Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

Has anyone else on eBay Canada noticed that not a lot of Canadians don't even know about eBay and have never even heard of it?  I have talked to many people and they either don't know about it or they have heard of it but are too afraid of buying on it.  I wish eBay would start an add campaign in Canada to let people know how great eBay is!

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

Thanks Pierre.  I just thought that perhaps Francophones intentionally searched on the French site so that they could communicate in that language.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

Quite frankly, I think very few French speaking Canadians are aware of the French site,

 

When you look at the community, you notice the emptiness:

 

http://community.cafr.ebay.ca/

 

On the other hand, looking at my own Canadian sales, I would estimate I get 20% to 25% of my sales from Quebec (which approximates the population).

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

Anonymous
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Very strange. Whenever I want to find the specific item that I want to have and type the specific name online and it often came up with eBay if you scroll down and you will see it with eBay and that is where I would click it to compare the price and on other website not related to eBay.
Message 63 of 82
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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

I listed some on .ca and specified Can$$$ but they look identical to the items listed on .com

 

Is there some way to search/pick  out only those items listed on eBay.ca?

 

 

Message 64 of 82
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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

" they look identical to the items listed on .com"

 

Are you looking on eBay.ca or eBay.com?

 

 

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

Both.

 

Is there some way to see only those items listed on .ca

 

 

Message 66 of 82
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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

" see only those items listed on .ca"

 

No.

 

There has never been a way to segregate listings based on the site where listed

 

On eBay.ca you can search for items located in Canada.  Both listings that were listed on eBay.ca and eBay.com will appear in the search result pages if located in Canada.

 

To the best of my knowledge, the listing site has never been a factor in search results. In any case who really cares?  Buyers do not know the difference between listing on one site or another.  Not relevant to buyers. Item location (country) is.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

Then why are you recommending that Canadian sellers list on .ca in Canadian dollars to get more Canadian buyers?

 

I listed on .ca in Canadian dollars and the listings look exactly the same.  (Perhaps because I use a Third Party listing tool?)

 

In any case, if Canadians can't pick out Canadian items and all items appear in Canadian and American dollars and look identical,......

 

I don't get it.

Message 68 of 82
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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

As stated earlier, the listing site is irrelevant.

 

The important thing to a Canadian buyer may be the fact that the listing and payment (for item and shipping charge) are in Canadian dollars, avoiding the extra currency conversion fee.

 

Why .ca?  Because you cannot list on .com in Cdn$.  The only options to list in Canadian dollars are eBay.ca and eBay.cafr (which I use extensively for the free searchable sub-titles).

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

I don't know if I'm not making myself clear, if you're not reading my posts clearly, or if I'm missing something.

 

I'll try once again:

 

The items I listed on .ca and .com look EXACTLY  the same.

 

 

When searched on .com price is in US.

When searched on .ca price is in US and Canadian.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

That suggests to me that you did not list in Canadian dollar.

 

If you had, the listing on eBay.com would show in Cdn$ with equivalent US$.

 

Please refer to the two links I provided you earlier.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

As I have aid several times... ......

 

I saw your links earlier as I did take the time to read your posts.

I suspect it might have something to do with using Third party listing tools.

 

I listed in Canadian dollars on eBay.ca

 

 

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay


@pocomocomputing wrote:

@rose-dee wrote:


True, but aside from some ex-patriots in the Louisiana area, how many Americans do you think would be able to navigate through the .cafr site en français in any case?  Woman Happy

 


You use cafr.eBay.ca to get free subtitles. The listing is viewed on eBay.com or eBay.ca English sites. No French is seen by the buyer on English sites since they are not logged into cafr.ebay.ca.


Hi 'poco' -- Yes, I am aware of this.  Which is why I use the .cafr site for some of my listings even though I know they will be viewed by US buyers (who will see them in English).

 

The point I was trying to make in response to Pierre's comment (that this listing perk available even to U.S. sellers - which is true) was that I doubt many US sellers would be able to navigate through the French language SYI form in order to take advantage of the free subtitles. 

 

In other words, as I see it, these subtitles are preferential, in the sense that they really are designed primarily for the benefit of French-speaking Canadian sellers.  (The discussion was about protectionism/special treatment by eBay).

 

I'm sure there are a few intrepid American sellers who speak/read French and might like to give preparing a listing on .cafr a try, but as I said, I think most of them would get as far as the SYI form and hit the back button.  So it really is more of a Canadian seller feature. 

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay


@pierrelebel wrote:

"how many Americans do you think would be able to navigate through the .cafr site en français in any case?"

???

Take a look at the link to eBay.com available in post #25

What do you see that would confuse an American buyer?  That is exactly what is seen on eBay.com, including the "free" sub-title in search result pages!


To quote you --- ???

 

You completely misunderstood.  I was referring to U.S. sellersusing the SYI form in French on the .cafr site, not the resulting listing seen by buyers. 

 

If I hadn't known those listings would display in English to US buyers (I tested one first), I would not have used the .cafr site to get the subtitles.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

I've only been using the .cafr for a few months now, but haven't had any contact at all in French.  The only time I get an occasional question or communication in French is from France or Belgium, and those aren't due to the .cafr listings. 

 

So I imagine Pierre is right that few French-speaking Canadians (wherever they are in Canada) are aware of the .cafr site.

 

If you ever to have to chit-chat in French, I have to admit that the Google translator isn't too bad, especially if you run it "backwards" into English again to check that your original English to French translation makes sense the other way. You can then simplify the text or change some words to get a clearer result.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay


@holdmygold2 wrote:

As I have aid several times... ......

 

I saw your links earlier as I did take the time to read your posts.

I suspect it might have something to do with using Third party listing tools.

 

I listed in Canadian dollars on eBay.ca

 

 


Which 3rd party listing tool are you using?  I often use Auctiva, and they do have a $Cdn listing option, but you have to choose it at the beginning of a new listing.  I'm not sure it always "takes" for a revised listing.

 

Try a test listing directly from scratch (i.e. not via your 3rd party site), using the eBay SYI form in $Cdn and see what you get on the .com site.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay


@rose-dee wrote:

 

If you ever to have to chit-chat in French, I have to admit that the Google translator isn't too bad, especially if you run it "backwards" into English again to check that your original English to French translation makes sense the other way. You can then simplify the text or change some words to get a clearer result.


Good tip, thanks.  Like Pierre, about 25% of my Canadian sales are to Quebec and, for many of those buyers, English is their second language, which is evident from the notes they send.  Because Winnipeg has a large Francophone population, I've picked up some very basic French which I use in an attempt to make them more comfortable, but I'll try the Google translator next time.

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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

My listings have been priced in US dollars, from the very first day on eBay

 

In the very early days  2004 as an example.. the exchange rate gave Canadian sellers some measure of equality with US postage.... close but not perfect...

 

 

As the years passed the exchange rate was never a concern... whether for Canadian, US or other buyers.

 

The cost of postage ... the price increase in 2013 ... had a major effect on purchases by US buyers....  Only 20 % of sales were to the US in 2013.... compared to 40 % in the year previous

 

Then came 2014... and things changed..... US buyers were coming to buy...  and in June  they were close to 40 % of total sales.

 

Perhaps... the biggest surprise was recent sales to European countries....  Usually it may be one perhaps two a month....  Yet in the last month  I had 3 sales to Norway, and one each to Finland, UK and Ireland....

 

If a buyer wants it they buy and pay the postage... and in many instances  it is the sale of an expensive book.

 

I continue to list in US dollars... even though my major  category is Canadian history books... that is about 85 % of listings on eBay in this one category of books

 

Another factor to everything is my branching out into categories  that relate to birds, animals  and the biological sciences...

 

This past summer has been difficult....  I was able to track a 20 % reduction in sales because of the Hack... the cyberattack on eBay in February/March.

 

Yet as of September 1....  the buyers are back ... BIG TIME....really BIG TIME

 

The exchange rate will always be a factor....Many Canadian buyers buy , and only when they pay are they hit with the exchange rate....  They may stop buying for a while... but  the economy goes up  and Canadians appear to adjust to a new reality....

 

 

Canadians do know about eBay....  People worldwide know about eBay... but choose not to buy... let alone visit.

 

 

If one wants more Canadian buyers....then  the listings on eBay must be focused on Canada and everything that is Canadian.

 

The advantage with listing in US dollars is the US and elsewhere market... and Canadian are very comfortable with Listings in US dollars... They always have been

 

Why US dollars?  .....  It is a Currency accepted worldwide...

 

Message 78 of 82
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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay


@holdmygold2 wrote:

I don't know if I'm not making myself clear, if you're not reading my posts clearly, or if I'm missing something.

 

I'll try once again:

 

The items I listed on .ca and .com look EXACTLY  the same.

 

 

When searched on .com price is in US.

When searched on .ca price is in US and Canadian.


When a buyer clicks on an individual item, they will see which currency it is listed in.

Message 79 of 82
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Too many Canadians don't know about eBay

I think its scary, I am moving there next year and it seems they don't have that buzz or brain for a speedy deal or getting a part for something old that without it wont work, it is an amazing site, not without fault but sourcing things around the globe was a global first.

My girlfriend is Canadian and only regret in moving 'home' is they are weird, reason she moved away, guess that's why the don't go on the site, very very odd!

A VERY good example, there are probably more lakes there than anywhere on earth, everywhere you go they sell fishing bait, type 'baitcaster left' should find baitcasting reels left hand you get ONE hit from Canada...a sticker....675 hits from the USA OMG :0

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