I can't understand how shipping costs for an item (e.g. doll) can cost over $250.00. RIPOFF

[dmil8030]

Hello 'beezeegramma',

One of two things, - it depends how the item is being mailed, or else the seller made a typo.

If an item comes UPS Worldwide Saver (a misnomer if ever there was one) the international fee

for that service is shocking.  Well, shocking to ordinary people.  Perhaps not to large corporations

ordering lab specimens and whatnot.

Mabye the seller meant to have a shipping fee of $25.  That would be about right for a First Class

package from the US weighing whatever a doll weighs. 

Is that all it says when you click the Shipping and payments tab in the listing?  $250, -- but how?

You can always scroll down to toward the bottom of the listing and find where it says

Questions and answers about this item, then use the Ask a question link to inquire what the item weighs

and how the seller plans to mail it, sweetly explaining that you find $250 for that item to be a bit high.

Sometimes sellers are ruthlessly padding their shipping on international orders, but most times they've

simply made a typo (heavy fingers?) and are pleased to hear of it so they can make the correction.

It never hurts to ask. 

[reallynicestamps]

Is the doll being shipped under the Global Shipping Program?

What is the value of the doll?

Uder the GSP, the seller ships the item to the GSP plant in Kentucky with Delivery Confirmation. The seller's responsibility for secure and timely delivery ends there.

The GSP (PitneyBowes) adds the cost of duty (yes even on used products ) ( and based on where the item is manufactured not where it was purchased) and provincial/federal sales tax, plus a small ($5 or so) handling charge.

That's a sloppy way of describing what is happening, but you get the picture?

In this scenario, the Shipping you are being asked to pay is made up of

Shipping to Kentucky

Canadian duty

Canadian sales taxes

PB processing fee.

The big one is likely to be the sales tax, up to 15% in some provinces.

Another factor would be the original shipping cost. If the seller used Signature Confirmation or overnight service, that could be quite high, even within the USA. And of course the actual bulk and parcel dimensions come into play.

[melsieh67]

Shipping from the U.S.?

I just sold a weighted newborn-style baby...she was $80 total for the shipping on the buyer's side ($41 for me to KY)...7.5 lb. package inadvertently using GSP (I had specifically clicked OFF the GSP option). This was (for the seller's side) Canada Post Expedited Shipping.