CANADIAN POWERSELLERS... PREPARE TO LOSE YOUR STATUS IN JULY! DTR RATINGS

[g-manthebossman]

Looks like Ebay is going to ignore the conditions Canadian power sellers face regarding shipping costs and shipping times. As any Canadian seller knows we pay through he nose to use Canada Post compared to fees our American counterparts pay for USPS. In addition shipping times take longer for most packages because they have to cross the border (If you are like me 99% of your sales are USA bound). As a result DTR ratings in shipping time and cost categories are lower for most Canadian power sellers. For example my feedback rating is 99.2% my DTR ratings for item as described and communication are around 4.8-4.9 but my DTR ratings for shipping cost and time are 4.2-4.3 As an average I fall above the 4.5 DTR requirement but as individual categories I fall short on two of them. This has had two effects on my store... #1 I am not qualified to take part in the 1 cent listing sale and in July new rules take effect that say sellers with a lower than 4.5 DTR rating in any category will lose their power seller status!!!! HOW IS THIS FAIR TO CANADIAN POWER SELLERS?

I WELCOME ANY HELP, ADVICE OR CORRECTION TO THESE UNFAIR RULES! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED N THE LOSS OF OUR FEEDBACK RIGHTS THERE GOES THE RATINGS THERE AS WELL BECAUSE BUYERS CAN LEAVE WHATEVER THEY WANT WITHOUT FEAR OF REPRECUSSION FOR UNFAIR TREATMENT TO SELLERS.

[boneshakerscards]

AS an added note, is it just me, or does the Canada Post shipping rates seem completely out of whack and make virtually no sense.

I use as an example. I reside in Ontario, and recently sold a single item to someone in PEI. It costs me over $12 to send it and it's no more than half a kilo and the size of my fist. I also sold 5 of these items to someone in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, that can only be reached by dogsled!! 5 of those items, which means five times the wieght and size and being sent by dogsled only cost me $14.50???? Does that make any sense? Because it doesn't to me...

[westernstargifts]

I now have silver PS status.... for this month anyway, and am going to be receiving the 5% discount. I would be getting the 15% discount if not for the shipping DSR.

Hi Andrew,
Congratulations on the silver status! What a kick in the teeth though to work yourself up to that level only to be given a lousy 5% discount for all of your trouble. That extra 10% might have paid for a trip to Florida....lol...!!!
Is it really the snow or do you want to move there to get the USPS shipping rates?.....They will cost about a buck less......:^O

It may look like I am successful, but for all the hours I put in and the fees I pay it really isn't worth it. But I am not giving up. I am looking at new products to sell under other id's. I want to stay away from selling anything that cannot be shipped easily & cheaply. From what I read on the board, I don't want the hassle. I have some good ideas on what to sell. Now I need the time to do it!!

Judy

[recped]

Does that make any sense? Because it doesn't to me...

Postage rates are set by distance

Pond Inlet mail arrives by Air

Mail to parts of Nunavut and NWT is subsidized

[dipmicro]

That extra 10% might have paid for a trip to Florida

It's 10% of fees, not 10% of sales discount 🙂

Silver is $3,000+, if everything sold in the store, the 12% fees would be $360+. 10% of that is $36+. Many months to save for the trip to Florida.

[dipmicro]

Does that make any sense?

Check the CanadaPost postal zones 41 and 42. Everything is almost flat except 41, 42. By flat I mean $7 to ship to the person who lives next door, while $12 to ship to person who lives 5000km away. Except 41, 42.

[cgcgraded]

Hey Dipmicro. I could have sold $9000 worth of items!;-)
My fees are under 10% as well. Maybe I might take the bus to Florida and live on the beach!!!

-1 here today.... I hate winter, especially when its supposed to be spring!

Andrew

[dipmicro]

Buck, yes you could, that's why I used '+' 😉

For some strange reason, I have been always silver, even though I did not even sell $1000 in November when they made me a PS, it has been showing silver status. I gues I should really qualify by the old rules now, depending if they count the postage or not 😉

[westernstargifts]

It's 10% of fees, not 10% of sales discount 🙂

Yes, I know......;-)

I hate winter, especially when its supposed to be spring!

And you live in Newfoundland? Didn't you say last year that you were enjoying your summer weather....all 2 weeks of it?.....:-)

[pierrelebel]

If I may, I would like to suggest you remove the following from your listings:

"if there is a problem with anything I sell i ask you to contact me BEFORE YOU START A DISPUTE, LEAVE BAD FEEDBACK OR DO A PAYPAL DISPUTE. if i have not been contacted and given the opportunity to rectify the problem if one should arise i will protect my rights and file claims, unpaid item strikes and negative feedback for those who choose not to follow the normal sequence of events. I am sorry for this tough talk but due to a few bad apples who try to get something for nothing (none have succeeded yet) I have had to take a fairly militant stance for this type of behaviour."

An eBay listing page should tress the positive of buying this item from you. This paragraph does not do the job. Far from it. .

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Pierre,

Oh, I so agree with you!

Susan
momoftwingles2

[dipmicro]

BEFORE YOU START A DISPUTE, LEAVE BAD FEEDBACK OR DO A PAYPAL DISPUTE

some big sellers routinely file a dispute instead of sending feedack reminder. Do disputes have any effect on anything? I always thought that they are just a means on communication and are harmless unless escalated to claim.

[g-manthebossman]

I agree pierre i had to mull over putting that up what made me decide to was the fact that people would refuse to understand that i am shipoping crossborder and due to the size and weight of my packages they must be handled by hand causing delays because they cannot go through the automated system, i had a few unsucessful claims started that i proved were shipped out but in the meantime this froze up my paypal funds until paypal decided in my favor, i would be open to suggestions on how to warn customers that they are buying from out of country, i liked the idea about putting a map up showing where i am and where they are but i think something a little clearer would be needed so if you would like to assist me in wording something that is clear but not as harsh i would really appreciate it. thx

[wendo99]

I have just changed my Store Logo to include the Canadian Flag, I am hoping this might help some of my customers that I am in a foreign Country (Canada) and not the US?

Time will tell if this does help a little.

Wendo99

[momoftwingles2]

Great idea, Wendo99!

[pierrelebel]

"this does help a little"

"Little"?

Put in a large flag!!! .

[cumos55]

A note about Canada Post.

I live in Winnipeg.

It costs about the same for me to ship using Expedite going from Winnipeg to Victoria as it does from Winnipeg to Halifax.

And then I did Victoria to Halifax... and it cost just a bit more.

Canada Post has made it quite a level playing field.

I do use Xpresspost regional for shipping to BC... if it is less than Expedite.

If a seller is shipping lots... then Ventureone is a very good option ... a very good business option.

[cumos55]

I use Canada Post 100 %

Rather than complain I have learned how to use it effectively.

For items less than 500 gram, and 2 cm ... I can compete very effectively with US rates.

I beat USPS media mail by providing the right book for sale... US buyer will pay shipping if they want it.

I am very careful of what I list.

Currently list about 300 Canadian history books in a store, and that is 10 % of all listed on ebay.com or ebay.ca Seller in Nova Scotia and I have 10 % of the book, while the top 4 have 25 % of the books.

And I do this all out of a store... have not listed an auction in two years, and probably never will.

This seller has learned to use the system... use eBay... use Canada Post... and have been very careful... and it works...

[cumos55]

It can be done... improve DSR...

My DSR for S & H was 4.6 in June 2007... Today it is 4.8 for both the 30 day and 12 month number.

It all starts with communication... positive communication in a listing... being very open about shipping costs and the maximum in handling fee charged. Never charge the maximum handling fee. Refund the extra if less is charged at the postal outlet.

The ratings are defined very specifically by Bay. However, there is more to the rating than what eBay says. There is a lot based on perception on the part of the buyer... and it starts right with the listing... the words you use.. the length... the terms of sale

Keep it simple... and honest... right up to the time you deliver the parcel to the post office.

A rating of 4 is as good as a 5 if you do not get too many.

An average of 4.8 is eight ratings of 5 and two ratings of 4 for every 10 received.

[cumos55]

Do not forget exchange rates...

Remember $1.10 US for one dollar Canadian.. last October...

and do not use the official exchange rate.

Buyers use Paypal... so I use the Paypal exchange rate for the conversion of US to Canadian dollars.... for the conversion of Canadian dollars to US dollars. That way I do not lose when Paypal gives the Canadian dollar back to me...

[g-manthebossman]

I agree if your shipping something light, c-post can be somewhat competitive. the Problem I brought up was that the DSR system is too broad, I ship items that weigh a minimum of 1.5 pounds or appx 750 grams up to 25 pounds or 11 kilograms. go check the rates on these types of packages then look at the usps flat rate box to canada (40 pounds max for less than 15 dollars) Also since canada post started charging with the rate zones, you need to consider where I live in comparison to you in winnipeg, your central i am o the west coast which puts me at least 2500km farther from the eastern seaboard (my main customer base) not only does this effect cost of shipping which does not seem to be as big of a problem as time to ship. This I assume takes longer because I am farther away from most clients? My belief is delays through customs may be a large contributor to that but who knows. I do like two ideas I saw on here one was the map of North america in the listings showing where i am in relation to the buyer and the idea of using the canadian flag in my store logo.