option to have the items being shipped within 3 weeks?

What do you guys think?

---

What would make you think a one-dollar shipping service would be "fast"?  

A couple things about shipping:  eBay has no influence or control over it.  When a seller puts something in the mail, it is the world's POSTAL SYSTEMS that shuffle it around.  eBay has nothing to do with this. 

Also eBay does not offer any kind of shipping option.  Sellers decide to ship using a given service, but eBay has nothing to do with that either. 

Then there is how every postal system gets paid.  Countries of the world all agree to handle each others' mail (otherwise there could BE no postal system).  Rich countries like Canada and the US subsidize poor countries, so what used to be a "third world" nation like China pays next-to-nothing and the so-called rich countries pick up the tab. 

That means a seller in China can send you a $2 item with a signature confirmation, paid for almost entirely by Canada. 

A lot of Chinese sellers offer "Free shipping" because they can mail it so cheaply.  The dollar is really neither here nor there, whether they include it or keep it separate. 

There are faster shipping options and if you buy something more expensive from China they can send it with a courier but any fast service will cost at least $40 or more.  Couriers do not subsidize China's shipments.  

There are lots of posts on Buyer Central about slow shipping from China, it comes up all the time.  You can start with this: 

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/Asia-shipping-delays/m-p/357675#U357675

When you buy cheap things from China it can take up to 3 months to arrive.  A quick refresher about dispute deadlines,

on eBay you have 30 days after the LAST estimated delivery date,

if you miss that,

on PayPal you have 180 days from when you PAID.    That's really quite generous. 

[jewels1912]

I hear ya. I ordered lots of things for Christmas gifts October 11 ,2016. I noticed they have Changed and  Extended their delivery times. And to arrive in the New Year. That isn't how it was suppose to be when I initially purchased everything.. I was beating the Christmas rush in October so I thought. I'm growing tired of all the nonsense that the sellers are pulling and getting away with.

[oragex]

Buying Canadian or American at higher price is your opinion. You should keep yourself from saying that on a forum.

I just found a post from an Asia seller, he is noticing that customers from Canada seem to experience much longer delays compared to other countries. He is resuming the other side of the medal - the sellers point of view - very well

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Asia-to-Canada-very-slow-shipping-situation-worse-and-wo...

[momcqueen]

You asked what we thought. Your wish was granted, now you know.

[oragex]

You are correct, interestingly, until 2 years ago we could actually have all three. That has changed. I believe Ebay should make the Asian sellers offer a faster shipping option at the actual price. I can still ask an Asian seller for a faster shipping price, it's just that their prices will be unrealistic. Maybe if Ebay steps in for a regulation would be helpful.

[oragex]

You understand well my answer. Such technical topic is not the place for subjective/partisan opinions.

[momcqueen]

And I think that you would do well to educate yourself on the treaties between postal operations as part of the Universal Postal Union.

[83bj60 · Accepted solution]

It is my understanding after having shipping times jump from an average last year of 3 to 4 weeks last year to 4 to 9 weeks this past three months, that the problem is NOT eBay nor the Chinese sellers.

In fact, the problem is with the CBSA (Canadian Customs) and the "Fentanyl Drug Scare". Apparently there are full warehouses of packages waiting to be inspected because the CBSA just can't handle the volume. As a matter of fact, our delivery delays have become worse than most third world countries.

I had a package stuck in Customs since October 3th. It was finally delivered December 21st, almost thee months later. Less than 30% of my packages from China have arrived in less than 30 days, most have been taking more than two months.

The good news is, all my packages have eventually arrived so far this year.

eBay should extend buyer protection by at least another 30 days; 30 days delivery from China has become wishful thinking. Better get ready to order for spring now. Seriously. Anyone from eBay monitoring these discussions?

[momcqueen]

No one from eBay monitors these Boards.

At times like this, it is important to remember PayPal covers purchases for 180 days.

I don't ever buy from China so I cannot comment on your experience.

[oragex]

Please don't blame or require refund from the Chinese sellers.

The reason why packages take over 2 months to arrive, it's because of the Canada Border (CBSA) agency. They block the packets for weeks for inspection and I wonder if they tape back small packages or they simply threw them to the garbage.

You can complain at http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/feedback-retroaction-eng.html

[momcqueen]

They're looking for illicit substances like fentanyl that's being smuggled through shipping. I cannot fault Border Agents for that. For the record, I never encourage early refund request. Day 157 via Paypal is my standing advice.

[jodiek_7]

2 month shipping? I just went out and checked my mail nothing in the mail box, so i was heading back inside when the mailman showed up, he had a package from me that was ordered November 7th and shipped on the 8th (with regular parcel tracking # China post) 2 weeks into January i opened a item not received case and got a refund that had been 67 days.....today is February 24th exactly 6 weeks after i opened my case....ITEM ARRIVED. just shy of 4 months

[hydrometallurgy]

Shipping times used to be acceptable in 2015 and most of 2016 — usually 3-4 weeks, rarely 6-8. However, things changed in Fall 2016. It has been 3 months, and I'm still missing several packages. I doubt they will ever arrive. I'm trying to wait as long as I can before requesting refunds, but with shipping estimates of 2 months + 1 month buyer protection it just doesn't help. I'm not sure where the problem is. It could be postage in China or it could be customs in Canada, or it could be Canada Post. There's no way to tell. It's really bad for buyers in Canada and sellers in China.

[momcqueen]

It's Customs. They are searching for illegal drugs which have been flooding the Canadian market and killing people at alarming rates. It's all over the news. Google Fentanyl and China mail.

[chriscook1976]

I am also a frequent buyer and had ordered from China many times in the past. I took a bit of break and then in last part of 2016 I ordered quite a bit. well beginning of March I got a item in mail. It was 4 months old. I had complained to sellers a few times and was offered a resend item or refund. I didn't know at the time it had changed or took so long. Many refunded me which was ok I guess but I wanted the item i had waited 2 months for not the 2$ refund. I then received another item in March that was from December and also was just over 3 months. It's frustrating because waiting 3 to 4 months for a eBay item sure sucks.

[hydrometallurgy]

I guess fentanyl makes sense: being significantly more powerful than heroine it can be shipped in small quantities that are easier to hide. So CBSA probably have to run mass spectroscopy on packages in addition to standard imaging.

I have received a few of my belated packages since my previous comment. Unfortunately, i got them refunded, so i had to deal with the hassle of paying back after I received the packages. in retrospect, it was better to just wait. Sadly, with unrealistic shipping estimates that means waiving paypal protection. If ebay/paypal doesnt address this issue, i will switch to a certain competitor platform which enables the customer to extend delivery date estimates as well as the duration of protection.

[momcqueen]

Read this: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/a-killer-high-how-canada-got-addicted-tofentanyl/...

Are you saying that as a buyer you want coverage for longer than 180 days? I use paypal to send and receive money all the time, I don't find it to be a hassle, nor complicated or laborious. Perhaps there is a learning curve and you are past it now.

"Sadly, with unrealistic shipping estimates that means waiving paypal protection. If ebay/paypal doesnt address this issue, i will switch to a certain competitor platform which enables the customer to extend delivery date estimates as well as the duration of protection." What are you talking about? Who needs longer than six months for an estimated delivery date? If by a 'certain competitor platform' you're talking about The River, good luck with that. Their case resolution times expire much sooner than paypal's. I think you might be fantasizing that the grass is greener.....