eBay

torontonian · ‎05-02-2017

I have found an item on Alibaba I would like to sell. It costs $1. Others are selling a similar item for $7 with FREE SHIPPING. I just went to Canada Post to get a quote for my product and they said: $9.14.

How is this possible? How can somebody sell the item for $7 when shipping is $9??

torontonian · ‎05-02-2017

Additionally, I've made a list with about 10 products I would like to start selling, but my competition sells them for $6 with free shipping, when the actual shipping is $9. These people are not hobbyist, their products are new, bought from aliexpress.com ( product description and images are identical). Also, all sellers are based in Toronto, not in China. Any other ideas on how they do it?

I am pretty much seeing this pattern with all products I research.

momcqueen · ‎05-02-2017

1. Drop-shipping is murky ground.

2. Do some buying on ebay before you consider selling.

3. The sellers you cite are either misrepresenting the item location (prohibited by ebay) or shipping via domestic lettermail which is untracked and only available for items under a certain weight and depth.

Untracked lettermail has its own set of perils, no doubt there will be other members here shortly to discuss the pros and cons of it.

ypdc_dennis · ‎05-03-2017

@torontonian wrote:
I have found an item on Alibaba I would like to sell. It costs $1. Others are selling a similar item for $7 with FREE SHIPPING. I just went to Canada Post to get a quote for my product and they said: $9.14.

How is this possible? How can somebody sell the item for $7 when shipping is $9??

Canada - Lettermail

No tracking, no insurance, postage price good anywhere in Canada.

Prices are GST/HST extra.

Up to 5mm thick
000-030g .. 0.85
031-050g .. 1.20

Up to 2cm thick

051-100g .. 1.80
101-200g .. 2.95
201-300g .. 4.10
301-400g .. 4.70
401-500g .. 5.05

...

Do check to see what negative feedback these other sellers are getting.

Because the cheaper alternative to shipping from inside Canada, is via the slow boat from China.

-..-

a51split · ‎05-03-2017

Are you sure the shipping is $9? Maybe the other sellers have found a way to ship that's cheaper than what you've found.

Maybe they are shipping through the companies that take their packages into the US then shipping via the USPS.

IMO you are researching in the wrong places. The sellers you've found are the ones that are happy making 30-50¢ per item, and are trying to get high volumes to make a decent amount of $.

I try to find things to sell that no one else has. Then you can charge whatever you want.

torontonian · ‎05-03-2017

How come Canada Post does not have this option? I asked them several times if there is an alternative. They insisted there is othwer way

momcqueen · ‎05-03-2017

We're talking about Canada Post lettermail. I don't know who you're talking to about it. If it's a Solutions For Small Business rep, they will naturally point you to a tracked service because, as a business, it's the only one with liability insurance. If this is the answer you got from someone earning $10/hour behind the postal counter at a drug store, they just don't know any better.

momcqueen · ‎05-03-2017

But you're still putting the cart before the horse. eBay is tricky, you need to start to learn the ropes buying here. Test your future competition. That feedback number next to your user name is important. Shipping via domestic lettermail cheap items with zero feedback will make you a magnet for unethical buyers out there.

dutchman48 · ‎05-03-2017

Or it is being shipped directly from China!

torontonian · ‎05-03-2017

What kind of unethical buyers?

momcqueen · ‎05-03-2017

The kind who see a brand-new seller who's shipping without tracking that shows Delivery. Without Delivery Confirmation, the seller loses ALL Items Not Received claims opened against them.

torontonian · ‎05-03-2017

Thanks for clarifying

a51split · ‎05-03-2017

@torontonian wrote:
How come Canada Post does not have this option?

I went through this several years ago with a repeat item I sell. Today it ships for $6.84 to anywhere in the USA. If you go to the Canada post web site and enter the details, the lowest price they give is $15.50 to anywhere in Canada. Try explaining that to a buyer. I lost many sales because of that.

One day I took the package to the actual post office to get to the truth. It can go by Lettermail for $2.95! Their horrible web site won't give you this option.

momcqueen · ‎05-03-2017

The app certainly does.

momcqueen · ‎05-03-2017

thestuffofchris · ‎05-03-2017

That's because you have specifically checked off "Letter or Document" on the app. On the website, the default for "Find a Rate" is for parcels, which is what I'm assuming the OP used to search for prices. On the website, you have to click on the "For a Letter or Document" tab to see Lettermail prices, or alternatively click on "View all" besides the "Postal Rates" title.

momcqueen · ‎05-03-2017

Well, yes. The User needs to make an educated choice to navigate to the correct places they need to go. As a new seller, I don't think it took me longer than a week to discover Domestic lettermail (regular and oversized) and then have to rule it out due to the depth of my items. That's why a seller really must start first as a buyer. I knew from my experiences buying on eBay from other sellers in Canada and abroad that there were postage options to explore.

torontonian · ‎05-03-2017

I went to the actual post office not the website. The lady did not say anything about lettermail even thought I asked several times if there is a cheaper option.

torontonian · ‎05-03-2017

Today I went to the post office again. There was a different lady there. She said the same thing, there is no other option due to the fact that my item is too thick (over 2 cm). I mentioned lettermail. She said I could try but it's risky. They may send it back.

I will order 2-3 items from my future competitors to see how they do their shipping. Most of them are top rated sellers. The ones that aren't don't have a lot of negative feedback. There are a lot of them, not just one. This is getting ridiculous....