eBay

aubreyclay56 · ‎06-15-2016

Being in the south of bc ,what is everyone doing for shipping??? I have some alternitives,fed ex ? usps? but im thinking they charge my buyers big fees for handling brokerage fees like global that they have in the usa,using fed ex and ups will make buyers hate you when the delivery is made and they want a large amount of money and your packages are returned to you?

katlover1952 · ‎06-15-2016

I too have been wondering what to do if Canada Post strikes. Not lots of good alternatives. I suppose the best thing to do would be to put the store on holiday for as long as they are out. Will definitely not be good for Canadian sellers. What are others thoughts on this subject?

reallynicestamps · ‎06-16-2016

brokerage fees like global that they have in the usa,using fed ex and ups will make buyers hate you

This is actually not a problem.

Couriers like UPS (and Pitney Bowes/GSP) have to assess and charge the national duties and sales taxes on imports.

In Canada those import fees start at $20CN (~$16USD).

But in the USA, imports have to be over $800USD (~$1000CDN) before import fees need to be assessed.

So all you have to worry about is the actual courier charges.

There is a reason why experienced sellers use the postal system. It is reliable and cheaper than any alternative.

But personally, since my items are rarely going to be worth shipping by courier, I plan to close down my shops and accounts the second Canada Post locks out its employees.

I can manage rotating strikes if any.

And I suspect the government will have a mediator in place and everyone back at work in less than two weeks.

With any luck, Deeprak Chopra will also be fired in favour of someone who thinks a national publicly run delivery system is a Good Idea and not something to sell off to his old buddies from his Pitney Bowes days.

zee-chan-jpn-books · ‎06-16-2016

@reallynicestamps wrote:

And I suspect the government will have a mediator in place and everyone back at work in less than two weeks.

Probably two weeks eh? I suppose I will just keep my listings live then. With any luck (?) I might not even get a single sale during the strike so it seems pointless for me to worry about it lol.

I can always take this opportunity to drive to the new CCE in Richmond during the strike and learn how that works if I get any sale. Summer tends to be really slow for me anyway. Even the past couple months were slow.

pocomocomputing · ‎06-16-2016

@reallynicestamps wrote:
brokerage fees like global that they have in the usa,using fed ex and ups will make buyers hate you

This is actually not a problem.
Couriers like UPS (and Pitney Bowes/GSP) have to assess and charge the national duties and sales taxes on imports.
In Canada those import fees start at $20CN (~$16USD).

But in the USA, imports have to be over $800USD (~$1000CDN) before import fees need to be assessed.

So all you have to worry about is the actual courier charges.

There is a reason why experienced sellers use the postal system. It is reliable and cheaper than any alternative.

But personally, since my items are rarely going to be worth shipping by courier, I plan to close down my shops and accounts the second Canada Post locks out its employees.

I can manage rotating strikes if any.

And I suspect the government will have a mediator in place and everyone back at work in less than two weeks.
With any luck, Deeprak Chopra will also be fired in favour of someone who thinks a national publicly run delivery system is a Good Idea and not something to sell off to his old buddies from his Pitney Bowes days.

I expect at least 4 weeks of strike/lockout. I don't think either side will move their positions substantially and government will force back to work again. I think Trudeau will wait longer than last time. I do think workers got a bad deal last time and current some Canada Post demands are excessive.

Some may think postal workers are overpaid. I just think each job lost or reduced pay is race to bottom for Canada jobs and workers where no one will be able to live well. So many jobs gone in manufacturing in Canada in eastern canada. Here in Vancouver bc housing prices are insanely high. Not able to live here soon. Got to save well paying jobs.

katlover1952 · ‎06-17-2016

I have only had a store for a short period of time so was unsure how long or if you can put it on holiday and does eBay still charge you? Do you have to end all your listings? I too am afraid it may be longer than a couple of weeks and I think it is going to be a real mess for Canadian sellers.

cumos55 · ‎06-17-2016

My store was on vacation for 6 weeks during the last postal strike.

It was during that time that I prepared many new listings....

Lots of free and easy time to do so... No parcels to prepare.

Worrying about parcels caught up in the postal system... on strike... is not something that can be called enjoyable.

.

Sales during a postal strike are not worth the worry

The store gets put on vacation on June 19... Last shipping day will be June 20....Sales to the US will clear customs by June 25

Strike date... most likely July 2......

Workers cannot go on strike until they have had a strike vote

pierrelebel · ‎06-17-2016

"does eBay still charge you?"

Yes

" Do you have to end all your listings?"

No. You can put your store on vacation and hide all listings while the store is on vacation

avenueshopswapsell · ‎06-17-2016

What if I don't have a "store"?

I live in a border city, what are the rules for physically driving the items over the border and bringing them to the post office in the US?

mr.elmwood · ‎06-17-2016

I believe there are a lot of rules. There is also a fee, I believe. There is a learning curve on your part.

If you are doing a lot of high dollar sales, the work will pay off. Doing a few low dollar, not so much.

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.
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dutchman48 · ‎06-17-2016

Personally. I think the public got a bad deal, not the postal workers.

Why should they continue to be privileged and our shipping costs keep going up. If their jobs are no longer needed, so be it. That is the way most businesses operate. Only major difference is most business do not have a monopoly and can't pass costs on to consumers at will.

femmefan1946 · ‎06-17-2016

What if I don't have a "store"?

Close all your eBay CANADA listings-- you won't be able to ship to them at all. Remember those listings MUST include shipping to Canada and that won't be possible (unless you can afford courier shipping).

On your eBay dotCOM listings--It's up to you. But remove Canada as a 'ships to' destination, since you can't ship during a lockout.

But again you may be better to plan your summer vacation during the lockout period.

Without a Store, you can close all your listings and leave them in Unsold for 60 days. Then revive them with a few clicks when the workers are allowed back to work.

I know nothing about shipping from the USA. Toronto and Vancouver area sellers have the possibility of using ChitChat Express which has had good reviews from eBay users. I've never lived close enough to the border to make US shipping feasible.

joyboxfinds · ‎06-21-2016

I HAVE A BIG BUSINESS ON EBAY AND I MAY SUSPEND STORE UNTIL THE STRIKE IS OVER AND PEOPLE GO BACK TO WORK WOULD HATE TO DO THAT BUT WILL ACCEPT NO ALTERNATIVES AND WILL NOT LOSE TIME FOR MY CUSTOMER OR MONEY FOR THAT MATTER LETS SEE HOW LONG IT LAST

IT IS 2 WEEKS I SUSPEND STORE FOR 2 WEEKS

Anonymous · ‎06-21-2016

When Canada Post locked them out in 2011, for some reasons the US buyers (I am a Canadian seller) and International buyers knew about the strike and didn't buy anything from me for 2 weeks which were okay for me and hopefully it will be the same thing should it will be a strike (which I hope NOT!).

musicyouneed · ‎06-21-2016

I am just in the process of ending all my listings, June 21, 2016 5PM. I don't want to get caught with someone from Quebec buying something from me in Vancouver and it is stuck in the mail and I have to refund. Oh Well. Time for a holiday.

musicyouneed · ‎06-21-2016

This is the first time in a couple of years where I have not had any listings on ebay. What will I do with all the extra time????

dutchman48 · ‎06-22-2016

create more new listings for when the strike is over!

Or, take a vacation and ignore Ebay

pocomocomputing · ‎06-22-2016

@musicyouneed wrote:
This is the first time in a couple of years where I have not had any listings on ebay. What will I do with all the extra time????

Have a normal life for a few weeks!

pierrelebel · ‎06-22-2016

eBay's official position:

"Since we will have solid protection against defects caused by the postal disruption, we recommend for sellers to continue running their business as usual."

pierrelebel · ‎06-22-2016

Personally I will ignore the recommendation from eBay and close my eBay store (and hide all fixed price listings) on Friday morning June 24th to prevent any potential problems.

I frankly do not care about the so-called "protection" eBay may give Canadian sellers against "defaults". It is meaningless to me.

My number one priority has always been and will continue to be: service to my customers. To accept money from buyers knowing there is a substantial risk of delay in delivering their purchases is not what I do. It does not make business sense to me. It is just wrong.