Canadian International Shipping OUTRAGEOUS RATES: HELP!

[art2love1]

Shipping a watch 200 grams to Moscow - only air option is some 62 dollars, insured 100. SURFACE about 43. No Tracked Packet option to Russia, no other COVERAGE option shipping. What to do??? Does anyone have other shipping options or trade secrets to share?? Thanks!:-D

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Welcome to the vagarities of international shipping. This has nothing to do with Canada Post. This has everything to do with the receiving country. The higher the rates, the higher the risk to the shipper. It has become more problematic for me. I am sonsidering cutting off Russia and Mexico.

Small packet air is $11.10.

How much is the sale? Suck it up Princess and send it for $11.10. I would.

[art2love1]

sale was for 79 dollars. there is NO INSURANCE NOR TRACKING to Russia for 11. Cheapest is some 62.

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Um? Are we talking a whole, whacking, get yer knickers in a knot, $79?

Send it for $11.10.

[art2love1]

item value below 100, yet needs to be insured and tracked. russia is problematic - theft.

[my-june]

I hear you!

a 5kg box of items to Germany ~ only 3 options offered by Canada Post ~ lowest is $101.+ by International Parcel Surface ~ and then there's that Obnoxious ebay Shipping fee of 11% on top of that!

If I were making a 'bundle' of cash on this item I could suck up the ebay fee but some of us aren't making that much.

If the buyer wants to pay the shipping it's OK with me ~ I won't cut them off as long as they're willing to pay the Canada Post fees.

Sorry I have no secrets to share ~ only this advice:~ I no longer will ship anything of value to foreign countries Unless I Have a Tracking # ~ due to a few 'nasties'.

I still use Small Packet Airmail (now uninsured) to USA ~ Unless the merchandise is to Forwarded to Other countries ~ then I want to Know it reached USA!

[art2love1]

YOu will be surprised how often those who win your item for, say, 30 dollars, will harass you forever and claim they have not received pkg if indeed untracked or at least uninsured. that's the problem here.

[art2love1]

I have just checked rates for 5kg to germany: 20x20x15 inches. It is 145 surface before insurance!

[art2love1]

And smaller pkg to Germany surface with insurance option is 52.90:
Germany 15.00 in. 10.00 in. 7.00 in. 2.000 kg

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Um, no, people do not. Do not go by my POSTING ID feedback. I am 10 years and 7500 sales. The only time I use tracking and-or insurance is when it is cheaper for me to use Expedited. I seek out neither. Never have, never will.

I would send the watch for $11.10. I have a very high tolerance for risk. Actually, there is no difference between $1 and $100. Not in my mind.

I take $1 from every sale and put it in my "self insurance fund". It is deep into the black.

[brandeentertainment]

look at it this way .. you pay $11 and they receive everyone is happy and you make money and if they don't receive you have to refund $79 and you get to cancel and get fees back

You ship with Tracking cost you $62 and with fees and time you make nothing anyways and still out the fees ..

So take the risk and maybe you wil come out on top do it any other way and there is no chance of you making a cent

[art2love1]

Ah, and there's the rub! eBay specifies time and again that sellers are to insure and track, or else all liability falls on seller's shoulders.  Caught between rock and very very hard place.  I have always shipped insured and tracked when it was feasible, and definitely for anything over 50 dollars INSURED. Have I been getting it all wrong and thus getting so few sales???

[brandeentertainment]

Depends what you sell.. I like anything over $40 to have insurance but I have shipped many $70-$80 items ship without and be fine and dandy but then again in the month of december I lost a total of $600 in merchandise due to no tracking I jusat have to refund no questions asked in hope of atleast salvaging my feedback...

Depends on what you sell and what type of volume you want to move some times slow and safe isa better .. I mean if it is a side thing and not your income paying the bills slow and safe is good ..

In my case I am a volume seller and need to push everything and fast .. All New product for me has 90 days before i make nothing or break even.

All old product are bought by the dozens or 100's or even 1000's so I need to hussle ...

Yesterday I bought 15 movie title a total of 7000 movies so they wil have to move and fast so no $12 for tracking .. $1.50 and get em get em out ...

It all depends on you and your business needs .. IF I don't sell quick get stock with no new stock which has happened last month from jan 1st right till yesterday .... 

[bb_cool_stuff]

If you are feeling uncomfortable about shipping the item send a polite message, explain the situation regarding shipping prices & inquire if they would be interested in a mutual cancellation.

Can you afford to lose the item for ninety dollars including shipping ?

Are you better off relisting & selling the item to a US Buyer where shipping with tracking is a lot less expensive ?

I would not take the risk, especially to Russia. Twenty dollars, yes, ninety without tracking, no chance.

[art2love1]

Indeed, always more comfortable selling cheaper items (to 100) to USA buyers without tracking. Anything overseas can create a real headache without ins/trk, and I cannot afford to lose an antique/vintage item. You are right: leave the high shipping rates and hope to get a local or North American buyer who can afford the expedite shipping without cringing too much.

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Art, eBay has nothing to do with how you decide to ship. There is virtually zero liability, that is what the self-insurance fund is for. Parcels that go bad are very, very, very few and far between. The extra expense to you and the customer is a classic waste of money.

Insured over $50? That is a waste of money. I have never filed a claim in a decade. I file it as a cost of doing business. I can spend $50 worth of time chasing $25, or, I sell a few more widgets with the same time. I refund and move on.

eBay "suggests" how to ship, to protect yourself against the evil scammer. Really, how many of those have you actually had? Me? One (1). Vast majority of customers simply want the widget shipped as cheaply as possible.

[art2love1]

Please explain: what is the SELF INSURANCE FUND?? I understand liability always in favour of BUYER and sellers must suck up any loss.

[pierrelebel]

"I understand liability always in favour of BUYER and sellers must suck up any loss."

That is correct

"Please explain: what is the SELF INSURANCE FUND??"

Every time you ship an item - uninsured - you put $1 into an "insurance jar"

Once in a while (at most one in 100 on average) you have a customer complaining of non receipt.

You take $50 or $70 or whatever from your "insurance jar" to pay the claim and you are still ahead.

[art2love1]

So you suggest I offer the cheapest shipping rates available and take the risk...

[pierrelebel]

That is correct.

By using a method of shipping requiring insurance protection (to protect yourself) you are paying much more than the actual value of protection you are getting.

Two possibilities :

1 - you absorb the extra shipping cost - and your profits suffer

2 - you pass the cost to buyers and you see your sales drop as you are less competitive due to your higher overall price (American sellers have a huge competitive edge here)

If you are running a small business on eBay and/or online, it makes sense, on the long term, to self-insure in most instances, due to the high shipping costs in Canada to provide tracking and insurance.

Now, one must be careful about it and it may not work well in some categories or for high ticket items.  I always recommend avoiding some areas where a larger percentage of buyers claim non-receipt.  South America comes to mind.

Different sellers have different policies regarding risks.  There is no universal answer fitting everyone.

Personally, I have sold millions of dollars worth of stamps on eBay in fourteen years, mostly shipped without any tracking. Of course I have received a few claims for non-receipt over the years.  The total is well below one quarter of one percent in both count and value.

At the end of the day you need to assess your willingness to accept some risks and sleep at night.

Good Luck