eBay

waltz3141 · ‎09-06-2021

Ebay's Global Shipping is getting ridiculously expensive. I want to by an item worth $ 130 USD from Arizona, it is about the size of 1.5x of a toaster and weight 2.2 kg (5 lbs) to Vancouver. ebay shipping wants $ 67 USD BEFORE duties etc. And it isn't expedite shipping, it probably will take 3+ wks. What gives? I understand they need to get paid but this is getting ridiculous!

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-06-2021

@waltz3141 wrote:
Ebay's Global Shipping is getting ridiculously expensive. I want to by an item worth $ 130 USD from Arizona, it is about the size of 1.5x of a toaster and weight 2.2 kg (5 lbs) to Vancouver. ebay shipping wants $ 67 USD BEFORE duties etc. And it isn't expedite shipping, it probably will take 3+ wks. What gives? I understand they need to get paid but this is getting ridiculous!

It's come to a point in time where GSP has become an option but not necessarily the best option. Only thing I can suggest is keep looking. I realize not what you were hoping to hear. I avoid the service at all costs. International Standard has its perils also.

-Lotz

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-06-2021

If a seller charges for shipping within the US and a listing is sold through the gsp, the buyer pays for the domestic shipping to Kentucky and then for the international shipping cost. I'm guessing that in this case the domestic shipping is fairly expensive so that makes the gsp shipping more expensive. To check if that's the case you can go to the listing, click on the shipping/payments tab, change your location to the US, zip 41018 (a kentucky zip) and then click on see rates.

Have you figured out an approximate cost if the seller were to send that item directly? USPS international rates have really gone up so it's possible that it would cost a similar amount even if the gsp wasn't being used. For example, from California to Alberta, the retail cost for a 5 lb package 12"x12"x8" is $50US with USPS Priority. From Cali to Toronto that package would cost $71.75US. I'm not saying that the gsp is never overpriced but that there are times that it isn't.

marnotom! · ‎09-06-2021

Another thing to consider is that the GSP's portion of the shipping charge is calculated by a bot, not a human being, and completely dependent on the accuracy of the information that the seller provides. If the seller provides inaccurate information on the item's shipping dimensions and weight that's going to affect the bot's calculations. If the seller provides no information on this at all (say, if they're using flat-rate shipping within the US), then the bot has to make a guess based on a category average, and if the seller's not listing the item in the appropriate category, that could throw the bot off, too. And so on and so forth. . .

With this in mind, I'd also be interested in knowing the seller's charge for shipping the item from Arizona to Erlanger.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-08-2021

This is the USPS International rate card, but it's easy enough to access the Domestic card from there.

One thing to note, USPS puts the most expensive service first and many sellers never scroll down.

And some sellers will use the International rate, even if they are shipping domestically , because the customer is International although the seller herself is shipping domestically (to Erlanger KY).

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

slyh92 · ‎09-29-2022

That's why I quit selling on ebay a long time ago , the GSP is a scam its way for them to impose a buyer fee in the guise of taxes and duties. Ebay wanted to be more like Amazon they hiked the seller fees for independents sellers while giving power sellers all the breaks, back in 2010 there was a mass exodus of sellers and buyers because of it. Now what you have is retailers from China over inflating their prices, and sellers like me have started to sell on sites like Kijiji and Facebook marketplace . I predict by 2024 ebay will just be a memory unless it stops being so greedy and goes back to the way it used to be and making it up to the seller to charge taxes not force it on others. You cant find anything used on Ebay and why should people have to pay taxes on used things, that's not right .

slyh92 · ‎09-29-2022

The GSP is so high because that's ebays way of imposing a buyer fee , they say its for taxes and duty but that ain't true. My advice is everyone just leave ebay as they have no intention of lowering their fees . Back when they started to make the seller's fees based on the total price the customer paid I stopped selling as its not fair that the seller's fees in basted on the total the customer pays as in some cases the cost of shipping is more than the cost of the product . But ebay don't care, it's all about ripping sellers and buyers off.

reallynicestamps · ‎09-29-2022

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

This will give you an idea of what the shipping cost would be if the toaster is sent by USPS. (I use a zipcode of 90210.)

Now add to that Canadian duty if your purchase is over $150Cdn (remember the loonie is at 73c USD today) and Canadian sales taxes if over $40Cdn. The GSP also charges a service fee of ~$5USD. They wodge these together as "import fees".

USPS tends to be faster than Canada Post, so while in the US your toaster really doesn't need the higher priced rapid service, in my opinion. But you will be able to see what service the seller chose for delivery to Erlanger KY and the GSP plant.

When you play with the USPS form above, notice that the sender/seller is given the Highest price first and the lowest price last. This is the opposite of what Canada Post does. It also will give the level of service for each rate. The lowest rate still gives tracking to you in Canada.

The import fees are sometimes separated and sometimes not. I don't know why and don't buy enough myself to have followed this at all.

marnotom! · ‎09-29-2022

@slyh92 wrote:
That's why I quit selling on ebay a long time ago , the GSP is a scam its way for them to impose a buyer fee in the guise of taxes and duties.

I'm not really following your reasoning behind quitting selling on eBay. The GSP has nothing to do with Canadian sellers. The only reasons I can think are either that you're taking some sort of strange principled stand against eBay, or else you were buying your merchandise from US sellers and the GSP made it inconvenient for you to continue this practice.

@slyh92 wrote:
I predict by 2024 ebay will just be a memory unless it stops being so greedy and goes back to the way it used to be and making it up to the seller to charge taxes not force it on others. You cant find anything used on Ebay and why should people have to pay taxes on used things, that's not right .

The decision to have online marketplaces charge taxes on their sales was made by our federal government, not eBay. If you feel it's "not right" to have tax charges on used goods, you need to take that up with your Member of Parliament or the Minister of Finance, not eBay. How did you get out of paying taxes on the last used car you purchased, by the way?

marnotom! · ‎09-29-2022

@slyh92 wrote:
The GSP is so high because that's ebays way of imposing a buyer fee , they say its for taxes and duty but that ain't true.

I'm guessing you're referring to the "import charges" that are levied on an item forwarded by the GSP, and to an extent you're correct, they're not for taxes. Taxes (and duties, if applicable) are paid by Pitney Bowes on the buyer's behalf. The "import charges" are how you pay Pitney Bowes back for doing this, along with five US bucks or so to cover customs processing charges. That five bucks is a better deal than what any carrier charges to cover whatever extra charges are involved in handling the item, including Canada Post.

@slyh92 wrote:
Back when they started to make the seller's fees based on the total price the customer paid I stopped selling as its not fair that the seller's fees in basted on the total the customer pays as in some cases the cost of shipping is more than the cost of the product . But ebay don't care, it's all about ripping sellers and buyers off.

Sellers who face the problem of the shipping cost of an item being higher than the item price sometimes resolve this by adding the shipping price to the price of the item and offering "free" shipping? Since you seem to be so big on fairness, how would it be fair to sellers offering "free" shipping if the eBay just charged fees based on the item price? They'd end up paying more in fees than sellers of the same merchandise who charge for shipping as a separate line item!

If you've looked at eBay's fee schedule lately, you might find that sellers of large, heavy items pay a lower percentage in Final Value Fees than most other sellers. This is eBay's acknowledgement that high shipping charges can really mess up seller fees.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-29-2022

@marnotom!

Re: If you've looked at eBay's fee schedule lately, you might find that sellers of large, heavy items pay a lower percentage in Final Value Fees than most other sellers. This is eBay's acknowledgement that high shipping charges can really mess up seller fees.

Where is that noted in fees? Do you have a link?

-Lotz

marnotom! · ‎09-29-2022

What's your hypothesis as to why a handful of business and industrial categories have a $20 insertion fee but 3% FVF (and 0.5% FVF for portions of the sale over $15K)? Or that the FVF percentage for books, magazines, etc. is higher on .com than it is on .ca?

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-29-2022

Sorry. I haven't gotten all the category FVF's memorized. I sell in a variety. Those fees have never made any sense to me. Just feels like I (and others) were being penalized for selling ANYTHING heavy to Canadian customers because of the limited Canadapost options and now the excessive fuel surcharge.

-Lotz

lucitabby · ‎09-29-2022

"You cant find anything used on Ebay"

Huh! Everything I sell on ebay is used.

msau4301 · ‎09-29-2022

"You cant find anything used on Ebay"

Huh! Everything I sell on ebay is used.

Ditto for me!

reallynicestamps · ‎09-29-2022

"You cant find anything used on Ebay"

Huh! Everything I sell on ebay is used.

Ditto for me!

Tritto here!

waltz3141 · ‎01-28-2023

Addum now is beginning of 2023, I can see the shipping as very competitive. Fast service too. I'm now happy!

marnotom! · ‎01-28-2023

@waltz3141 wrote:
Addum now is beginning of 2023, I can see the shipping as very competitive. Fast service too. I'm now happy!

Is this in reference to the new eBay International Shipping service or are you still referring to the Global Shipping Program?

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎01-28-2023

@marnotom! wrote:
@waltz3141 wrote:
Addum now is beginning of 2023, I can see the shipping as very competitive. Fast service too. I'm now happy!
Is this in reference to the new eBay International Shipping service or are you still referring to the Global Shipping Program?

Interesting to note with the newly introducing eBay International Shipping program there is an option for sellers to opt out of the program, but no option to opt out on a single listing basis. (At least nothing I am seeing. This was available with GSP.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-international-shippin...

*******

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/ebay-labels-services/ebay-international-shipping-services...

To remove a single active listing from the Global Shipping Program

Go to My eBay > Activity > Sell > Active.
Select the listing you’d like to change.
In the Edit dropdown menu, select Edit selected.
In the Add shipping details section, click the Edit selected policy link.
In the International shipping section of the Edit shipping policy dialogue box, clear the Send it to the Global Shipping Center, and the rest will be taken care of for you box.
Save and confirm your changes.

In the past when you ran into a seller using GSP it didn't hurt to ask if they would make the exception. Mind you no guarantees. And only work around I know until there is a realtime solution for screening out these %&%$ programs. This just complicates/adds to the frustration of making a purchase for Canadian buyers.

-Lotz

marnotom! · ‎01-28-2023

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Interesting to note with the newly introducing eBay International Shipping program there is an option for sellers to opt out of the program, but no option to opt out on a single listing basis. (At least nothing I am seeing. This was available with GSP.

There also doesn't seem to be an option for sellers to exclude specific countries or regions from the new program, although I doubt many sellers took advantage of that option when using the GSP. Also, given that there are so many perks for sellers with this new scheme, I doubt that many sellers would want to give them up for the sake of a sale, anyway, and those seeking advice on this on the .com discussion boards will likely be told that a buyer wanting direct shipping is likely a scammer. 🙄