eBay

productaxi · ‎05-22-2014

What's your opinion on the USA shippers into Canada? It's my opinion that the seller's who aren't using the Global Shipping Program are able to send their matching products here cheaper than we can send to our fellow Canadians. To turn the table, I can ship via Small Packet Air to USA on some items than I can my fellow Canadians.

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realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

For example, last year shipping a box with record to Japan by TRACKED airmail was $21. Insurance of $100 was $2.00 more. So $23 for a secure (peace of mind for me) shipping of an item that might cost $100 or more. Then with CP price change early last year, the cost for same shipping jumped to $78. I called CP to question such a ridiculous increase and was told by someone in Ottawa who expressed surprise to learn of the huge increase but said that it was still cheaper than courier (shipping cost to Japan of over $115 or so). Rates to other Asian an European cities jumped in almost same fashion. This means I will need to ship a costly item untracked and uninsured as some sellers are able to do with ease. I am trying to rewire my risk tolerance as discussed on this forum a while back. It is a work in progress.

rose-dee · ‎05-26-2014

@realjazz-123 wrote:
[...] This means I will need to ship a costly item untracked and uninsured as some sellers are able to do with ease. I am trying to rewire my risk tolerance as discussed on this forum a while back. It is a work in progress.

Yes, I completely understand and empathize. Virtually overnight, CP has made it uneconomical (and in fact rather foolish) to pay for tracked shipping to certain destinations unless a seller is dealing with a very valuable item.

On the other side of the equation, eBay is tightening up its rules so that minor slips or misjudgments on the part of sellers or mishaps that are out of sellers' control, can result in defects from which lower volume sellers will have a lot of trouble extricating themselves.

Last but not least, apparently eBay itself is now suffering from lower traffic/exposure, whether due to its own lack of foresight, misguided decision-making, or just plain loss of buyer trust for a number of reasons (including the latest hacker attack).

Ultimately these factors may make the selling of certain OOAK, collectible and vintage items very difficult, if not impossible on eBay, especially internationally. It's sad really -- this used to be the place for buyers from all over the world to go for unique and interesting items offered by sellers all over the world. As those type of sellers -- the ones I call "boutique" sellers -- give up and leave, pushed out by economic difficulty or policy pressures, eBay will become just another cookie-cutter internet marketplace for "consumer stuff" -- the world's online Wal-Mart.

recped · ‎05-26-2014

@realjazz-123 wrote:
For example, last year shipping a box with record to Japan by TRACKED airmail was $21. Insurance of $100 was $2.00 more. So $23 for a secure (peace of mind for me) shipping of an item that might cost $100 or more. Then with CP price change early last year, the cost for same shipping jumped to $78. I called CP to question such a ridiculous increase and was told by someone in Ottawa who expressed surprise to learn of the huge increase but said that it was still cheaper than courier (shipping cost to Japan of over $115 or so). Rates to other Asian an European cities jumped in almost same fashion. This means I will need to ship a costly item untracked and uninsured as some sellers are able to do with ease. I am trying to rewire my risk tolerance as discussed on this forum a while back. It is a work in progress.

I'm thinking you are comparing an old surface mail service against a new Xpresspost service, that would be akin to saying that the price of your new car was 10 times the price of your old car because you traded in your Kia and bought a new Tesla.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

The service I am describing has nothing to do with surface shipping. Last year, tracked insured small package AIRMAIL to JAPAN was $23. The IDENTICAL shipping service is now $78. No matter how it is viewed, IT AIN'T RIGHT.

pierrelebel · ‎05-26-2014

'small package AIRMAIL"

Sorry but small packet airmail was NOT a tracked service (for PayPal purposes).

realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

Before Jan 2013, cost to ship small package tracked insured airmail to Japan was $23. Cost is now $78. I do not follow your point about PAYPAL. From my perspective, before Jan 2013, if package did not arrive or was damaged, CP insurance covered the loss.

pierrelebel · ‎05-26-2014

"small package tracked"

The "small packet" were not tracked (for PayPal's purposes). You had a receipt number but they did not meet the PayPal "tracking" requirements.

mr.elmwood · ‎05-26-2014

@realjazz-123 wrote:
Before Jan 2013, cost to ship small package tracked insured airmail to Japan was $23. Cost is now $78. I do not follow your point about PAYPAL. From my perspective, before Jan 2013, if package did not arrive or was damaged, CP insurance covered the loss.

RJ, unless you are transposing verbiage, small packets were never tracked. They did have insurance up to $100, which was discontinued. Tracking was only ever available with Expeditited and Expresspost.

Should you want even insurance, now, yeah, $78 sounds about right, even w/o me checking.

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realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

When I shipped using $23 CP small package international with tracking, the receipt included a tracking number which I could use to follow the progress of delivery. I used it often. I do not know what PAYPAL requires, but packages I shipped were tracked until final delivery. For my purposes, my package was insured if package did not arrive. That tracking number was used by CP in cases were delivery was delayed beyond expectation. This $23 service met my needs which were the same as buyer. Now the same service costs $78 and neither seller (me) nor potential buyer (diminishing more and more because of CP increases) are pleased.

realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

As I recall, the shipping service was called small package international. Perhaps I am mistaken about the name, but not the price. The cost was $23, tracked and insured and the SAME service is now $78. Of this I am sadly sure.

mr.elmwood · ‎05-26-2014

I get what you are trying to say, but, there never was a service called "small package". There was "small packet" that had three pricing levels based on weight.

I just looked at pricing. There is no chance at all you send an over 500 gram packet to Japan, tracked for $23. The $78 you quote is for that size.

Airmail for 500-1K, I have been flat rating at $40 US for three years. That is small packet, no insurance, no tracking.

$23 gets you Expedited to the USA, nowhere else.

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realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

Here is what I work with. Today, small packet (not package as I said before) international airmail weighing.48 k without insurance and tracking to Japan is $20.68. Sent by Xpresspost with tracking and insurance cost is $78.38.

A year ago small packet weighing .48k sent with tracking and insurance was $23. In essence, whatever the name, does this not mean that what cost $23 a year ago now cost $78.38?? I have tried to look at this from all angles and I would be thrilled to find out I am wrong. Am I???

tobyshitzu · ‎05-26-2014

just take out "tracked" from all your posts, leave in "insured" and they all make sense 😉 . You had the protection of (up to $100) insurance with small packet, but not tracking. CP put the rates up and removed the insurance.

realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

I will admit my memory is less sharp, but I was sure last year tracking was also part of the small packet international service. If insurance up to $100 was offered, without tracking, how were non delivered items traced??

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-26-2014

As others have said, small packet was never a tracked service. They dropped the insurance in January 2013 so it has been over a year. I don't see how they would be able to trace it so they may have just assumed that the lost package claims were from honest people. I think that if someone put in too many claims they would put a stop to it.

realjazz-123 · ‎05-26-2014

I think you just explained why it was stopped. Too many claims!!! Whatever the reason, we will have to work with $23 non tracked not insured or pay the $78 when it is viewed as justified by value of item.

toff3 · ‎05-27-2014

RJ,

Believe me, Canada Post did not withdraw the "free" $100 insurance coverage for Small Packets because of too many claims.

It was just another cost-cutting exercise in their business plan of cutting service and raising prices.

Get over your apparent obsession with tracking. For most purposes, tracking is a crock. Losses in the mail are minimal. The postal system worldwide works extraordinarily well - always has and, I believe, always will.

My fear is that Canada Post's prices will reach levels that will prevent us from using the postal system.

Tom

mr.elmwood · ‎05-27-2014

@toff3 wrote:
RJ,
Believe me, Canada Post did not withdraw the "free" $100 insurance coverage for Small Packets because of too many claims.
It was just another cost-cutting exercise in their business plan of cutting service and raising prices.
Get over your apparent obsession with tracking. For most purposes, tracking is a crock. Losses in the mail are minimal. The postal system worldwide works extraordinarily well - always has and, I believe, always will.
My fear is that Canada Post's prices will reach levels that will prevent us from using the postal system.

Tom

Exactly. Too many people focus on the "Yeah! Well! What happened to me ONCE ....". I fully believe the service is reliable. I fully believe that any problems are the direct result of the sender or receiver.

All of my "problems" can be traced back to an error I made, or that the buyer made, exclusive of buyer theft, which, I am only sure of three (3) times in 12 years.

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realjazz-123 · ‎05-27-2014

Yes, my obsession with tracking annoys me and I will have to deal with it. But let me ask. Last year for $23 I could have shipped an insured, untracked (I was corrected) packet to Japan. Now it is called Xpresspost and costs $78 insured and tracked. Why the very large increase of $55. I am still trying to understand what CP gained by doing this. They could have offered a tracking service with the base $23 and charged $10 or $20 or $30. Instead by charging a huge $55 extra, they have likely decreased the use of small packet international mailing. Certainly fewer people will pay $78 but might have paid, albeit , begrudgingly, $20 or $30 less.

Perhaps this int'l service is also showing a loss so yet another tic in loss box to justify CP sale??