eBay

davidjmoon · ‎06-05-2022

Hello my friends, I am in need of your expertise. I am located in Canada and have recently decided to start shipping Internationally. However, with eBay requiring all orders to include tracking, I am left with just one option, that being "International tracked packet". Unfortunately, that option is insanely expensive, and no buyer would ever pay the rate.

I am quite sure that there are many Canadian sellers that ship Internationally, and that there must be an option to do so, that I am just unaware of at this moment. So I am reaching out to you, in hopes that you can steer me in the right direction, allowing me to offer International shipping, at a cost that buyers will find reasonable.

I thank you all for your time. Stay safe & God Bless, David James Moon.

msau4301 · ‎06-05-2022

Hello,

My understanding is eBay does not "require" sellers to include tracking BUT if you don't use a trackable method you have no proof of delivery if the buyer decides to open an Item Not Received case. If you have already been selling a while you should be past the point of requiring proof of delivery for release of funds.

I shipped internationally for many years with no tracking, I used Small Package International and about 99% of my packages made it safely. (There were about 2 out of 200!)

For international shipping there is an option "Buyers to contact for costs", this is what I use so that I can make the decision of quoting with or without tracking. I then refer to the "Shipping calculator" input size, dimensions and country and get a quote which I then give them. Many of my items are low value so I take the chance without tracking but for more expensive items I use Tracked Package international as method.

Others here will have other suggestions but this is what has worked for me. I sell in collectibles so I have a lot of repeat buyers, once established they know the costs and it's easier! Good luck!

pjcdn2005 · ‎06-05-2022

As @msau4301 mentioned, eBay does not require sellers to use tracking. Some Canadian sellers will use tracking only on items that are valued at more than a specific amount. Some sellers will use a service such as chit chats so that they can use usps and have less expensive tracking to the US and also to some other countries. I don't know if there is a service like that in your area.

I'm not a fan of requiring the buyer to contact the seller for shipping costs. I know that if I see that, I usually move on and look for a listing that already states the shipping cost but it might work well for some people. If you are not using tracking you might want to limit your overseas shipping to specific countries rather than to all countries as some postal systems may have a better reputation than others. There are also some categories that see, to have a higher inr rate than others. For example, stamps may have a lower int rate than hockey cards.

pjcdn2005 · ‎06-05-2022

Off topic..On some of your listing ps you are charging 3.99 for shipping and $5 for local pick up. It seems odd to charge more for pick up.

Are you registered to collect gst/hst? Some of your listings such as the Sittler first day cover listing are set up to charge tax and the tax amount in some of the provinces is incorrect. For example, you shouldn't be collecting PST in BC,SK or MB unless you are registered to collect it in each of those provinces.

If you are registered to collect gst/hst all of your listings should show that, not just a few. If you are not registered, than none of your listings should show tax. EBay will be collecting as of July 1 but you should still set up your listings correctly until then.

marnotom! · ‎06-05-2022

I third the sentiments that eBay doesn't making shipping with tracking a requirement in and of itself. If you want some protection against a fraudulent claim of non-delivery or an unauthorized credit card use claim, then using tracking would be a possible way to go.

What some sellers do is "self-insure" or use "cookie jar insurance" and send their less expensive items by less expensive non-tracked shipping methods, add a bit to their handling charge for "self-insurance" coverage to put into a virtual cookie-jar, and raid the cookie jar if they have to deal with a non-delivery or unauthorized use claim thatthey can't defend with tracking.

Most of the items you sell are inexpensive enough to benefit from self-insurance. Those that aren't, for example, your Erik Estrada card, you would probably send tracked anyway. The uniqueness of a lot of your items means that buyers are likely to pay whatever you're asking in shipping.

Do look into consolidation services such as Chit Chats, though, if they're a practical option for you. Stallion is another one that gets some mention here, for what it's worth.

femmefan1946 · ‎06-05-2022

with eBay requiring all orders to include tracking,

EBay does not require tracking.

You can even become a (Global) Top Rated Seller without tracking.

While you cannot print any Lettermail label, you can buy prepaid labels at the Post Office. Just ask for "stamps". You can even mix and match stamps to get the correct value for your item. Lettermail has to be under 500gm and under 2cm thick.

Lettermail is not tracked and is best reserved for items you won't be heartbroken over if you get a Not Received claim. Because you will be refunding.

You can track Lettermail domestically with Registration for $9.50. But Registration stops tracking at the border.

Most of your items are too bulky to ship at LetterRate, but consider it for flat, small, low value items.

femmefan1946 · ‎06-05-2022

I'd remove the "God Bless" from your Descriptions.

Most people will be annoyed by bringing religion into the marketplace, and many will take that as a sign of a potential scammer.

acconshor · ‎06-05-2022

I’m in the GTA and I’ve sold on eBay for 13 years. I build shipping into the price of the item and ship everything “free” in the United States and Canada. I keep my average sale price in the $100 CDN range to facilitate this. Even if you’re selling a unique item, American buyers are going to grit their teeth when you send them an invoice for postage. I have a small business card from Canada Post. I send everything expedited. I’ve had 0 packages lost in 13 years, and I’ve never had to answer a question about why shipping is so expensive. Yes—I’ve paid tens of thousands of dollars in postage. And I probably could have done something gimmicky like charged $5 for every item. But I believe the free shipping pushed me up in the algorithm and helped me sell what I’ve sold. Short answer: if you’re charging shipping to the States your sales will suffer.