eBay

sooperb · ‎03-16-2018

I've had enough of the "current exchange rate" b.s. If they are selling on .CA and I am in Canada, why are the funds not in Canadian currency at all times? It has come to my attention that every purchase made not only is adjusted for exchange, but there is also a charge for doing so. There has to be a better way for Canadians to shop, and, I am going to find it. They are stealing money from me here. It is stealing because the amount I agree to pay in checkout, does NOT match the amount removed from my Paypal account, it is always higher. If the sellers want to convert currency, they should pay the fees. Otherwise, give us a filter for currency in the search!!!!

pinetreecottage · ‎03-17-2018

Some Canadian sellers list on .com. The price will be in US $. Canadian sellers listings on .ca will be in Canadian $. We cannot list in US on .ca. You may be searching for stuff, and not knowing, will be on .com when you buy, even if item location is Canada.

momcqueen · ‎03-17-2018

There are Advanced Search filters that more readily allow you to identify sellers who list in USD if you seek to avoid the currency conversion.

As a rule, look for the price on Search Results to show as bold as opposed to italics.

momcqueen · ‎03-17-2018

That is, CAD will show in bold whereas USD is converted to CAD and shown in italics.

momcqueen · ‎03-17-2018

First thing to consider is limiting your search results to display only items listed in Canada. That's under Item Location at the bottom left of your page if you're looking at it on a desktop. Next, do your search and scan for this:

CAD versus USD-converted-to-CAD-equivalent shows on Search if you know what to look for

The top item is listed in CAD on ebay.ca and located in Canada. Ships to Canada.

The bottom item is listed in USD on ebay.com but located in Canada. Ships to Canada.

As I said earlier, there's a way in Advanced Search to set your default to show listing currency but, personally, I find this way is easier to spot. One is bold and the other is italics. Look for the bold price if you want to avoid currency conversion. Also note listed in CAD does not guarantee located in Canada. A seller from China with inventory in China may choose to list in CAD as well as USD.

marnotom! · ‎03-17-2018

@sooperbwrote:
It has come to my attention that every purchase made not only is adjusted for exchange, but there is also a charge for doing so. There has to be a better way for Canadians to shop, and, I am going to find it. They are stealing money from me here. It is stealing because the amount I agree to pay in checkout, does NOT match the amount removed from my Paypal account, it is always higher.

eBay listings always state on listing pages that the conversion to Canadian dollars is approximate, although I do take your point that this could also be made clearer at checkout.

Having said that, given that: (1) PayPal does give users the option of having their credit card issuer do the currency conversion, (2) PayPal isn't the only payment method sellers can offer for an eBay sale, and (3) Currency exchange rates fluctuate, I don't see how eBay can display a perfectly converted total at checkout tailored to the buyer's choice of payment method.

If you do find a better way for Canadians to shop and it doesn't violate board posting guidelines, feel free to share it with us.

sooperb · ‎03-18-2018

I thought using a credit card could be a solution, but to my chagrin, the credit card was processed through paypal and there were extra charges for that. I can manage my own credit cards and was not impressed.

marnotom! · ‎03-18-2018

@sooperbwrote:
I thought using a credit card could be a solution, but to my chagrin, the credit card was processed through paypal and there were extra charges for that. I can manage my own credit cards and was not impressed.

See if the information on this page is any help. I just went through the steps myself and it seemed to work.

http://mommypoints.boardingarea.com/2017/05/09/save-money-by-changing-paypal-currency-setting-for-in...

For what it's worth, years ago, I set up my PayPal do allow it to do the currency conversion rather than BMO MasterCard because I found that when all was said and done, I was getting a better deal through PayPal. Its currency exchange rates seem to be comparable to what my credit union offers. Your kilometrage may vary.

sooperb · ‎03-18-2018

I see no way to filter currency in search setting. Unless I turn off all countries other than Canada. I think that is a bit too much to ask on the .CA site. I am not shopping from the other countries, they are offering their goods in this country, with a third party currency. Quite ridiculous!!! "dontchya think?" I don't find any excuse valid for that.

@momcqueenwrote:
As I said earlier, there's a way in Advanced Search to set your default to show listing currency

momcqueen · ‎03-18-2018

No, you cannot 'turn it off' but you can visually sort USD from CAD by selecting different options in another manner. Go to Customize and then deselect the part I've marked and the Search results will say USD or CAD right on them.

Ebay still assumes the buyer wants more choices of items to purchase, not fewer choices. But if you feel strongly about this, add your voice to the other numbers of buyers who've asked boy contacting Tyler on the Weekly Chat. It opens Tuesday nights.

momcqueen · ‎03-18-2018

Personally, I find it easier to visually sort the CAD equivalent in italics than to look for the 'USD' next to the price.

This is what your Search Results will show if you turn off the currency conversion option

I mean, I agree with you. I shop on ebay.ca for items listed in CAD shipping from Canada. But you and I are in the minority here, I believe. There would be a huge hue and cry if ebay changed it.

momcqueen · ‎03-18-2018

"Unless I turn off all countries other than Canada. I think that is a bit too much to ask on the .CA site." And, yes, I do that when I shop: Item Location/Canada Only. Speed is a factor when I am buying online. I don't want to wait two weeks for something to come from the USA when I could get it in three days from within Canada. Or four months for something dodgy to arrive (or not) from China. That's my buyer bias showing.

marnotom! · ‎03-19-2018

@sooperbwrote:

I see no way to filter currency in search setting. Unless I turn off all countries other than Canada. I think that is a bit too much to ask on the .CA site. I am not shopping from the other countries, they are offering their goods in this country, with a third party currency. Quite ridiculous!!! "dontchya think?" I don't find any excuse valid for that.

But these Canadian sellers have their listings set up on eBay.COM, not eBay.CA, and eBay.com does not support Canadian currency.

Once upon a time there was only eBay.com, no eBay.ca, or eBay.co.uk, eBay.com.sg, or any other country-specific eBay site. Sellers had to list in US dollars no matter from where they hailed, which made things tricky in the very early days when electronic payment processors such as Billpoint and PayPal only supported US-based users.

Even now, there are currencies not supported by eBay. What do sellers based in Sweden do, for example?

eBay touts itself as serving the global marketplace, and sellers have the choice to use the currency that they feel best serves that marketplace. Like it or not, the US dollar is the closest thing we have to a universally understood currency. Most people worldwide have a sense of the value of the American dollar compared to their home currency, but the Canadian dollar, not so much. In our early days of eBaying, my wife and I once had a German buyer pay us in cash for a sale in American dollars. They paid us at par, shorting us about 25%. We were impressed with their ability to procure crisp Canadian five dollar bills, however.

sooperb · ‎03-20-2018

@marnotom!wrote:
But these Canadian sellers have their listings set up on eBay.COM, not eBay.CA, and eBay.com does not support Canadian currency.

I only use .CA never .COM

marnotom! · ‎03-20-2018

You may be using .ca, but sellers listing in US dollars are setting their listings up on the .com site.

sooperb · ‎04-05-2018

It seems we aren't such a minority. After bringing it up with family and friends I learned they won't shop from sellers that do not list in CAD. I now follow suit. If I can't buy it in CAD here, I can find it elsewhere. I am seeing it is not that difficult to find what I am looking for elsewhere. I can see that with this method, I will be weaned from ebay in no time. I shop ALOT, lol.

momcqueen · ‎04-05-2018

I sell here in CAD on .ca.

I shop here in CAD on .ca.

It’s not a struggle to do so.

momcqueen · ‎04-05-2018

Do you shop for goods from Canadian sellers? It looks like most if not all of your transactions in feedback come from sellers based in China and other parts of Asia.

If it’s your expectation to find support as a Canadian-based buyer, you might want to think about supporting your Canadian-based sellers instead.

That’s the best way to assure yourself of a steady supply of items to buy in CAD on eBay Canada in the future.

Which, as I’ve outlined above, are not difficult to isolate.

Thanks.