Costs to ship to Canada from U.S.A. are unreasonable and unnecessary!!!

[jojosave]

Sadly, I've had to practically stop buying from eBay as the shipping fees to Canada are over the top...I mean, anywhere from $13-$30 to ship an eyeliner!!! I mean really???!!!  If Vendors want to sell to Canadians then they should do free shipping and add a few dollars to the price of the item otherwise the shipping costs make the cost of the item more than what it would cost to buy in a store and then what's the point of buying on eBay...Just go to the store or another online company and buy the item...as some offer free shipping as well!!!  I think eBay and Canada Post are shooting themselves in the foot with the new increased shipping fees to or even within Canada.  One Vendor told me that their business has decreased substantially because of eBay's new shipping fee calculator for Canada.

[pierrelebel]

"anywhere from $13-$30 to ship an eyeliner!!! "

It has nothing to do with eBay.

Find another seller.  Mary recently purchased eyeliner pencils from an American supplier and the shipping charge was very reasonable.

eBay does not monitor nor decide what a seller will charge. 

The problem is simple: some sellers use a more expensive method of shipping to protect themselves when shipping outside their country.  They may have had bad experiences in the past with foreign buyers claiming non receipt, leaving them with losses unless they used more expensive methods of shipping (with tracking) offering them some protection.

If you search for American suppliers outside eBay you will find the same thing: some use "cheap (low cost)" methods of shipping while many insist on more expensive methods of shipping (typically with tracking and/or signature on receipt).

As a buyer you have the choice to select the seller you want to deal with.

[jojosave]

Yes, I'm doing exactly that...I'm exercising my choice as I said...I'm no longer purchasing much from eBay anymore...I do believe it is combination of eBay, usps, and Canada Post.  If I see a listing that shows $20 or more for first class mail international...which is the least expensive method of shipping I know that something is seriously wrong because when you check the usps and Canada post website...those are not the rates for that method of shipping. 

Also, both usps and Canada Post claim they are not making enough money so they are raising rates...but if fewer people use the service because rates are too high than that's not going to help them either...

[petitecroissant550]

I always compare the cost of shipping to that of [Time + Cost of Fuel]. Just to take a drive around the GTA for leisure would alone cost $20.00 in gas (if not more on certain days).  If one were to drive to their nearest store to pick up eyeliner, factor in the cost of time, gasoline, car insurance - you get the picture.

I always save buying little items online if and when I need them in bulk.

[jojosave]

Oh my goodness...what kind of vehicle are you driving? I am always running around. I got gas over a week ago (most people that drive to work park there car all day)...and will probably need to fill up either Wednesday or Friday of this week...So, let's see... that's $65.00 for a fill up divided by 14 days equals approx. $4.65/day...I seriously doubt that the majority of people live a days drive from the post office...

From a business standpoint...The company I worked for paid .47 cents per km. which includes all expenses (insurance, repairs, etc. etc.) related to running a vehicle including gas...There are 1.6 kms. in a mile...so even if a person drove 16 kms (10 miles) to a post office they would only be reimbursed $4.70 for running their vehicle...

It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to drive 10 miles at about 60 miles per hour...so that's 30 minutes return...Let's say for arguments sake that minimum wage is $10 hr. than 30 minutes would be $5.00...That's less than $10...and if you're in business and shipping more than one item...you would divide the number of items, say 10, by $10...so the actual cost is about $1.00 per item...

[petitecroissant550]

I don't drive, but other family members do and I watch the meter on our car and truck go from full to 3/4 on a 1-2 hour leisure drive during high traffic hours. You can divide all of the prices, but in the end I still believe delivery is well worth its weight. The convenience of sitting on your ass at home and getting stuff delivered to you - our expectations have run far too high. We want everything cheaper, better, faster without any increase or detention to our own accord.

PS - sitting in traffic during rush hours would be my no. 1 reason for buying stuff online over buying it in person. Reason no. 2 would be dealing with the people traffic. I value my own time quite highly, that may differ amongst many people.

[ciny2k]

You can always ask the seller if they can do better with the postage. That's what I did when I wanted something, but thought the shipping rate quoted was unreasonable. No problem. I also opt out of the global shipping program, but I'm careful to buy things that fall under NAFTA  - the duties are killer otherwise. 

[kh-leslie]

Please post all comments about the GSP here: Comments about the Global Shipping Program

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