eBay

pierrelebel · ‎07-14-2017

It was not that long ago (early May) that one would get about Cdn$ 1.37 for every US dollar.

Two months later, the current rate is below Cdn$ 1.27 for every US$.

https://web.tmxmoney.com/forex-quote.php?qm_symbol=$USDCAD

Sellers listing and selling in US$ should be unhappy about this change of direction in the value of the dollar.

ricarmic · ‎07-14-2017

rose-dee · ‎07-14-2017

I believe the $CDN has risen even further today.

The $USD/$CDN spread is was helping me to offset a lot of other increased expenses. I am not a happy camper.

silverpinups · ‎07-15-2017

Isaac Newton said it best, "What goes up must come down".

momcqueen · ‎07-15-2017

Ah, the stability of listing in CAD on ebay.ca.

rose-dee · ‎07-15-2017

@mjwl2006 wrote:
Ah, the stability of listing in CAD on ebay.ca.

Not entirely. Your U.S. and overseas buyers will find the prices displayed in their native currency on your listings have risen since last week. Will those buyers conclude you've raised your prices, or will they be aware of Canadian currency values? I suppose that depends upon how sophisticated they are in following world economics.

Which won't matter if you overwhelmingly sell to Canadians, but does matter for sellers who rely heavily on U.S. sales -- fluctuating displays of pricing was the main reason so many stopped listing on ebay.ca when $USD listings were no longer allowed.

Life was good for a lot of us when eBay permitted us to list in $USD on .ca. I'd go back to .ca in a flash if they reversed that decision, because there are downsides to listing on .com as a Canadian seller.

Over the decades the Canadian dollar has remained mostly well below the U.S. dollar in value. Those of us who have sold in $US and paid our expenses in $CDN have benefited. And economically speaking, it's the best scenario for a majority of Canadian manufacturers and retailers generally. No doubt this current blip is money market speculators' over-reaction to recent political events in the U.S.

hlmacdon · ‎07-15-2017

@rose-dee wrote:
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Ah, the stability of listing in CAD on ebay.ca.
No doubt this current blip is money market speculators' over-reaction to recent political events in the U.S.

The recent swing was driven by speculation based on a reaction to the BOC interest rake hike, and the possibility of further hikes. There are still a lot of issues around oil and house pricing so it's going to be pretty volatile for a while yet.

widgetc · ‎07-15-2017

"Isaac Newton said it best, "What goes up must come down"."

Newton would not say that. He knew about escape velocities!

reallynicestamps · ‎07-15-2017

Or David Clayton Thomas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK62tfoCmuQ

rose-dee · ‎07-16-2017

@hlmacdon wrote:
The recent swing was driven by speculation based on a reaction to the BOC interest rake hike, and the possibility of further hikes.

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about that. The gamblers' gold rush.

momcqueen · ‎07-16-2017

@rose-dee wrote:
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Ah, the stability of listing in CAD on ebay.ca.
Not entirely. Your U.S. and overseas buyers will find the prices displayed in their native currency on your listings have risen since last week. Will those buyers conclude you've raised your prices, or will they be aware of Canadian currency values? I suppose that depends upon how sophisticated they are in following world economics.

Which won't matter if you overwhelmingly sell to Canadians, but does matter for sellers who rely heavily on U.S. sales -- fluctuating displays of pricing was the main reason so many stopped listing on ebay.ca when $USD listings were no longer allowed.

Life was good for a lot of us when eBay permitted us to list in $USD on .ca. I'd go back to .ca in a flash if they reversed that decision, because there are downsides to listing on .com as a Canadian seller.

Over the decades the Canadian dollar has remained mostly well below the U.S. dollar in value. Those of us who have sold in $US and paid our expenses in $CDN have benefited. And economically speaking, it's the best scenario for a majority of Canadian manufacturers and retailers generally. No doubt this current blip is money market speculators' over-reaction to recent political events in the U.S.

I heavily subsidize international postage rates, and utilize Markdown Manager to its fullest potential, so fluctuating prices as displayed to buyers overseas doesn't concern me. When I make the conscious decision to buy something in USD -- as it is assumed so many Canadians do -- we are well-aware of the implication of fluctuating currency.

I didn't stay in ebay.ca in CAD by accident, you know. It was a conscious business decision. It seems to me that you continually imply here that any 'smart/successful' seller would have moved to ebay.com for the USD. If that was my market, I would have. It isn't.

rose-dee · ‎07-16-2017

@mjwl2006 wrote:
I didn't stay in ebay.ca in CAD by accident, you know. It was a conscious business decision. It seems to me that you continually imply here that any 'smart/successful' seller would have moved to ebay.com for the USD. If that was my market, I would have. It isn't.

I think you're finding a reason to take umbrage where there is none. Yes, I'm aware of your situation, and it is clearly a good decision to stay on eBay.ca for anyone who doesn't sell primarily to the U.S., or even for those who have a more or less even mix of domestic and U.S. sales. I've never implied otherwise. If I had substantial Canadian sales, I'd likely be setting up my business exactly as you have.

But the majority of Canadian sellers rely heavily on U.S. sales, and for them stability of price display to U.S. customers is important. For such sellers, listing in $CDN on .ca means fluctuating pricing as seen by American buyers, which adds an unnecessary layer of confusion and can affect competitiveness. Stability of listing in $CDN on .ca really only provides a benefit where sellers have a good domestic market. For them (and you), it's obviously a good choice.

As an aside, I've never understood why eBay Canada offered two currency listing options in the first place, and in fact why they didn't drop $CDN listings and stick with $USD only instead. It would have suited the majority of their sellers and their markets. Most Canadian buyers have a good understanding of how to deal in $USD.

(Please don't take this last paragraph as any sort of affront. It isn't, I'm just musing.)

momcqueen · ‎07-16-2017

Why would ebay Canada offer only USD? Please point to any other major Canadian retailer located in Canada that sells its wares in USD only.

Also, please cite your source for your assertion that 'majority of Canadian sellers rely heavily on U.S. sales'.

Also '....listing in $CDN on .ca means fluctuating pricing as seen by American buyers, which adds an unnecessary layer of confusion' is, I think, an insult to most Americans. I've been selling here for five years and have encountered one -- exactly one-- American customer confused by currency conversion. In a sea of hundreds. Which accounts for about .03 per cent of my American buyers.

rose-dee · ‎07-16-2017

@mjwl2006 wrote:
Why would ebay Canada offer only USD? Please point to any other major Canadian retailer located in Canada that sells its wares in USD only.

EBay isn't a Canadian retailer. It's a worldwide selling platform. There's a difference. Other online selling venues have only $USD listings (although they do display local currency conversions). $USD is the lingua franca of the business world.

Also, please cite your source for your assertion that 'majority of Canadian sellers rely heavily on U.S. sales'.

Just ask our eBay Canada reps next Wednesday (if you think they'll tell you the truth). They keep saying they appreciate the fact that we rely on the U.S. market.

Also '....listing in $CDN on .ca means fluctuating pricing as seen by American buyers, which adds an unnecessary layer of confusion' is, I think, an insult to most Americans. I've been selling here for five years and have encountered one -- exactly one-- American customer confused by currency conversion. In a sea of hundreds. Which accounts for about .03 per cent of my American buyers.

It isn't about the U.S. buyers who contact us. It's about the ones who don't. Which we'll never be able to quantify. Yet it's about common sense if you know the majority of your customers are going to be American. Why deliberately choose to add anything at all that will make listings unlike U.S. listings? For those of us who sell primarily to the U.S., listing in $CDN can also cause confusion where Best Offer is involved.

I'm not sure why this topic is an issue for you. If it doesn't apply to your particular business, it doesn't.

hlmacdon · ‎07-16-2017

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Also '....listing in $CDN on .ca means fluctuating pricing as seen by American buyers, which adds an unnecessary layer of confusion' is, I think, an insult to most Americans.

It's not necessarily a confusion issue, or at least I don't see it that way. For me it relates to competitive positioning and natural price points. Ebay buyers are thrifty in nature. If the currency swings it effects search ranking with a whole class of buyers that shop by price filters/high/low.Natural price points still play a role in buyer behavior as well, although less so these days with algorithm driven pricing models. For other buyers there is an implied extra cost with the currency conversion that can put them off, but I think the notion that American buyers aren't comfortable buying abroad or get confused by currency is a meme that can be retired these days.

hlmacdon · ‎07-16-2017

@rose-dee wrote:
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Why would ebay Canada offer only USD? Please point to any other major Canadian retailer located in Canada that sells its wares in USD only.

EBay isn't a Canadian retailer. It's a worldwide selling platform. There's a difference. Other online selling venues have only USD listings (although they do display local currency conversions). $USD is the lingua franca of the business world.

Ebay.ca is an implied Canadian venue. Throwing USD pricing at Canadians is generally the equivalent of throwing holy water on Dracula.

momcqueen · ‎07-16-2017

"I'm not sure why this topic is an issue for you. If it doesn't apply to your particular business, it doesn't."

Can you clarify that statement, please? It sounds an awful lot as if you are telling me to 'mind my own business'.

My business is clarity. And statements that can be quantified.

kh-leslie · ‎07-16-2017

Hi folks,
Please remember to keep the boards friendly and welcoming for everyone. In addition, please make sure to keep the thread on topic. Further hostility and off-topic comments will result in the thread being locked.
Thanks!

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cumos55 · ‎07-17-2017

There was a time many years ago when the exchange rate was close to ....

$1.00 US equals about $1.00 Canadian and a bit less than $1.00 Canadian .... 2008... after the cost of doing the exchange was deducted.

The exchange rate has varied significantly over the last 15 years.

If I remember correctly.... the exchange rate was about $1.40 Canadian equals $1.00 US.... and higher ... about 15 years ago.

with a rate about $1.50 Canadian = $1.00 US and higher in 2001

Made selling in US dollars look .. and feel... very good

------------

Now for those that list in Canadian dollars on eBay Canada.....today

As the exchange rate approaches some measure of equality , there is a greater probability that a US buyer might say it costs too much ... with the emphasis on the cost of postage as presented by Canada Post, even with all of the possible discounts Canadian sellers can use..

Also when buying in Canadian dollars on eBay Canada, a US buyer will experience the cost of exchanging Canadian dollars to US dollars

momcqueen · ‎07-17-2017

Yes. True. But I have to assume some level of sophistication in the part of the buyer. Who will look at the value of their native currency against goods offered in foreign currencies from foreign sellers on a marketplace that is, after all, renowned as connecting people from around the world, and decide on the best value for their dollar.

I also assume Canadian sellers listing in CAD on eBay.ca are smart enough to utilize Markdown Manager and readjust prices according to worldwide currency realities.