eBay

aramatic · ‎05-12-2013

I have yet to see the Tracked Packet shipping option in PayPal. I doubt that I'd use it anyway, since the rates are ridiculous. All Canada Post seems to have achieved is to remove insurance from the Small Packet service and try to force people who want insurance to pay through the nose for Tracked Packet.

Why isn't there an affordable option to add insurance to Small Packet? This would make more sense, and it's hardly rocket science since other countries manage to offer it.

While we're at it, why isn't there a Small Packet option within Canada? Any package, no matter how lightweight and how inexpensive the item in it, has to go at the expensive parcel rate if it's thicker than 2 cm. When it comes to offering obvious and useful services, Canada Post seems perversely determined to do anything but.

toff3 · ‎05-12-2013

I have yet to see the Tracked Packet shipping option in PayPal. I doubt that I'd use it anyway, since the rates are ridiculous.

Oh, you've noticed that, have you, Aramatic?

While we're at it, why isn't there a Small Packet option within Canada?

Why not indeed?

There are many other inequities and flaws in Canada Post's pricing and service but I'm afraid you're just whistling in the wind when you bring them up on these boards. Canadian eBayers have a peculiar relationship with Canada Post, a bit like the feeling some wives have who are abused by their husbands: they just roll with the punches. As Pierre, one of the regular contributors to these boards put it recently, eBayers are only interested in how to circumvent or work around CP's strictures.

However, when it comes to insurance, I disagree with you. I subscribe to the adage, smart sellers don't buy insurance. If you're really hung-up on insuring your shipments then self-insure. I didn't object to CP removing the automatic insurance from Small Packets. What I did object to was CP failing to lower the SP rates to compensate.

Tom

valuestore · ‎05-13-2013

Its a dodo bird service for Canadians. adding a service with a 17 business day delivery window just doesn't fit the ebay model of fast and free, its in fact moving in the opposite direction. Canadian sellers already have a dsr shipping time disadvantage, extending eg/ 10 business day airmail delivery to 17 business day delivery....guess what going to happen to already stressed ST dsr....dodo

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-13-2013

Its a dodo bird service for Canadians. adding a service with a 17 business day delivery window just doesn't fit the ebay model of fast and free, its in fact moving in the opposite direction. Canadian sellers already have a dsr shipping time disadvantage, extending eg/ 10 business day airmail delivery to 17 business day delivery....guess what going to happen to already stressed ST dsr....dodo

Where do you see that delivery will take up to 17 business days?

rose-dee · ‎05-13-2013

'Where do you see that delivery will take up to 17 business days?"

PJ - when TP was still up on Paypal, I tried to access it for a U.S. delivery - clicked on the drop-down list and it indicated that delivery time was, I believe, 5-17 business days. I quickly went back to Expedited Parcel.

Now I do appreciate that because TP is going to be available for many parts of the world, the upper delivery time likely applies to the most far-flung places. However it would be helpful if they'd indicated, for example "5-7 business days to US; 8-17 business days elsewhere", or something similar, if that is in fact the case. I just couldn't tell, so I decided against it.

Both the cost and the delivery time scared me off.

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-13-2013

PJ - when TP was still up on Paypal, I tried to access it for a U.S. delivery - clicked on the drop-down list and it indicated that delivery time was, I believe, 5-17 business days. I quickly went back to Expedited Parcel.

I wonder if that was another programming error as the CP site estimates delivery to the U.S.with TP is 4-7 business days and 6-10 business days worldwide.

treasure.hunter.d · ‎05-13-2013

Don't know if anyone else has noticed this but 2 nights in a row now I have tried to print Tracked Packet shipping labels for the USA, from the Canada Post website (while logged in on my business account) only to go through the entire process and be told that technical difficulties have prevented my shipping label from being completed and my credit card was NOT charged.

This would lead me to believe that Canada Post is somehow involved in this whole mess and not just Ebay, PayPal and Pitney Bowes unless PB admins the CP website end of things as well.

The plot thickens.

aramatic · ‎05-16-2013

I think Tracked Packet is a total screw-up, poorly thought-out and poorly implemented. It's not available through eBay and apparently not even from the Canada Post website.

What on earth were they thinking? I remember CP giving the example of sending a CD to the UK. What a stupid example. Previously we could send a CD as an insured Airmail Small Packet for $9.10, but now with the great benefits of insurance (which we already had until it was taken away) and tracking we can send it for $30 more... $39.81 to be exact. We can still send it uninsured for $9.10, so it would have to be pretty valuable to make Tracked Packet a sensible option.

I doubt that Tracked Packet will survive in its present form (whatever that is).

acupofteasolveseverything · ‎05-16-2013

I was just able to print a Tracked Packet-USA shipping label using Paypal this morning! Hope it doesn't go down, again.

pierrelebel · ‎05-16-2013

From the eBay.ca Annoucement Board:

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/ca/201305.shtml#2013-05-07154756

We’re happy to confirm that Tracked Packet – USA and Tracked Packet – International are both available for eBay sellers on PayPal.

We appreciate your patience while we worked to get this issue resolved.

aramatic · ‎05-16-2013

Yes, it's back, with all its attractive features of longer delivery times (6-17 days instead of 6-10 days for Airmail Small Packet) and exorbitant rates. The rates aren't even consistent. On the CP website the quote for a small item weighing less than 250g that I've just sent to the UK (Letter-post for $4.36) is $39.81. Through eBay/PayPal the quote is $42.05 less discount = $38.07, which appears to be a matter of raising the price in order to give a discount! In addition, the maximum insured value is $100, with no option to purchase additional insurance... another great feature.

But, as no doubt I'll be told, there are other options.... I can take the risk of no insurance etc. Of course. This is what I do. My point is that Canada Post is out of touch with reality and the needs of users. I shouldn't have to be working around problems and fitting into their model. They should be listening to customers and designing services that they want.

But the Tracked Packet fiasco is as nothing compared to the absence of an equivalent to Small packet within Canada. Anything thicker than 2cm has to be sent domestically at the parcel rate. It's absurd that so many items can be sent more cheaply to the US and even worldwide than they can within Canada. Again, Canada Post is either out of touch or perversely determined not to use common sense.

pocomocomputing · ‎05-16-2013

Yes, it's back, with all its attractive features of longer delivery times (6-17 days instead of 6-10 days for Airmail Small Packet) and exorbitant rates. The rates aren't even consistent. On the CP website the quote for a small item weighing less than 250g that I've just sent to the UK (Letter-post for $4.36) is $39.81. Through eBay/PayPal the quote is $42.05 less discount = $38.07, which appears to be a matter of raising the price in order to give a discount! In addition, the maximum insured value is $100, with no option to purchase additional insurance... another great feature.

You are posting misinformation in your comparison of rates.

Canada Post Find a Rate web site price for Tracked Packet International 250g to the UK is

Full counter price $42.23 + $2.64 Fuel Surcharge = $44.87

Venture one price (5% discount) $39.81 + $2.49 Fuel Surcharge = $42.30

PayPal Shipnow price (no breakdown of fuel surcharge)

$42.05 - $3.98 discount = $38.07

Comparing the PayPal rate with the full counter rate, the discount is 15%.

Comparing the PayPal rate with the Venture One rate, the discount is 9%.

eBay announced PayPal shipping discount for Tracked Packet was 14% off full counter rates (based on rates without fuel surcharge). So the discount for PayPal appears to be correct.

You compare the PayPal discount price of $38.07 to the Venture one price of $39.81 without the the fuel surcharge. Not a fair comparison.

aramatic · ‎05-16-2013

"You compare the PayPal discount price of $38.07 to the Venture one price of $39.81 without the the fuel surcharge. Not a fair comparison." (pocomocomputing)

I think you're splitting hairs, but yes, I should have quoted the counter price of $44.87 in all its hideousness.

What's not fair is the cost of this "service" in any of its forms. $38.07 isn't a whole lot better than $44.87 for the same service that cost $9.10 until the introduction of Tracked Packet and the removal of insurance from Small Packet.