eBay

carly@ebay.com · ‎08-04-2005

Please join us on Thursday, August 25, from 1-2 PM ET for a workshop with Canada Post. Kim from Canada Post will be here to answer all of your questions about Canada Post letterpost service and what the regulations are for using this type of service.

If you are not able to attend, you can leave your questions here in advance of the workshop and they will be answered during the workshop, and you can come back in and check the answers.

Hope you can join us!

Carly

onlinemusicguy · ‎08-18-2005

Just learned as of yesterday that from now on all CD's I ship will cost me 5.60$ instead of 2.90$ I've been paying for the past 6 years.

I want Canada Post to know and all EBAYERS as well that it is possible to pay much less to ship via US Postal service and you can do all this from Canada.

In Montreal, close to where I live, there are many courrier services that takes packages everyday to the border and mail out your items for much less than it would cost to do so here In Canada.

Here's an approximate example on what it would cost to mail a regular CD.

They charge a fee of 0.50$ Cents per item they deliver for you to the post office than you get charged 1.84$ US, Which includes a signed delivery confirmation. (No more intraceable packages...) So in Total it's even cheaper than the current small letter airmail cost that Canada Post was charging us to Mail CD's.

I don't have to tell you that my mind is made up. We are 3 Ebay sellers getting together so Canada Post can already say Bye Bye to over 15000.00 in Shipping charges.

Even knowing that we could have saved in the past we stayed with Canada Post but this is ridiculous.

The US also has an even cheaper rate called Media Mail. This service includes books, DVD's, CD's, etc... For 1 Pound they charge 1.42$ US and for 2 Pounds they charge 1.84$. When will Canada Post wake up and see that they don't have a monopoly anymore.

Thanks for nothing Canada Post.

Peter

sumcoolstuff · ‎08-18-2005

To EBay Canada,

Please help Canadian sellers !

We simply cannot compete with the US if we can't ship for a reasonable cost. We need some competition for Canada post. If you could approach Purolator, UPS or any other shipper regarding "small packages" on our behalf I guaranteed the volume of business will be substantial if the price is competitive.

I will be looking for any alternative to Canada Post. I'm tired of getting less for more. I would also be interested if there is US company offering re-mail services. I'll ship my cd's to them in bulk and have them send the Cd's to their individual addresses.

Dear Canada Post - Ebay sellers are your bread and butter is in this e-mail world. How much abuse do you think we will take ?

addobbi · ‎08-18-2005

I shipped an item to Taiwan on June 22 via International Surface Parcel and the buyer says that it has not arrived yet (August 18). Would it be safe to say that the item was lost, or can it actually take this long to get there?

thomasj7342 · ‎08-18-2005

Consider that it went to Tahiland by boat so it my take 3 more weeks max.

tizzytapties · ‎08-18-2005

I have sent a few hundred items as "Oversize Lettermail" to the US at a cost of $1.70. Now it will cost $3.95 for surface mail which is too slow and $5.60 to send it by Air. This will destroy my ability to sell smaller, cheaper items. Why doesn't Canada Post continue to allow small items to be shipped by "Lettermail" and have senders stick a Customs Declaration on the package? This is what my postal outlet does. Judging by the posts in this forum, CP is still making huge dollars on the volume of these packages being sent by eBayers.
Negative Feedback for CP!

addobbi · ‎08-18-2005

By the way, I am a Canadian who lives a few minutes from the US border. Whenever I have to ship large items and books I always take them over to the US, import them and then ship them using USPS because it is cheaper and because the majority of my buyers are from the US anyways. The only time I use Canada post is when I determine the shipping rate is competive with the US rate or I am shipping internationally or within Canada. There simply is no way to make money on a lot of these items (especially books) if you ship them using Canada Post. Becaue the US have media mail and a large market, US sellers enjoy a very large selling market that is unavailable to most Canadian sellers of books.

oldfartbc · ‎08-18-2005

Just one piece of info. for the person wanting to use Puralator . ITS OWNED BY CANADA POST. Good idea but we need another service.

weedsellit4u · ‎08-18-2005

Hi Kim,
I hope CP is paying you enough to deal with this. But I for one, have to admint Canada Post is terrible.

It's cheaper to send a small packet to Australia than across the street.

Canada Post needs to take this thread as a real warning that they are about to loose their bread and butter and then their jobs, as Business will find the most efficient way towards profits. If that means moving the farm to the USA or courier services that move Ebayers shipments to across the boarder for USPS, or by other means, Business will find the most efficient way.

By the looks of these posts Canada Post is not the most efficient way.

While I'm at it, Ebay.CA should be concerned. I stopped selling and closed my Ebay Store after the last Ebay and CP price increases. This business model is no longer viable in Canada. If Canada Post make it this difficult to be profitable on Ebay then Ebay should also be worried.

We are looking at other means and possibly moving the operation to the USA.

With both EBay & Canada Post giving us the cold shoulder its time to move to a warmer climate, one way or another.

Gehres

deeppurple-crystal · ‎08-18-2005

Same as many Canadian ebayers, I am in a very small business selling very cheap and small items (beads). Dear Canada post, can you imagine that I sold an item (a lot 100 4mm beads), only cost the winner $5.00 USD, and I have to ask them to pay $5.00 USD for shipping. Will they give a damn to buy from me? Of course not!! I wouldn't do it myself. The Canada post letterpost policy will just kill many ebayers who sell small items. Can't make a living in Canada ebay. We have to pay high ebay fees, and high shipping cost. Are we all doing this just for fun? Just learned that there may be some alternative choices for shipping. I would for sure look into it.
I have received a couple returned items from the US. Shipping the same thing, only cost them $0.60 USD, but cost me $5.60 CND. Why the US post doing such good job but Canada post can't, and still keep advisting they are the best? Can't understand it!!

addobbi · ‎08-18-2005

A significant obstacle that Canadians face as sellers is the question of how to ship a particular item, and to the benefits of trying to sell a particular item outweigh the costs? For example, under my other user name snowcrawl I sold an electronic keyboard for a little over 300 US. I found that I could ship the item for a little over 60 US to the USA using Purolator. I thought to myself, this is a great deal considering the size and dimension of the item was substantial. However I was then hit with another bill for $85 for clearing customs. That's no surprise of course, however since it was my first time shipping that type of item I forgot to consider it. Once again, it would have been far better to import the item myself in order to keep my shipping costs low.
For smaller items, however, such as books which are duty free there should definitely be a service available to all Canadians which would be more competitive. Canada Post should consider the fact that the market has changed and that private citizens now have more tools at their disposal for selling things, far more sophisticated than garage sales. If Canada Post can respond to this changing market, then it will be to their advantage because the increase in volume of items they will ship will from happy satisfied customers would offset the costs of bringing shipping costs down to a logical prize.

rose_productions · ‎08-18-2005

Maybe we need to ask US buyers if they will post items for us and give them free shipping on their order....?

Send the winning bidder their goods as well as other items that need to go to US addresses ( within the same box ) and ask them to mail them for you within the USA.

Would that work?

You'd really need an honest buyer though. But if you have return customers, then maybe it would work?

I don't know though. It's just a thought.

addobbi · ‎08-18-2005

I can't follow what you are saying. However the fact that you would need to consider doing some kind of fancy manoeuvre to save a few dollars probably defeats the purpose. The whole point of this service is to provide solutions and selling tools that are easy to use and worth the effort.

rose_productions · ‎08-18-2005

The whole point of this service is to provide solutions and selling tools that are easy to use and worth the effort.

I agree.

I was suggesting that the next time someone buys something that will cost Airmail rate - fill the Airmail box to maximum weight with other shipments that can be sent from the US at a cheaper all around rate.

Your buyer would have their item in the Airmail box along with numerous small lettermail rate items they can ship for you in the USA.

?

But, yes, Canada Post needs to be more understanding and maybe research how eBay sellers/ small business operate.

donuldtrump2 · ‎08-18-2005

I agree 10000% with PJ from KMD Canada. Whether it's a cash grab or not, CP is extremely uncompetitive compared to USPS or any other country's mailing system. I pay more to ship a package ACROSS MY OWN CITY than from my city to Texas or California. It doesn't make sense that it's cheap because CP only ships half way and then hands it over to USPS - it's not free once USPS ships their half I assume.

Anyways whatever.. Canada Post is pretty weak these days.. They never even try to deliver packages to your door anymore, they just leave their dumb "delivery attempt notices" AKA I snuck in and threw this dumb paper in your box.

CP does have it's advantages though, AKA actual outlets near you, and no customs brokerage fees.

star_lites · ‎08-18-2005

To sell an item like a 1" pinback button as a collectible, how can you justify it costing $5.60 to mail it. US buyers ( who are used to paying the much more reasonable USPS rates and for faster service ) will never pay that much to ship a button , especially if the value is only a dollar or so. Perhaps Canada Post should look at USPS and compare price, customer service and efficiency and figure out how to come close to USPS in any or all of these areas.

ronsgood · ‎08-18-2005

HEY GUESS WHAT
NOBODY AT CANADA POST CAN OR WANT TO UNDERSTAND
WERE PAYING DOUBLE/TRIPLE THE COST OF THE USA SELLERS
AND NOW THEIR SOLUTION
BAN MILLIONS OF EVERYDAY ITEMS FROM REGULAR MAIL
CALL IT "SPECIAL MAIL"
AND DOUBLE/TRIPLE THE COST
PROBLEM SOLVED

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TOUGH LUCK

bookstotheborder · ‎08-18-2005

Canada Post:

If you are no longer going to allowing goods to be sent International/ USA Lettermail, please consider introducing more increments on the small package option.

Start it at 50 grams and have increases every 50 grams to 500 grams and then every 100 grams to 1 kilo and then for International (not USA) every 500 grams to 2 kilos

Not only sellers who have items that are thin enough (under 20 mm) who were able to take advantage of Letter Post rates---but also sellers with items that were too thick to ship Letter Post would be able to use these new rates.

Have more increments would also be similar to USPS
International Letter Post. Their Letter Post is letters and small package combined and goes up to 4 lbs (no width restrictions). The rates increase every ounce up to 8 ounces and then every 4 ounces up to 4 lbs.

A customs form is required on any USA International Letter Post item that is not a letter or document which is potentially dutiable.

deeppurple-crystal · ‎08-18-2005

Does anyone know any shipping company would take our oversize letters cross the boarder to mail them in GTA area? I saw a posting said there is in Montreal, what about in Toronto?

Really can't depend on CP anymore. Please help!!!! T-T

deeppurple-crystal · ‎08-18-2005

Just a thought. If I was a US ebayer, I would open a business to help Canadian sellers to mail their oversize lettermail in the states. Charge them some fees. There is a market for it.