Best Practice for Canada to US, Canada Post/USPS Label Purchase

[theartistsprinter]

Hello good reader,

If you purchase a label through eBay you are restricted from updating tracking info.

This prevents the Seller from updating the carrier from Canada Post to USPS.

On the Canada side tracking will be accurate, but once package is accepted by USPS you can give your customer the most accurate and up to date tracking by editting tracking info/carrier to USPS as the package approaches the part of the journey that matters most to the Buyer. 

Purchasing through Canada Post allows you to retain control over the tracking info you provide.

I have a slightly discounted rate through a Canada Post account which seems equivallent to the ebay purchase price of a Canada Post label.

So I suggest that for those who have a Canada Post account with similar pricing to eBay, and who wish to ship with Canada Post to USPS specifically, purchasing through Canada Post directly, and editting carrier info once the new carrier has the package, makes sense.

Thoughts?

[mrdutch1001]

"If you purchase a label through eBay you are restricted from updating tracking info.

This prevents the Seller from updating the carrier from Canada Post to USPS."

I am not sure where you get that, I have never encountered any issues with tracking on eBay...unless of course you are one of those who crosses the border to ship your items to the USA using USPS...

"So I suggest that for those who have a Canada Post account with similar pricing to eBay, and who wish to ship with Canada Post to USPS specifically, purchasing through Canada Post directly, and editting carrier info once the new carrier has the package, makes sense."

Well, it may make sense to you and others, but I prefer to not use a credit card to pay for shipping labels as is required when purchasing shipping labels directly through Canada Post Snap Ship method> it makes more sense to use pending payments monies for the shipping labels, PLUS I have no problems with purchasing my shipping labels through eBay and adding the tracking number directly to eBay.

[pjcdn2005]

So I suggest that for those who have a Canada Post account with similar pricing to eBay, and who wish to ship with Canada Post to USPS specifically, purchasing through Canada Post directly, and editting carrier info once the new carrier has the package, makes sense.

Why would you want to edit the carrier info?   The tracking number stays the same.  If you are saying that you want to change the carrier from Canada Post to usps I can honestly say that has never occurred to me and has never been an issue. 

The tracking info specifies that the item is being processed through the usps system so it's obvious that usps will be delivering it.

[theartistsprinter]

I am not sure where you get that, I have never encountered any issues with tracking on eBay..

When I tried to update tracking info on eBay I received an error message indicating that I could not edit tracking info because I bought the label through eBay. I assume other users will have the same experience.  

.unless of course you are one of those who crosses the border to ship your items to the USA using USPS...

I ship from Canada.

I prefer to not use a credit card to pay for shipping labels as is required when purchasing shipping labels directly through Canada Post 

Great point about utilizing eBay funds being a priority for you! (and many others, I bet)

[theartistsprinter]

Why would you want to edit the carrier info? ...

The carrier with the package provides the best updates. I want Buyers to have the easiest possible access to the best tracking info.

If you are saying that you want to change the carrier from Canada Post to usps I can honestly say that has never occurred to me

Yes. this is my process.

The tracking info specifies that the item is being processed through the usps system so it's obvious that usps will be delivering it.

A savvy Buyer could figure out who had the package and search through the USPS website to get the same info.  For those who rely exlusively on eBay for tracking info, Canada Post will confirm USPS delivery, it just skips a bunch of detail leading up to delivery.

[mrdutch1001 · Accepted solution]

You may not be able to edit a tracking number but you are able to ADD a tracking number....

I ship packages to the USA using Small Packet and the bar code which is not a genuine tracking number, but does conduct itself as a tracking number here on eBay and ADDING that number works well for me because it DOES show all the USPS tracking, and YES I do purchase these small packet labels through eBay.

Here is an example from a recent order:

1. 9:43am
   DELIVERED IN/AT MAILBOX

   ATTICA, MI 48412
2. May 17, 2022

   6:54am
   OUT FOR DELIVERY

   ATTICA, MI 48412
3. May 17, 2022

   6:43am
   ARRIVAL AT UNIT

   ATTICA, MI 48412
4. May 17, 2022

   5:06am
   DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY

   FLINT, MI 48502
5. May 17, 2022

   4:58am
   DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY

   FLINT, MI 48502
6. May 16, 2022

   2:19pm
   PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

   DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION, 48101
7. May 15, 2022

   8:29pm
   PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

   DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION, 48101
8. May 15, 2022

   7:51pm
   PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

   DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION, 48101
9. May 15, 2022

   2:06pm
   ARRIVE USPS FACILITY

   DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION, 48101
10. May 15, 2022

    2:01pm
    ARRIVE USPS FACILITY

    DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION, 48101
11. May 15, 2022

    12:57pm
    ARRIVED AT USPS REGIONAL FACILITY

    DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION, 48101
12. May 15, 2022

    6:01am
    DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY

    ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL DISTRIBUTI, 60007
13. May 14, 2022

    9:23pm
    DEPARTED USPS REGIONAL FACILITY

    ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL DISTRIBUTI, 60007
14. May 14, 2022

    8:23pm
    PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

    ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL DISTRIBUTI, 60007
15. May 14, 2022

    12:09pm
    PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

    CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRI, 60666
16. May 14, 2022

    12:09pm
    INBOUND OUT OF CUSTOMS

    60666
17. May 14, 2022

    11:28am
    INBOUND INTO CUSTOMS

    60666
18. May 14, 2022

    11:27am
    ARRIVED AT INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CENTER

    ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS), 60688
19. May 13, 2022

    4:04pm
    ORIGIN POST IS PREPARING SHIPMENT
20. May 8, 2022

    6:45pm
    Tracking number provided

[theartistsprinter]

* It seems that eBay now automatically updates the carrier in its system when the first carrier releases the package at the border.

Thanks much for the details!

I hadn't sold in a few months. 

I'll purchase shipping labels through eBay knowing that I no longer have to manually update carrier info on international orders!

[reallynicestamps]

@mrdutch1001 

That's really interesting.

The Canadian end is not visible, since Small Packet is not tracked but it took from Sunday to Friday to reach Chicago. (May 8-13)

Then it spent a day in Chicago/ Elk Grove, clearing customs and was sent on to Detroit. (May 14)

Two days later it was in Flint (a Detroit suburb) and the next day it was delivered in Attica (May 17).

Those long (and backwards) lists of tracking stops can be confusing, but breaking them down is educational.

Chicago has a reputation as a Black Hole, but not in this case.

[martiqefinds]

Perhaps a little off topic, but I was wanting to know if I can submit my Canada Post account number to Ebay to take advantage of the discount level I have already reach with Canada Post. I like the convenience of printing the labels from Ebay rather than going to the Canada Post site.

[pjcdn2005]

EBay shipping gives you level 1 small business discounts regardless of which level you are on.  You can register with Shippo and get the higher level discounts.  You used to be able to sync Shippo with eBay so that you didn't have to copy/paste buyer information so that might still be possible.  With Shippo we had to use PayPal to pay, I don't know if we can now use a credit card or if it is still limited to PP.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@theartistsprinter wrote:

* It seems that eBay now automatically updates the carrier in its system when the first carrier releases the package at the border.

Thanks much for the details!

I hadn't sold in a few months. 

I'll purchase shipping labels through eBay knowing that I no longer have to manually update carrier info on international orders!

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Another thing to keep in mind is if as a personal practice you are routinely updating the shipping carrier(you shouldn't need to) that will also corrupt the original date that the package was created. I only know this when I had realized I had incorrectly manually added a UR tracking number. Unfortunately the date you enter is the date the system thinks the label was created. Same thing happens with an INR and ebay "requests" the tracking. If it had tracking originally it still has tracking. 

-Lotz

[dinomitesales]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

EBay shipping gives you level 1 small business discounts regardless of which level you are on.  You can register with Shippo and get the higher level discounts.  You used to be able to sync Shippo with eBay so that you didn't have to copy/paste buyer information so that might still be possible.  With Shippo we had to use PayPal to pay, I don't know if we can now use a credit card or if it is still limited to PP.

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I regularly use Shippo. Can confirm that you can still sync it with eBay so it imports your orders to their platform. You can use either PayPal or a credit card as your payment method (they will bill you every 7 days or once your invoice reaches $100, whichever comes first).

Highly recommend Shippo simply for the fact that purchases will be attributed to your Canada Post Solutions for Small Business account, as has already been mentioned. And also because of the annoying 'fake' tracking number that is entered for Small Packet when using eBay Labels.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@dinomitesales wrote:

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

EBay shipping gives you level 1 small business discounts regardless of which level you are on.  You can register with Shippo and get the higher level discounts.  You used to be able to sync Shippo with eBay so that you didn't have to copy/paste buyer information so that might still be possible.  With Shippo we had to use PayPal to pay, I don't know if we can now use a credit card or if it is still limited to PP.

---

I regularly use Shippo. Can confirm that you can still sync it with eBay so it imports your orders to their platform. You can use either PayPal or a credit card as your payment method (they will bill you every 7 days or once your invoice reaches $100, whichever comes first).

Highly recommend Shippo simply for the fact that purchases will be attributed to your Canada Post Solutions for Small Business account, as has already been mentioned. And also because of the annoying 'fake' tracking number that is entered for Small Packet when using eBay Labels.

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If you ask nicely even they will bump it up to 200 if volume warrants it. Personally prefer the 100 for a max limit. If you have any sort of claim (loss or damage) you make it directly through CP. No having to go through ebay labels to have it processed.

-Lotz