Where is USD going?

[dipmicro]

Seems to be taking a dip today. I am browsing my vendors websites (based in USD) and the prices vary a lot depending how often they update. While some of my vendors use 1.32 USD/CAD ratio, others are as low as 1.15.

It's a shopping time.

[pierrelebel]

"if eBay automatically converts pricing on .COM to USD, "

eBay does not.

For example, take a look at 220337545096 on eBay.com (where US buyers shop). I have used an unsold listing priced in Cdn$ for demonstration purposes.

You see a Buy-it-Now price of C $130.00 with an approximate conversion in small letters "Approximately US $104.85".

Now, the US buyer decides US$105 is OK and buys the item. He pays for it immediately with his credit card through PayPal. His statement arrives a few weeks later showing a purchase of $108.00 or more (not the US$105.00 he agreed to pay). The difference is the exchange conversion spread charged by PayPal or his credit card issuer.

Do you have a happy customer? Of course not.

But that is besides the point. At the end of the day, because buyers (or their friends or family members or co-workers) may have lost on exchange conversion previously, many potential buyers simply ignore listings that are not is US$. .

[ampurtle]

At least some one is paying attention, but his conclusions have been proven wrong repeatedly over the past 50 years and no reputable economist agrees with his outdated guess work. Call me when you find an example where spending ones way out of a recession does anything other than create massive debt that erodes trust in the borrowing entity. If it is such a good idea, why aren't you spending beyond your means to bolster the recovery ?

Sub primes are only relevent when the rate is significanty higher, which is no longer the case, think for your self not waddle behind the talking heads out to create panic and confusion. Giving someone a mortgage for 3% below the prevailing rate and only paying off interest and no capital becomes totally meaning less when prime the overnight rate is 0%. What ever rate those mortgages are renewed at, it will be less than they were in real terms, not to mention Phanny and Phreddy are now owned by the US government and have a mandate to prevent any more foreclosures buy securing those mortgages with public monies.

No one here has ever been right or made informed intelligent comments regarding global financial issues or multinational business issues, it takes a lot of work and hence one gets paid well for doing it right. One needs to consider the problem in it's entirety rather than doing the usual internet driveby based on taking one or two words out of context.

But you are right I should pay attention to my spelling, so I will resolve to do that so I too can pass judgement on people based on loathing.

:-p

[ampurtle]

Hmmm....

"I have no reason to beleive that the Canadian dollar with fall below 80 cents for any significant amount of time."

A. I don't need no stinking chart because I check it personally 4 times every 24 hours and know exactly where it is, where it's been and where it's going. When you import and export goods around the world you have to do that.

Now see what happens when you pick out just the words you want to use, to make a totally oblique attack ? You get centred out and humiliated. :^O

[pierrelebel]

"I don't need no stinking chart "

Here's one for you 😉 : the Canadian dollar trading below US$0.80 this morning.

.

[ampurtle]

Hmmm....

"I have no reason to beleive that the Canadian dollar with fall below 80 cents for any significant amount of time."

A. I don't need no stinking chart because I check it personally 4 times every 24 hours and know exactly where it is, where it's been and where it's going. When you import and export goods around the world you have to do that.

Now see what happens when you pick out just the words you want to use, to make a totally oblique attack ? You get centred out and humiliated.

[ampurtle]

Reading is an acquired skill :^O

[pierrelebel]

Paranoia can be treated ;-) .

[whatnerds]

Quick question, what currency should I sell on my website. I can either do USD or CDN, 75% my customers are in Canada, the rest are divided between the USA and International.

I don't want to do both as I have to pay more in fees for that.

It would make my life easy to have par dollar lol. Thanks.

Sukh
(Dream About Comics)

[pierrelebel]

"75% my customers are in Canada,"

That is your answer! Customer satisfaction suggest you list in Cdn$. .

[whatnerds]

Thanks, I just have been kind of doubting myself latly.

The USD is going, CDN is going down, ebay is going up

Thanks.

Sukh
(Dream About Comics)

[pierrelebel]

Looking at listings (mostly fixed price) for 2009 only may leave the wrong impression. It is best to look at them in relation to prior months:

October 2008 when the new 30 day duration fixed price for $0.35 started:



moving strongly into November:



followed by the usual drop in December:



and recovery in January:



and a bit in February:



Take the time to compare the peak in November (31,000,000) to the current number of listings (28,100,000)

eBay currently has about 10% (3,000,000) fewer listings overall than at the peak in November 2008. .

[cumos55]

Does auction counts also include the FP30 listings?

[pierrelebel]

YES - that is why the number jumped so much last Fall when eBay introduced 30 day fixed price lislings. .

[whoscloset]

The US dollar is going to hit the tank again soon. Lately it's being boosted by the low price of oil....which is traded in US dollars and has had a dramatic decline in demand due to the struggling economies worldwide.

As the US government continues to increase it's debt-load, the dollar is going to have to suffer the consequences.

[recped]

As the US government continues to increase it's debt-load, the dollar is going to have to suffer the consequences.

Perhaps Monique but there is also a thought that the increased debt is what is keeping the value of the US Dollar high, when this need to borrow from foreign lenders decreases that will cause a fall in the value of the US Dollar.

Interestingly there seems to be a change in thinking regarding the Canadian Dollar, just this week I am starting to hear more predictions of a lower CA$ in the near term, this is a polar opposite to what I was hearing only a few short weeks ago.

I think the only certainty at the moment is that uncertainty and unpredictability are the order of the day.

[whoscloset]

Interestingly there seems to be a change in thinking regarding the Canadian Dollar, just this week I am starting to hear more predictions of a lower CA$ in the near term, this is a polar opposite to what I was hearing only a few short weeks ago.


Given that I'm a net exporter....I hope those predictions are right. Have my doubts in the long term though.