eBay

shallow_karl · ‎05-13-2025

AVOID any returns on large and/or expensive items, coming back from the U.S. to Canada. With Amazon.com, you slap a return label (provided by them) on the package, mail it, or whatever, and it's done. With Ebay, there is ZERO assistance. They got the fees and you can go deleted expletive yourself. So what is wrong? No return label facility AT ALL with Ebay. You have to go through Shippo or some other company. Problem: Return costs from the U.S. can run as high as FIVE TIMES the cost you paid to ship the item. An item I shipped with UPS for $49 costs $150-$275 U.S. to return! Why? USPS/Fedex/UPS are expensive.

Oh, and yes, you WILl likely be charged taxes/duties by Canada Customs and Revenue (via Fedex/UPS) on returns, as if you'd purchased the item yourself! Your only hope is to file a claim to get it back, whic you may or may not get. Also, to get any discount via Shippo, you have to have a U.S. UPS account you cannot use your Canadian UPS account. USPS? Forget it, the price is astronomical. Canada Post will NOT generate labels for returns from the U.S. so that lets them out. Your are forced to simply send your customer money via Paypal and have them process the return shipment. Pathetic. Everyone who sells volumes gets returns, and the fact Ebay makes it this hard to process is shameful.

ypdc_dennis · ‎05-13-2025

A seller that sells on amazon.com and ships from Canada does not qualify for amazon's "simple" return -- that only works if the seller has a return address in the United States.

Pirateship has discounted USPS and UPS labels for USA to Canada.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎05-13-2025

@shallow_karl wrote:
AVOID any returns on large and/or expensive items, coming back from the U.S. to Canada. With Amazon.com, you slap a return label (provided by them) on the package, mail it, or whatever, and it's done. With Ebay, there is ZERO assistance. They got the fees and you can go deleted expletive yourself. So what is wrong? No return label facility AT ALL with Ebay. You have to go through Shippo or some other company. Problem: Return costs from the U.S. can run as high as FIVE TIMES the cost you paid to ship the item. An item I shipped with UPS for $49 costs $150-$275 U.S. to return! Why? USPS/Fedex/UPS are expensive.
Oh, and yes, you WILl likely be charged taxes/duties by Canada Customs and Revenue (via Fedex/UPS) on returns, as if you'd purchased the item yourself! Your only hope is to file a claim to get it back, whic you may or may not get. Also, to get any discount via Shippo, you have to have a U.S. UPS account you cannot use your Canadian UPS account. USPS? Forget it, the price is astronomical. Canada Post will NOT generate labels for returns from the U.S. so that lets them out. Your are forced to simply send your customer money via Paypal and have them process the return shipment. Pathetic. Everyone who sells volumes gets returns, and the fact Ebay makes it this hard to process is shameful.

@shallow_karl

If an item goes to the USA under the eBay negotiated discounted rates under the assigned account number a discounted rate should be used for its return. US sellers do have access to discounts. If/when they get passed on to us Crazy Canucks is anyone's guess, but that is how it should work. It's how a return with CP works within Canada. It sounds like on returns the/a discount is not being applied.

This is what a google search returned.

Yes, eBay offers discounted shipping rates to U.S. sellers who use eBay Labels. These discounts are often on average 33% off retail rates, and can be a significant cost-saving benefit. Sellers can also choose to pass some or all of these savings onto their buyers by setting up shipping discounts.

Discounted Rates:
When using eBay Labels, sellers automatically access reduced shipping rates, typically on average 33% lower than retail rates.
Passing Savings to Buyers:
Sellers have the option to set up shipping discounts, allowing them to offer lower rates to buyers or even absorb some of the cost themselves.

marnotom! · ‎05-13-2025

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
If an item goes to the USA under the eBay negotiated discounted rates under the assigned account number a discounted rate should be used for its return. US sellers do have access to discounts. If/when they get passed on to us Crazy Canucks is anyone's guess, but that is how it should work. It's how a return with CP works within Canada. It sounds like on returns the/a discount is not being applied.

The carrier for the return would not be the same carrier that negotiated the deal with eBay Canada, though. DHL Canada is technically different than DHL USA, for example. Their brand might be the same, but they're two different businesses.

ae_purveyors · ‎05-14-2025

You shouldn’t be paying duties on Returns. Make sure you select “Return” on the “Reason for Export” tab. Attach a copy of your eBay invoice if necessary. I haven’t ever been charged duties and I do it this way.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎05-14-2025

@marnotom! wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
If an item goes to the USA under the eBay negotiated discounted rates under the assigned account number a discounted rate should be used for its return. US sellers do have access to discounts. If/when they get passed on to us Crazy Canucks is anyone's guess, but that is how it should work. It's how a return with CP works within Canada. It sounds like on returns the/a discount is not being applied.
The carrier for the return would not be the same carrier that negotiated the deal with eBay Canada, though. DHL Canada is technically different than DHL USA, for example. Their brand might be the same, but they're two different businesses.

I was probably considering CP to USA if that is how it left...USPS back to Canada. (Especially in a case where it is customer refused.) Maybe like fantasyland in practice. (All returns should be done using some common sense. Not some option that is substantially overpriced and even more critical if the item is super low value.) The eBay corporate mindset is return item at whatever it costs, who cares how much the seller is going to be out. Heaven forbid wait for the goods to return before crediting the buyer even when it is buyer remorse.

All my years on ebay I can't recall ever asking to return a thing. If I did I would be using the most economical means possible as a common courtesy.

byto253 · ‎05-14-2025

You should not, but I had a return from the US last year and UPS tried to charge me duty. I told the delivery guy that and he took the item back and left me a slip. The buyer had correctly indicated return on the form but UPS was still charging it.

I called UPS Canada and after finally working through the call system spoke with the right person at UPS who provided guidance and sent me an email on what to do and what form I had to get from Canada Customs. I ended up going to the Canada Customs office near the airport . I also brought printouts of the ebay return page and info with me to prove it was a return. Customs was great and cleared it without a problem after checking everything.

Then I had to scan and send the customs form to UPS to get them to make the delivery... which took them a few days.

Bloody crazy when the shipping label was filled out correctly in the first place.

motomike_canada · ‎05-15-2025

When you say "duties" are you actually meaning "duty" or is it Federal Tax and Brokerage Fees?

Federal Tax you will get back if you're a business, annoying but not a big deal.

Duties you can claim back, fill out the form on the receipt and prove it was exported/returned. Again annoying but not just lost money.

Brokerage charges from UPS etc obviously not...

I get brokerage charges when I accept a return and the buyer ships anything other than USPS. (well even with USPS/CPC but it's 9.99, not 50 bucks) even as a return since they have to submit the paperwork...

One thing to remember, the value returning is your *cost*, not the sold price.

If I paid 10 cents for something that sold for $20 , value for return is 10 cents.

and that's my 2.

byto253 · ‎05-15-2025

In my case it was brokerage and taxes on that, which came to $40 on a $140 item so I went through the rigamorole with Canada Customs and UPS.

ilikehockeyjerseys · ‎05-15-2025

Amazon, you get a lot more returns. I think this is because the return system is so efficient and impersonal.

If a buyer on eBay is not satisfied with an item, the reason has to be legitimate enough that they have to confront the person they sold it about the issue. I understand that the buyer doesn't have to prove anything, but some people still find it uncomfortable to say to a seller "You sold me this and it has x y z problem" when the problems are legitimate, let alone if the problems are fabricated out of buyer's remorse.

On Amazon, if a person is not satisfied, or if they have buyer's remorse, they just need to select a reason from the drop down, return it, and never interact with another human. Even if the issue is fabricated, they never have to directly confront another human. I think most people who sell on Amazon will tell you they get more returns for the same type of items with FBA than they get with eBay or other platforms.

Amazon has more returns, which is bad, but it is balanced out a bit by the liability being lower. I don't know about selling internationally via FBA. But domestically, taking a return via FBA is a little bit cheaper. Amazon doesn't directly charge the seller for the return shipping label, even the buyer receives the label for free. They charge a small fee, and then there is a small return fee to have the returned item sent back to you from the FBA warehouse. A small item might only cost a few dollars between the cost of sending it to Amazon as part of a batch, the fee on the return, and the cost of Amazon returning it to you. With eBay, you're losing out on your original shipping label to the customer, and the cost of the label on the return. The exception would be if you sell brand new items, the liability might be higher because you will receive opened/used items back more often. So even if the return shipping is less costly, the item is devalued.

If you are a casual seller on eBay, you have to consider liability when selling an item because of how time consuming and costly returns are. Liability being, how much money you can lose if things go wrong. Either the item is lost or damaged in transit, or the buyer opens a INAD return.

If you are a high volume seller, you are in a better position to absorb the cost of a return every once in a while.

If you're going to sell internationally, dealing with things like import fees on returns is one of the risks. If you're a casual seller, it's not worth it. Again, if you're a high volume seller, losing money on a transaction every once in a while won't be a big deal because across your hundreds or thousands of transactions a year, it represents a very small cost.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎05-15-2025

@ilikehockeyjerseys

The Amazon procedure for returns is much easier to navigate when a return for whatever reason is applicable. Their warehouse is "usually" much closer. They are able to offer choices of methods on how to return. They offered several during the last postal strike. They will tell you to keep on occasion. Had that happen when we received someone elses order. They just reshipped. They can charge restocking etc if the item doesnt come back same way it left in certain situations. They do wait until the goods have been returned so they can inspect before crediting

Strangely Amazon customers with returns are usually extremely surprised when they arrive at CP depot and are told the goods should be repackaged. The dreaded huh look!!! Have seen several situations...shoes, cell phone, shampoo ..... where they were given the option of either purchasing an overly priced box from cp or going home and packing themselves. Amazon being such a high volume seller have access to probably the best rates available with multiple carriers. Majority of eBay sellers have limited options when it comes to returns...economically and safely.

dinomitesales · ‎05-15-2025

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Strangely Amazon customers with returns are usually extremely surprised when they arrive at CP depot and are told the goods should be repackaged. The dreaded huh look!!! Have seen several situations...shoes, cell phone, shampoo ..... where they were given the option of either purchasing an overly priced box from cp or going home and packing themselves. Amazon being such a high volume seller have access to probably the best rates available with multiple carriers. Majority of eBay sellers have limited options when it comes to returns...economically and safely.

Hm? This hasn't been an issue for a while. For any return (under a certain size, but your examples certainly fit) going directly back to Amazon they don't need to package anything. They just bring the loose contents to the post office, we scan a QR code on their phone, slap a little tracking barcode to the item, and toss it in a large box of consolidated returns that get sent back to Amazon when the box is full.

Granted, this return option is going to be significantly affected by a postal strike; I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon severed ties with Canada Post entirely considering this is the second time in less than a year where their business has been affected by labour disruptions. This is not good for Canada Post considering the amount of money both companies invested in getting this returns process off the ground.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎05-15-2025

@dinomitesales wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Strangely Amazon customers with returns are usually extremely surprised when they arrive at CP depot and are told the goods should be repackaged. The dreaded huh look!!! Have seen several situations...shoes, cell phone, shampoo ..... where they were given the option of either purchasing an overly priced box from cp or going home and packing themselves. Amazon being such a high volume seller have access to probably the best rates available with multiple carriers. Majority of eBay sellers have limited options when it comes to returns...economically and safely.
Hm? This hasn't been an issue for a while. For any return (under a certain size, but your examples certainly fit) going directly back to Amazon they don't need to package anything. They just bring the loose contents to the post office, we scan a QR code on their phone, slap a little tracking barcode to the item, and toss it in a large box of consolidated returns that get sent back to Amazon when the box is full.

Granted, this return option is going to be significantly affected by a postal strike; I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon severed ties with Canada Post entirely considering this is the second time in less than a year where their business has been affected by labour disruptions. This is not good for Canada Post considering the amount of money both companies invested in getting this returns process off the ground.

@dinomitesales

I do find what the staff at any depots is told or remember can vary. For the packaging I think it may have something to do with security. Packaging returns should be common sense. I wasn't close enough to tell if they were all Amazon but sounded like they were.