Shipping Costs Prevent Me From Buying.

[coba_1361]

There are so many items I am interested in bidding or buying, but when I see the shipping cost I am immediately out of my budget. 30 or 50 Canadian dollars to ship a small item is ridiculous. I used to enjoy shopping on ebay for various collectibles. Now it's just an exercise in frustration.

[marnotom!]

Shipping costs have really gone up in the past few years, largely due to increases in fuel prices. Just out of curiosity, are you looking more at items located in Canada, or items located in other countries?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@marnotom! wrote:
Shipping costs have really gone up in the past few years, largely due to increases in fuel prices. Just out of curiosity, are you looking more at items located in Canada, or items located in other countries?

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@coba_1361 

@marnotom! 

With the majority of searches turning items located in the USA (and because of the various programs) it's become next to impossible to find sellers who are able to combine on shipping when a buyer would like to have this option. This would be definitely affecting final shipping costs for many Canadian buyers. Pre GSP this was not an issue. Also it is very likely that "most" US sellers are NOT passing on any savings they have access to with shipping. Especially if they are high volume sellers.

-Lotz

[reallynicestamps]

I agree that many sellers have very high shipping costs.

Some are foolishly reducing the price of their products and moving part of the actual cost to shipping. Foolishly because eBay charges us the same fee on shipping charges as on selling price.

And the loonie has dropped drastically (or the US dollar has risen) in the past few years to about 74c /$1.00. It was 83c in 2021.

But most of the difference is in the actual cost of shipping.

The cost of sending a letter (under 30 grams and 2cm thick) has risen from 46c in 2000 to 92c today.

Here are the rate cards for USPS and for Canada Post.

Remember when playing with them that most US sellers cannot emotionally use an untracked service. And use 90210 if you need a US zipcode, it's easy to remember.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/tools/find-a-rate.page

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

For a hopefully humourous interlude on the high costs of transborder shipping(USA<>Canada):

Why is it so expensive to ship small packages from the US to Canada?

-Lotz

[rocketscollectibles]

One main problem on eBay is that a lot of sellers can't figure (or just don't want) to ship with lettermail. In my selling category i see a lot sellers charging $20 of shipping while it can be shipped for $0.92. Even on cheap items. The irony is that tracking is a seller's protection, but those sellers wants the buyers to pay for their protection. And they don't care about charging twice what an item is worth for it. Those sellers are indeed frustrating. Had to pass on many fair potential deals because they could not figure out. 

[fh991586]

I've had my eye on some magazines or comics that were put to sale at around $10 (so not the pricey collectable ones), but with a shipping fee starting at $25!  Even when I message the seller to check if any shipping alternative could be considered, I get told that it's what they decided to do for their business, and they won't change it.  If I really really wanted them, I'd fork the money, as I can't find them in Canada.  But I'm cheap and I have principles... 😉

Too bad for them also, as it stays listed over and over again...

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@fh991586 wrote:

I've had my eye on some magazines or comics that were put to sale at around $10 (so not the pricey collectable ones), but with a shipping fee starting at $25!  Even when I message the seller to check if any shipping alternative could be considered, I get told that it's what they decided to do for their business, and they won't change it.  If I really really wanted them, I'd fork the money, as I can't find them in Canada.  But I'm cheap and I have principles... 😉

Too bad for them also, as it stays listed over and over again...

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@fh991586 

I have been selling a variety of older magazines (Bird Talk, Computer & Travel) for awhile. My average shipping to the USA(single magazine) is in the 15 to 20 dollar Canadian range by Small Packet Air calculated shipping. It would be slightly less if eBay would let me easily show the Level 4 discounted rate. Until eBay makes it possible to display the level 4 discounts it will be a challenge for Canadian sellers to sell both to Canada and the USA. When I check out US sellers selling similar magazines to  Canada (when I can find them) the new normal is in the 35 to 40 USD dollar range in twice the delivery time. Shipping that same magazine to a US customer is 7 times out of 10 free or worst case scenario minimal.

If/when you are able to find something with reasonable shipping from a US seller NOW, grab it. It will be like a unicorn. Next to impossible to find on eBay with the majority of US sellers opted in/choosing to use Eis.

-Lotz

[clemowbooks]

The eIS (and the GSP before it) were designed to encourage paranoid and xenophobic US sellers to ship internationally. The cost to the buyer was irrelevant.

And that's fine on more expensive items (over $100 or so) I guess, but not on cheaper items.

@fh991586 

One suggestion is that if a seller has several books that interest you, to ask for a bundled price for the books and shipping. 

Part of that would be that a special listing be set up for your purchase.

It might also help, if the seller actually wants non-US buyers*,  to guide them to the USPS rate page and the First Class International Package rate which is tracked.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

* The absolute terror of getting  foreign buyer is rampant on the dotCOM Seller Board.

[fh991586]

Unfortunately, it's never more than one issue per seller...

I simply forfeit buying international most of the time now. Surprisingly, shipping books from France is usually cheaper and faster than within Canada or from the USA.  But luckily I can easily find other books/magazines to buy locally with my money...

[transtraders]

Why are "we" (meaning the canadian government) susidizing shipping from china to canada, when I can't send a small item(over 2 cm thick) from eastern canada to western canada for less than $20?? Makes no sense at all. Also, I can send a small item to anywhere in the USA for under $10 but again it costs $20 plus to ship within Canada. Its absurd! This has hurt small business' for years.

The other thing is there is practically NO competition for Canada Post in this country, so they have a monopoly on the shipping industry and can charge absurd prices.

[reallynicestamps]

We're not subsidizing China.

Both Canada and China are members of the Universal Postal Union, which has special rates for "developing" countries.

In 2016, the UPU finally managed to get China to admit they were not a developing country (like Botswana or Paraguay) and start paying more to other postal systems for international transit.

However, China is still a low cost of living country and those rates are in part based on average incomes. So while it takes a minmum wage Canadian an hour to earn enough to ship a 500gr package tracked to the USA ($16.38) that might be a day's wages for a Chinese labourer

https://www.timedoctor.com/blog/average-salary-in-china/

[marnotom!]

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@transtraders wrote:

Also, I can send a small item to anywhere in the USA for under $10 but again it costs $20 plus to ship within Canada. Its absurd! This has hurt small business' for years.

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Different shipping methods.  You're sending the item to the USA as a small packet, which is in essence an oversized letter.  Within Canada, you'd be sending the item as a parcel.

By the way, do you know about the Level 4 Canada Post SFSB discounts that Canadian eBay sellers get now?

[reallynicestamps]

It's the "over 2cm thick " that's important.

That moves your shipment into (tracked) Parcel rates.

If it were under 2 cm, it would be a letter and could only be tracked by adding Registration for $9.75.

Small Packet can be $9.17 for under 100gr. but it is not tracked. For Tracked Packet you'd pay $15.89.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/tools/find-a-rate.page

But you are right, it can be cheaper to ship to the USA, where Canada is using the USPS and its cheaper rates based on shorter distances and larger population, just as China uses Canada Post for last mile delivery,  rather than covering the entire cost to ship to Old Crow NT or Meat Cove NS.

[cutie.loves.beauty]

100% agree. on occasion I message the seller to say I have some experience with shipping and could they please have a second look at the rate because it normally could ship for a little bit less. but I am usually met with a snarky attitude. at the very least I feel glad I am not supporting somebody with such poor customer service skills. they clearly dont deserve my business and they are only hurting themselve by not being willing to consider constructive criticism . on the other hand I am grateful for sellers that care and go the extra mile, and I try to do that for all my buyers. I dont want to be like those rude sellers who take advantage of buyers or take sales for granted.

[enoo2001]

I couldn't agree more.  $20-30 to ship items that would fit in an envelope?  Nuts.  

[enoo2001]

I always look for items in Canada first but selection is limited.  I don't understand why shipping small items that would fit in an envelope cost 20-30 CDN.  

[enoo2001]

I agree - what is so  hard about stuffing something in an envelope and dropping it off at the post office.  Nuts.  

[enoo2001]

How can shippiing USPS to the Hub and then UPS from the hub to the customer be efficient?  Why bother with the hub?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@enoo2001 wrote:

I couldn't agree more.  $20-30 to ship items that would fit in an envelope?  Nuts.  

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@enoo2001 

The reason behind the $20-30 for shipping is technically/legally the item has to be shipped with a parcel service to keep customs happy. If something has value it needs customs meaning it can't go using a plain old letter service. If you look at rates from USA to Canada with USPS you can see the options available are very limited (Rates within the USA are substantially lower.)

-Lotz