Why I won't be using Ebay for purchases any longer and other tales

[killercreations]

Here we go, maybe someone can explain this to me, I used to really like Ebay, used it a lot and bought and sold on her a lot.  Made some money, spent far more.  

Now after not really using it much in the last 2 years I come back start looking at prices and notice.....yeah prices are up, unique content is way down(if you remove all the Far East goods)

But one thing that struck me right in the wallet is after looking at a few items I thought were really good deals, the shipping.....my god the shipping charges.

a small item, under probably 2lbs and less then the size of a half carton of eggs was $95USD shipping to me.  I was blown away, started looking at more items and it seems that users are basically charging for items in shipping and then ALSO charging for items.  

Another listing I was a plastic steering wheel surround and they wanted $120usd for shipping.

I can only assume this is a price gouging option for the sellers and they really are just looking to make a quick buck from their sales.  

This "estimate" service that ebay uses and the "global shipping" service are the primary reasons I'll be no longer using this site for purchases, there are far to many better options out there now then eBay, which lost its cool factor when it sold out and became just another Chinese store front. 

Feel free to dislike, flame me, email me etc.  

[femmefan1946]

There are two or three possibilities for the high shipping charges.

• The seller may want the boost in Search for selling internationally but not want to actually ship internationally. The crazy shipping cost makes international sales unlikely. You don't want to deal with such a sneakey seller.
• The (US?) seller does sell internationally but does not know that there are multiple rates available. First Canada has a lower set of rates than overseas,  and second USPS sets up its price card to show the most expensive rates first. You don't want to deal with a lazy or careless seller.
• The Global Shipping Program (spit spit spit) is a Seller Protection program that allows US and UK sellers to ship domestically and have the GSP handle all the rest of shipping outside the USA.  The cost seems high to Canadians in particular because it includes not only international shipping *, but also duty** on any item over $20Cdn (~$15USD) plus Canadian sales taxes** and a ~$5USD service charge. On high value or high fraud items, the GSP may actually save you money and time. On items under $50, pass it by.

Most Canadians detest the GSP, because we are used to the CBSA and Canada Post ignoring low value imports (under $100) in spite of the actual law. Freight forwarders like GSP cannot do this.

Watch for the "Customs services and international tracking provided" note in Search. It doesn't show on a mobile or in Gallery View, only on a computer and in List View. It is on actual listings of course.

This tells you that the seller is using GSP.

Again, on high value or high fraud items, the GSP may actually save you money and time. On items under $50, pass it by.

If you're not sure, put the item on your Watch List /compare to see how the price works out.

As a passing note, another reason for high shipping is that USPS a couple of years ago dropped international Surface shipping entirely and, like Canada Post, has had a rate increase or two.

*but the GSP does understand the Canada rate card and is privy to discounted rates in any case

** duty is based on place of manufacture, not where you bought it

***Mostly sales taxes actually.

[femmefan1946]

In passing, since the GSP was introduced, I don't think I am alone in noticing that my international sales and Canadian sales increased slightly.

Non-US buyers seem to like the low drama of buying from Canadians who are comfortable dealing with customers who are overseas and speak English as a second language.

[redqube]

femmefan is right about US sellers who are generally lazy when it comes to selling overseas or even just to their neighbors up north. Their USPS rates often appear ludicrous. Most are willing to sell to Canadians but don't necessarily count on it or feel there is a need since they can reach such a broad clientèle within their US borders.

I have contacted many US sellers in the past to have them recheck their postal rates to Canada on items I was interested in and most of the time they were shocked at how high it was and were more than willing to lower their rates when they actually checked the lowest tracked USPS service rate they could find.

But yes, shipping rates have gone up substantially over the past 10 years especially on large and heavy items.

[wmlkelley]

For me the main problem is the fees are still way too high so sellers pad shipping costs to get less ripped off by ebay.  If ebay would just stop trying to be a mini amazon and stop letting endledd buy it now **bleep**ola sales.  I remember a time when ebay actually had auctions.

[puritygems]

OMG quit winning and pick a seller with a better deal. Nobody is forcing you to buy from a particular seller. I buy stuff all the time, sometimes the shipping is more than the product itself, but you have to factor all the costs involved and weigh the benifets of such a transaction.

I am sorry to hear you won't be using eBay any longer. I find it to be the best site for non mainstream items, and rare and collectable items. I have had way less issues with ebay than amazon.