eBay

gaiirwi · ‎09-27-2015

I just found out that a 15 x 12 x 3/4 envelope (approx 6 ozs) will ship from US to Canada for $3.46. If you go to US Postal Service and scroll down to International Options you will see this info, So why are sellers charging outrageous amounts to send a pattern for needlework? I know that if they charge $12 US and it only costs $4 US the seller keeps the difference. I suggest all Canadian buyers be aware of the insane postal amounts being posted for just a couple pieces of paper.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-28-2015

Most U.S. sellers will not ship without delivery confirmation and that isn't available with the price that you quoted. A 6 ounce package would cost $8.51 for first class international package delcon and would have delivery confirmation.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-28-2015

Many US sellers are unaware that there is a separate rate card for Canada and for overseas destinations.

So they charge us the same price as they would someone in Australia or France.

But the paranoid insistence on Confirmation of Delivery is the main reason.

pierrelebel · ‎09-28-2015

"the paranoid insistence on Confirmation of Delivery is the main reason. "

Unfortunately, paranoia on eBay is not exclusive to Americans. We see many Canadian sellers suffering from the same condition. I would guess most have little or no "mail order" (direct marketing) experience prior to selling on eBay.

dmil8030 · ‎09-28-2015

Hello 'gaiirwi',

The high cost of shipping is one of the biggest irritants to Canadians shopping on ebay.

Unfortunately, Canada is considered so puny and insignificant that ebay will never expend the resources

needed to ameliorate the situation.

So you will have to help yourself as best you can.

One thing you can do is ask the seller if she is willing to offer a better rate. Send the USPS link to her,

explaining how you arrive at the lower amount.

I buy sewing patterns. I have had patterns mailed for less than $2 -- that come with tracking!

I have also seen the same pattern listed with a different seller for the $12 you mention.

When searching, be sure to use the Left side column where it says Item Location. First try the Canada Only

option. If you can find a Canadian seller, she might be willing to mail it to you for the cost of the stamps.

Otherwise you can choose North America or Worldwide, -- but overseas postage is even worse.

From the Sort bar (upper right) choose Price + Shipping.

If 'gaiirwi' is the user ID from which you are buying, you have a low feedback score and that makes sellers

nervous. It seems ridiculous that anyone would try to 'steal' a 10 dollar pattern, but there really are people

in the world who would do that.

Most sellers of small items add a few cents to the asking price of every item they sell to cover the cost of the

rare person who might be a thief disguised as a shopper.

All you can do is ask a seller if she will offer a better rate, and if she says no, -- thank her kindly for her time

anyway. You never know, - she might later reflect on that and change her mind (and her listings).

Otherwise, just keep checking. Sooner or later everything shows up on ebay. So if you want an affordable

pattern, one is bound to appear eventually.

Good luck.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-28-2015

I buy sewing patterns. I have had patterns mailed for less than $2 -- that come with tracking!

The least expensive way to send a package from the U.S. to Canada costs just under $7. Before they had delivery confirmation for international first class mail the customs numbers would occasionally carry over as a tracking number but that was very hit and miss. That could be what you are referring to but that was not considered tracking. There is no service from the U.S. with tracking for $2.

dmil8030 · ‎09-28-2015

It must be, as you say, "carry over", then, because whilst I have always sniggered about who would

feel the need to 'track' a 4-dollar pattern, -- if I enter the numbers on the label it shows where it is,

and eventually that it has been "delivered".

So in answer to the query by 'gaiirwi', one can certainly have a pattern mailed securely (to a seller's way of

thinking) for less than $12. There is no way I would pay $12 for mailing a pattern.

If the seller just licks the stamps, probably not, - the printed labels they use work for me every time.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-28-2015

Perhaps the seller's shipping and handling charge was $2 ?

That may not be what the seller paid for postage and delivery confirmation.

It could be just what she puts as her S&H charge.

Just as at one time all too many sellers would have the $5 product with $25 shipping, today many sellers advertise Free Shipping , and charge $30 for the item.

For the buyer it really doesn't matter.

Both buyers pay $30 for the item.

A low (or 'free') shipping rate is a useful way to please customers, many of whom are unaware that the cost of shipping is based on the dimensions and weight of the parcel plus the destination and options like tracking and never on the actual value of the purchase being shipped.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-29-2015

Anything is possible although I don't think that U.S. sellers do that as much as Canadian sellers do, especially for international shipping.

roadie16 · ‎09-30-2015

Interesting discussion.

Being a card collecter I order cards from all over the world through various sites and forums.

Lately I have noticed a trend by Canadian sellers charging shipping rates for posting in Canada to a Canadian address in US dollars. Example: charge for shipping an item for $10.95 US when the cost is $10.95 Canadian.

Also if I have this item shipped from Canada to my postal service in the US, I live in a border town, the cost for shipping from this same seller for the same item is $8.00 US????????????

If I had purchased the same item from a US seller and had it sent to my US postal service my cost is free shipping and the item is half the cost. Same item !

So, why would I buy Canadian if I am just going to be gouged by my fellow Canadian sellers.

This is not to brush eveyone as the same, however since our dollar has been downgraded significantly lately, I have noticed this from a number of Canadian sellers.

femmefan1946 · ‎10-01-2015

Lately I have noticed a trend by Canadian sellers charging shipping rates for posting in Canada to a Canadian address in US dollars. Example: charge for shipping an item for $10.95 US when the cost is $10.95 Canadian.

Is the seller in this specific case using Flat Rate Shipping?

If so, that's a seller 'error' that slides under most buyers' radar.

Note the quotation marks used to denote scepticism.

Even giving some benefit of the doubt for packaging and insurance costs (handling).

If the seller is using Calculated Shipping, the rate should be the cost of Canada Post's service expressed in US dollars.

(That is, a $10CDN Canada Post charge would show as ~$7.50USD)

The seller might also have a handling /packaging charge in there. Most sellers don't do that though, putting their packaging costs into the asking price of the item-- if they even think of it.

You do realize that Free Shipping is adspeak for 'We have included the cost of (domestic) shipping in the asking price for this item.'?

Which is cheapest?

A $5 item with $10 shipping?

A $10 item with $5 shipping?

A $15 item with Free Shipping?

Buyers who don't often ship are commonly surprised to learn that it can cost more to ship within Canada than it does to export. It depends on the destination (there are several rate cards for Canada, the most basic being Regional and National) but only one for the entire USA.

It costs me $12.80 to ship a 3cm thick paperback from BC to ON. But only $10.79 from BC to 10120 (East Coast USA)

The domestic rate does include tracking which is not possible at the US rate. That would cost $16.50.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e2s4

roadie16 · ‎10-01-2015

Femmefan thanks for your response. Not being a seller I did learn a few things from your explanation. However I share your skepticism regarding flat rate shipping with this seller. I am quite familiar with “Free Shipping” and what it does / does not entail.

First I will not out this seller, that is not what I am here to do.

However, with this one particular seller here is what I came across. The card I was interested in purchasing had an asking price of $10.00 US (~$13.00 Can.) with a shipping cost of $10.95 US??? From B.C. to Ont.

That same card to have shipped to the US was $8.00 US (~$10.40 Can.) Both a fair bit for shipping a card. Incidentally I did not make the purchase. There is no way that it costs that much to mail a letter sized envelop in Canada or the USA. It costs me only a few $$ to mail an odd size envelop anywhere in the world.

Now the same exact card selling in the US from a US seller had an asking price of $5.00US (~$6.50 Can) with “Free Shipping” in the US. Unfortunately I missed my opportunity to make the purchase.

This is just one example of what I have been seeing lately from Canadian sellers. I don’t think I have to spell out what is going on here with these sellers. So if you are wondering where the Buyers have gone, I would suggest some of these guys take a look at their practices.

maggiebvintage2010 · ‎10-01-2015

Many sellers from Canada find that most of their sales are to US buyers, so they list in US dollars. When a seller lists in US dollars, it is not possible to have the shipping expressed in another currency. Some do not bother discounting the Canadian shipping to account for the difference between US & Cdn $.

You did not specify what shipping service the seller indicated. Did they provide tracking? That would explain the cost. Many sellers, especially new(er) ones, think that they must have tracking for low cost items to protect themselves from scammers.

roadie16 · ‎10-01-2015

Maggievintage2010:

Unfortunately there is a lot of paranoia selling and buying on Ebay these days. Some people are using this paranoia to further pad their coffers by charging exorbitant shipping costs.

I have had times where I have been overcharge a dollar or two for shipping but I will just add that up to the seller cost for time packaging / mailing my purchase. However when it gets to be more than a few dollars then I lose interest in that seller.

Was tracking offered? Yes, if requested. That tells me that tracking was not included at the $10.95 US shipping rate.

By the way, the current currency conversion at our local currency exchange stands at 32.5%.

$100.00 Canadian = $67.50 US funds.

So my $10.00US item with $10.95US added = $27.75Can for my $10.00 item.

So my $5.00 US item (same card) with Free Shipping = $5.00 US or $6.62 Can. A far cry from $27.75 for the same item.

I also add $1.00 US for my pick-up fee.

lady.stark · ‎10-02-2015

@dmil8030 wrote:

It must be, as you say, "carry over", then, because whilst I have always sniggered about who would
feel the need to 'track' a 4-dollar pattern, -- if I enter the numbers on the label it shows where it is,
and eventually that it has been "delivered".

I think I know why the cost was only $2 and it came with tracking... the seller probably used an old green custom form on the envelope and then paid shipping with stamps or a self service sometimes offered in some US Post Offices.

This is the only explanation, because if the seller printed the label online, there is no way he could have shipped for only $2 with tracking (E-Delcon starts around $6.50).

lady.stark · ‎10-02-2015

@roadie16 wrote:

Example: charge for shipping an item for $10.95 US when the cost is $10.95 Canadian.
Also if I have this item shipped from Canada to my postal service in the US, I live in a border town, the cost for shipping from this same seller for the same item is $8.00 US????????????

Here's one explanation for your costs: the seller may be Canadian, but shipped from the US using the US Postal Service (that can be done with Chit Chat Express or a similar service). That means the items would be listed on .COM.

That way, the s/h costs make sense: $8 to ship US to US and $10.95 to ship from US to Canada.

goodlittlekitty · ‎10-02-2015

If I am paying $7USD shipping from Toronto, Ontario to Washington State for a 20x22 bandanna - would that be considered inflated shipping?

There is no tracking on it. Standard shipping. I'm still trying to gain a feel for the whole CAN/USA exchange rate thing. How to rate seller's shipping and all. Thank you.

marnotom! · ‎10-02-2015

@goodlittlekitty wrote:

I'm still trying to gain a feel for the whole CAN/USA exchange rate thing. How to rate seller's shipping and all. Thank you.

The "shipping" rating refers to how quickly the seller dispatches the item after receiving your order. There's a separate star rating for shipping rates.

More information on Detailed Seller Ratings can be found on this eBay page:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/feedback/detailed-seller-ratings.html

goodlittlekitty · ‎10-03-2015

Thank you. I mispoke about rating the seller shipping it out speed. I meant rating the reasonableness of their shipping charges for a lightweight item like a bandanna:
____________________________

If I am paying $7USD shipping from Toronto, Ontario to Washington State for a 20x22 bandanna - would that be considered inflated shipping?
There is no tracking on it. Standard shipping.
____________________________

^^^I would like to hear an experienced seller tell me if the amount charged was over the cost, plus the seller's handling labor.

Thanks.

pocomocomputing · ‎10-03-2015

If the bandanna can be folded nicely and fit in a small 9x6 inch bubble envelope less than 0.78 inches (2 cm) thick and the weight of the package is under 7 oz (200 grams). Then it can go untracked by Canada Post Light Packet USA shipping service at $5.00 Can ($3.80 US). This service is available at PayPal or a post office at the same price (no PayPal discount on this service).

Add in a reasonable amount for handling (bubble envelope, tissue paper, plastic bag, whatever) of say $1 Can ($0.76 US).

Total with handling is $6 Can = $4.56 US.

If the item cannot fit the dimensions thickness limit above, then it would have to go by Canada Post shipping service (untracked) Small Packet USA Air 250 gram (8.8 oz) at $8.13 Can = $6.13 US.

Total with handling is $9.13 Can = $6.89 US.

So the answer to you question as to $7 US being reasonable is maybe depending on what thickness the item is packaged and how the item can be shipped.