Does Ebay International Shipping use Canada Post to deliver items shipped from US?

[fergua3]

I live in the GTA if that makes a difference, which it might....

[fergua3]

Received my EiS purchase today.  To summarize:

Purchased May 6:  Item cost $50USD plus $40USD shipping.  Package size 23x 11 x10 inches weight 1.89kg

May 9 shipped by seller in West Virginia via USPS

May 10 arrived at shipping hub in Illinois DHL tracking number provided by Ebay in the tracking details link

May 13 processed through Export Facility (per DHL/Parcelsapp tracking)

May 14 handed to USPS for delivery to Canada, USPS tracking number provided by DHL tracking site

May 15 landed in Toronto sent to Customs and cleared Customs

May 17 delivered to my door by Canada Post

No brokerage fees or Customs charges.  Overall shipping cost i consider quite reasonable as a package that size shipped all the way directly with USPS Priority would easily have cost $40USD.  Speed also on par with being shipped directly with USPS Priority from West Virginia.

Overall a very positive experience and if this is the way EIS is going to work for every purchase i will use it without reservation, provided the shipping fees are reasonable, which they are not with every seller.  The only down mark i give EIS is that after the DHL tracking number was provided there were no further tracking updates or new tracking numbers provided by Ebay.  Given that the package had a total of 3 tracking numbers, this is not acceptable and requires a lot of sleuthing online, which most buyers will not know how to do.

[reallynicestamps]

@theoldestfart The only advantage I see in eIS is for the seller.

This was true of GPS too.

The reason these programs were initiated was to encourage US sellers, a xenophobic and provincial bunch, to sell internationally because EBay's US sales were flat.

There was nothing in either programme that was meant to help the buyer, except as unintended consequences.

[reallynicestamps]

created a label on May 2 ... it sat in the UPS depot for 2 days. ... it appears that USPS MAY have the item. ... hopefully Canada Post being the last mile carrier.... I may get the item next week, 3 weeks after I purchased it

I may get the item next week, 3 weeks after I purchased it

May second to May 11 is nine days, just over a week.

May second to May 17 is 15 days, two weeks plus a day.

Not three weeks.

In any case, the only important date is the last estimated date for delivery.

Until then, neither buyer nor seller can do anything to move the purchase along.

Protip - mark the delivery date on your calendar and don't look at anything until then.

[theoldestfart]

Got my eIS item today. The item was shipped May 2nd where it sat for 2 days at a UPS depot before moving.

The item from Colorado cost $81 USD plus $28.17 USD shipping. Weight 0.3 lbs.  The package size was 7" x 5" x 2". Brokerage fees were $9.95 and GTP & PST were $13.01. I paid that online via the Canada Post website 3 days before the item showed up. 

Seen the postal carrier at the mailbox in the apartment. Asked if they had a package for me.  Yes, they said there was $22.96 payable on it. I said I paid those fees already and I have a receipt upstairs showing that.  They had no idea what to do with the receipt even if I went up and got it. I had to repeat that I paid the fees 2 or 3 times before they checked their handheld unit and discovered that yes the fees were indeed paid on the shipment.

eBay tracking still shows Cleared Customs as the last event on May 14th

[reallynicestamps]

I think somehow I am missing why eIS is an improvement to the buyer experience

It's not an improvement because it is not designed for buyers.

• There are items listed using it that should not be. 
• This would be the responsibility of the seller, not the programme.
• No way to filter it out other than open listings 1 at a time to confirm
• No way to know in advance how it will be shipped (critical information for secure delivery)
• Use FlexDelivery for secure FREE package acceptance.
• No way to get a documented receipt for duties 
• EIS does not charge duty or sales tax. You are charged on delivery.
• It is the recipient's responsibility to know what their nation's duty and sales tax is.
• No way to get them(duties, taxes,processing) refunded if it is required.
• No way to know the shipping service you will receive and if its cost warrants it
• You are given your shipping cost. You are not given what companies will be handling the shipment.
• Because it may or may not be bot driven you don't know if the shipping you are paying is accurate or fair
• You don't know how much any seller actually pays for the shipping you paid for.
  Not only does eBay have discounts at different levels, but sellers may use other payment methods to reduce their costs (I use postage stamps purchased below face for example.)
• Delivery option times(windows) are much slower than previous pre GSP/eIS  shipping (especially when you compare with Canada to USA shipping)
• Selling mail order since the 1970s. It is my experience that shipping to and from the USA takes about 21 days. Often less, occasionally more. This has not changed in 50 years.
• Risk of another method being in play for end delivery (the unknown factor)...this can cause not being able to confirm when it will arrive or if the delivery will be secure.
• Again. Flex Delivery.
• Risk of being out funds if the transaction goes off the rails
• True with any eBay Dispute.
• Lastly,  and maybe most important, many buyers (usually newer ones) using this program will find out the shortcomings after they purchase. Not before. How many buyers are even going to know it is imparative to preview TOS in advance. (very closely)
• Due diligence is not something many buyers bother to do.

Basically, the programme is not designed for buyers but for sellers.

The programme is specifically not designed for business buyers.

There is never any point in watching tracking.

Put the estimated date for arrival on your calendar.

Tell your customers their item should arrive in a month and the repair completed X days later. It's better to be told it will be ready on May 30th and have the work completed by May 29th , than to say the work will be ready on May 29th and have it completed on May 30th.

Lower their expectations.

[reallynicestamps]

Six days for delivery.

No duty charged because we have a duty free allowance under CUSMA/NAFTA of $150Cdn.

No sales tax- although that should have been charged since our tax free allowance is only $40Cdn.

Arrived before last estimated delivery date.

[reallynicestamps]

Fifteen days for delivery.

Duty charged before delivery by carrier (Canada Post).

Canada Post charged $9.95 service fee.

Did it arrive before the last estimated delivery date?

How did watching tracking speed the shipping?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

Fifteen days for delivery.

Duty charged before delivery by carrier (Canada Post).

Canada Post charged $9.95 service fee.

Did it arrive before the last estimated delivery date?

How did watching tracking speed the shipping?

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@reallynicestamps 

If @theoldestfart paid duties, taxes and processing already why should they have to pay again? The same thing has been happening with VAT shipments in foreign countries. Up to the buyer to prove it has been paid already. These programs do nothing to improve the buying experience. Something eBay suggests is very important.

-Lotz

[reallynicestamps]

Poor label design?

But in this case the fault seems to be with Canada Post which did not make it clear to the carrier that import fees and service fee had been charged.

And again-- the program's purpose was not to improve the buyer experience.

Given that import fees are not charged upfront, it is actually worse than GSP which got the shock over before the seller could be impacted.

[theoldestfart]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

Fifteen days for delivery.

Duty charged before delivery by carrier (Canada Post).

Canada Post charged $9.95 service fee.

Did it arrive before the last estimated delivery date?

How did watching tracking speed the shipping?

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Yes it arrived before the est delivery date.

[theoldestfart]

Actually, Canada Post has not trained their carriers to scan packages with their handhelds. There was CBSA customs declaration on the package that fees were to be collected and the carrier wanted to collect those fees.  It did not dawn on the carrier that fees could be paid after the CBSA form was attached to the package and before the package was sent out for delivery.

I had to impress on him several times before it dawned on him to actually scan the package with his handheld to see if there were updates to the package's status. Only then did he see that yes in fact the amount owing was zero.

[theoldestfart]

After this experience with eIS I personally would prefer to know upfront what the total cost would be PRIOR to purchasing an item on eBay. I want to see one $ in CAD $ specifically the in the door cost if I decided to purchase it. I do NOT want to have to repeat for each item I am looking at to have to add up $ CAD equiv for the item + CAD$ equivalent in shipping + CAD $ equivalent in taxes and brokerage fees.  

If I had the total $ figure upfront for this item I would NEVER have purchased it. I over paid for the item.

[reallynicestamps]

Advantage GSP then.

Since none of  eIS ,USPS/Canada Post nor couriers  publish that information .

The idea seems to be that the recipient should know the import fees (duty and sales tax) for their own country, not the seller or shipper.

With sales taxes being the greatest variable within a country. And duty varying with the details of any Free Trade agreements in place.

Did you know Canada has a Free Trade Agreement with Mali?

[theoldestfart]

As I said earlier in this thread I will buy in Canada first if I need to use eBay. I will spend less on shipping and will not get hit by brokerage fees. I will know the in-the-door price a heck of a lot easier than buying from the USA. 

Others & I  have mentioned that eIS is a seller-centric program and after this experience, nothing has changed with eBay from the last time I used eIS or a variant many years ago. 

[Anonymous]

Has Canada post ever charged the $9.95 service fee and taxes on an item's value of $25CAD, $30, $35, $40? What is the maximum amount in which we can get away with not paying the service fee to Canada post and taxes?

Is the de minimis $20 if Canada post receives the item from USPS and $40 if Canada post receives the item from a courier?

[reallynicestamps]

This is a question worthy of its own thread.

Until July 2020,  duty and sales tax was due on any import of $20Cdn or more.

But.

CBSA and Canada Post decided that it was a waste of taxpayer money to assess and charge duty on low value imports. A Canada Post vice-president told the Globe and Mail that 93% of low value parcels were ignored by CBSA.

But couriers, who are not public servants, had to charge duty and taxes and were allowed to charge whatever they wanted as "customs brokerage" fees.  UPS and FedEx started at $25.

There is an archived thread over 5000 posts long complaining about this, pre-GSP.

In 2020, with the new NAFTA (CUSMA),  imports from the USA are duty -free up to $150Cdn. value and tax-free up to $40Cdn.

I suspect that CBSA/Canada Post is still ignoring the low-value overseas imports, and that most imports from the US are under $150, so the chances of anyone actually being charged on the doorstep by their letter carrier are pretty low.

With couriers, they seem to have lowered their brokerage fees-- this may have had something to do with getting contracts with Amazon but that's guesswork on my part, based on nothing but my imagination.

[theoldestfart]

On the item I foolishly purchased from the USA via the eIS it was accessed to be 108 CDN plus GST, PST and the $9.95 handling fee.

[reallynicestamps]

Assessed at $108Cdn ($81USD)?

Did you get any CBSA receipt with it?

If you want to pursue it, you may be able to get a refund because some clerk along the way assessed it as "dutiable", which it hasn't been for nearly three years.

The refund would be from CBSA. You are unlikely to get a refund from Canada Post for the $9.95 service charge.

[alamode]

I can confirm Canada post was the carrier. $22.24 in charges were added to my latest $100 purchase. BC pst $7.17, Gst $5.12 and $9.95 processing fee- which added insult to injury as I already shelled out $21.50 for Ebay International Shipping. Also took about 3 weeks to arrive.

So, with item cost of $75USD - ($102CAD) It basically cost me $45 to get it here. Not going to shop on Ebay if the item is stateside any more, I'll stick to China and or Amazon.

[marnotom!]

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@alamode wrote:

Not going to shop on Ebay if the item is stateside any more, I'll stick to China and or Amazon.

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So what will happen when you purchase a $100 item from China that gets hit with charges for BC PST, GST, and the $9.95 Canada Post processing fee?