Postal Costs out of this world

[northernlights9]

I use to enjoy shopping on Ebay, but in resent years the mailing cost has sky rocked out of control. You might see an item for $10.00 and postal fees are like $35.00. I can't afford to buy on Ebay unless shipping is free or a lot cheaper. I'm sure it has hurt the sales on here. To bad I guess.

[reallynicestamps]

"Free" shipping means that the cost of shipping has been included in the cost of the item.

Which is cheapest:

$5 item with $10 shipping

$10 item with $5 shipping

$15 item with Free Shipping?

And of course, there is a lot to be said for Buying Local and supporting retailers in your own community.

[dn4kme]

I agree that postal rates are going up, but in this world where I can check to see what the rates would be then find sellers way overcharging. It will lead myself and others to change buying plans from those on EBay. I am in Canada and found Global Shipping to be way out of line. A parcel that was said to include tracking only provided that service to Erlanger, Kentucky. From there on I could get no info on where it was or if it was coming.

[mags_finds]

Global Shipping is only used by American sellers, nothing I can say about that, I agree it is way out of line, sometimes if you email the seller they will ship it to you by regular USPS.

Personally, I am not able to sell many items simply because I can't compete with the US postal rates. 

For example, say I sell a tea cup for $10 and it costs me $10.00 to ship then the customer would have to pay 20.00.

A US seller can sell the same cup for $10.00 but their shipping cost is maybe 5.00, so if I paid $5.00 for the cup I can't sell it for a profit. 

Canadian sellers know that Canada Post is expensive and most of us charge only exact shipping or exact shipping and very small handling cost for supplies etc.  usually between 50 cents and 2 dollars.

All you can do is make the best decision for yourself. 

[reallynicestamps]

I agree that postal rates are going up, but in this world where I can check to see what the rates would be then find sellers way overcharging.

usps.com

canadapost.ca

You would need to know the zipcode/postalcode of the seller.

You would need to know the dimensions of the parcel and its weight. For US parcels, use Imperial measures. For the rest of the world metric will be the accurate system.

 A parcel that was said to include tracking only provided that service to Erlanger, Kentucky.

The seller is told to use a Delivery Confirmed label when shipping to Erlanger. These are very cheap in the USA for domestic parcels, around 25 cents when purchased online.

This protects the seller against unwarranted Item Not Received claims. If the parcel is delivered to Erlanger, the seller is covered.

Keep firmly in mind that the whole purpose of the Global Shipping Program is to encourage US sellers to offer their items outside the USA by assuring them that they will not be scammed by nasty furriners.

From there on I could get no info on where it was or if it was coming.

Yes. But you as the buyer don't care.

If you don't receive the item after 20 days, and GPS/the seller cannot prove delivery to you, your Item Not Received dispute will refund your entire payment, including, eventually, the 'import fees'.

There is tracking, but it is internal not public. Your parcel is on a truck with hundreds or thousands of other items until it gets over the border, then GPS is given a tracking number by their sub-contracted shipper. Their sub-contractor. Their information.

I say 20 days because in my experience that's about how long it takes parcels to arrive on average from the US. Since I rarely use GPS sellers, that includes the time spent being held at the border.

And if the sub-contractor doesn't get it to you within the 45 day deadline for Disputes and Claims, you get your money back. Just make that claim before Day 42.

[reallynicestamps]

Apparently it has been spread to UK sellers as well.

Odd since they should be used to exporting to Europe where there would be no customs barriers (although I suppose there are some tax issues).

[kennyboy36]

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@northernlights9 wrote:

I use to enjoy shopping on Ebay, but in resent years the mailing cost has sky rocked out of control. You might see an item for $10.00 and postal fees are like $35.00. I can't afford to buy on Ebay unless shipping is free or a lot cheaper. I'm sure it has hurt the sales on here. To bad I guess.

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Yes it has gotten really bad . So much so that i have had to severely reduce or give up my hobbies.There are a few places I stopped buying from long ago simply because they gouge on already ridiculous shipping costs. When 10.00 items  cost 20.00 to ship its the end of my business. And when the price of gas increases the cost of shipping goes up but if the cost of gas drops again the shipping costs do not.Best you can do is look for the best deal you can find and decide if its worth the cost.

[kmilton2p]

I've used small packet airmail for many years and for hundreds of sales. It does not provide for tracking unless you buy the traceable version recently introduced. I have never had a problem until recently a buyer in India reports never received. Up until a couple of years ago the small packet service included $100 insurance. Never needed it until now. Probably fraudulent usage of the service is the reason CP dropped the $100 insurance. The traceable version costs significantly more and is not available to many countries India included.

[reallynicestamps]

kmilton-- Since you rarely have problems, this is not likely to be useful to you, but some sellers, myself included, use Cookie Jar Insurance.

This just means adding a few pennies to the asking price of a given item to cover the (very occasional) claim for loss or damages.

If such a claim does arrive, you pay out of the virtual Cookie Jar you put all those virtual pennies in. No hassle to you or to your buyer.

And don't bother wondering if there is truth to his claim. If you get a bad vibe, add him to your Blocked Bidder List.

BTW, you still use tracking on high value items, but Cookie Jar Insurance covers all those $10 to $50 items that cost too much to track, but occasionally get claims.

[kmilton2p]

Reallynice advice to follow! Thanks.