eBay

lady.stark · ‎08-14-2013

I tried printing an XPressPost label with PayPal and adding a Signature Confirmation, because my item is worth US$250. At that line, it says "Not Available"... I thought it was included with XPressPost? Do I need to go to the Post Office to get that option? Please help, I need to ship this today.... thanks!

marnotom! · ‎08-17-2013

@lady.stark wrote:
Maybe... but why did it came back to Quebec city after leaving for Montreal? It should be "en route" to the US, not coming back where it was shipped.... I think I'll call Canada Post after my lunch. Maybe they will know more than what is written on their website.

Why does a letter I mail here on Vancouver Island to another Vancouver Island town have to go to Vancouver to be processed before making its way back to the Island?

Canada Post works in mysterious ways.

rose-dee · ‎08-17-2013

I don't know how long you've lived on Vancouver Island, but this was a particular change Canada Post made a few years ago when they moved the sorting from Victoria to Vancouver (I lived in Victoria for 17 years). They also had to install new post-boxes as I recall, in order to better separate the mail for the new routing.

However, Xpresspost parcels go to Montreal if you're in the east (as I am now in Nova Scotia), and out from there to their destination countries. You can see this on the tracking information - Montreal is always the last Canadian location. It's probably Vancouver for western Xpresspost, and Winnipeg(?) for central, I don't know.

I've seen a couple of other sellers mention problems with C.P. sending parcels back to the originator - I hope for 'lady.stark's'sake this is not the case. Normally I would think there is no reason for it to go back to Quebec City (unless there's some huge emergency going on in Montreal).

rose-dee · ‎08-17-2013

Pierre, I think you are forgetting that there are also full-time (or nearly full-time) eBay businesses, operated by people with experience, which do not have the kind of high volume sales you have had. The reason: fewer items, but items that are higher-priced, custom-made, OOAK or unique items, or, as is often the case, items that are impossible to "hide in plain sight" in ordinary lettermail.

When I send out a large box marked "ladies' gown" with a value of $350 for customs purposes, I am always cognizant of the fact that that description is going to be seen along the line. We (and the U.S.) have a reliable and generally honest postal system, but not all countries do. The potential for theft and waylaying is a real one for some types of articles and some destinations.

A lower volume seller may be experienced, but have a bottom line that demands more vigilance - not every full-time seller needs to have $50K p.a. sales to be viable.

Just because one hasn't had decades of experience in operating a mail-order business, doesn't mean that the perception of risk and the decision to insure is somehow less valid. It's not always a matter of less experience = more risk-averse, or larger = smarter. I think some here might be offended by your suggestion that this is the case.

It may be that although a seller is operating a full-time or nearly full-time eBay business, it doesn't earn the kind of money that could easily absorb a $250 loss, nor does it need to, and in that case insurance is not a matter of perception but of analysis. For larger businesses, $250 may be trivial or unimportant.

Granted, such losses are rare, but the potential is higher in some categories, and a few such uninsured losses can add up to a very serious problem for a lower-turnover but full-time seller, especially if the loss become associated with backlash from the buyer (neg FB & low DSRs). In that case the decision to occasionally insure a high-volume, high-risk item is cost-effective and makes very good business sense.

pierrelebel · ‎08-17-2013

"Pierre, I think you are forgetting..."

The doctor told me it's OK. It is normal. The exact words were "You are old, do not worry too much about it".

And life does go on.

lady.stark · ‎08-17-2013

I just hung up the phone with Canada Post. According to the clerk, the package was sent back here because it is big (42 cm x 32 x 22) and needs to travel in a special container. According to her, there is no sign the item will be coming back to me. Fingers crossed.

rose-dee · ‎08-17-2013

@lady.stark wrote:
I just hung up the phone with Canada Post. According to the clerk, the package was sent back here because it is big (42 cm x 32 x 22) and needs to travel in a special container. According to her, there is no sign the item will be coming back to me. Fingers crossed.

Very interesting! I often ship items in boxes close to this size, and I'll watch out in future.

The total is over the 90cm limit for some services - did that make a difference, or did they tell you if it was a particular dimension that matters?

lady.stark · ‎08-17-2013

@marnotom! wrote:

Why does a letter I mail here on Vancouver Island to another Vancouver Island town have to go to Vancouver to be processed before making its way back to the Island?

Canada Post works in mysterious ways.

Yes, it's the same thing here when I mail a letter to someone in Quebec city, it has to go to Montreal before going back to Quebec. But my situation is different: it is not for a local customer - it has to go to the US and Montreal is always the last Canadian town we see on the tracking page (at least the few times I used a tracked service, which is very rare).

rose-dee · ‎08-17-2013

@pierrelebel wrote:
"Pierre, I think you are forgetting..."

The doctor told me it's OK. It is normal. The exact words were "You are old, do not worry too much about it".

And life does go on.

Pierre, are you sure the doctor didn't say: "You are old, forget about it", but you forgot what he said?

Just be cautious if some guy in a fedora and silk suit says "fagettaboutit".

lady.stark · ‎08-17-2013

Pierre, your comment made me laugh and it helped me forget my anxiety for a few moments. So thanks!

lady.stark · ‎08-17-2013

@rose-dee wrote:

The total is over the 90cm limit for some services - did that make a difference, or did they tell you if it was a particular dimension that matters?

No, she didn't mention a limit in size. She just said it has to be done manually (well, in French, she said "il doit être fait manuellement" - but I don't know if it's what she meant, because I could tell by her accent that French was not her first language). I guess i'll just have to wait and see what Monday's update will show. Hopefully, it will say "En route to the destination country".

pierrelebel · ‎08-17-2013

" it helped me forget my anxiety"

Yes, today we find it funny. However, two years ago, Mary was extremely relieved to hear, after two days of extensive testing and scanning at Kingston General Hospital, the Alzheimer specialist state : "he is old, and getting older, do not worry about it.".

"anxiety" does not describe what Mary felt for nine months while waiting for those tests by the specialist. The preliminary diagnostic by our family doctor was not so encouraging.

Readers interested in short term memory problems may want to take a look at:

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Canada-Town-Square/Memory-is-going-going-gone/m-p/136773#U136773

lady.stark · ‎08-17-2013

Sorry to read you and Mary went through that Pierre. I hope I didn't offend you with my comment. I thought you were making a joke. I'm truly sorry if you weren't. 😞

lady.stark · ‎08-17-2013

Well, good news... it seems my item has now left Canada. And it went back to Montreal! (Ville Saint-Laurent)

2013/08/17	13:06	VILLE ST-LAURENT	International item has left Canada
2013/08/16	20:49	QUEBEC	Item processed at postal facility
	03:09	QUEBEC	Item processed at postal facility
2013/08/15	03:51	MONTREAL	Item processed at postal facility
	03:50	MONTREAL	Item processed at postal facility
2013/08/14	18:42	QUEBEC	Item processed at postal facility
	12:46	QUÉBEC	Item accepted at the Post Office

rose-dee · ‎08-18-2013

Whoops - it's possible somebody read the "From" address as the "To" address, someone else picked up the error at Québec, and then sent the parcel back. That would not be the first time I've seen this problem reported on these boards.

Glad to hear it's on its way though!

lady.stark · ‎08-18-2013

I also think that is what happened, because it already happened to me in the past. Thankfully, someone picked up the mistake and sent it the way it's supposed to be. Or it is as the Canada Post clerk told me... we'll never really know for sure.

Today, package already arrived at JFK airport. Hopefully, buyer will receive his purchase tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest.