eBay

michael_ayotte · ‎01-28-2018

I am brand new to selling on eBay. I'm not trying to run a business. I'm just a guy trying to sell equipment I no longer use. Several weeks of Kijiji ads resulted in no takers so I thought I'd try eBay but I think I'm in over my head.

I don't understand shipping at all. I've read ebay's help section and phoned their support line twice to try and learn how this works but the people in the call centre only know eBay.com. They know nothing of Shippo or Canada Post.

I listed a piece of audio recording equipment on eBay.ca. I found a box to pack it in, weighed it with a proper scale, measured its dimensions, and entered that information into my listing. I chose "International Shipping" as an option and used the "Calculated: Cost varies by buyer location" setting. I also signed up for Shippo and for Canada Post Small Business.

Well, my auction has ended and now I don't know what to do. A buyer in Italy purchased the item. When I click on "Send Invoice" it asks me to type in the shipping cost. I thought those numbers were calculated somehow through Shippo. Also, when I click on "Print Shipping Label" it takes me to my Shippo account but I see no trace of my eBay listing in there. I have linked my eBay account to my Shippo account, at least as far as I know.

The item has sold and I have no idea what to do next. Here is a link to the listing:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/332526402696

musicyouneed · ‎01-28-2018

I think you might have a problem here with the voltage itself. In Italy if I am not mistaken it is 220 and ours is 110. He won't be able to use it.

As a new seller you should only sell to Canada and the US until you get your feet wet.

I just did a guess at what shipping would be to Italy using 41 by 41 by 25 cm and 5 kilos and it works out to $216.89 to Italy

musicyouneed · ‎01-28-2018

I also checked it with 4 kilos and it still worked out to $216.89 and you also don't want to use surface mail as that is by boat and can take months to reach you buyer. I would tell them that the shipping amount is this and let them tell you that they want to cancel it and then relist it with shipping only to US and Canada. I calculated to the US with the same dimensions and weight and it is $45.

For heavy things only ship to the US and Canada.

momcqueen · ‎01-28-2018

Musicyouneed is right. Technically speaking, eBay sellers are not supposed to offer their goods outside domestic borders until 10 Feedbacks from Selling are collected.

Normally, calculated shipping does just that: pre-fill your postage cost to that destination when you Send Invoice. But I suspect it cannot because your weight and size exceeds the postage service you selected for that destination. A 4kg parcel to Italy is Xpresspost. You likely picked Tracked Packet Which is only good to 2 kg. In order for postage to calculate, you’ve got to match that item’s characteristics with the postal service you can actually use.

Shipping is the hardest part. And you’ve already discovered the Customer Service Reps don’t understand Canada.

As to the Shippo trouble, sometimes you have to log in and log-out and then log in again to correlate the orders. You might have to contact their Tech Support.

kawartha-ephemera · ‎01-28-2018

I have also had a look at your listing and there are definitely errors in your shipping settings.
1. Domestic. Buyers located in Canada are shown correct calculated shipping amounts but because you choose generic services such as "Standard" the calculator defaulted to Regular Parcel which is not what you want. Instead select specific services such as CP Expedited (most common choice) or ExpressPost . No discounts are available for Regular Parcel.

2. USA. Calculated shipping is set to CP Expedited USA which does calculate a rate of approximately 24.00.

3. International. The calculator could not generate a rate for either Italy or the U. K, instead the following error message appears.

"This item will ship to Italy, but the seller has not specified shipping options. Contact the seller and request a shipping method to your location."

So, in your shipping settings you have indicated to the calculator that Yes, you will ship to Italy (probably chose Worldwide) but failed to specify an appropriate shipping service. As others previously mentioned , you probably chose a service or services that are not offered by CP because either
a) the parcel cannot be shipped with the service you chose because the parcel's weight and dimensions exceed the maximum allowed. There are minimum standards as well, or

b) the service is not available to all countries. For instance, Tracked Packet and ExpressPost are not a available to all countries.

I'm a little surprised your Italian buyer would have even bid on your item with no shipping cost available.

What to do now?
Well, the first thing I would do is search the CP site for the Italian customs regulations as Italy is a country with a lengthy list of import restrictions, tariffs, duties etc. If you find your item will be subject to tariff or duty inform the buyer before you send an invoice, make sure he/she is aware they are responsible for these potential charges. Also, inform the buyer of the type and cost of service to ship the item to Italy. If you are not familiar with what CP services are available to Italy I recommend that you logon to your Solutions For Small Business account to access the information you require.
Follow the Create a New Shipment link as if to purchase a label but of course do not complete the purchase. Enter the parcel weight and dimensions, be generous here or CP may bill you later.
Unlike the ebay shipping calculator or The CP Find A Rate calculator you will be asked to complete the Customs Form before CP will quote rates to Italy.
This is a good place to learn how to complete a Customs Form. You will need to search for the correct HS code to enter in the form. It may be worthwhile to practice with this form a bit before purchasing a label.
Once you successfully complete the Customs form proceed to the rates page, make sure to select a service so that you see a final quote with the fuel surcharge and any taxes included.
CP will only quote the correct services available to Italy provided accurate dimensions and weight were entered. This calculator is a good way to get a feel for what services are available around the world and to research accurate costs.
Remember though that additional discounts are available if you purchase labels through Shippo.

As others have recommended, until you gain some shipping experience exclude buyers from all other countries except Canada and the USA from purchasing your items.
This can either be done on the listing form (consider saving a template with the exclusions) or in your ebay account shipping preferences.

Personally, if I was selling these sorts of items I wouldn't use the auction format unless I was certain the item was rare and very highly sought after. Better to list for 30 days at a fixed price and exercise patience. If an item is priced reasonably it will sell within a few months and probably for a higher price than one can get at auction.
It is standard procedure for many sellers to conduct a search of completed ebay listings to gauge the demand and going market price for a product before choosing a listing format and asking price.

Hopefully your Italian buyer will be reasonable to work with and your transaction will get sorted out amicably.

momcqueen · ‎01-28-2018

Excellent and comprehensive advice there, @kawartha-ephemera.

femmefan1946 · ‎01-29-2018

Here is the Canada Post website for rates.

Quote the customer any rate that shows up. I believe that Expedited will be the most efficient, tracked and reasonably priced (as international shipping goes).

You want a tracked service if only because Italy's postal service and customs department are internationally reviled.

Your best bet is to encourage the buyer to cancel the purchase.

Do NOT allow any customer to talk you into shipping Surface or without tracking.

Such persuasions are a pretty good sign of a scammer.