eBay

longfinnsilvers · ‎06-20-2017

Bought an item in Germany for 28-ish dollars. The shipping was 68, insane - but I really wanted this item. Shipping was listed as Standard Int'l Versand but tracking now shows it's UPS. I've had terrible experiences with them before, if I had known it was this shipper I probably wouldn't have ordered. Nowhere in the listing does the seller mention using a courier / UPS.

Package went from Germany to the US to Canada. Now I've got a note on the tracking saying there will be dutites and taxes. I get that some parcels will get hit with these fees but I've only ever gotten them on high dollar items - 100$+ never on such a small order and the 'fees' should only apply to the item cost not the shipping because shipping isn't the item value but I've got the feeling I'm going to get hit with a stupid high fee.

Going to the US when it's destined for Canada. Why. That is a unnecessary third country worth of travel.

I am so tired of getting hit with 'hidden' fees lately.

ypdc_dennis · ‎06-20-2017

@longfinnsilvers wrote:
Bought an item in Germany for 28-ish dollars. The shipping was 68, insane - but I really wanted this item. Shipping was listed as Standard Int'l Versand but tracking now shows it's UPS. I've had terrible experiences with them before, if I had known it was this shipper I probably wouldn't have ordered. Nowhere in the listing does the seller mention using a courier / UPS.

Standard Int'l Versand translates as Standard International Shipping - a very generic term. You should have asked how they shipped to Canada before buying.

UPS is still my least favourite when importing to Canada, although DHL does manage a close second.

-..-

momcqueen · ‎06-20-2017

The de minimus on items imported by mail into Canada legally is $20 CAD.

Anything above that is taxable, and when UPS delivers it, there is often a hefty brokerage fee on top of the taxes and/or duty.

As a buyer, I would avoid any generic shipping term such as 'Standard International Shipping' because to me that says 'courier'.

I think this is one of those 'live and learn' issues.

It's not your seller's fault although you may decide to make him or her aware that using a courier will guarantee the buyer gets hit with high brokerage fees. (I don't consider using a courier for export in most cases due to that alone unless I am certain my order is under the de minimus for the country of destination.)

It is unlikely, however, that a German seller will be sympathetic. More empathetic. German importers pay hefty VAT on their items by mail order.

marnotom! · ‎06-20-2017

@longfinnsilvers wrote:

Going to the US when it's destined for Canada. Why. That is a unnecessary third country worth of travel.

This goes back to a point I made recently in another thread about shipping consolidation becoming more common as shipping costs rise.

Canada has less than half the population of Germany and just over a tenth of the population of the United States. Shipments between Germany and Canada aren't going to make up a large proportion of UPS Germany's business. It's cheaper to have the rare shipment to Canada sent to the United States and have it forwarded from there, possibly by a contractor rather than UPS itself.